If This Steve Gleason Tweet Didn't Put A Smile On Your Face Then Nothing Ever Will

I think for most Saints fans the Katrina narrative has gotten extremely old. Not because 2006 isn't something that we look back on fondly, but because the NFL has a tendency to shove it down our throats at every single turn. Seriously, go back and watch every Saints primetime game for the last 9 years and tell me you don't see the infamous Steve Gleason blocked kick get shown at least 5 times. Yeah, it was the most special of moments, but it happened during a special season. A special season that stands alone. A special season that holds it's own distinct place in history. A special season that definitely shouldn't be compared to the proverbial dumpster fire we have laid witness to in the first 5 weeks of 2015.

With that said, it's impossible to ignore the the wave of nostalgia when something like what happened last night happens. With Steve Gleason sitting front row, the Saints, and Mike Mauti specifically, did their damnedest in recreating the play that pretty much defines the entire city of New Orleans. A play that spring boarded the Saints from the doom and gloom of 2005, to the miracle of 2006 and the Super Bowl of 2009. A play that will live on forever, not only because it's likeness has been sculpted outside of the SuperDome, but because it is the single most meaningful play in Saints history. That play, the one that is responsible for making Steve Gleason the legend/hero he is for the city of New Orleans, couldn't have looked more like the blocked punt last night. A punt that was blocked by Mike Mauti, a New Orleans native that happened to be in attendance on that fateful night in 2006. Talk about deja vu. Talk about divine intervention. It was one of the those moments that make you realize how fucking awesome sports can be. A sequel so perfectly scripted that it's amazing the story wasn't written in fiction. If you wanted to create parallels to the 'Rebirth' of nearly a decade ago, last night was as close as you're going to get.

Steve Gleason, once a symbol of hope on a football field and now a symbol of strength and perseverance off of it, trolling the Falcons with a perfectly time hashtag is as good as it gets. The man is battling the most debilitating of diseases (ALS) and still has the sense of humor of the Steve Gleason that played his way into the hearts of Saints fans. If that doesn't put a smile on your face then nothing will. If that doesn't give the ability to stay positive in life then nothing will. If that doesn't remind you that, no matter what happens, everything will be okay then nothing will. Thank you Steve Gleason. Not just for blocking a punt 9 years ago, but for reminding us that life is what you make it. I like to think that play last night was the universe's way of giving back to you what you have given to so many others over the years. Hope, faith, and a reason to smile.