Rookie Pete Werner wasn't in New Orleans long before he and his new Saints team set up shop in Texas after evacuating ahead of Hurricane Ida.
The glass-half full way he approached the situation was that in his first NFL season, he didn't have a normal approach anyway. But a return home was still a refreshing change, until he got into his apartment and was greeted by an unfriendly smell.
Werner spent about four hours cleaning as the team had a pair of off days to get their affairs in order before returning to prep for Week 4. He went to town with a Swiffer and bought a bunch of candles on Amazon. While he never did ID the source of the odor, he managed to get his apartment back in proper smelling order.
"It was a process, but I'll go back to my place after today and it'll smell good," the linebacker said. "So it's good."
Oh, and he's "a lavender guy," an interesting side note for a team defense that's taken on the moniker of "The Juice Boys." The former Ohio State Buckeye made his NFL debut against the Patriots after missing the first two games win injury, logging two tackles.
"Gillette Stadium was packed. It was a great environment," Werner said. "So I was just happy to go out there alongside a great defense. Played well, it felt great."
The rookie's experience coming home is just one example of many in which players are working to get back into their typical NFL routine with little time to spare. Wide receiver Marquez Callaway said the team was chanting "we're going home!" after defeating the Patriots. That elation was only slightly dampened by the discovery that his plant — a gift from his mother — had died while he was away. Still, as Jameis Winston described it Wednesday, it's a "breath of fresh air" after an impressive 1-2 start to the 2021 season amid a list of challenges that could fill the pages of a compelling book some day down the road.
"The first thing I thought of: 'We've got a home game in the Superdome,’ " said a wide-eyed Winston relaying the story of picking up his car and driving around the city for the first time since the storm.
"Seeing the resilience that the city had endured, and understanding like, 'man, even as a team we endured so much,' " Winston said. "From being away from our families, being in a different [state] -- it's kind of like an extended training camp. And coming back home, we're just excited to be here and more excited to play in front of our fans."
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That return to the Caesars Superdome will come on Sunday, delayed from the scheduled Week 1 home opener due to the storm. While players like Winston and veteran James Hurst played home games in the Superdome a year ago, it was in front of a limited capacity crowd due to the coronavirus pandemic. Those capacity limits have been removed in 2021 and replaced with vaccination requirements for those in attendance.
It remains to be seen whether those new rules will have an impact on the turnout, but both Hurst and Winston are expecting ample crowd noise. They know what type of advantage it will be, considering both have played in the Superdome before but on the "wrong" side.
The veteran offensive lineman is likely to be in the starting lineup due to Terron Armstead's elbow injury. Hurst was a rookie when he arrived in New Orleans as a member of the Baltimore Ravens in 2014, and again in 2019.
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"It's miserable," Hurst said, speaking from the opponent's perspective. "Especially when you're out there on offense, you can't hear a word. ... I'm just looking forward to being on the right side of that this time."