Retired New Orleans linebacker feels reconnected with former team

It was the perfect blend of new school meets old school prior to January’s playoff game between the Saints and Panthers when Reggie Bush led some of his former teammates in a ‘who dat’ change while donning the jersey of the late, great Will Smith.

Among those fellow alumni was former New Orleans linebacker Scott Fujita who last played for the Black and Gold during the 2009 season and their ensuing run to winning Super Bowl 44.

Last year, the Saints were capable of making that same kind of run for the first time in several years and Fujita says he’s back to bleeding Black and Gold now that his team is back. “They’re young, they’re hungry and then you’ve still got a quarterback playing at such a high level. This is a window of time you’ve got to take advantage of. So I do still follow the team and it’s fun because last season it was such a unique story that was fun to follow along. I mean to see the turnaround, these young guys playing at such a high level reminded me of some of our rookies back in ’06 and you start to get emotionally invested again. And then playoffs come around and they’ve got a game against the Panthers here at home, they’re hosting. Coach Payton had me come in and speak to the guys the night before the game, and I’m all in again now. I’m like shoot, I forgot what it’s like to have the goose bumps and to get fired up. And you might let out some language you haven’t been using in a while because you’re coaching your kids’ teams. It was good to be back in that element with the guys again, so I think Sean doing that got me emotionally invested in a way that I probably hadn’t been in a while.”

What Fujita said must have worked as the Saints took down Carolina by the final score of 31-26.