Just six days until the big day

Christmas? Boxing Day? Am I merely bad at math, you wonder?

No, I'm talking about next Tuesday -- or Monday, in the US. You see, something amazing, something historic, will happen that day.

The great Drew Brees is a mere 305 yards away from setting the single-season NFL passing yardage record that has stood for nearly 30 years. I am secure enough with my advanced age (39) to admit that I remember the 1984 season when Dan Marino, Mark "Super" Duper, and Mark Clayton took the entire Miami Dolphins team on their shoulders and scorched their competition for 5,084 yards through the air. Marino had a cannon, and they sure were fun to watch.

I watched a lot of Dolphins games that year partly because I had a good buddy who was a 'Fins fan and partly because the Saints were so bad that they were painful to watch. It was that way for year after year after miserable year for Saints fans. The Saints were so bad that when ESPN named the "worst sports franchises" in history, we didn't even make the list. You needed to watch some other teams just to remind yourself that football could be fun.

But the Aints are no more. As long as I live, I will never forget the Miracle in Miami. And it is impossible to explain just what the Saints and that championship mean to the people of New Orleans and the rest of the Gulf Coast region. Let's just say we deserved it.

And Marino's record is about to be no more. Ironically, the Saints and Drew Brees remain the Rodney Dangerfield of football, with little national media attention or respect despite what will soon be mathematically ensconced as the best single season by a quarterback in NFL history. And that will most likely happen next Monday night when the Saints play the Atlanta Falcons in the Superdome on Monday Night Football.

If you've continued reading this far, you have probably surmised that this means a lot to me. I watched these guys for over 20 years before they even made the playoffs, ever faithful. And since Sean Payton and Drew Brees and the crew came along, they have continued to be a bright spot for me -- like so many others -- through hard times.

As I said in my first post, I am trying hard to open myself to Australian life and culture on this journey. I am going to make an effort to learn Australian rules football, rugby, and cricket. But the Saints are something I won't leave behind. After all, this is all about having the best of both worlds, right?

I'm grateful to be able to watch live next week from the Kirribilli Hotel. If you're in Sydney, please join me. And if you're fellow Saints fans elsewhere, know that I'll be representing the Who Dats down under.