The Pacer

Last night's NFC Championship game saw the host Chicago Bears dominate a bitter cold battle with the New Orleans Saints and punch their ticket to Super Bowl XLI.

The 39-14 loss ended the Saints 2006 season but did not discredit the effort former UTM standout Fred Thomas and his teammates made to get to that point.

As a representative for the entire displaced Gulf region following Hurricane Katrina, the Saints were coined as "America's Team" throughout the season.

Pre-season predictions did not forecast the Saints to even come close to reaching the playoffs, much less winning their NFC South division and making it within one win of the Super Bowl.

Thomas, a Mississippi native, has deep ties to the Gulf States like so many of his Saints teammates. Their overachieving, spirited effort this season was sparked by the rebuilding of the city of New Orleans and returning the Saints back to their home Superdome which was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.

As reports throughout the playoffs mentioned Thomas playing less than full strength due to nagging injuries, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman seemed to intentionally target the receivers in Thomas' direction in hopes for an easy score. The strategy seemed to work as one of Grossman's throws found the arms of receiver Bernard Berrian in the end zone, just beyond the coverage of Thomas. Despite allowing the score to Berrian, Thomas made his presence felt in the game by recording three tackles.

Thomas was an All-OVC Conference first team selection in 1995. He recorded 69 tackles and had four interceptions, three of which came in the first half against Tennessee State. He was drafted in the second round by the Seattle Seahawks in 1995 and was later signed by the Saints in 2000.

He is now an 11-year NFL veteran. He has started 62 games since 2001 and has been among the Saints' most consistent and productive defenders. Thomas led the Saints in passes defended each season from 2001-03 as well as in 2005.

He was named to Sports Illustrated 2002 All-Pro team and he was recognized by his teammates as the recipient of the 2002 Ed Block Courage Award for playing most of the year with a cast on his left hand.

This year Thomas played in 13 games and recorded 48 tackles and one interception. He also defended 10 passes.

Thomas and the Saints will look to build on their 11-7 season and return as more than just a fan favorite in NFC next year.

The Saints are the first team in NFL history to advance to the conference championship game after losing 13 or more games the previous season.

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