The Saints Take Part In Classless Celebration: New Orleans No Longer Protagonist

The Saints came away with a victory on Monday Night in Atlanta to keep their division championship hopes intact. It was a great win for the organization and they should have left it at that.

Jonathan Vilma and a few of his teammates had other plans in mind.

Whether it was malicious or not is left up to interpretation. What is cut and dry though, is the level of disrespect shown by the way they celebrated the victory. A group of Saints went to midfield and stood on the face of the Atlanta Falcons logo and took pictures of the victory.

Am I overreacting? Maybe. But the implications of their actions could prove detrimental in the playoffs and beyond.

It is shocking that a team lead by Sean Payton wouldn't be content with a victory. They had to rub it in their opponent's face. The picture placement was no accident. It was meant to be personal.

Most people have one team in particular they root for. For the majority of fans, that team is not the Saints. Even so, the Saints are the "Good Guys" of the NFL. They encountered a tragedy and remained positive, giving back to the community and remaining in New Orleans, even when it seemed impossible.

Drew Brees is one of the biggest class acts in the NFL. He is a model citizen and is someone parents can feel comfortable letting their child idolize. He is the face of the franchise and conducts himself in a manner that is rarely seen today in the NFL.

Sean Payton leads a blue collar football team. America easily identifies with the Saints. Things haven't always gone their way, but they work hard and are easy to get behind. The Saints have been virtually unblemished. They are the protagonist, if ever there was one in the NFL. The Saints may be the defending champs, but they are still looked at as the underdog, the one who overcame all the odds and ended up on top.

How can you not fall in love with what the Saints stand for and what they have done for a community that so desperately needed something to root for. Out of nowhere, they decide they are going to stoop to the level of everyone else.It may seem like a small step backwards in the grand scheme of things, but the Saints need to address the issue.

Drawing negative attention to the organization is not something the Saints need, especially in the playoffs. On top of that, the Falcons have an even bigger reason to want to punish the Saints, should they meet in the playoffs.

The Saints narrowly escaped defeat on Sunday. As small as this act may seem, it will be brought up pre-game in the locker room. The Falcons no longer are defending their stellar season and Super Bowl hopes, they are involved in a rivalry that just turned sour. They are defending the logo and everything that it stands for.

Losing at home is disheartening. Losing at home when you have an opportunity to clinch the division and home field advantage to a team in your division is even worse. Being humiliated at home after the biggest loss of the season is unforgivable.

It might be just a picture. But the Saints certainly didn't need to provide anything extra to the rivalry that could very well produce the NFC Champion this season.