Falcons-Saints MNF: How a punt block unified New Orleans - ESPN

NEW ORLEANS — The Saints and Atlanta Falcons will carry the weight of history between them when they meet at the Caesars' Superdome on Monday night (8:15 ET, ESPN).

Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Aug. 29, 2005, killing more than 1,300 people, decimating the region and impacting lives in the area forever.

The Superdome, which was used as a shelter of last resort during the storm, was inoperable for more than a year because of extreme roof damage.

The indoor stadium reopened to the public on Sept. 25, 2006 ahead of a Week 3 game featuring the Saints and Falcons on «Monday Night Football.» Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning and a group of first responders were among those who ceremonially ushered fans back into the Dome ahead of a performance by the Goo Goo Dolls. The pregame celebration continued inside with performances by Green Day and U2.

Pregame shots showed the building surrounded by water in the days after the storm before transitioning to a live shot showing fans counting down the seconds until reopening, clearly ready to move forward to a new chapter.

While the fanfare included former President George H.W. Bush, who oversaw the coin toss, the real star of the night was a 29-year-old Saints player named Steve Gleason. The core special-teamer blocked Michael Koenen's punt less than 90 seconds into the game.

Gleason came rushing up the middle, stretched up his arms and hit the football with a solid thwack! Gleason's teammate Curtis Deloatch ran down the ball and fell on it in the end zone for a touchdown.

The momentum never let up. When the game was over, ESPN analyst Stuart Scott noted «not a soul has left this building,» as the camera panned a stadium still packed with fans.

That block