Zach Strief was only the Saints' play-by-play man for three seasons -- but he had a lifetime's worth of tragic playoff moments in that span.
That started with the infamous no-call in the NFC Championship, then an overtime loss to the Vikings a year later. Strief's final game was the same as Brees: The playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past season.
Strief told new play-by-play announcer Mike Hoss on Wednesday that he took care of those moments -- so hopefully Hoss can can call the better ones.
"Fortunately, Mike, I’ve got all the heartbreak out of the way for you. I think I’ve called every horrible situation we could muster up over three seasons," Strief said on SportsTalk with Bobby Hebert and Kristian Garic. "So hopefully it’s smooth sailing from hereon out and you’ll get to do all the good ones."
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Hoss, a longtime sports and news broadcaster with WWL-TV, is taking over Strief's seat in the press box as the former All-Pro right tackle spends his first season as an offensive line coach with his former team. Strief took over for the legendary Jim Henderson alongside Deuce McAllister in 2018.
“We talked about this after our very first game: We’re going to be who we are, right? I think I told you right after the first game, ‘I can’t be Jim and I’m not going to be Jim, and we can’t be Deuce and Jim,’ " Strief said. "And in the same way it will change and yet it will become its own unique thing. And Mike and Deuce, hopefully for years to come, will become the sounds that’s synonymous with all those great moments."
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Thus far Strief said he's been enjoying his new role on a staff that appreciates the need for coaches and staffers to put family first, especially in the offseason. And he's optimistic about his ability to help take the Saints' already talented to an even higher level in the 2021 season.
“I think this is going to be a really, really good group," Strief said. "It has been for years. It’s not a matter of coming in and making this a good group, they’ve been outstanding for years. But I do think there’s places that we can improve and we’ve been working on that and I’m looking forward to getting to camp and watching those guys do it against defenders."