I'm a changed woman.....I'm officially a SAINTS FAN.  No, this doesn't mean that I love my AZ Cards any less!  But I admit, I've always been interested in the Saints...we all remember the Monday night spectacular when the Superdome reopened!   But, before February 29th I wasn't totally sold on the Saints....something was missing, or shall I say someone was missing!   But, on the 29th the scale tipper, the confirmer, the DARN straw that broke the camel's back occurred; the signing of Jonathan Vilma!  Ladies and gent's, the fat lady has sung, I'm sold!

Vilma's athletic prowess is nothing short of amazing!  His on the field play during his first three seasons with the Jet's can best be described as freakish.  The undersized middle linebacker out of Miami was out to prove a mission, as Vilma says in his Rocawear advertisement, "I will not lose," and he hasn't!  During his rookie campaign the 12th overall pick in '04 draft recorded (brace yourself fools) 108 tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions, including one which was he returned for a touchdown.   In 2005, the 2004 NFL Defensive Rookie of the year won his first trip to Honolulu (the Pro Bowl fools!)  Vilma's play action combined with his mature demeanor allowed him to rack up endorsement after endorsement.  From Rocawear, to Under Armour, to Sprint, Vilma became a staple in the New York media.

Unfortunately, towards the end of his tenure in New York Vilma's production slipped.   This can be attributed not to faltering dedication but to new coach Eric Mangini's transition to a 3-4 defense.   Under the new regime, Vilma struggled to block the oversized (obese) centers and guards of the dominate (overrated) AFC. 

Despite all of his stats, Vilma's on the field accomplishments pale in comparison to his off the field strides.   While at Miami, Vilma majored in finance and is rumored to have maintained 3.5 GPA (W-O-W, especially considering that the NCAA is a fatally flawed "educational institution," amateurism my ARSE....ok, ok a debate for another blog!")   In addition to being THE true man-genius (Mangini has nothing on this dude) Vilma is a steady force in his community.  Early in his career he founded Financial51, an innovative and impressive 501(c)(3) dedicated to educating children and athletes about the importance of sound financial investing.  Additionally, Vilma can be seen around his hometown of Coral Gables giving back to his community not only through financial contributions (he ain't in it for the tax breaks,) but most impressively by giving his time (and no, it's because of a mandatory community service sentencing; oh little buddies, he's no Chris Henry/Mike Vick type!) 

What does this mean for US Saint's fans....it means H-A-L-L-E-L-U-J-A (both on and off the field!)  In the Saints defense, Vilma should return to the top!  So have no fear, after signing Dan Morgan and then losing Dan Morgan, we still have hope, tons of hope!  We've got Vilma, we've got a 4-3 defense, we've got Sedrick Ellis and now we have Will Smith (for a long and expensive time)....oh we will survive!    

So, as you can see I'm a true ‘black and gold' Vilma STAN (a ridiculous fan) and now a Saints fan!  The Saints kick off the pre-season here in Arizona against my BELOVED Cards, and I'm so torn!!!  Is it ok if I rock my Vilma Jersey (all provided that my credit card doesn't get D-E-N-I-E-D) and my Cards baseball cap?  

Ya'll mark my words...I will get Vilma's autograph and a brief interview for the blog!!   I'm prepared to scale walls, run onto the field, and/or chase a bus if necessary (maybe not I am lady!)  But, if I "bump" into Vilma, I'll be like a fat kid in a candy store....OUTTA DARN CONTROL!