Do you still remember New Orleans Saints’ first and only championship? It was a fantastic season for the “The Beasts of the Bayou”, winning all of its first 13 games. In the playoffs, the Saints overwhelmed the Arizona Cardinals, 45-14 and pushed Brett Favre into retirement, by defeating the Minnesota Vikings in a thrilling 31-28 overtime game. Lady Luck seemed to be smiling at New Orleans until they got into the Super Bowl. The Indianapolis Colts showed why they are one of the best teams in the league by asserting their dominance with a 10-0 first quarter score. But this is New Orleans season. Just like a brave Spanish Army, the Saints battled back from a 10-point deficit to win Super Bowl XLIV, 31-17.The game was like Il Classico (a game between Spanish football giants FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in the La Liga), full of tension and excitement. If this was held in a fan-crazy country like Spain, the spectators would go nuts. Finals MVP Drew Brees dedicated the championship to the victims of hurricane Katrina and to the city of New Orleans for their dedication and trust for the team. A few years later, it seems the once mighty Saints has lost all their glory. Suffering early exits in the NFL playoffs, New Orleans lost its contender status. With Reggie Bush leaving, the team desperately needs a new “target-man” for QB Drew Brees. With the free-agency coming up, the perfect opportunity arises to acquire the next sidekick for Brees. Although this year, a lot of people are saying that the NFL free-agency could be compared to “high-risk” poker. The players might be either a “win” or a “bust.” A team can go “all-in” for a free-agent, but could suffer minimal gain in the end. Minimal gain? That’s something you definitely won’t encounter in partypoker. Anyway, analysts are saying that it would be better to trade rather than getting a free-agent. Unfortunately, New Orleans has very few players to trade with (unless they want to part ways with some of their core players). Looks like the Saints have to deal with the free-agency. Hey, nobody wins by playing safe in poker, right? If the Saints are going after a player, New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz would be an ideal target. Cruz, who has Hispanic roots, became famous for his “devil-may-care” catches, and trademark celebratory Spanish salsa touchdown dance. Because of his touchdown dance, he was offered to join Dancing with the Stars, which he unfortunately had to turn down. The addition of Victor would bolster not only the Saints’ offense, but the overall team morale as well. He will be a restricted free-agent this year but rumors say that the Giants are willing to ship Cruz off for a fair price. Some “Spanish Flavor” wouldn’t hurt the Saints’ chance, and will probably become a fan favorite if he ever joins the team. The future of the team lies in the hands of longtime coach Sean Payton and his staff. Hopefully they can put the Saints back into championship form. Drew Brees still has some gas left in his tank and could go for a few more runs to chase another Super Bowl title. The fans could only cross their fingers and have faith in their team, just like what they did in 2010.
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