Every pro football fan should be a little sad today about the early misfortunes of the New Orleans Saints. They're looking more like those old Aints at 0-3 after last night's 31-14 bruising at the hands of Tennessee and the reported season-ending knee injury to running back Deuce McAllister (below), whose career could be over.

I had the opportunity last year to be in New Orleans, advancing the Ravens' game against the Saints. I have friends down there so I got the full tour, the Lower Ninth, Lakeview, the works. More than a year after Katrina, the place was simply beyond belief. Not just the abandoned houses that I expected but there was block after block of abandoned schools, hospitals, fire stations. The institutions that are absolutely vital were just gone. 

But we all know what the Saints were doing for that region last season. I can't think of another time in American sports history when a pro team represented so much to its city.  

Well, the swell of national sympathy for battered New Orleans is ebbing. The benefit concerts aren't as frequent. The armies of volunteers are slowing. But there's still an enormous amount of work to be done. FEMA trailers are now as much a part of the New Orleans landscape as wrought-iron balconies. And as the reality sets in of what a long haul this is going to be for that part of America, the place could have really used the continued success of the Saints as a morale-booster and rallying flag.

Instead, what New Orleans is getting is more blows to its pride and self-esteem. Just as a winning team invigorated and energized the region last year, I think a losing Saints season will sap the drive from the people down there and have a deleterious effect that's palpable and quite real, even if not necessarily measurable. In light of all that, I think in this case, it's OK to root for an out-of-town team.

Photo credit: Alex Brandon/AP