Pro Bowl “Snubs” Confirm: Saints No Longer Relevant to Rest of NFL
The recent unveiling of the Pro Bowl selections for 2016 did not include a single member on the current New Orleans Saints roster.
While there were some “snubs” to be sure, this speaks more to how far the Saints have fallen in the eyes and within the national conscience of the NFL, rather than some “conspiracy” or vendetta against New Orleans.
It’s been a long time since 2009.
Saints fans, myself included, still remember it like yesterday: Sean Payton triumphantly thrusting the Lombardi trophy into the air, Drew Brees holding his son up like Simba from The Lion King as an ocean of colorful confetti swirled around them.
Feb 7, 2010 ; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) celebrates after his team defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
While these are some of my favorite all-time memories as a Saints fan, for the rest of the NFL they are ancient history — and they are so far faded from the national consciousness, they may as well be drawings on the wall of a forgotten cave.
Allow me to put it into perspective.
2009 was the year President Barack Obama was inaugurated into office…for his FIRST term.
President-elect Donald Trump was still the host of
For pop culture fans, 2009 was also the year Kanye West famously interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Video Music Awards.
2009 was also the year that the popular animated movie “Avatar” came out.
And current red-hot rookie Dallas Cowboys phenoms Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott were both still in high school, dreaming of their chances to play in the NFL.
From a prep star in La., to the @dallascowboys, check out Dak Prescott back in the day
— MaxPreps (@MaxPreps) November 20, 2016
HIGH SCHOOL HIGHLIGHTS --> https://t.co/iZ4f5zr2it pic.twitter.com/5qSXP5DY5l
Oh, and Baylen Brees, the adorable child in the confetti photograph?
He was just over a year old in that picture.
He is now approaching 8, and Drew Brees and his wife Brittany have had three more children since then.
Here is a much more recent photo posted from Drew Brees’ Twitter account.
We had a great time today at Dryades YMCA for the @Saints Turkey Giveaway pic.twitter.com/53jSlPq62Y
— Drew Brees (@drewbrees) November 23, 2016
The point is, the world keeps turning, the sun keeps rising, and a lot has happened since then.
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Barring a Christmas miracle, the Saints are going to miss the playoffs for a third straight season, and they are already guaranteed a third straight season without a winning record.
It’s no wonder that the Saints only had two prime-time games this year, and were not selected for Sunday Night Football.
There are a lot of Saints fans upset over the fact that not a single Saint was selected to represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl.
I get that, and I agree that some Saints were”snubbed”, especially Drew Brees and Cam Jordan.
Dec 18, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) against the Arizona Cardinals in the first quarter at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
But the reality is, until the Saints start WINNING again, nobody is going to care what is going on in the Big Easy.
Next: Saints 7 Round 2017 Mock Draft - Christmas Edition
If New Orleans is tired of feeling disrespected, and feel like they deserve more representation league-wide in things like the Pro Bowl and Sunday Night Football, there’s only one fix.
Winning…………………….