#TBT: 10 years ago, Steve Gleason's blocked punt inspired a New Orleans Party Gras
Forgive fans at Monday night's Atlanta Falcons-New Orleans Saints game in the Superdome if they have a case of deja vu. Ten years ago, the teams met after football returned to the Big Easy following Hurricane Katrina and a blocked punt became one of the most iconic plays in Saints history.
The Sept. 25, 2006, game marked the Saints' first home contest in 21 months, the team having been displaced by the devastation of the hurricane that ruined homes, businesses and lives all over New Orleans.
The night started in rousing fashion as U2 and Green Day played along with some of New Orleans' finest brass musicians to inspire the crowd.
On the game's first series, the Falcons were forced to punt after linebacker Scott Fujita stripped Michael Vick and the ball went out of bounds.
The game was scoreless, barely a minute in, when Steve Gleason came in clean up the middle and blocked Michael Koenen's punt into the end zone, where Curtis DeLoatch recovered it for a touchdown that set off an amazing celebration. The Saints went on to an inspirational 23-3 victory.
"From the moment I signed with the Saints, I was looking forward to this," quarterback Drew Brees, who joined New Orleans the previous offseason, told reporters. "It was a great night. It's something we'll never forget."
The meaning of the game wasn't lost on the opposing coach, either.
"As tough as it is to lose a game, I'd be lying if I said there isn't a little, little, little piece of me that didn't appreciate what this game meant to this city," Falcons coach Jim Mora, whose father coached the Saints from 1986 to 1996, told reporters after the loss. "It meant a lot."
Of course, the story of Steve Gleason was just starting with the blocked punt, which led to the Saints and city having a statue built to commemorate the iconic "rebirth" of the team. Ten years later, it stands outside the Superdome. The 2006 Saints turned things around from a 3-13 season the year before and went on to win the NFC South and play in the NFC Championship game before falling to the Chicago Bears.
As legendary as Gleason's moment on that 2006 night was, his story became more compelling and emotional as time went on. The defensive back and special teams ace was diagnosed with ALS in 2011. He has become an advocate for the fight against Lou Gehrig's Disease while battling it himself.
Gleason's activism resulted in a law signed by President Obama on July 30, 2015 that will "provide Medicare beneficiary access to eye tracking accessories for speech generating devices and to remove the rental cap for durable medical equipment under the Medicare Program with respect to speech generating devices."
An eponymous documentary chronicling Gleason's courageous fight against the illness was released in 2016.
To bring everything full circle, the Falcons and Saints met last season on a Thursday night. On that evening, with Gleason present to receive the George Halas Award from the Pro Football Writers Association, the Saints' Michael Mauti blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown to give New Orleans a 14-0 lead en route to a 31-21 victory.
Mauti, a New Orleans native whose father played for the Saints, had attended the 2006 game when Gleason blocked the punt.
After the game, Gleason posted this appropriate tweet:
Hey, Falcons. #NeverPunt
— Steve Gleason (@TeamGleason) October 16, 2015
-SG
It was more than just a victory. #Rebirth #DomeComing #tbt pic.twitter.com/ZDJajmwvmB
— Mike Karney (@Karney44) September 22, 2016
If they decide to listen to him, that might take all the fun out of Monday night's rematch.
