Name your Saints Mt. Rushmore nominees

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The ongoing effort to secure nominees for each team’s four-person Mt. Rushmore continues.

The NFC East is complete, and we’re now moving on to the NFC South.

We’ll start with the Saints, since that’s the only team from this quartet to win a Super Bowl in the last decade.  List below some names for us to consider.

We’ll eventually fashion a list of eight finalists, where you can vote on four of them.

141 responses to “Name your Saints Mt. Rushmore nominees

  1. Drew Brees
    Rickey Jackson
    Willie Roaf
    Archie Manning
    Sean Payton
    Deuce McAllister
    Morten Andersen
    Tom Benson

  2. Drew Brees
    Rickey Jackson
    Deuce McCallister
    Sean Payton
    Willie Roaf
    Joe Horn
    Archie Manning
    Sam Mills
    Morten Anderson

    Of those I would choose Brees, Jackson, McCallister, and Payton.

  3. This should be a short list considering the decades long mediocrity that the Saints enjoyed.

    Drew Brees
    Ricky Jackson
    Sam Mills
    Darren Sharper – Short stay but big impact
    George Rogers
    ***A begrudging vote for Archie Manning***

  4. “We’ll start with the Saints, since that’s the only team from this quartet to win a Super Bowl in the last decade.”

    What a beautiful statement.

    Drew Brees
    Rickey Jackson
    Willie Roaf
    Sam Mills

  5. R Jackson, Willie Roaf, Drew Brees, Deuce McCallister. Shouldnt even consider anyone else. These people have made us relevant throughout the worst of years.

  6. Tom Benson, as much as he has done lately, you just cannot overlook the post Katrina actions. We will forgive, but we should never forget. That leaves you off the list.

  7. Dome Patrol:
    Rickey Jackson
    Pat Swilling
    Sam Mills
    Vaughn Johnson

    Or

    Rickey Jackson
    Willie Roaf
    Wayne Martin
    Drew Brees

    Shout out to:
    Archie Manning
    Deuce McAllister
    Eric Martin
    Joe Horn
    Morten Anderson

  8. Drew Brees
    Sean Payton
    Rickey Jackson
    Jim Mora
    Willie Roaf
    Sam Mills

  9. Tier 1:
    William Roaf
    Rickey Jackson
    Drew Brees
    Sean Payton
    Tom Benson
    Morten Andersen
    Deuce McAllister
    Steve Gleason

    Tier 2:
    Rest of the Dome Patrol: Sam Mills, Pat Swilling, Vaughn Johnson
    Eric Martin
    Joe Horn
    Marquis Colsten
    Bobby Hebert
    Jim Mora
    Dalton Hilliard
    Danny Ambramowicz
    Michael Lewis

    Tier 999,999,999
    Aaron Brooks

  10. 1. Drew Brees, if he isn’t on the mount he will spend the next 50 years demanding an explanation

    2. Roger Goodell, without him Saints fans everywhere would have no one to look out for them.

    3. Gregg Williams. Doing his part to ensure child support payments all over Louisiana are being fulfilled.

    4. Blackouts. If it wasn’t for the last “power surge” Saints fans in New Orleans would have had less time to enjoy the last Super Bowl they have ANY chance of being part of for the next 30 years!

  11. PS: If “blackouts” is hard to engrave in a giant rock, I think Ricky Williams would be a deserving second choice. One of the few “great moments” in Aints history!

  12. Archie Manning
    Danny Abramowicz
    Rickey Jackson
    Tom Benson
    Morten Anderson
    Sean Payton
    Drew Brees

  13. Archie Manning, Drew Brees, Sean Peyton and (pick one) Willie Roaf, Sam Mills, Rickey Jackson or Danny Abramowicz (just cuz I like writing, Danny Abramowicz).

  14. Drew Brees
    Ricky Jackson
    Steve Gleason
    Mortem Anderson
    Sam Mills
    Pat Swilling
    Vaughn Johnson
    Marques Colston
    Tracy Porter
    Darren Sharper
    Deuce McAllister
    Willie Roaf

  15. Drew Brees
    Archie Manning
    Willie Roaf
    Morten Andersen

    Rickey Jackson just misses as does Deuce.

    -QG

  16. What! Nobody has suggested Billy Kilmer?!

    If you select Goddell can you please have the “sculptor” depict an arrow through his head ala Steve Martin?

  17. Sean Payton
    Mickey Loomis
    Drew Brees
    Archie Manning
    Rickey Jackson
    Morton Anderson
    Tracy Porter
    DEUUUUUUUCE!

  18. In order –

    Tier One:
    Drew Brees
    Willie Roaf
    Sean Payton
    Rickey Jackson

    Tier Two:
    Morten Andersen (barely misses out on Tier One)
    Sam Mills
    Tom Dempsey
    Archie Manning
    Pat Swilling
    Deuce McAllister
    Joe Horn
    Vaughan Johnson
    Eric Martin

    Honorable Mention:
    Steve Gleason
    George Rogers
    Marques Colston
    Chuck Muncie
    Jim Mora (Honorable mention, are you kidding me? Honorable mention?)

  19. @ bucrightoff -We’ll start with the Saints, since that’s the only team from this quartet to win a Super Bowl in the last decade.

    hahahahahahaha

  20. 1. Archie Manning
    2. Rickey Jackson
    3. Drew Brees
    4. Sean Payton

    Gotta give some love to Billy Kilmer for “coaching” Charlton Heston as a Saints QB in the film Number One, letting Heston wear his game helmet in the movie.

  21. There is only room for four on Mt Rushmore…
    Dree Brees, by far the best QB in Saints history.
    Ricky Jackson, Best defensive player in Saints history.
    Sean Payton, first coach to get us to Super Bowl & win it.
    Steve Gleason, a player and person with more heart than anyone can ever imagine…

    Four: Brees, Jackson, Payton, Gleason. Saints Mt Rushmore

  22. Rickey Williams! In his wedding dress!

    Only player ever traded for an entire draft class!

  23. I know you guys love Brees but hes still active so… in no particular order

    1Manning
    2Roaf
    3Mills(damn I forgot he passed away RIP)
    4Rickey Jackson

  24. Sean Payton
    Sam Mills
    Drew Brees
    Tom Benson

    Honorable mention–Rickey Jackson, Archie Manning, Willie Roaf, the Aints paper bag, and the last NFL player from my alma mater, Danny Abramowicz.

  25. Archie Manning, Drew Brees, Willie Roaf, and the Aints bag.

  26. Brees, Roaf, Jackson, Payton, Manning, Mills, Johnson, Swilling, Evans, Colston and Anderson (begrudgingly). Nope cannot place a kicker in there. Graham needs more longevity.

  27. 1. Joe Horn-bleeds black & gold. he put the Saints on his back….before it was cool to do so.
    2. Drew Brees- no words necessary.
    3. Steve Gleason- if you don’t know who this man is…google him & then like his facebook page..and them feel ashamed that you never heard of him (everyone who is not a Saints fan).
    4. Tom Benson – (see #2)
    5. Sean Payton – he brought Nawlings a Superbowl…Legendary status (The ‘Aint’s officially were put to rest….Second line…classy)
    6. Willie Roaf – you never hear about the guys in the trenches…yet everybody knows your name. When you see a real man, tip your hat..& since I’m a real man, i do just that.
    7. Rickey Jackson- embodied the city. Terrorized the opposition. And I’m forever Club 57 (those who know…know)
    you really need 7…or maybe 20. I’m sure I left out about 10 possibilities as that was off the top of the head, but I’d be estatic with any 4 of the above.

  28. Hard locks, can’t see how you’d have a Saints Rushmore without these guys.

    1. Drew Brees-biggest figure of the post katrina superbowl saints.
    2. Rickey Jackson- best player for the saints in their first period of success, Dome Patrol. Only saints player arguably better than brees.
    3. Archie Manning- Most beloved of the Aints, homegrown talent, truly great player who chose loyalty over glory.

    That covers the three most defined periods of Saints history.
    Fourth spot is a crapshoot, but there’s plenty of guys who would look great up there. Ranked by my opinion.
    1. Deuce McAllister- best candidate for the Haslett Saints that get no love outside of NO.
    2. Willie Roaf- This high because of how absurdly dominant he was at his position. On par with Jackson and Brees.
    3. Sean Payton- the man who put together the super saints. Imo, not crazy bout coaches, but you wouldnt leave Lombardi off Packers Mountain.
    4. Eric Martin- Probably most underappreciated Saint, without doubt, best offensive talent of Mora’s Saints.
    5. Sam Mills- Undersized inside backer of Dome Patrol, called plays for the defense, was exceptional football mind.
    6. Joe Horn- Probably the best representation of the Saints culture and fanbase. He was actually the vocal leader of the Haslett saints, as deuce was an example guy and Brooks was probably as quiet as an NFL qb comes.
    7. Dalton Hilliard- LSU boy with a big name and play to match.
    8. Danny Abromowicz- Archie’s favorite target, marginally gifted but unquestionably productive. Committed to the community and his name is still strong
    9. Jim Mora- put together a squad that was dominant for several years, first winner. Put an end to the Aints stigma and set in works future success.
    10. Bobby Hebert- Has no place on the Saints mountain, but love for the dude has grown tremendously since replacing Dilberto. The dude was a choke artist and went to the Falcons. Probably the 4th best saints qb behind aaron brooks.

  29. @ bucrightoff -We’ll start with the Saints, since that’s the only team from this quartet to win a Super Bowl in the last decade.

    hahahahahahaha

    Congrats, it matters as much as the 2002 Bucs win, that is to say it means nothing right now. What is true however is that 2002 Bucs would easily beat the 2009 Saints. Bucs D would hold em to 21 or less and well the Saints D sucked then too, so the Bucs would easily get to 31.

  30. bobby hebert, drew brees, archie manning, ricky jackson. just missing is deuce McAllister, sam mills and willie roaf

  31. 1 – Archie Manning, the Patron Football Saint of the New Orleans Area. If you don’t understand this, you obviously haven’t lived in or near New Orleans. This one is a lock beyond debate. He’s an icon here just as much as Pete Maravich, only more so.

    2 – Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson

    3 – Sean Payton, he has the potential to be a Hall of Fame Head Coach

    4 – Drew Brees, a first ballot future Hall of Fame QB

    Others to consider:
    – Tom Benson, changed the franchise and has been a solid non-meddling owner.
    – Jim Mora, brought the Saints out of the dark ages, which wasn’t easy. His players always played hard for him and smart football.
    – Hall of Famer William Roaf
    – Morten Anderson, The best kicker of all time? He is the prototype soccer style kicker in football history.
    – Dalton Hilliard, before Darren Sproles there was Hillard. Ronnie Lott considered Hillard and not Barry Sanders the hardest player to tackle during his years as a player due to his being not only elusive, but would also run you over.
    – Jimmy Graham, another potential Hall of Famer who has the potential to be the best of all time at his position.
    – Marquis Colston, a tough receiver who will catch anything over the middle and has the speed to take it home every time.

  32. Rickey Jackson
    Drew Brees
    Archie Manning
    Tom Benson

    Honorable Mention:

    Deuce
    Sean Payton
    Willie Roaf
    Morten Anderson

  33. William Roaf
    Rickey Jackson
    Drew Brees
    Sean Payton

    Just missed the cut:
    Deuce McAllister
    Sam Mills
    Jim Mora

    Honorable Mention
    Archie Manning
    Jahri Evans
    Morten Andersen
    Mickey Loomis
    Jim Finks
    Mickey Loomis

  34. Drew Brees
    Deuce McAllister
    Ricky Jackson
    Archie Manning

    Honorable Mention: Marques Colston, Lance Moore, Jimmy Graham, Pierre Thomas, Pat Swilling, Joe Horn, Willie Roaf, Kyle Turley, Jahri Evans, Sam Mills, Sean Payton, Dalton Hilliard, Mike McMenzie, Sammy Knight, Jonathan Vilma, Scott Fujita, Normand Hand

  35. Enough of the “I’m so funny”… ha ha… lists of 4
    lame players for every team!

    It’s not original… it’s not funny… it has been done
    714 times for the first 5 teams. Enough.

    Oh… and Mt. Rushmore has FOUR heads. No more.

  36. Drew Brees
    Sean Payton
    Joe Horn
    Rickey Jackson

    You simply cannot omit either Brees or Payton. Self-explanatory. That only leaves two spots.

    Horn gets the nod because he was the guy who bled for the team. First guy out to sign autographs, last guy to leave. Took the time out to talk with anybody who wanted to. I personally witnessed him at a mall buying footballs – at least 30 of them – at 20 bucks a pop for kids who didn’t have anything to autograph.
    And he played him guts out for the franchise. A true gentleman and wonderful ambassador. A man of the people. There’s simply no way you can leave him off.

    Last spot comes down to a multitude of deserving people: Morten Andersen, Willie Roaf, Deuce McAllister, Archie Manning. All are icons. But Jackson is the only Hall-of-Famer so he gets the nod.

  37. @jdphx

    You felt the need to comment though? So obviously you are reading them–which is the purpose and goal of this site–to get as many clicks and comments as possible, it’s how they make their money.

    And reading comprehension didn’t quite work for you, did it? It clearly states to make your picks/nominations. They will dwindle it down to eight then people will vote for the final four. Many teams have more than four great players of all time–even teams like the Panthers, Jaguars and Texans would have 5 to 8 good players to choose from.

    That all being said, here are my picks for the Saints as an outsider/fan of a divisional rival:

    Drew Brees
    Deuce Mcallister
    Rickey Jackson
    Pat Swilling
    Sam Mills
    Willie Roaf
    Joe Horn
    Morten Anderson
    Possibly Sean Payton–lots of controversy around him though with the Vicodin and Bounty scandals–let’s see how he does this year first before crowing him.
    HM-Archie Manning–if memory serves me correctly–from what I’ve read, seen, heard, as that is all I have to go on with Archie, he was good but wasted on several terrible teams during his time as the QB–and he wasn’t anywhere near as good as his sons–Peyton and Eli. I would love to hear other people’s take on him and that might even be a fun debate in general–which Manning is the best and why? I personally think Eli–he has done more in the playoffs–two Super Bowls and is pretty clutch.

  38. Archie Manning – the first face of the franchise and one of the great, unsung philanthropist of New Orleans…

    Drew Brees – the post-Katrina hero, first Superbowl winning Saints quarterback, and post storm investor and philanthropist in the community…

    Rickey Jackson – the Best Linebacker of the Greatest Linebacking Corps in the history of the game…

    Coach Sean Payton – Deliverer of Lombardi Gras and Architect of putting the Saints among the elite teams of the NFL…

  39. bucrightoff says:
    May 9, 2013 6:52 PM

    What is true however is that 2002 Bucs would easily beat the 2009 Saints. Bucs D would hold em to 21 or less and well the Saints D sucked then too, so the Bucs would easily get to 31.

    LOL the 2002 Bucs couldn’t even beat the 2002 Saints.

  40. 504in860 says:May 10, 2013 11:32 AM

    bucrightoff says:
    May 9, 2013 6:52 PM

    What is true however is that 2002 Bucs would easily beat the 2009 Saints. Bucs D would hold em to 21 or less and well the Saints D sucked then too, so the Bucs would easily get to 31.

    LOL the 2002 Bucs couldn’t even beat the 2002 Saints

    Ah, and the 09 Saints lost to the worst Buccaneers team in 20 years, the 3-13 Bucs. Point being? Both teams won the Super Bowl, does it matter? You think Giants fans are giving back their two SBs despite many questionable losses those season?

  41. Drew Brees
    Archie Manning
    Willie Roaf
    Ricky Jackson
    Morten Andersen

    You know, it seems picking five is MUCH more doable than picking four with these things. Don’t know why, but just four is too much of a disservice to someone worthy.

  42. Ah, perhaps you shouldn’t have poked your chest out saying you would beat them easily, when in fact you were swept by the Saints in your “magical” season.

  43. Benson doesn’t belong because he threatened to move the team and used the hurricane as leverage when the city needed it most…

    Morten Andersen, who was a beloved Saint, best Kicker in NFL History, screwed da pooch and signed with the Falcons – Automatic Disqualification…

    Willie Roaf bandwagon move when the Saints won the Superbowl – he let his drama ruin his tenure with the Saints and …

    Joe Horn signed with the Falcons – Automatic Disqualification…

    Jim Mora for his failure to win a big game despite the immense talent Mr. Finks had accrued and because everyone in the Dome could predict what he’d do on each play – kinda like watching a car wreck…

  44. the great dane andersen
    drew brees
    ( not sam mills -he is on my panthers list)
    pat swilling
    darren sharper

  45. Drew Brees, Ricky Jackson, Sam Mills, Morten Anderson and my backup would be Iron Head Hayward!

  46. Manning, Brees, Rickey Jackson, Anderson.

    John Fourcade JUST missed the cut.

  47. Drew Brees
    Sean Payton
    Rickey Jackson
    Archie Manning

    Much additional love to Jim Finks, Deuce, Bobby Hebert, Sam Mills, and Willie Roaf – the last three of whom the Saints were dumb enough to let go to play for other teams.

    And for one franchise-defining play, and a lifetime worth of courage, here is one vote for Steve Gleason.

  48. Any such list would have to begin with Brees, Jackson, and Roaf…

    the 4th could be a number of people including Mills, Benson, Coach P, Manning, Gleason, Morten.

    I would pick Mills from that list.

  49. From a non-Saints fan…

    Drew Brees
    Sean Payton
    Archie Manning
    Pat Swilling/Sam Mills (pick ’em…I can’t decide)

  50. A little late but I would go with :
    Drew Brees
    Sean Peyton
    Ricky Jackson
    And and I can’t believe know one came up with Buddy Diliberto aka Buddy D. Dude was the voice of the franchise for years.

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