Compared to Indianapolis, Saints franchise flourishing long after winning Super Bowl XLIV

Although having lived my formidable years in Indianapolis and damn proud to own a degree in journalism from Indiana University, I am not a rooting fan of the Indianapolis Colts.

Never was, probably never will be, in part because I was long gone from Indy by the time the Colts had fled Baltimore in the dead of night in Mayflower moving vans and slinked into the Hoosier state capital in March 1984.

In other words, I didn't bat an eye nor shed a tear when the New Orleans Saints from my adopted hometown upended the Colts and New Orleans' native son Peyton Manning in Super Bowl XLIV.

Nearly a decade later, these two NFL franchises appear to be headed in different directions, not only on the field but at the turnstile.

While recently visiting my 93-year-old mom in Indy, I picked up a local newspaper that detailed the Colts' current woes and slide from grace.

They are coming off a 4-12 season, the dismissal of coach Chuck Pagano and three straight years of missing the playoffs. Franchise quarterback Andrew Luck is trying to make a comeback from serious arm trouble that sidelined him for part of 2016 and all of 2017 and left the franchise in football limbo.

Season-ticket holders are jumping off the Colts' bandwagon like rats from a sinking ship. They perhaps sense another long, challenging season under new coach Frank Reich and want to see their team quit horsing around before buying back in.

They also want to see Andrew's luck go from bad to good.

Consequently, for the first time in their recent history, Colts officials are offering five-game ticket packages in the wake of an alarming three-year decline in season-ticket renewals.

Times are tough in Colt Nation.

By comparison, Who Dat Nation is salivating for the start of training camp July 25 and the season-opening game Sept. 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. I am told the waiting list for season tickets stands at 100,000-plus and a 13th consecutive season of sellouts is guaranteed.

Interest is running high. The Saints are poised to make a strong run at Super Bowl LIII, brimming with a youthful, talented, hungry roster, Coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees who's still going strong at 39-young.

There is no need for five-game season ticket packages to be in that number. There is no sign of a wait-and-see attitude inside a doubting fan base. No one is feeling angst about their starting quarterback, their head coach and team's immediate playoff future.

It's all good in Who Dat Nation.

To which I say be thankful Saints fans.

The NFL stands for Not For Long.

This story was originally published June 29, 2018 at 10:57 AM.