Marquez Callaway didn't get to see a real crowd in the Caesars Superdome until his second NFL season, and he was told he hadn't ever really played in New Orleans until he witnessed that first-hand.
With another year, and in a featured role due to injuries and departures, he can now agree with that take.
"Since preseason when we had a little bit of crowd there, it’s just been nothing but great," Callaway said. "Being able to listen and hear the advantage we have whether that’s compared to on the road and at home. It was just a feeling that I can’t explain."
That's been true despite lackluster homefield results dating back to a loss in the 2020 playoffs to the Tampa Bay Bucs. Including that game, the Saints have now lost five of the last six games played within the typically advantageous confines of New Orleans' most prized arena. The only win during that span came against that same Bucs team in Week 8.
Fittingly, it was a rematch with that Bucs squad that saw Callaway's first 100-yard performance as an NFL receiver and a 9-0 shutout victory to truly rekindle the Saints' playoff hopes for the 2021 season, with the Saints set for two pivotal games in the dome in Weeks 16 and 17. Callaway, in his second year after latching on as a UDFA, said he's been pitching his best friend to get down to New Orleans to see it for himself, and he's got a few more chances to get that done.
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But one way or another, the WR knows a buzzing crowd will help charge up his squad as they face off with the Dolphins and Panthers. Two games that he hopes will become the stepping stones for another postseason appearance, with the Saints battling a host of teams within a game of the final playoff seed.
"We’re going to need all the home crowd … we can use. I’m excited for it. I know they’re excited for it," he said. "We have a chance to turn things around here at the end, so that’s what we’re going to go out and do.”
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