Last Sunday night, the New Orleans Saints coming into the game versus the Buccaneers were the 11.5 point underdog. Saints were on the road at Tampa Bay away from their home dome. The Buccaneers needed a victory to clinch the division. The Saints mustered up 9 stinking points total against a Tom Brady team which has maybe the best offense in the league this season. Common sense upon hearing these kinds of numbers mean you would award the victory to the Buccaneers. The Saints defense put on a clinic as if they looked like the 1985 Chicago Bears. The Saints defense had flashes of that Bounty Gate defense of Christmas past as Buccaneers bodies fell to the turf. Saints would win this one 9-0 as they manhandled Tom Brady and tossed him around like a rag doll. No Sean Payton due to the Corona Virus. This Saints attack was led by the defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen. Saints are alive in the playoff chase. The Buccaneers and their walking wounded will have to wait another week to clinch the division.

In the 2009 season, the Saints defense made some extra scratch with their side hustle putting bounties on their opponents.

Bounties on players’ heads is like something you see in the movies. The Saints players and coaches pooled their money together back then and formed a fund they called the Slush Fund. Back then Gregg Williams was the Defensive Coordinator, & the master mind of the bounty gate scandal. I just remember the Saints going after Brett Farve who was then under the center for the Vikings and giving him the beating of a life time. It was the 2009 NFC Championship between the Vikings and the Saints in which New Orleans would prevail in overtime for a 31-28 win. The Saints went after Farve that game like he killed someone’s mother as they hit him high and low.

Farve was one of those annoying quarterbacks back in the day like Tom Brady is today. You get sick of these guys always beating you. Farve showed some grit in that 2009 NFC Championship team as he kept getting up and making plays. It was a close game. The Saints were able to force multiple turnovers on that Viking team led by Farve. That was the niche of that 2009 Bounty gate defense. Their key was forcing turnovers to get the ball back to Drew Brees and the offense. Head coach of the Vikings at the time counted 13 times where Saints defenders were trying to hurt his quarterback. Guys like Bobby McCray and Remi Ayodele made their presence well known. Saints had talent on that defense with guys like Will Smith and Scott Fujita. The bounties elevated their play that year. Saints would pay the consequences later on as head coach Sean Payton was suspended for one entire season. Gregg Williams was fired and would resurface with other teams later on. The Saints would win their only Superbowl.

One of the best defenses the Saints ever had in their history was during the Jim Mora tenure. The same guy who said, “Playoffs!!!” in a press conference.

The New Orleans Saints during the late 1980’s early 1990’s had maybe the best group of linebackers to play the game at the same time. At the time this defense played a 3-4 and were nicknamed the Dome patrol. The Saints deadly linebacker core consisted of Rickey Jackson, Vaughan Johnson, Sam Mills, and Pat Swilling, and they terrorized opposing quarterbacks for years. This group helped the Saints win their first ever division title. The Dome Patrol helped the Saints make 4 playoff appearances. Three straight from 1990-1992. All four Saints Linebackers made the Pro Bowl in 1992.

The Dome Patrol was a defense like Bounty Gate in 2009 and the present Saints team. Turnovers. The Dome Patrol was tops in the league forcing turnovers. The Dome Patrol may be the best Saints defense of all-time. The Saints never would win a playoff game with that group.

On Sunday Night, the present day group on defense for the Saints played one of the best games in their franchise as a unit. Sunday night ended Tom Brady’s streak of 255 games behind center not being shut out.

Defensive line Cameron Jordan had two sacks on Tom Brady with a forced fumble that Marshon Lattimore recovered. Marcus Davenport and David Onyemata were able to bring Tom Brady down with sacks of their own. Then the instigator, C.J-Gardner Johnson, intercepted Tom Brady late in the game. Tom Brady completed 26 passes out of 48 throws for 214 yards with the one pick and no touchdown passes. This Saints unit may have not gotten help from the Saints defenses of the past. This unit did not need any help from those past defenses in Saints history. When you see the Tom Brady’s of the league continue to beat you over and over. Nights like the Saints defense, that rises up against a Tom Brady or these other quarterback menaces that you and I are sick of, come out on top is just PRICELESS!!!! What would make this story even better is if the Saints made it to the playoffs. Then knocking the Buccaneers out of the post-season.