I had a chance to catch up with Times-Picayune Saints/sports reporter Jeff Duncan to discuss the recent release of his new book “From Bags to Riches“. If you haven’t had a chance to read it yet, I highly recommend it as it’s a perfect read for any Saints fan. Jeff has been reporting on the Saints since 1999 and he originally hails from Louisville, Kentucky. Per his bio on Nola.com “Jeff has collected several awards, including the Louisiana Sports Writers Association’s Story of the Year three times.” You can purchase “From Bags to Riches” by going to Acadian House Publishing. Any copy of the book purchased through their website will include an autograph from Jeff Duncan himself. Enjoy the Q&A!
Saints Nation: Jeff, first off, thanks so much for doing this. I appreciate you taking the time. I assume the release of your book right at the heart of the football season has made for an incredibly busy period for you?
Jeff Duncan: Your assumption is correct. My normal work week during the football season is six days. Typically, the lone day off is Saturday, and half of those are travel days when the Saints are on the road. So trying to work the book signings and interviews into the already-packed schedule is challenging. But, hey, these are good problems to have. The book is a rare opportunity. I’m excited about it and welcome the opportunity to share it with people, especially New Orleanians and Saints fans. No complaints here. It’s a labor of love.
SN: So your book is out now, as mentioned, and it’s titled “From Bags to Riches”. I know it documents the period during and after Katrina leading up to the Saints’ Super Bowl victory last year. Most Saints fans remember this as a journey from ultimate despair to complete jubilation. Can you talk about the dramatic journey it took and how your book illustrates that?
JD: I might be biased but I truly believe the Saints’ Super Bowl title and the run up to it was one of the most compelling stories in sports history, certainly one of the best in our lifetime. Sports Illustrated validated it when they named Drew Brees the Sportsman of the Year recently. That award, as Drew said, was as much an honor for the city of New Orleans as it was for Brees himself. The SI editors clearly understood the significance of the accomplishment. The story transcended sports. There’s a reason Super Bowl XLIV was the most watched show in TV history. It attracted an unprecedented viewing audience despite pitting two of the NFL’s smallest markets against each other. Clearly, it was the story of a lifetime and I was in a unique position to tell it. I covered the Saints-state negotiations extensively pre-Katrina, was intimately involved in covering Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath as a news reporter for the Times-Picayune, and then was able to jump back on the Saints’ beat in 2008 and chronicle the rise of the franchise under Sean Payton and Drew Brees. So I was there every step of the way. The Katrina season and the state of the franchise pre-Katrina are vital to the story. I think a lot of fans, especially the bandwagoners who arrived late on the scene, don’t truly understand how precarious the state of the franchise was before Katrina. And the storm’s damage to the team’s stadium and hometown transformed their condition from serious to critical. In the face of unprecedented adversity, New Orleanians and Saints fans in general responded by throwing their hearts and resources to the team. Essentially, they refused to allow the team to leave. In this regard, the Saints were no different than any of the city’s other cherished cultural institutions: Mardi Gras; Jazz Fest; Commander’s Palace; Angelo Brocato’s Ice Cream; etc. They were a one of the many vestiges of old New Orleans, of pre-Katrina New Orleans, that residents desperately and defiantly refused to lose. The dynamic – the passionate support and fervent almost religious following — that exists today is rooted in those years. I wanted “From Bags to Riches” to capture the social and civic impact of the Super Bowl. The lead character in the book isn’t Brees or Payton or Reggie Bush. It’s the City of New Orleans, or more accurately New Orleanians. I wanted to tell the story from their perspective, because I think they were as much a part of the championship as Brees or Payton or Tracy Porter. Their passionate support willed the team to victory at times. It supplied the team with a raison d’etre and gave them a unique motivational edge. They fed off this on Sundays. Other teams were playing a football game. The Saints were waging a crusade. I think it’s one of the great stories in sports history, certainly one of the best in our lifetime. I was fortunate to cover it and privileged to have the chance to document it in a book.
SN: I read a review that mentioned you talking specifically in the book about how close the Saints were to becoming the “San Antonio Saints.” Can you talk about the reality of that situation at that time?
JD: The reality was the Saints had one foot out the door and were ready to bolt for good if not for the intervention of the NFL. Clearly, it was a time of great chaos and uncertainty. I understand Benson’s concern about the viability of the post-Katrina New Orleans market. But he really showed no faith in the city and I think his lack of loyalty in a time of crisis will tarnish his legacy forever. That said, I don’t think the Saints ever truly were close to leaving because the NFL and Commissioner Paul Tagliabue were never going to allow it to happen. The league wanted to ensure New Orleans at least had a chance to make it work and I credit them for doing everything in their power to make sure the city had a chance to succeed. New Orleans deserved a fair shot. After all, the city and its fans had supported pro football for almost four decades. It would have been negligent – almost criminal – to move the team without giving the city a chance to prove it could support it. The story has turned out better than anyone could have imagined. In their wildest dreams, the league, city and Saints could not have scripted a better outcome. But like Michael Brown at FEMA, a lot of revisionist history is going on these days from Saints camp about the San Antonio situation. I wanted to set the record straight once and for all about what went on there.
SN: As a reporter, and I know you take the job very seriously, you are paid to be objective. You’ve said before that it makes you a more effective storyteller if you can separate yourself from rooting for the Saints. All that said, did being right in the middle of the whole experience and action give you some satisfaction when the Saints pulled off the unthinkable and won the Super Bowl? Did you get the least bit emotional, either during the journey, or in the writing process?
JD: Journalists root for stories not teams or players. Clearly, the story of the Saints’ Super Bowl run was one of the most compelling in sports and New Orleans history. So, in that regard, yes, I was rooting for it to happen. It was good for the city and heaven knows Saints fans and New Orleanians deserved it. But ultimately I get paid to write about the Saints whether they win or lose. Their succes
s or failure has no bearing on my livelihood. It’s no different than our reporters and columnists who cover City Hall and state government. They aren’t rooting for or against Ray Nagin. They are there to cover, chronicle and watchdog their beats. We have a responsibility to our readers to be objective. We’re not doing our jobs if we become boosters of our sources. It’s difficult for some fans to understand this.
SN: So many things stacked against them: small market team, long history of losing, a poorly run organization for so long with ownership labeled as horrible. Do you think there was a turning point, as an organization, where decisions from the top started to affect the results positively? What changed?
JD: The hiring of Sean Payton and signing of Drew Brees were watershed moments in club history. Both are strong, accountable leaders who have a clear plan and vision for success. Brees is a Hall of Fame talent and through a long overdue stroke of good fortune the Saints landed him in his prime. There’s no way to underestimate how important or fortunate that turn of events was for the club at the time. In addition, the post-Katrina turnaround can also be attributed in part to the maturation of the front-office brain trust – Dennis Lauscha, Mickey Loomis, Rita Benson LeBlanc, Ben Hales. Each was new or relatively new to their positions in 2006 and understandably each took some time to grow and mature into their positions. To their credit, the organization embraced the city and became much more fan friendly after the storm.
SN: Do you buy into the theory that this story goes deeper than just sports? What did you learn as a person from the entire experience of first-hand reporting on this team through the thick of the pain and joy?
JD: I’ve learned that I have a great job. I’m fortunate to cover a team that has one of the most passionate followings in pro sports. Saints fans follow their team with the fervor of World Cup nationalism. It’s Friday Night Lights on Sunday afternoons. All journalists strive for relevance. I’m fortunate in that my beat is one of the most relevant at the Times-Pivayune. Everything I write is being read and dissected thoroughly. In addition, I have long marveled at the fervent parochialism of New Orleanians. No city in America is more provincial than New Orleans. They love and celebrate their indigenous products and traditions. The Saints are one of those traditions and customs. New Orleans is truly a unique city and to truly understand it you need to take the time to study its history. I learned so much about the city’s unique demographics and rich culture during the research of the book. It’s helped me appreciate my adopted hometown more than ever. The city’s joie de vivre is infectious. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.
SN: Your book has the Super Bowl as an end point, but life and the Saints go on. Do you think the special bond that the fans and players in New Orleans have with each other will go away or diminish over time?
JD: As long as Payton and Brees are around I think the love affair will continue. Everybody loves a winner. And I think the Saints will continue to win with those two guys leading the organization. They’ve engendered unprecedented trust from the fan base. Even if the club hits a rocky season or two, I think the support will continue and endure. The 2009 run to Super Bowl will be cherished by fans forever. Obviously, if the team’s fortunes wane, so too will support. There is an economic reality to consider. So far the Saints have been recession-proof. Not sure that will be the case if they return to their losing ways. But again, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
SN: At 9-3, the Saints have suffered through some adversity this season, but they’re in a position to make a run with a good record and the playoffs nearing. What are the major differences between the team this year versus last year?
JD: I don’t see a lot of major differences. In some ways, the Saints are improved. I think the emergence of Chris Ivory gives them a physical presence in the rushing attack that they’ve lacked since Deuce McAllister retired. It’s no coincidence that as he has developed the big play has returned to the play-action passing attack. They go hand in hand. The offensive line has been more consistent of late but I don’t think they have played at the same level as last season. Defensively, they are not making as many big plays and this is worrisome. Clearly, Darren Sharper is not the same player he was a year ago. He looks more like the guy the Vikings let go than the All-Pro last season in New Orleans. And the front seven continues to lack a bona fide playmaker. I expect the Saints to address this issues next offseason. Of course, I thought that last year as well and they weren’t able to make it happen.
SN: Do they have the makeup to win another Super Bowl in your opinion?
JD: They unquestionably have the talent and makeup. But I remain skeptical of their chances of winning another championship. The intangibles have been somewhat lacking from a year ago. I don’t see the same fire or edge to this team that I saw last season. It’s natural to let up a little bit after achieving a lifelong goal. I think the Saints endured their Super Bowl-hangover moments earlier this season and have sufficiently recovered and moved on. Unfortunately, the losses to Arizona and Cleveland likely will cost them a division title. And I think it’s imperative to win the home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. The difference between playing in New Orleans and Green Bay, Wis., in late January is astronomical. It looks like the Saints are going to have to win a cold-weather game on the road to win it all this season. That’s a tall order.
SN: Anything else you want to share with Saints fans about the book?
JD: No, just a reminder that this book is vastly different in content than the post-Super Bowl books by Drew Brees and Sean Payton. In fact, you don’t have to be a diehard Saints fans to enjoy it. The content is as much about New Orleans as it is about the Saints. But I think Saints fans will find there’s a lot of new information and insight that they’ve never read before. Thanks for the opportunity to tell your readers about it. I very much appreciate it.
Thanks again to Jeff for taking the time. You can purchase “From Bags to Riches” by going to Acadian House Publishing. Any copy of the book purchased through their website will include an autograph from Jeff Duncan himself.
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