When I was a kid the Saints fired us up with quarterback sacks, goal line stands, a tandem rushing attack by Dalton Hilliard and Rueben Mayes, Bobby Hebert passes to Eric Martin, and Morten Anderson field goals.
But no group of players on that team from 1987 till about 1993 was better than the 3-4 linebacking corps: LOLB Rickey Jackson, ROLB Pat Swilling, LILB Sam Mills, and RILB Vaughan Johnson. That foursome just destroyed opponents. Their defensive play was fierce and inspired a lot of cheering in the early Jim Mora years.
And Rickey Jackson, year in and year out, was a human wrecking ball whose play was second only to Lawrence Taylor of the New York Giants.
Without further ado, here's an homage to the greatest group of linebackers who helped the Saints finish the 1987 season with nine consecutive wins and start the 1991 season with seven wins:
Those were the days of the Dome Patrol. Saints fans revered the Dome Patrol, it was our pride and joy. The offense may have stalled often, but at least on defense we could say Look at all those black jerseys around the ball! Indeed. I wish there was a highlight reel on youtube that encompasses some of the best Dome Patrol moments over six years, but this one culled from a few games is good enough:
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Looking back on the old footage, I wish they still had the state of Louisiana patch at least on their pants. It used to be on the jersey sleeve too. Now it's all just fleur de lis. And I know as a brand the fleur de lis is more marketable, that Louisiana patch is tight, and, sentimental and nostalgic. But I can't wait to see it again in some sort of throwback form in the future.
ReplyDeleteI remember being in the dome and cheering when the defense marched on the field. It was like you had to hold your breath when the offense was on, but when the defense was on you could count on something good happening. Those were some special times... Who Dat
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