Do not adjust your computer screen. You are not imagining things.
My name is Saintsational. I used to be a Saints fan. You may remember me from such hilarious Falcoholic posts as "Talking Saints with Canal Street Chronicles," parts one and two. Or "Talking Saints with Canal Street Chronicles, The Sequel." Maybe even "Talking Saints with Canal Street Chronicles: The Final Revenge of the Last Stand 3.0." Those were good times back then. But the times they are a'changing. Then, I represented the enemy. Today, I come in peace.
There are probably a million questions running through your head right now. You're confused; that's only natural. Hopefully I will be able to answer all of them with my post here today.
Being a citizen of New Orleans during the Saints 2009 season was exciting in and of itself. But to many Saints fans, especially the season ticket-holding super fans such as myself, watching the team win their first ever Super Bowl after 43 years of miserable failure was the greatest moment of their life. February 7th, 2010 is now an unofficial holiday in New Orleans. And thanks to my work on Canal Street Chronicles and the great team at SB Nation headquarters, I was able to score a media credential and enjoy the most important moment in Saints history right there in Miami with the team. Standing in the middle of the locker room just minutes after victory and inches away from Drew Brees clutching the Lombardi Trophy and staring me straight in the eyes is something I will never forget. It will never get better than that as a Saints fan.
Therein lies the problem.
There's something charming about pulling for a loser. When I was in college and started following football, the Saints had a lot of charm. Most members of Who Dat Nation were born into their fanhood but I had a choice. Obviously it was convenient because I actually lived in New Orleans but I've always been a fan of the underdog so the Saints were a perfectly natural fit. Since then, the team has given me the right combination of disappointment and hope to keep it all interesting. Everything finally climaxed with this years Super Bowl Championship.
But now that they've achieved the ultimate NFL goal of winning the Super Bowl, that appeal has worn off. As far as being a Saints fan, it will never get better than right now. Even if the Saints were to win another three championships, they will never be as sweet as this first one. So I'm going to quit while I'm ahead. I bought low and now I'm selling high. It's time to hitch my wagon to another star and ride it all the way to greatness. The Falcons are that star.
Why the Falcons? You know exactly why. You're a Falcons fan. Don't think I didn't notice the first ever back-to-back winning seasons in franchise history. That's just a tip of the iceberg. This is a team poised to break out. They're one solid draft pick and a couple of lucky bounces away from an NFC Championship. Matty Ice now has a couple years of solid, meaningful NFL experience under his belt. Dude is primed. Having been a Saints fan, there is one thing I've learned: You need a great quarterback. Drew Brees is slowly taking the crown from Peyton Manning but Matt Ryan is already working on taking that crown from Brees. The circle of life my friend.
At the same time, the Falcons have just the right bit of haplessness surrounding them. The Michael Vick fiasco, Bobby Petrino leaving, Jammal Anderson falling apart. Sometimes, the birds just can't catch a break. Like I said, it's all about pulling for the underdog; I don't want this to be too easy. It takes a rainy day to make you appreciate the sunny ones.
Besides, I'm already familiar with the team and the division. So I'm officially declaring my allegiance to the Atlanta Falcons. I'm one of you guys now!
This is the part where you guys come in. Since I kinda like this whole sports blogging thing but won't be following the Saints closely anymore, I will be transferring my services from CSC over to The Falcoholic. Dave and I have been discussing this via private email and he ultimately thought my addition on the blog would be welcome and valuable. Canal Street Chronicles will now be in the capable hands of my co-bloggers whom I've left in charge.
I know this transition won't be easy. I've got some dues to pay and my loyalty needs to be tested. I'm expecting that. But I hope, after some time, you will all accept me as one of your own and teach me what it truly means to be a Falcons fan. I look forward to contributing to this wonderful community that DTF has worked tirelessly to build here at The Falcoholic and my only hope is that I do it justice. I can't wait to jump in.
So what do you guys think? Should we draft Tebow?