During the first game after this change, Koenen was involved in an iconic play. The Falcons visited the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football in the first home game for the Saints at the Louisiana Superdome since Hurricane Katrina had devastated the city and the stadium. Koenen's first punt of the game was blocked by Saints safety Steve Gleason. Gleason's block bounced into the end zone and was recovered for a touchdown by Curtis Deloatch. The score put New Orleans up 7-0, a game Atlanta would lose 23-3. The moment was widely considered a moment of revitalization for the city of New Orleans after the hurricane, and a statue of the play was later dedicated outside the Superdome in 2012. Gleason, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, and Koenen are both depicted in full on the sculpture. Koenen's name and Falcons logos are absent from the statue, due to the Falcons view that including these marks would be inappropriate, though Koenen later stated that he would not have been opposed to his name being included on the statue if he been approached about it. Koenen also reached out to Gleason on Twitter congratulating him.