As the New Orleans Saints get set to take on the Los Angeles Rams in the Superdome,

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October 23 Youth Tyeler Davison Jersey , 1994 –  a camera pans through a sea of Saints scoured across the field during pregame warm-ups. The camera stops on phenom kick returner Tyrone Hughes as he sits on the turf, stretching his hamstrings. “I think I’m good for two today”, Hughes stated, predicting two returns for touchdowns in that game. Hughes set the stage for what would become one of the most remembered games in Saints history.But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.Life of a Saint: Tyrone HughesTo know Tyrone Hughes’ roots, you don’t have to travel far from the aforementioned Superdome. In fact, you’d have to head a few miles east to the Lower Ninth Ward. Prior to high school, Hughes would move a few minutes closer to the Dome into the Seventh Ward, eventually attending one of the highest NFL player producing high schools in the country in “St Aug”. Fate would eventually land the local product inside walls of the Superdome, playing as a Saint.The Early YearsIt didn’t take long for Tyrone Hughes to realize he stood out from his peers. “I wouldn’t say I was better, but as a young kid playing playground ball, I was always faster”, Hughes mentioned. His speed was not only known by the kids up the street at Hardin Park, but also the coaches of multiple sports. Hughes played on park ball teams, excelling in football, basketball, track and baseball. As ironic as it may be, Hughes started playing football in junior high school as a punter. Hughes stated, “That was really my first experience with older players.” While Hughes stated he did well, he noted that as he headed to St. Augustine High School, he was known more as a baseball prodigy than a football phenom. While the focus was on baseball http://www.saintsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-terron-armstead-jersey , Hughes did find himself on the football roster as a junior in high school, still as a punter. About three games before the end of the season, the coaching staff decided to mix things up. “The defensive backs coach was also the baseball coach. He knew I was fast from stealing bases in baseball. He and the linebackers coach said, ‘Let’s put Tyrone back there to return a punt.’. They punted the ball to me and I returned it for a touchdown, but there was a flag. They had to re-punt. They punted to me again. I returned it for a touchdown.” A star was born. By the end of the season, Hughes would land himself on the “Top five players to watch” list for Sports Illustrated leading into his senior year.National AttentionFollowing the eye-opening success of his junior year, the St. Augustine coaching staff redesigned the offense to a “Delaware Wing-T” playbook, specifically designed for Hughes. Hughes remembered, “What really got me noticed was my third game of the year. I would say it was my ‘Al Bundy” game. I had four touchdowns in the first half. I had a kickoff return, a punt return, a run and a pass.” At that point, local buzz had turned into national buzz. Hughes earned the Gatorade Player of the Week award. The mailbox was immediately and regularly filling with colleges attempting to attract Hughes. In one year, Hughes went from punter to Offensive Player of the Year for the state of Louisiana, averaging a whopping 40 yards per return, 10 yards per carry at running back and 30 yards per reception at wide receiver.The 1993 NFL DraftHughes emergence in his junior and senior year of college landed him in the NFL, getting drafted by the very local New Orleans Saints in the fifth round. For Hughes, it was a dream come true in many ways. But, given the choice, would he have rather gone to a Super Bowl contender? Hughes answered, “You’re talking about the draft, so you don’t get to pick and choose. At that time Cameron Jordan Jersey , I think it would have been the San Francisco 49ers. Yes, I would have gone to them. However, I think my best opportunity to play was with the Saints because of what I did (returned kick-offs and punts). Hughes was happy to stay home though. After jesting that he dodged a bullet by not being selected by the Bengals the pick prior, Hughes spoke about how happy he was to join the Saints. “My family and I were just so thrilled. They had brought me in for a workout and I knew they needed a punt and kick returner.” Hughes in the NFLHughes not only earned his roster spot on the Saints as a rookie, but also made such a splash that he played his way onto the Pro Bowl team. His family was able to join him on the trip as fate would have it. Prior to starting his rookie season in the NFL, Hughes played in the American Bowl. Hughes said, “I ended up being the MVP of the game. Along with the trophy, they gave me two first class tickets to the Pro Bowl. When I made it to the Pro Bowl that year, I ended up trading those first-class tickets in for four coach tickets and paying for the rest of them. I ended up having my whole family come. We all hung out in Hawaii and had a great time.”Hughes success continued into year two. “Again, I led the NFL in kickoff returns and kickoff return yardage, which I don’t know if that was a good sign for our defense”, Hughes joked. “I led the NFL in my third year as well. Three years in a row I broke my own record.” Hughes held the record for most kickoff returns for several years until current record holder MarTay Jenkins of the Arizona Cardinals eclipsed Hughes’ mark. Jim MoraIt’s well chronicled that with the Saints offensive woes mounting at the tail end of Jim Mora’s 11-year stay with the New Orleans Saints, fans and media went to the head coach to ask why he didn’t use Tyrone Hughes at wide receiver. Between his speed and his experience at the position, Hughes was a logical answer on the offensive side of the ball, or so it seemed to most. When asked if he still had any bitterness toward Jim Mora in not being afforded the opportunity to play wide receiver, Hughes responded, “Yes, I do. There was always bitterness. First of all, I was one of the fastest guys on the team. They could have put me at receiver while I was still learning the defense. Whether it’s political or whatever, everything is not done in the best interest of the team. It was more in the best interest of the organization. What I mean by that is how they would justify the reasons for not doing something, regardless of how stupid it may have sounded. Jim Mora’s response was Authentic Vonn Bell Jersey , ‘We don’t feel he can catch good enough’. Think about that. If I drop a pass, that’s incomplete. If I drop a punt or kickoff, that’s a turnover.” October 23, 1994So, whatever happened to Tyrone Hughes’ pregame prediction on October 23, 1994. Tyrone Hughes did, in fact, return two kicks for touchdowns and in the process set NFL records for most kickoff return yardage in a game (304) and most combined return yardage (kickoffs and punts) in a game (347), of which both still stand today. When asked how he knew such a prediction itself, Hughes commented, “That was actually the first time I had done something like that. It just felt that, after watching the film, we would have the opportunities to return.” After Hughes’ success that day, he didn’t make a habit of making pregame predictions. “I had never done it before and I never did it again. But that day, it just felt like we had an opportunity.”, Hughes mentioned. Tyrone Hughes was inducted into the New Orleans Saints Hall of Fame in 2015 along with another great returner, Michael Lewis. Tom Brady didn't have to beat Aaron Rodgers in only their second head-to-head matchup to prove he's the best quarterback of all time.The GOAT did it, anyway.Brady threw for 294 yards and one touchdown to lead the New England Patriots to a 31-17 victory over Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night.Rodgers had 259 yards passing and two TDs.It wasn't a vintage performance for either quarterback. Brady tossed six straight incomplete passes at one point, and he couldn't get the Patriots in the end zone on four tries from the 1 with the score tied in the third quarter. Still, he posted a passer rating of 99.0 on a night when he didn't have star tight end Rob Gronkowski and leading rusher Sony Michel.The game was billed as the most talented QB vs. the most accomplished QB. Some considered that statement a slight against Brady. It's not. Rodgers is immensely gifted with a strong, accurate arm and scrambling ability. He makes plays with his legs that Brady can't. He makes throws few players ever could make Youth Thomas Morstead Jersey , whether he's on the run like the 24-yard pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a third-and-1 late in the third quarter, or if he's flat-footed, falling down, throwing across his body or heaving desperation passes into the end zone.Brady has a different style. He's a drop-back passer with underrated pocket mobility and perfect mechanics, and he simply outsmarts everyone else on the field. He fooled a pair of defenders with his eyes by looking as if he was throwing a screen pass and instead fired deep for a 55-yard TD pass to Josh Gordon to seal the win.But John Elway and Steve Young also belong in the "most talented" conversation, so it's not even a slam dunk that title belongs to Rodgers. Michael Vick wasn't nearly as well-rounded, but he could throw a 70-yard touchdown pass with a simple flick of his left wrist or he could sprint 70 yards for a score at any point in a game. He has a case for the "most talented" debate if it's based purely on physical skills. It won't be long before Patrick Mahomes has to be considered, too.However, the "greatest of all time" argument ended when Brady rallied the Patriots from a 28-3 third-quarter deficit against the Falcons to win his fifth Super Bowl title on Feb. 5, 2017."He's got five championships," Rodgers said earlier in the week when asked the GOAT question. "I think that ends most discussions."Rodgers is one of the best to play the game and he may be the "most talented," but he doesn't belong in the "greatest of all time" conversation. It's Brady. Then Joe Montana. Peyton Manning deserves a mention. So does Drew Brees.Brady has eight Super Bowl appearances. He won his third regular-season MVP award last year at age 40 and he has four Super Bowl MVP awards in his trophy case. He's still at the top of his game at 41, seven years older than Rodgers.Over 19 seasons, Brady has set numerous records and he notched another milestone against the Packers when he surpassed Manning for the most combination passing, rushing and receiving yards in the regular-season and playoffs.So while the Sunday Night Football crew enjoyed hyping the matchup and even got Michael Jordan involved by having the six-time NBA champion record a promo saying "the best way to settle this debate is to play it out head to head," Brady already earned the title way before helping New England (7-2) to its sixth straight win.Brady is the greatest quarterback of all time and he's still proving it every week.