1 week Ago
New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi directs the team before the start of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.
com ) Facebook Twitter WhatsApp SMS Email Print Copy article link Save Darren Rizzi didn't have an exact figure ready when asked how many messages he had waiting for him after his New Orleans Saints team won his debut game as interim head coach, but the number was up there. There was a lot to get through he said, but one really stuck out. "My favorite one so far is from Archie Manning," Rizzi said.
This goes beyond getting a congratulatory message from a Saints legend. There's a personal connection too: Rizzi's son, Christian, is a long-snapper for the University of Texas, and he's become good friends with Arch Manning, Archie's grandson. "So when I glanced at my phone, I thought it was Arch," Rizzi joked.
"Then I realized, oh no, this is the big dog." Rizzi said he's had chances to meet the elder Manning during his six seasons working with the Saints, most often while attending high school football games. His sons and Archie's grandsons competed against each other on Fall Fridays in New Orleans.
"We had a nice correspondence," Rizzi said. "I really, really appreciated that. It was pretty cool.
Listen, he was the one who started it all..
