The Saints Players of Our Era

Drew Brees made his way to the Who Dat nation in 2006.

He had been run out of San Diego after suffering a shoulder injury and the management was ready for the Phillip Rivers' era to begin.

The Saints needed a quarterback.

Aaron Brooks had been a dumpster fire in 2005. They had two quarterbacks to choose from in free agency, Drew Brees and former Minnesota Viking Daunte Culpepper. Both were coming off of injuries.

The Saints signed Brees, who led them to the NFC Championship Game that season. Culpepper is still bouncing around from team to team.

As a side note, Chef Emeril promised Brees that he would cook dinner for him if he would sign with the Saints.

You cannot beat that.

Along with Drew Brees, Reggie Bush is one of the most popular Saints on the roster.

Coming out of University of Southern California in 2006, Bush was expected to be picked first overall in the draft by the Houston Texans.

This, however, was not to be as the Texans chose Mario Williams, leaving Bush fell into the Saints' laps.

Pierre Thomas runs like a big bruiser.

He is never afraid to hit the hole and does not try to make too much out of one play. He runs like a bigger back than he really is and frequently is hidden out of view under the pile of massive lineman.

Even though his size is against him, he keeps pushing and pushing, usually making something out of nothing.

Thomas went undrafted in the 2007 NFL draft, as expected. Shortly after the draft, Thomas signed a contract as an undrafted free agent with the Saints.

At 6'4", Marques Colston can make the high catches.

He is frequently seen taking would be tacklers for a short ride before actually going down. After being drafted in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft, Colston was expected to become a tight end because of his size and catching abilities.

However, following the trade of Donte Stallworth, Colston was inserted into the starting lineup and quickly became a favorite target of Drew Brees.

Lance Moore is small, but he can hurt opposing teams in a big way.

He was signed as an unsigned free agent by the Cleveland Browns in 2005, he was later released and signed by the Saints.

After the injury of Marques Colston last season, Moore quickly became Drew Brees' favorite target.

A fifth round draft pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2004 NFL Draft, Mike Karney has proven to be a solid lead blocker and average receiver out of the backfield.

The Saints gave up two picks to draft Karney. In his first two seasons, he has started 22 of 32 games.

On Dec. 10, 2006, against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, Karney had his best NFL game, scoring two receiving TDs and one rushing TD. His first three touchdowns in the NFL.

His nickname is known to be "Karney-beast."

In a year that fell victim to a bad defense, many of the efforts of middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma (above, right) fell by the wayside.
Vilma was picked up by the Saints after they traded for him to the New York Jets last offseason.
In his short time in New Orleans, Vilma has become a fan favorite.

Scott Fujita (above, left) has been a solid force with the Saints. Fujita came from Dallas along with new head coach Sean Payton in 2006 after playing for the Chiefs. One of his most memorable plays this season was an interception late in the first game of the season against the Tampa Bay Bucs. His interception helped solidify the Saints win.

Besides Reggie Bush, the Saints also recently drafted another former USCer. Defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis was taken by the Saints at seventh overall during the NFL Draft of 2008. The Saints traded up with the New England Patriots to make the pick.
After spending a few games injured last season, Ellis came back and was a solid force with the Saints. We can only hope that he will continue his play and better it in 2009.

Tracy Porter (right) was the Saints' second round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was named one of the starting corners but suffered a season ending injury soon after. Porter, who is also a great special teams returner, was a solid cornerback and Saints fans started believing that we might could do this thing of keeping receivers in check.
With the injuries to Mike McKenzie, we need Porter to step up this year.

Note: This photo was chosen because the receiver to the left of Porter is former Michigan Wolverine Adrian Arrington, the Saints' seventh round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft.