Gregg Rosenthal

Becoming a New Orleanian is not a choice. The city takes a hold of you and doesn’t let go. Live in New Orleans for even a brief time, and the culture envelops you like the thick, humid air or the vines of the magnolias that line the streets.

Live in New Orleans, and you have no choice but to become a Saints fan. The team is the heartbeat the city, of everyone you meet.

Playing professional football in New Orleans is a different experience too, and that goes back to before Hurricane Katrina. The gulf between pro athletes and their fans seem less wide here. They are adored, forgiven, and cajoled like family members.

I asked players all week how playing in New Orleans was different. Here are their stories.

A lasting connection
Defensive end Will Smith: “I had the privilege of meeting a lot of Saints fans in San Antonio that year after Katrina. I’m still friends with a lot of them to this day. I didn’t know they were Saints fans when I met them, I don’t think they knew I played. I got to know them on a personal level, not a fan level. I knew what they were going through, and to this day we still talk, they all called me after the NFC Championship to tell me how excited they were that the Saints were finally in the Super Bowl.”

Brittany Brees, Drew’s wife: “Having a city believe in him just as much as I did meant so much. … Drew loves just living life to the fullest. That’s why New Orleans is such a perfect fit for us. That’s kind of the mentality for the city. You live life like it may be your last day.”

Wide receiver Devery Henderson: “Growing up in Lousiana, just getting drafted by the Saints was a dream come true. My family could hardly believe. I can hardly believe this is happening. To know where the team was and be a part of it getting here, it means a lot.”

Running back Pierre Thomas: “Their spirit is strong and these are die-hard fans. That’s one thing I love about New Orleans. It’s like a big family out there and I’m a big family person. I love my family and I feel so comfortable with New Orleans.”

Quarterback Mark Brunell: “They create that special small town atmosphere. … The players are a part of the city. There’s a cohesion between the organization and the fans that is impressive.”

Close encounters
Wide receiver Robert Meachem: “Just how fans come up to you is different. At first, when I was struggling early in my career, everyone was saying, ‘It’s okay, you’re going to play. The fans kept pushing for me to be the best. A few weeks ago, a fan walked up to me, and started crying, and just said thank you for what you’ve done for our city. It humbles you.”

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Running back Lynell Hamilton: “After the Miami game, when thousands of fans greeted us at the airport, I put my arm out to shake a person’s hand when I was driving through the whole thing. I pretty much was dragged out of my car.”

Punter Thomas Morestead: “Having 20,000 people greet you after a win at the airport is just crazy. Before we started realizing this was happening every week and they got organized, we had one time it took an hour and half just to get out of the airport.

Cornerback Malcolm Jenkins: “All of the fans are coaches. They tell you if that you can’t get beat on a double move, read the quarterback, things like that. It’s all with love.”

Marques Colston: “The thing I’ve noticed about our fans is they are very knowledgeable. If you play a bad game or mess up on the field a little bit, they are going to let you know and coach you up a little bit. I’ve heard how to run routes better, catch the ball.”

Former Saints coach Jim Mora told the Los Angeles Times that the difference between coaching in New Orleans and Indianapolis was like “night and day.”

"There's no other place in the United States like New Orleans," he said. "The people there are very emotional, they love to party, they love to have a good time. They're crazy about the Saints and they show it all the time. I remember when I was first there, people would come up to me on the street -- old people, young people, old women, men, kids, and they would say, 'Oh, Coach, you've got to get us to the playoffs! You can do it!'

"And when you win, they go crazy. They bother you, they hug you, they love you, and they show it. It's different."