Hey, New Orleans Saints fans, keep dreaming: Peter Finney

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on October 04, 2009 at 12:52 AM, updated October 04, 2009 at 1:07 AM

It's dream time.

bobby-hebert.jpgWith a 3-0 start this season, former New Orleans quarterback Bobby Hebert said 'you get the feeling the Saints belong among the best.'
That's why members of today's New York Jets family already have anointed quarterback Mark Sanchez as the second coming of Broadway Joe Namath.

That's why Drew Brees is telling New Orleans Saints faithful "the sky's the limit, '' preparing them for doing a Who Dat high-five alongside the Vince Lombardi trophy.

It's only October,  but when you're 3-0,  why not dream?

Who would have thought Broadway Joe,  patron saint of the Jets,  would fall from the heavens to create the biggest upset in the history of Roman Numeral football in Super Bowl III?

Who would have thought,  other than Who Dat dreamers,  the expansion Saints were on their way to winning Super Bowl II,  the day John Gilliam returned the opening kickoff of the 1967 season for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams?

That day an overflow crowd of 80,000 at Tulane Stadium,  having watched their heroes go 5-1 in the preseason,  forgot there was still time for the Rams to win,  time for the expansion Saints to finish their maiden season 3-11.

So what. Dream on.

Yes,  while it's true it has been a long wait for Jets loyalists,  more than 40 years from Broadway Joe to Marvelous Mark,  consider how it's been for a franchise that took 21 years to have a winning record,  and another 13 seasons to win a playoff game.

What can you say?

You can say thank God,  for Al Hirt and his trumpet.

Thank God,  for those halftime shows,  always a favorite that helped you forget those football games highlighted by Billy Kilmer throwing knuckleball interceptions.

Cherish the past and think of the present.

What would the expansion Saints think of the Saints of '09?

"I think they'd be blown away, " said Bobby Hebert,  whose tour of duty as the Saints' quarterback,  from the mid-80s into the early 90s,  saw the franchise enjoy its most sustained run of competitiveness.

Strangely enough,  the Saints had their first winning season in '87,  and it came after a 3-3 start.

"Jim Mora was following Bum Phillips, " said Hebert,  "following the good 'ol boy approach with a no-nonsense approach. When we lost by two points at home to the 49ers to go 3-3,  Coach Mora went ballistic. It was the day of his coulda,  woulda,  shoulda speech. Morten Anderson kicked five field goals. He missed a 52-yarder with two seconds left.

"After the game,  coach explodes. He's saying,  'coming close don't mean bleep. I'm tired of coming close. You bet your bleep I'm bleeped off right now. I'm sick of coulda,  woulda,  shoulda.' Then we go out,  we win nine in a row,  finish 12-3. On the way,  we beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh to clinch a winning season. Coach is sitting there,  crying like a baby."

And then?

"Then we play the Vikings in the playoffs and get whacked 44-10 in the Superdome, " said Hebert. "They were so much better than we were. For me,  the playoffs were bad memories."

Hebert quarterbacked a Saints team that started 7-1 in '88,  finished 10-6,  and missed the playoffs.

In '91,  after a 7-0 start and an 11-5 finish,  there was a postseason loss to the Falcons.

A year later,  the 12-4 Saints finished second to the 14-2 49ers in the division,  then lost in the playoffs to the Eagles.

"It was not nice having to play Joe Montana and those guys twice a year, " said Hebert.

"In those days,  they were always the measuring stick. Gave you sort of an inferiority complex."

Which brought the quarterback-turned-analyst back to NFL roots.

"After three games, " said Hebert,  "you get the feeling the Saints belong among the best. They've certainly got the quarterback,  it looks like the running game will be fine,  and the defense is attacking,  getting better and better."

And the Jets?

"Impressive and improving, " said Hebert. "That's what makes Sunday's game a great early season matchup. Both teams are facing the best opponent they faced so far. The winner and the loser will take a lot out of it. If you asked me what game would I rather see the Saints win,  the Jets on Sunday or the Giants in two weeks? I'd say the Giants,  because the Giants are in the NFC and that would be a plus in the seedings at playoff time. When I say this,  I know I'm not speaking for all the Who Dats out there.

"The Who Dats don't want those kinds of choices. Right now the Who Dats won't settle for anything less than 16-0."

It's dream time.

Peter Finney can be reached at 504.826.3405.