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PART II : NEW ORLEANS |
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New Orleans is one party town and it all starts here on Bourbon Street! This place was absolutely buzzing before the Rams-Saints Monday night game. This street has everything potential party go-ers need! |
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The Louisiana Superdome is an unique structure. Built from oil money in the 70's it has dated for sure, but it's still a special place. It hosted its 6th Super Bowl after the season - more than other current stadium. It's well worth visiting but beware those half-time bathrooms unlike you like a good piss sauna! |
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There were lots of NFLE connections at this game, none more than ex Dragons and current Saints DL coach Sam Clancy (see Hall of Fame biography)! Sam, who has helped make La'Roi Glover into a star, gave us a pre-game salute here. Hopefully head coach Jim Haslett who was standing next to him didn't notice. |
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The Saints started well in this game, jumping to a 7-0 lead on an Aaron Brooks TD pass to Terelle Smith. But 2 Isaac Bruce TD's gave the Rams a 14-7 lead before Brooks converted a 3rd and goal from the Rams 26 with a TD pass to Willie Jackson to tie the score at 14 again. |
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Marshall Faulk catches a 4 yard TD just before half-time to give the Rams the lead for good at 21-14. The Rams once again overcome their lack of time-outs as their 2 minute drill marched 79 yards in 7 plays in less than 90 seconds! |
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Early in the third quarter, after a Grant Wistrom INT, Warner finds Isaac Bruce deep for 40 yards to stretch the lead to 28-14. It's Bruce's 3rd TD of the game.
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Then in the 4th quarter some Saints fans frustrated by a series of penalties on their team which was losing their pose (including their coach), lost their pose too. Copying the Cleveland incident the day before, they tossed a series of beer filled plastic bottles into the end zone. Thankfully nobody was hurt. Final penalty stats: Saints 16 for 132, Rams 11 for 85. |
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FINAL RAMS 34 SAINTS 21 Game MVPs: Rams QB Kurt Warner (passed for 338 yards and 4TD's and probably clinched his 2nd league MVP on this performance) and DE Grant Wistrom (became 1st guy in 5 years to record 3 sacks and 1 interception in same game) |
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Kurt Warner improved his record to 5-0 when playing in a game we attended. We saw him 4 times during the 98 NFLE season, including a rather forgetful 16-7 slugfest Admirals win in London in front of about 2,000 people. We actually saw the first game he was ever activated for by the Rams in 1998 - but he didn't play. Steve Bono did and the Rams not surprisingly lost! |
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Marshall thanks the Cheddarheads for coming. He definitely didn't play in NFL Europe. |
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Yo!!! But the real reason we were here was to cheer on ex-Claymore great Yo Murphy (see Hall of Fame biography) who was playing with the Rams now. Yo must have liked our banner that we made as he gave us his gloves after the game! |
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New Orleans is one unique place - quite unlike anywhere else in the US. Be it the great food, or the voodoo lore! This is the tomb of Marie Laveau "The Voodoo Queen" who is held in some regard here. Since most of downtown is below the Mississippi level, they had to start burying folk above ground here to avoid bodies floating to the surface in times of flooding! |
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We had another football game to attend in town - The New Orleans Bowl, which featured the Colorado St Rams against the North Texas Mean Green. Half-time featured this tribute to America - which involved a huge stars and stripes in the shape of the country. It was the same one used in the Super Bowl. |
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Colorado St romped home in the first Bowl game of the 2001 season, winning 45-20. They jumped to a 17-0, scoring first on this TD by Brad Svoboda and were never threatened after that. MVP was Rams CB Justin Gallimore who blocked and recovered a punt for a TD in the 3rd quarter. Back to back Rams wins in the crescent city! |
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After a couple of ball games there is no better way to unwind in Nawlins than by having some hurricanes in Pat O'Briens! Opinions differ on the optimum consumption level of these legendary drinks. One certainly keeps you merry. Two causes severe inability to handle gravity and bluriness. Three ... well if only we could remember what happened after the third!!! |
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