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- Everything went right yesterday from the very start. Erin surprised me with a breakfast sandwich from Satsuma Cafe before we left, the weather was gorgeous, the street car showed up right when we walked up to our stop, I ran into three different people I know heading into the dome, and, of course, the Saints spoiled the Falcons undefeated season. I couldn't have asked for a better birthday.
- The play of the day came before the game even started when the Saints organized the surprise reunion of a local military member with his family at the 50-yard line. Like most people, that kinda stuff really gets me teary eyed, especially now that I have a son.
- In keeping with the Salute to Service tribute, female vocal trio the Victory Belles from the National World War II museum sang the National Anthem.
- Curtis Lofton led the pre-game Who Dat chant, against his former team.
- Things did not look good to start. A deep completion to Roddy White and a quick, easy score for the Falcons, followed by a Brees interception on the Saints first offensive play.
- My new favorite game day commercial in the Superdome is the one for Crystal Hot Sauce. It's friggin' catchy. Just watch it a few times in a row and you won't be able to stop singing, "Crystal-ize it!"
- My wife wanted me to mention that all womankind agreed the Superdome bathrooms were definitely designed by men. Apparently the paper towels are located nowhere near the sinks, causing a mess. Only a man would be thoughtless enough to make such an error.
- What the hell can I say about that Chris Ivory run that hasn't already been said? He's just a natural runner with a nose for finding open space.
- Did anybody see Pierre Thomas? Didn't think so. Where the hell has he been the past three weeks? I want to see more of Chris Ivory and Mark Ingram but not at the expense of my boy PT.
- The University of South Alabama (USA) marching band was the halftime entertainment. Get it? USA? Salute to Service weekend?
- Don't know how it looked on TV but I wanted to give Corey White props on his interception. It took a lot of concentration to stay with the play and come down with the ball on that long, high pass. That wasn't a lucky pick by any means.
- I think Lance Moore's performance got slightly overshadowed by Jimmy Graham and Chris Ivory but Moore was clutch yet again on a few key plays. And did you see that sick one-handed grab?
- Crystalize-it!
- The only one real thing that we, as Saints fans, can truly count on - and I mean really count on - is that Roman "Motherf***ing" Harper will absolutely drop a potential interception if it hits him right in the hands. It's uncanny.
- That penultimate drive by the Falcons was a perfect example of the Saints' maddening "bend but don't break" style of defense. They play like crap, give up huge chunks of yardage and let the opponent get into the red zone, then pull a rabbit out of their hat and somehow come up with the stop. Some might call that lucky.