The New Orleans Saints are 76 days away from their first contest of the 2025 season against the Arizona Cardinals. It's the beginning of a new era under Kellen Moore. As we continue with our countdown to kickoff, we take a trip down memory lane to a previous great era in Saints football, the Dome Patrol era.
Our play of the day comes courtesy of Sam Mills, one of the Dome Patrol's inside linebackers. In 1992, Mills forced and recovered a fumble before taking it 76 yards to the end zone.
Mills was a special player, and that was an unique play that will go down as one of the best of his career. The linebacker shot through the offensive line and got to the quarterback right as he was beginning to throw the football.
Mills knocked the ball out of the quarterback's hand before the arm could move forward. The ball bounced on the turf one time. Mills corralled it after that first hop and returned it for a touchdown.
The way the camera panned you would have though Mills took the ball right off the quarterback's hand. Once Mills had the ball in his possession, it was just him and an offensive lineman in a foot race. The lineman never stood a chance.
1992 was a special year for the Dome Patrol
When people think about sports in 1992, the Olympic Dream Team is probably the first thing to be brought up. The Saints had their own dream-like scenario that year. The entire Dome Patrol linebacking corps made the Pro Bowl in the same season. That never happens.
The corps was special and well known for how talented they are, but finishing the season with all four linebackers making the Pro Bowl cemented their legacy as one of the best collection of linebackers in NFL history.
Mills made his second straight Second-Team All-Pro team in 1992. He ended the season with 130 tackles, a career-high, and three sacks, a tie of Mills' career-high.