For a long time, the New Orleans Saints were one of the darlings of the NFL mediasphere. This was a dual function of lamprey-in-a-human-suit Sean Payton attaching himself to reporters and a sustained level of small market competence the rest of the NFC South simply didn’t measure up to. From 2009 to 2013, the Saints were one of the better teams in the NFC minus one 7-9 season, and they rebounded from three straight 7-9 campaigns to post five straight winning seasons from 2017 to 2021. That plus a relentlessly attention-seeking head coach and a few standout stars will get you plenty of respect, and the Saints reveled in it.
Breaking down the NFC South: The hated Saints look woeful
