Tag: Rickey Jackson

Saints announce 2025 Saints Legends Fan Cruise

The New Orleans Saints announced their partnership with Seaside Events to launch the Saints Legends Fan Cruise in April 2025:

Here’s a new one. On Monday, the New Orleans Saints announced their partnership with Seaside Events to launch the Saints Legends Fan Cruise in April 2025, which you can read more about here. The seven-night cruise on the Norwegian Getaway will tour the Western Caribbean with stops in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras.

What’s unique is that this gives diehard Saints fans the opportunity to interact with some of their favorite players at meet and greets, group dinners, panel discussions, and autograph sessions, among other events. Additionally, the first 50 cabin bookings will receive seats at the Suite or Club level for a 2024/2025 Saints home game.

Saints owner Gayle Benson announced the cruise in a statement from the team: “We are thrilled to join forces with Seaside Events for this exciting venture, offering Saints fans an exclusive opportunity to interact with our Legends in a vibrant and exclusive atmosphere, fostering memories that will endure for a lifetime.”

So who will be in attendance? Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson has already committed for the cruise, and so has fan favorites like Pat Swilling, Michael Lewis, Joe Horn, and Fred McAfee, and many other former Saints players. There aren’t many other events like this one, so be sure to check it out.

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Demario Davis approaching rare territory with fifth straight All-Pro nod

Demario Davis is approaching rare territory with his fifth straight All-Pro nod. He’s joined a small group of Saints players who went on to the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Just five players in New Orleans Saints history have earned five placements on the All-Pro teams from the Associated Press, and now Demario Davis is one of them. The veteran linebacker was recognized as an All-Pro for the fifth year in a row on Friday, his fourth appearance on the second team. He started this run by making the cut for the All-Pro first team back in 2019.

And of the other four Saints players to achieve this distinction, two are already in the Pro Football Hall of Fame: outside linebacker Rickey Jackson and left tackle Willie Roaf. A third, right guard Jahri Evans, is a finalist in this year’s class and is waiting for word on whether or not he’ll be chosen for induction in just a few weeks. The remaining member of this group, all-time great quarterback Drew Brees, is expected to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer once he’s eligible in 2026.

Here’s how they compare in All-Pro appearances while with the Saints:

  • Rickey Jackson: Five years on the second team
  • Willie Roaf: Two years on the first team, three on the second team
  • Jahri Evans: Four years on the first team, once on the second team
  • Drew Brees: One year on the first team, four on the second team
  • Demario Davis: One year on the first team, four on the second team

Does this mean Davis is on his way to the Hall of Fame as well? Maybe so, maybe not. It’s tough to say. Jackson and Roaf each accomplished more with other teams, whether that’s earning Pro Bowl recognition, more All-Pro attention, or having won a Super Bowl. Davis doesn’t have the same number of Pro Bowls and first-team All-Pro awards (that distinction between the first and second teams matters), though his longevity is impressive. And there are other considerations like records set, stats met, and titles won.

Still, Davis is securely one of the greatest players in franchise history. He’s the best free agent signing the team has ever made — after Brees, of course. It’s a shame that popularity contests like the Pro Bowl factor in so heavily to Hall of Fame resumes, but that doesn’t diminish what Davis has achieved with the Saints in recent years while leading one of the league’s best defenses. Whether he’s bound for the Hall of Fame someday or not, the Saints are very fortunate to have him.

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Opinion: Saints shouldn’t wait much longer to memorialize ‘Dome Patrol’ legends

The Saints shouldn’t wait much longer to memorialize their ‘Dome Patrol’ legends. Permanent recognition for their first great team is long overdue:

Steve Sidwell died Wednesday evening. For New Orleans Saints fans of a certain age, he was one of the first members of the team whose name they remembered — for good reasons. He was the Saints defensive coordinator from 1986 to 1994, also coaching the team’s linebackers at times, and he was one of the people most responsible for building, developing, and maintaining the greatest defense in franchise history.

Now he’s gone. So are two of his former linebackers who helped make up the “Dome Patrol” defense: Pro Football Hall of Famer Sam Mills (who died far too young, back in 2005) and fan-favorite linebacker Vaughan Johnson (who passed more recently in 2019). Rickey Jackson, also a Hall of Fame inductee, is still with us as is Pat Swilling.

But the Saints shouldn’t keep putting this off. Installing a permanent memorial to their first great team, insuring that those legendary players will not be forgotten by future generations, should be an easy decision. Saints fans seem to bring it up every summer. And the precedent is there.

Mills has already been immortalized with a bronze statue outside the Carolina Panthers’ stadium in Charlotte; he was a founding member of that franchise as a player and coach before his tragic death, and fans of both NFC South-rival teams came together to celebrate his Hall of Fame induction with his family.

If the Panthers can make tribute to Mills, why can’t the Saints? Why shouldn’t the Saints do it for the entire four-man linebacker corps, the only group in NFL history to be invited to the Pro Bowl at the time in 1992? Their defense powered New Orleans to its first winning season and playoff appearance in 1987. They gave fans something more to root for than Tom Dempsey’s legendary field goal or Archie Manning’s futile heroics.

The Saints recognized them last year with reprints of the iconic posters that young fans all across the Gulf South proudly displayed in their youth, and all four linebackers have places in the Saints Hall of Fame. But they can do more. And they should, with a larger public gesture. Late owner Tom Benson placed a statue of himself in Champions Square back in 2014. The Caesars Superdome is also home to a Vietnam War Memorial near Poydras Street. And of course there’s Steve Gleason’s all-time great “Rebirth” statue, which has become a landmark and pilgrimage for many fans visiting town for the first time.

There’s room for a “Dome Patrol” memorial on the Superdome grounds. There’s appetite for it among the fanbase, too. And with time working against them, the Saints shouldn’t put this easy decision off any longer. People should be given their flowers while they’re still with us to appreciate them. It’s too late for Mills, Johnson, and Sidwell to have that time in the sun. That doesn’t mean the Saints can’t make things right with their families and the legendary players and coaches still among us.

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Former Saints ‘Dome Patrol’ DC Steve Sidwell dead at 78

Former Saints defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell has died at 78. Dennis Allen paid tribute to one of the architects of the legendary “Dome Patrol” defense:

This is tough news. The New Orleans Saints announced the death of former defensive coordinator Steve Sidwell on Thursday, paying tribute to one of the architects of their storied “Dome Patrol” defense.

Sidwell coached the Saints defense from 1986 to 1994, helping to draft and develop some of the greatest defenders in franchise history on Jim Mora’s staff. Two of his linebackers, Rickey Jackson and Sam Mills, were selected for enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

And Saints head coach Dennis Allen paid tribute to Sidwell during his Thursday press conference after practice. After expressing condolences to Sidwell’s family, Allen acknowledged what Sidwell accomplished in New Orleans.

“He was a tremendous defensive coach in our league,” Allen began. “Ton of success. Led the Dome Patrol defense which is really the standard of defense for the New Orleans Saints. It’s what we kind of aspire to be defensively. It’s a sad day for our organization, and again our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Sidwell is survived by his wife Kathleen and their town sons Brad and Scott. We’ll be wishing them the best in this difficult time.

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Voters describe Cameron Jordan as a likely Hall of Famer, but not yet a lock

These Hall of Fame voters described New Orleans Saints sacks leader Cameron Jordan as someone likely to be inducted, but not yet a lock:

Is Cameron Jordan a future Hall of Famer? That’s something a lot of New Orleans Saints fans take for granted, but he isn’t in the clear just yet, despite having won the team’s official sacks record last season. Just ask the Pro Football Hall of Fame voters at the The 33rd Team: Vic Carucci, Paul Domowitch, Clark Judge and Barry Wilner, who surveyed a number of Hall of Fame candidates to share their take this offseason.

They describe Jordan as a special talent who is likely to reach enshrinement, but if his career ended today he wouldn’t be a lock for the Hall of Fame. Here’s their explanation:

“With 115.5 career sacks and at least 7.5 a season since his 2011 rookie year, Cam Jordan made the 2010s All-Decade team.

The New Orleans Saints rarely have been a defense-first club, particularly when Sean Payton was coaching, and Drew Brees was behind center. 

‘It’s unusual for just one defensive player to stand out on a contending team built around its offense,’ Wilner notes. ‘Jordan would be that guy in New Orleans. He’s been as much a difference-making defender as most of his peers.’”

Jordan’s 115.5 career sacks and 8 Pro Bowl nods are impressive, but there are players who have logged more sacks than him and nearly as many Pro Bowl appearances, with more recognition on the Associated Press All-Pro lists, that are still waiting on their call from the Hall of Fame. Here are just some of them:

  • Jared Allen: 136 sacks, 5 Pro Bowls, 4 All-Pro lists
  • John Abraham: 133.5 sacks, 5 Pro Bowls, 2 All-Pro lists
  • Leslie O’Neal: 132.5 sacks, 6 Pro Bowls

If Jordan can continue to bag 7.5 or more sacks per year and agree on an extension to close out his career with the Saints, he’ll likely have a strong enough resume for Hall of Fame induction. But that’s exactly the voters’ point. He hasn’t separated himself from his peers with Defensive Player of the Year awards or league-leading sack numbers. He’s had the bad luck to share his time in the NFL with rare talents like Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt. If Jordan is going to earn a bronze bust in Canton, it’ll be because he continued to meet his high standards of play after his rivals called it quits. He’s on the right track. He just needs to keep it going for a couple more years.

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Saints ‘Dome Patrol’ legend Rickey Jackson earns his Pitt degree at age 65

After assembling a Hall of Fame career on the ‘Dome Patrol’ Saints defense, Rickey Jackson completed his college studies to earn his degree at Pitt:

Now this is cool. Rickey Jackson achieved a Hall of Fame-worthy career with the New Orleans Saints as the best player on the vaunted “Dome Patrol” defense, but he recently completed another lifelong accomplishment: earning his college degree, not long after celebrating his 65th birthday in March.

Short by a couple of history courses when he declared for the NFL draft back in 1981, Jackson chose to return to school late in life because it’s something his parents would have wanted him to do.

“I was so close to it that it made no sense to not get it,” Jackson said, per the university’s website via Nick France. “My mother would’ve loved it, my father wanted me to get it. I know they’d be proud of me.”

He walked the stage to receive his degree in social sciences from the school’s College of General Studies on April 30, removed nearly 42 years to the day when he turned pro as a Saint.

Jackson spent a year taking online classes to complete his studies, and it’s an accomplishment he’s very proud of. He’s done it all — he owns a Super Bowl ring, a gold jacket from the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the adoration of a fanbase that still puts him up there with the greatest defenders of all time.

But because this was an individual accomplishment, Jackson values it a bit more than those other achievements. He added to France, “I’d put it up with the Super Bowl and all. This is something I achieved personally on my own, so I’d put it right up with that.”

Now he’s urging his old football friends like Lawrence Taylor to go back and finish their studies, too, when they’re golfing together in South Florida. Jackson told the Palm Beach Post’s Tom D’Angelo, “Anybody can do this. I did it. It just takes commitment.”

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Cameron Jordan thanks Matt Ryan for all his help in winning Saints’ sack record

Cameron Jordan made time to thank Matt Ryan for all his help in winning the Saints’ sack record. He didn’t forget his longtime rival while celebrating a career milestone:

Cameron Jordan made NFL history with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, with his third sack on the afternoon raising his career total to 115.5. That’s half a sack ahead of Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson, famed leader of the Saints’ old “Dome Patrol” defense. This big game also put Jordan’s season total to 8.5 sacks, landing him in rare company. Hall of Fame inductees Reggie White and John Randle are the only other players to have bagged at least 7.5 sacks in as many consecutive seasons as Jordan (11).

Jordan turned retrospective in celebrating his accomplishment after the game, thanking dozens of teammates and coaches by name who helped him get to this point — as well as the many opposing quarterbacks he brought down over the years.

“There was some Josh Freemans in there, there was like a myriad of Tampa Bay quarterbacks. Lots of Matt Ryan,” Jordan joked. “He’s been good to me. Happy New Year, Matt Ryan, if you see it.”

Ryan certainly has been good to him: Jordan sacked the former Atlanta Falcons quarterback 23 times in 11 seasons, setting an NFL record for the most sacks of an opposing passer by a single defender in their career. It’s quite a unique NFL record they put together.

When asked how much longer he sees himself playing, Jordan quipped: “I don’t know, Tom Brady is like 75. So half that? I’ll take 37.”

Jordan turns 34 this summer, and it sure doesn’t seem like he’s slowing down that much. He could very likely play three more years at this level. If he can remain healthy and productive, he could put the sacks record so far out of reach that it endures as long for him as it did for Jackson (28-plus years, or 10,591 days). We’ll see how the defensive line changes around him in the offseason, but Jordan should continue to be a fixture for New Orleans. When he’s ready to hang up his cleats, he’ll have quite a case to maybe join Jackson, White, and Randle in the Hall of Fame himself someday.

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Cameron Jordan breaks the Saints’ all-time sack record with big game vs. Eagles

Cam Jordan is all about the next level, and now, he’s reached the mountaintop as the Saints all-time sack leader, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

191 games is all it took for New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan to set the franchise record for career sacks. He did so with a fantastic performance against the Philadelphia Eagles wherein Jordan harassed quarterback Gardner Minshew, bagging three sacks on the afternoon. Pro Football Hall of Fame linebacker and member of the esteemed Dome Patrol, Rickey Jackson officially held the record at 115 sacks. He did amass his tally over 195 games, four more than Jordan.

The 2011 first-round pick has long stated that he wants to be a legacy player in New Orleans. He often referenced playing his entire career with just one team, as his father did with the Minnesota Vikings, and reaching the franchise sack record as career goals. Now, he has achieved one with the very real possibility of accomplishing both.

Of Jordan’s 115.5 sacks, his largest share came against former NFC South rival Matt Ryan when he was the quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. The two were well known for their consistent meetings which led to Jordan sacking Ryan more than any individual player has sacked a specific quarterback in NFL history. With one game left to play against the Carolina Panthers next week, the Saints mainstay will have a chance to continue to extend his record before the season draws to a close.

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Saints DE Cameron Jordan wants to have a lasting impact in New Orleans

“If it’s not about them, then what can it be about?” Saints DE Cam Jordan visits, encourages local high schoolers to hit the next level, via @RossJacksonNOLA:

We hear about “splash plays” in the NFL all of the time. Sacks, forced fumbles, interceptions, the big plays made that shift the stasis of usual game flow. New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is no stranger to those big moments, and how they create a lasting effect. With 112.5 career sacks, 14 fumbles forced and 2 interceptions including one returned for a touchdown, Jordan has turned “splash plays” into consistent career production.

With legendary former New Orleans Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson’s franchise sack record (123) well within reach, Jordan will leave a long-standing impact on the city for his on-field play. But it is the additional work he does away from the stadium that will further his legacy. For Jordan, making a splash in the community is just as important as making one in the Superdome.

When I asked him about that impact and how he wants to make it, Jordan has a clear vision for what he desires. “It’s events like this,” he told me. “When you’re able to be a part of something like what Old Spice and Walmart are bringing together with the ‘School of Swagger.’ It like, aligns perfectly with what I love to say I’m about.”

As we briefly caught up during his recent appearance at John F. Kennedy High School, located in the Fillmore area of New Orleans, you could see just how much opportunities like this mean to him. This particular event was in concert with Old Spice Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to help encourage students to find mentors and pursue higher education. The day included a career panel on which members of the New Orleans Saints social media staff and others sat and a pep rally which featured an appearance from Jordan in front of several hundred excited students. A press release around the event highlights the importance of these moments:

“Two million students dropped out of high school in 2019 while 30,000 students signed up for a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America but are still waiting to receive their match. As a part of Old Spice’s 10 year commitment to increasing graduation rates in underrepresented communities and providing support for these students, Old Spice and Saints defensive end Cam Jordan are teaming up to empower and encourage high school students to find mentors and pursue higher education as research shows those who have mentors are 95% more likely to stay engaged in school and participate in positive activities.” 

Much like on the football field, Jordan looks to turn splashes into lasting impact. “When you’re trying to be something like a brief mentor,” Jordan said. “You have this splash in a kid’s life, but that splash can create a tidal wave. And that’s what I’m trying to do.”

He has more than lived up to the words as well. Jordan has not limited himself to simply making appearances. This same week his God Iz Love Foundation donated sneakers to 30 kids from the New Orleans Youth Empowerment Project. The Saints defensive superstar has also partnered with organizations looking to make even larger community impact like Crescent City Corps’ drive to inspire police reform and provide racial equity training to officers.

Whether for the youth of New Orleans or having an impact on every day life, Jordan’s drive to leave a lasting impression on the community is unmatched. The last few words of our brief conversation continue to ring in my memory days letter. In speaking on why looking beyond oneself and giving back is so important, Jordan posed the question, “I mean, if it’s not about them, then what can it be about?”

For a person that many assume could have anything he wants, Jordan’s biggest want turns out to be what he can do for others. A genuine and admirable approach. On the field or off, expect the future Hall of Fame pass rusher to make the splashes that bring tidal waves far beyond his playing career.

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Cameron Jordan out with injury for the first time in his 186-game career

Saints coach Dennis Allen said Friday that Cameron Jordan will be out with an injury this week, for the first time in his 186-game career:

This is tough. New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen announced Friday that defensive end Cameron Jordan will be out with an eye injury for Week 11’s game with the Los Angeles Rams, meaning this is the first time in Jordan’s 186-game career that he’ll be unavailable due to injury.

Jordan missed a game last season after testing positive for COVID-19, but he’s otherwise been a rare ironman even by NFL standards. In addition to those 186 regular season appearances, Jordan has also logged 11 playoff games. That something random like this eye injury (caused by someone gauging at his face in last week’s loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers; Jordan’s eye was swollen shut, though he tried to play through it) is what ends his streak speaks to how impressive it is he got this far in the first place.

Still, it’s unfortunate. And Jordan will have to wait another week to resume his pursuit of the franchise sacks record. He’s closing in on the mark set by Pro Football Hall of Famer Rickey Jackson (115 sacks) with 112.5 sacks of his own. Between that ambition and his longevity in the NFL, Jordan is building his own case for joining Jackson in the Hall of Fame some day. That mission is just paused this Sunday. Hopefully he can pick it back up soon.

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