Hart Surgery: A Saints Fan Makes A Retraction

By: Micah Hart

Let me take you back to the NFL Draft, version 1999. I was a sophomore at the
University of Texas, and was lucky enough to have a front-row seat for Ricky
William’s Heisman campaign. That season almost defies description. Aside from
Barry Sanders a decade earlier, I dare say no running back ever has as good a
year as Ricky did in 1998. We could get into statistics, but just trust me.
Every game was a guaranteed 250 and 3 TD’s.

But anyway- Draft Day 1999. My buddies and I were in Houston to see the
Cardinals-Astros series. The Saturday game was at night, so we got to enjoy the
first day of the draft. There was a lot going on in this draft. Marshall Faulk
had just been traded (one of the biggest fleeces in NFL history) to the Rams for
a 4th round pick (a fourth round pick? Granted, he wasn’t the best player in the
game like he is now, but he was coming off a 2,000 yards-from-scrimmage season).
Everyone thought Ricky was going to the Colts for sure. I was ok with this.
Being from Mississippi, I am required to root for anyone named Manning, so since
Peyton was there I figured this was acceptable. The Saints were sitting at the
12th pick. No way would Ricky fall that far, but Mike Ditka definitely had some
deals together to move up should Ricky fall past the Colts. Of course, that
wasn’t going to happen. Ricky was the greatest running back in college football
history. No way the Colts were passing on him. But a funny thing happened.
Claiming they were worried about contract negotiations with Ricky (he hadn’t
even signed with No Limit yet!), the Colts took the Edge. And Ricky became a
Saint.

This was the greatest day of my life. Saints fans are not used to good news,
good fortune, and rarely to good football. Now, with this one stroke, all that
seemed like it could change. Trading the draft for Ricky was gutsy, ballsy,
stupid, whatever you want to call it. But the Saints never took chances, and if
for no other reason, it was worth that. Try to imagine what it is like for your
favorite player to get drafted by your favorite team. Ricky was incredible.
Without even playing a game, Ricky was already one of the two or three best
players the Saints ever had, at least since I’d been alive. We were euphoric.
This was the dawning of a new day.

And, in my mind, the gamble paid off. Somewhat, at least. Ricky got hurt his
first year, but the offense around him was terrible. I don’t care what people
say- Edgerrin James had Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. Ricky had the Billy
Joes. The Billy Joes. Jim Brown wasn’t going to succeed with that team.
And so the season was awful. But the Saints cleaned house. Ditka got canned. New
leadership was brought in, and finally things started to turn around. They
signed Jeff Blake. He wasn’t headed to the Pro Bowl, but he was a competent
starter. They stole Joe Horn from the Chiefs. The O-line was talented already,
and the defense was solid. With a fifth-place schedule, I predicted the Saints
to go to the playoffs. Actually, I predicted the NFC Championship, but that was
more because a different NFC West team had made it the past 4 years (Panthers in
96, Niners in 97, Falcons in 98, and Rams in 99) than because of the Saints
capabilities.

But I was right. Ricky was running roughshod, the D was ferocious, and
everything was going our way. I loved it! My favorite player on my favorite
team! What could be better!

Of course, Ricky got hurt, and then so did Blake, and then even Horn did in the
wild-card game. But the franchise won its first playoff game, and the emergence
of Aaron Brooks bode well for the coming year. NFL Draft 2K was approaching, and
Saints fans were ecstatic. The last year’s draft had produced two starters, and
so far this new management seemed to have an eye for talent. They were a good
team, but still had a lot of needs. Wide receiver was a big one. Cornerback was
another. They could use some linebackers too. At pick 23, there would still be
plenty left to grab someone that could come in and produce. And with the 23rd
pick in the NFL Draft, the Saints selected…Deuce McAllister?

Here is the disclaimer. I love Deuce. He is from Mississippi, played soccer in
the same youth league I did, went to Ole Miss. But at that moment, I had never
been more spiteful towards a player in my life. Or I should say, to an
organization for drafting that player. What in the world did the Saints need a
running back for? They had Ricky! Ok, he was hurt some, but please- there were
much more pressing needs than a backup rb. Oooooooooh, I was mad. I swore the
Saints would rue the day they picked Deuce McAllister.

Things went downhill from there. The season melted away in a torrent of conflict
and self-destruction, and it was clear the promise of just one year before was
now a faded memory. The team was bad, and upgrades were needed, especially at
wide receiver, cornerback, and lineback-wait a minute! That sounds familiar!
Isn’t that the same thing the Saints needed the year before? Funny how that
worked out. But of course, now it was too late. And my dream of watching my
favorite player playing for my favorite team began to slip away. All of a
sudden, Ricky was a disappointment. I mean, the guy was weird- no doubt about
it. But he was not the reason the season went down the crapper. But all of a
sudden, he was the best trade bait the team had, and by god, the team needed so
much help in so many areas…

And so he was traded. The dream was over. I was furious. How could they do that?
The Saints had not had a great running back since Earl Campbell in the early
80’s. How could they trade their best player? But that wasn’t enough. They got
rid of Willie Roaf, Laroi Glover, and Joe Johnson. Started over from scratch.

Well, I was through. I wanted to turn in my membership. The team finally raised
from the depths was suddenly right back at the bottom. I predicted a 3-13, 4-12
type season. The defense sucked. The O-line was in pieces. They still needed
another wide receiver! And what was worse, the early season schedule was brutal..

But after Sunday’s victory over the Niners, I can ignore it no longer. Something
is up with this team. The defense is still porous, but the offense is on another
planet right now. Deuce is awesome. Probably the best running back in the
conference. The combination of Donte Stallworth and Jerome Pathon are making for
a pretty solid second receiver.

The victories over the Steelers, Bucs, and Packers were nice. But they were
nothing compared to beating the Niners. The Niners have always been the Saints
white whale. No matter how good they were, either way, the Niners always beat
the Saints. But this is a new day somehow. This season is destined for
something. I’m not sure what, but something is brewing and I cannot hold back
any longer. I have to root for them again. I am still hurt about losing Ricky.
And no one will ever convince me that A) Ricky wasn’t a good fit for the team,
B) Drafting Deuce was not a mistake at the time, and C) that the Saints wouldn’t
be just as good right now if Ricky was still there.

Despite the mistakes of the past two years, this is a very, very good football
team. They may not make the Super Bowl. It’s possible they won’t make the
playoffs. But with the victory over the Niners, they did one thing I didn’t
think possible. They made me a believer.

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Micah Hart is an original contributor to the CSR, and works in sports media in Atlanta. Micah can be reached at micahbhart@yahoo.com. He reminds you to Hook 'em Horns.

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