The best of Saints players and fans live-tweeting 2006 Superdome homecoming
On Sept. 25, 2006, the New Orleans Saints were returning to the rebuilt Superdome for the first time after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and forced the team to spend an entire season out of town.
On Monday, April 6, ESPN will continue its partnership with the NFL in presenting some of the greatest MNF games in history. (All games begin at 8 p.m. ET)
TV schedule:
April 6: Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints (2006)
April 13: Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings (2009)
April 20: Indianapolis Colts vs. New England Patriots (2005)
April 27: Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills (2007)
It was one of the most memorable nights not only in Saints history, but in New Orleans history. The Saints were 3.5-point home underdogs but beat the rival Atlanta Falcons 23-3 on Monday Night Football in the home debuts of coach Sean Payton, quarterback Drew Brees, running back Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston.
ESPN re-aired the game Monday (part of its five-week Monday Night Football Classics series), and many former Saints tweeted all day and during the game to share their memories — including Steve Gleason, whose blocked punt in that game is so revered that a statue of it sits outside the stadium. Fans got involved, too.
Here are some of their best tweets from the night. Or jump to a section:
Related content:
Triplett: Gleason’s blocked punt symbolized ‘rebirth’ | Gleason ‘nervous’ to relive iconic game
The Saints couldn’t resist an opportunity to troll the Falcons over their blown lead to the Patriots in Super Bowl LI.