In A Pregame Press Conference

IN A PREGAME PRESS CONFERENCE in 1977, New Orleans Saints quarterback Archie Manning remarked that a loss to the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be a disgrace. After their Sunday encounter, Manning’s words rang true.

Since their formation the previous year, the Buccaneers had lost every single game in the team’s history. Twelve weeks into their second season, Tampa Bay rode an NFL record 26-game losing streak.

But playing on the Saints’ home turf at the Superdome, the Bucs struck early with two Dave Green field goals. Tampa Bay increased the lead to 13–0 before halftime when quarterback Gary Huff hit Morris Owens with a five-yard touchdown pass.

In the second half, the Buccaneers defense took out almost two years of frustration on the Saints. Mike Washington put Tampa Bay in front 20–0 with a 45-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter. Richard Wood followed Washington’s example by returning a second pass ten yards for a touchdown and a 26–0 lead.

New Orleans managed two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, a 2-yard run by Manning and an 11-yard Manning–to–John Gilliam pass. As the game wound down, Greg Johnson put the exclamation mark on the Bucs’ first victory by catching a deflected Manning aerial in the end zone for six points. In all, the Saints threw six interceptions with three returned for touchdowns, which tied the NFL record.

EXTRA < < < < < < < < < < < < < <

POINT In the 12 games prior to the 33–14 win over the Saints that season, Tampa Bay had scored only 53 points—23 of those in its game against Seattle.

How did New Orleans allow a winless Tampa Bay squad to soundly defeat it? Some coaches might suggest overconfidence on the part of the Saints. New Orleans may have simply looked at the winless expansion team from Tampa Bay as an easy opponent.

While God wants us to feel positive about ourselves, excessive pride leads to disgrace. Being arrogant isn’t a good trait. But humility brings realistic wisdom that allows us to build on our strengths and overcome our weaknesses.

GOAL! Draw a line down the middle of a piece of paper. Label one column “Strengths” and the other one “Weaknesses.” Make a realistic list of each. Ask God to help you maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.