Jason Licht On The Saints: “I Hate Them!”
October 5th, 2023
Explains source of loathing.
If there is one team that gets Bucs fans to unite with a large degree of venom, it’s the slimy Saints.
Joe isn’t sure there is one source of the hatred. It might be cocky Sean Payton who acted like he invented the game, despite his shadowy if not unethical past. Maybe it was the smugness of Drew Brees? Or the mouth of Cam Jordan?
Likely, the hatred of the slimy Saints stems from the realization that New Orleans pretty much owned the Bucs for the better part of the post-Chucky era. At one point in The Lost Decade, the slimy Saints had won 10 of 12 meetings between the teams.
Once when the Bucs got a close win over the slimy Saints, it seemed Payton wanted to get into a slap fight with then-Bucs coach Dirk Koetter.
Even when Tom Brady came to town, the slimy Saints had the Bucs’ number — except in the game that counted most, a 2020 divisional playoff game.
Speaking on Peter Schrager’s podcast “The Season,” Bucs AC/DC-loving general manager Jason Licht admitted he can relate to Bucs fans when it comes to the slimy Saints.
“I mean this with all due respect to the Saints,” Licht said. “I hate them!”
The hate comes from rarely being able to get over on the slimy Saints, Licht said. Under Licht, the Bucs are 8-12 against New Orleans (but the Bucs are currently on a three-game winning streak).
“They are always just such a tough team,” Licht said. “Especially going there. It’s such a tough place to win. They beat us twice that year.”
“That year” was the 2020 regular season. But the Bucs got revenge in the playoffs. Licht was so ecstatic about the win, coming in the playoffs he took to Twitter and admitted he couldn’t help himself as he stood on the floor of Lincoln’s Tomb, the home of the slimy Saints.
“I just pulled out my phone and tweeted ‘We dat,'” Licht said. Licht claims that tweet is still up on his Twitter feed.
(A loyal reader of JoeBucsFan.com from Germany dug up Licht’s Twitter. Here it is. Hat tip: @MatthiasWhist. Danke, mein deutscher Freund.)
So yeah, Bucs fans, whenever you feel the need to wing your remote at the TV during a Bucs-slimy Saints game, comfort yourself in the knowledge that Licht is likely throwing things, too.
October 5th, 2023 at 12:52 am
NOW THATS MY GM!!!
October 5th, 2023 at 12:53 am
I’m just waiting for Belichick to give Brady a call again begging him to come back.🤣🤣🤣🤣
Bill: “Tom will you please come back we need you.”
Tom: “HELL NO. I’D RATHER STAY RETIRED.”
Let that city deal with some losing for awhile because they’ve been so spoiled with sports for like 25 years now & they very rarely know what it’s like to lose anymore. It’ll be like the end of the world for them.
October 5th, 2023 at 1:47 am
Just remember, every time the Bucs have won the Super Bowl, they lost to the Saints on opening day.
October 5th, 2023 at 3:35 am
that’s our bad ass gm spittin’ venom!
October 5th, 2023 at 4:10 am
My hatred really started with the Evans Lattimore fight. Then it escalated… Cam Jordan running his mouth. Sean Payton just being a mega Dbag. Taysom Hill has a punchable face too, I’m sure he’s a nice guy, but the ballwashing he gets is over the top. Oh and slant boy, is just a female dog. I despise him. Drew Brees, I respected, but that’s about it.
October 5th, 2023 at 4:18 am
Licht is one of the dudes at One Buc I would most like to sit down and have a few beers with. He and BA would be the dream!
Go Bucs!
October 5th, 2023 at 4:21 am
Its Peyton and the bounty thing with me. Then Ladymore and Jordan.
All the cheap talk and cheap shots on Bucs players really gets me.
Go Bucs!
October 5th, 2023 at 5:53 am
My dislike for the Aints actually started in the early to mid 90s when I’d see their obnoxious fans all sitting in the same section at the Ol Sombrero dressed up in black and gold dancing around and acting like a bunch of jackasses. This would have been pre-Dungy so we kind of sucked and they were just average.
October 5th, 2023 at 5:54 am
Loved this interview with Licht!
He is a dude! I can see how players ( free agents ) are feeling the Tampa vibe!
Licht has assembled a team of solid personnel to engage the players …evaluate, and relate!
He is top sales person! IMO !
He is a top 10 GM in the league! IMO!
We are lucky Buc fans!
Go Bucs!
October 5th, 2023 at 6:28 am
I hate them for 2 very simple reasons:
1.) A few of their players talk way too much for a team that has accomplished almost NOTHING in this league.
2.) Drew Brees carried that team on his back, Sean Payton is way overrated because of that. He’s like Mike McCarthy, never won a damn thing without his HOF quarterback. Makes it annoying to see how much people slurp him up.
October 5th, 2023 at 6:40 am
Well the Bucs 2 Lombardi’s and the Saints 1
Hey Saints Fan enjoy those numbers lol
October 5th, 2023 at 6:42 am
Gangsta gm I like it
October 5th, 2023 at 6:54 am
I hate the Aints because of all of the reasons cited in these here comments, but I especially hate them because I worked in NOLA for six years. That place is a $hi*hole and a large majority of the populace are corrupt, corpulent, immoral, racist d-bags.
October 5th, 2023 at 7:00 am
F the Saints. They’re old news. Literally.
October 5th, 2023 at 7:02 am
Just feels like they’ve had our number for a while, even when we’ve had better football teams. Prior to Drew Brees dominating us, it was Aaron Brooks. If I’m not mistaken, during our first Super Bowl run season, we lost both games against Aaron Brooks and that Saints team…and we only lost 4 games that season.
What hurts is that we should have made more ground with Brady, especially the season after our Super Bowl with him, to lose both those games to backup QBs still hurts. Be great to take one more from them this season, get a little closer to evening it out, I checked our season by season, it’s not that bad. We’ve just split more than swept.
October 5th, 2023 at 7:54 am
During their bounty gait tainted super bowl run, one of their goons deliberately took out the knee of Kareem Huggins, a promising young Tampa RB and pretty much ended his career. Then there was the dirty hit on Godwin that helped ruin our chances for a repeat championship. And last game there was the late hit on Mayfield that could easily have ended his season. They are a dirty team, and they are coached to play that way. Their organization is a mirror of the corrupt and degenerate city they play in.
October 5th, 2023 at 7:57 am
I feel bad for Licht sometimes…the dude is so under appreciated by fans and by NFL broadcasters nationally. But he’s great. Dare I say he’s pushing for a bust?
October 5th, 2023 at 8:11 am
Finally they admitted it
The saints are always tough except in games that matter.
October 5th, 2023 at 8:14 am
Not much of a rivalry when the same team wins-Bucs have won 3 in a row. Aints are the weakest team offensively in the NFL and their play calling makes BL look like Einstein. So until Aints can actually win a game , this is not a serious rivalry.
October 5th, 2023 at 8:15 am
Add to that the JW eating Ws bs when he doesn’t even play – dancing in the locker room with strobe lights like they won the superbowl – just gross. Grow up you clowns.
October 5th, 2023 at 8:31 am
I hate dirty slime ball cheaters. Sean Payton fits that description to a ‘T.’ Remember him getting kicked out/suspended from coaching for a year, you all? I did like and respect Drew Brees. But the Aints were constantly putting illegal hits on our boys, and getting away with it. Of course, the whole league did that. One of my favorite wins was when Bucs went up to NOLA as the usual underdogs, and blasted the Aints out of the water. I mean Bucs blew them off the field. I think they scored 40+ in that game. Ryan Kirpatrick (sp?) was the QB. Great win and in their crib, too.
October 5th, 2023 at 8:52 am
I hate them too.
October 5th, 2023 at 9:01 am
Never had a problem with Drew Brees. Hated Sean Payton. That guy has one if the most punchable looking faces of all time.
I hope Dennis Allen stays the coach there for many years to come.
October 5th, 2023 at 9:11 am
Saints Bounty program where they were beheading Kurt Warner and Brett Favre. I remember Darren Sharper cheap-shotting the hell out of Josh Freeman going out of bounds and that’s what really triggered my hate for the Saints. Sean Payton was mad he got his ACL torn by us so that didn’t help the feud. Saints also have some of the fattest mouths too and now they cant back it up anymore.
I live in VA but I work with 5 Saints fans which is crazy…. I just keep reminding them that we have 2 Rings and it ends the convos fairly quickly but. Thinking everyone from there talks lol
October 5th, 2023 at 10:59 am
Yes, the Saints are one of the teams I hate most. Bears, Lions also on that list. But to be fair Brees was one of the least unlikable Aints. I never found him to be smug.
I hate the Lions because they also acted like it was an affront to humanity to lose to us. Boggles my mind and pissed me off. I mean, “You’re the Lions. You always suck.”
I hate the Bears because of Jerry Markbreit. Cheatingest SOB in football history.
October 5th, 2023 at 12:10 pm
For me it’s more of the trash talking from cam and others we beat them when it counted most and they still talk trash like ok even without Tom now what up y’all lol go Bucs plus Tampa is a way better city then they are.
October 5th, 2023 at 12:41 pm
I don’t really hate any team. But in the NFC South I think my worst feelings are reserved for the Panthers. I don’t know why.
The first-ever game I attended was a 70s Saints game when I lived near New Orleans and a Kindergartener. The team gave my dad free tickets as he was in the Navy and was stationed nearby.
Kinda hard to hate a team when you have that memory.
October 5th, 2023 at 12:42 pm
*as a Kindergartener.
I barely remember the game. I know the Saints lost. I think it was against the Rams or Chargers. I know they wore blue and yellow.
October 5th, 2023 at 12:56 pm
I LOVE LICHT
More interviews and articles on Licht. This is his team. The more we get to know the man the more we understand the team. Love these articles.
October 5th, 2023 at 12:57 pm
I hate them also. The game played at the Bucs a few years ago when the Saints smashed the Bucs in that low score game was brutal. Happy to re.turn the beating back any and every time.