Jonathan Vilma's defiant words Wednesday morning typify the current attitude in New Orleans about the Saints. While the coaching staff has shied away from the "us against the world" mentality, players and fans seem to embrace the concept.
The latest to do so was Saints running back Mark Ingram.
"Get y'all wristband game up!! #FREESEANPAYTON," Ingram tweeted with a photo of a Free Sean Payton wristband.
Yep, the latest in Free Sean Payton active wear is a wristband. Just like Vilma, Ingram heard back in force from his followers.
"Here the haters come, I love y'all too!!! #WhoDatAllDayyy," Ingram tweeted.
While we aren't going to put too much stock in a pair of tweets in the middle of May, Saints players are starting to realize that "haters" of their organization are everywhere. The Saints feel like the league came after them too hard. It sounds odd for the team to play the victim card, but the Patriots did so with authority after SpyGate in 2007.
"This season is going to take on an us-versus-the-world mentality," tackle Zach Strief said last month.
Former Saints cornerback Mike McKenzie is another good example of the mindset in NOLA. The New Orleans resident remains active with his local 34 Ways Foundation , which helps tutor youth in the area. To raise money for the program, he is selling the shirts pictured above. The "us against them" motto is specifically for the Saints defense.
