New Orleans Saints legend Marques Colston reminisced about the Super Bowl XLIV during Super Bowl LIX festivities on the Saints Podcast on radio row on the anniversary of that win Friday, Feb. 7.
Colston said that after making the NFC Championship in his rookie season in 2006, the Saints needed the 7-9 season in 2007 and 8-8 season in 2008 to help the team learn how to have and sustain success to set the stage for the 2009 season.
"I think that '09 season was really a function of us kind of coming of age as a core group, us really believing in the North Star and in a vision that we actually do have the talent in-house to do this," he said, "and really just being able to buy in and just having the veteran leadership of Jon Vilma on the defensive side, of Will Smith on the defensive side, of Drew Brees on the offensive side. Just having that veteran leadership, those guys that realize how important it was and how rare it was to get to have those deep runs in the playoffs."
Colston said everyone, including undrafted players like Lance Moore and Pierre Thomas, having the opportunity to compete for roles on the squad helped set the culture the team needed.
"When you surround that and you add those leaders like Vilma, like Drew, like Will Smith to the mix, now you have this core that's hungry, that's built around competition and has just enough of that leadership ability and those leadership qualities to set the guide rails," he said. "I think we just kind of had the perfect storm of talent, grit."
The Saints' all-time receiving leader said memories from the victory come back to him in random moments, "those core memories that just kind of get unlocked that I didn't know I had."
"It's one of those things where we knew as a group how important winning was in this city from day one, from literally the first home game with the Dome reopening," Colston said. "And I think we all carried a little bit of that with us and I think that's one of the reasons that the connection between this team and the city is what it is. In a lot of ways, we wanted to win for ourselves, but we knew we had to win for the city of New Orleans and this region."
🔊 LISTEN TO FULL PODCAST - COLSTON INTERVIEW STARTS AT 2:14
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experiences from radio row with team reporters Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center from Monday, February 3 through Friday, February 7, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL host Lindsay Rhodes joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL host Lindsay Rhodes joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL host Lindsay Rhodes joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Tulane linebacker Sam Bruchhas joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Tulane linebacker Sam Bruchhas joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center as Sam Bruchhas, former Tulane linebacker, joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL analyst Solomon Wilcots joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the New Orleans Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Saints and LSU football player Marlon Favorite joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Saints and LSU football player Marlon Favorite joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Saints and LSU football player Marlon Favorite joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Thomas Morstead joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Thomas Morstead joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Thomas Morstead joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Saints coach Curtis Johnson joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Saints coach Curtis Johnson joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as former Saints coach Curtis Johnson joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Danny Wuerffel joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Danny Wuerffel joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Danny Wuerffel joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Mark Ingram II joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Mark Ingram II joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Roman Harper joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as Saints legend Roman Harper joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, as NFL analyst Mike Tannenbaum joins Erin Summers and Gus Kattengell on the Saints Podcast on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025.
New Orleans Saints legends Drew Brees and Reggie Bush joined the Super Bowl LIX media experience at radio row on February 6, 2025.
New Orleans Saints legends Drew Brees and Reggie Bush joined the Super Bowl LIX media experience at radio row on February 6, 2025.
New Orleans Saints legends Drew Brees and Reggie Bush joined the Super Bowl LIX media experience at radio row on February 6, 2025.
New Orleans Saints legends Drew Brees and Reggie Bush joined the Super Bowl LIX media experience at radio row on February 6, 2025.
New Orleans Saints legends Drew Brees and Reggie Bush joined the Super Bowl LIX media experience at radio row on February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints defensive end Cam Jordan at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints players at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints defensive end Carl Granderson at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints defensive end Carl Granderson at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
Check out photos from the Super Bowl LIX media experience from radio row with New Orleans Saints Kevin Austin Jr. at the N. Morial Convention Center from Thursday, February 6, 2025.
New Orleans Saints cornerback Alontae Taylor signed autographs and meet with fans at the Panini Autograph Stage at the Super Bowl Experience at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on Feb. 6, 2025.
