Steve Gleason was at the Superdome last Thursday night to watch the Saints battle the Falcons, which conjured up memories of his blocked punt in the same stadium against the same team in the 2006 game that marked the Saints’ return to the stadium after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans.
Those memories became even harder to escape when Saints linebacker Michael Mauti blocked a punt and fell on it for a touchdown in the first quarter of the game. Beyond the shared stadium and opponent, Mauti, whose father played for the Saints, was also at the game that featured Gleason’s memorable block.
That made Thursday night a special occasion for Mauti even before he was named the NFC’s special teams player of the week in recognition of his big play. Gleason didn’t win those honors after his blocked punt, although he did take the award in 2002 arter blocking a punt against the Panthers.