It's past time for the Saints to honor the 'Dome Patrol' with Superdome statues
Legendary former New Orleans Saints linebacker Sam Mills would have turned 66 on Tuesday, June 3, and he's remembered fondly by many who knew him -- in two different NFL cities. After leading the great "Dome Patrol" defenses with the Saints, Mills took on a new challenge as a member of the expansion-era Carolina Panthers, first as a player and later as a coach. A life-size (5-foot-9) bronze statue in his likeness stands vigilant outside the Panthers' home stadium in Charlotte. It's well past time the Saints honor Mills and his teammates in that legendary four-man linebacker corps with a commemoration of their own.
Two of them have already passed away. Mills died in 2005 and Vaughan Johnson passed in 2019, which left Rickey Jackson and Pat Swilling as the two surviving members. People should be given their flowers when they're still here to accept them and see how they're appreciated.
Several statues already surround the Caesars Superdome. In 2014, a statue depicting the team's late owner Tom Benson hoisting the Lombardi Trophy began to overlook Champions Square. Since 2012, the famous "Rebirth" monument highlighting Steve Gleason's blocked punt in the first Saints home game after Hurricane Katrina can be found at the southwest corner of the plaza. The Superdome Vietnam Memorial has stood on the Poydras Street side since 1984. There's plenty of room for a space to honor the "Dome Patrol."
Just look at what they accomplished together. All four linebackers were selected for the Pro Bowl in 1992, and to this day three of them rank in the top three solo tackles leaders for the Saints -- Jackson first (1,104), Mills second (894), and Johnson third (664), with Swilling, who played the fewest games in New Orleans of the bunch, ranking 14th (354). The group combined for 18 Pro Bowl nods and 12 spots on the All-Pro teams. They have all been inducted to the Saints Hall of Fame and the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, too. Jackson was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010 with Mills joining him posthumously in 2022. Swilling has gained a lot of support as a senior candidate. They gave Saints fans something to cheer for when the team really, really needed it. We're in a similar spot today with a brutal playoff drought and organizational upheaval.
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