Mail handler Jose Isla Jr. works the graveyard shift at the Loyola Avenue post office, which means he gets off at about the time dawn breaks over the city. On Saturday morning, he witnessed a telling vision. The huge projection of the Roman ruler Caesar on the Poydras side of the Caesars Superdome was facing downward.
The Dome was bloodied with scarlet light, the moon shone, clouds gathered in the distance, black birds flew across the dimly lit sky, and the conquering hero had hung his head. It was as if the oracle had spoken.
“It just came to mind that it was the perfect encapsulation of the Saints season,” Isla said. “It was like Caesar rolling over in his grave.”
Early Saturday morning, mail handler Jose Isla Jr. used his cellphone to capture a scen that he felt 'was the perfect encapsulation of the Saints season.'
Moved by the sight, Isla took a picture and, with tongue in cheek, posted it to Reddit.
Before Caesar got into the gambling business, he was revered for leading the Roman legion in defeating distant barbarians. So, to watch the Saints – who, to be fair, are decimated by injuries – crushed by uncivilized hoards, such as the Broncs, Bucs, Falcons, et al., surely pains Caesar more than most.
“Oh yeah, I’m a Saints fan, and they gave us those two weeks of happiness,” Isla wistfully recalled. “When I was watching the Cowboys game, I was like, ‘They might be giving us something this year.’”
New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) celebrates after a touchdown during an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Matt Patterson)
Yes, those beautiful moments when our centurions – Carr, Hill, Kamara, and all else – dominated the battlefield, crushing the Panthers and Cowboys, were glorious. But – as Caesar’s bowed head symbolizes, those days seem long ago.
Isla said he “just figured that it was a malfunction or something,” that caused poor Caesar’s disorientation, “but then I saw it the next day, so I don’t know.”
The sullen Caesar projection was still visible Sunday night. Isla’s only theory for its persistence is that "it’s some Halloween thing.”
Saints fan Jose Isla Jr., apparently in a contemplative mood
It was not. Superdome spokesperson Mike Hoss wrote to say that “These Gobos (projected images) are attached to light poles outside of our building and one of them got knocked off its axis.”
Hoss said the Dome staff doesn’t know how this happened. Maybe it was a “bird, or something.”
In any case it was unintentional, and the image of Caesar has already been restored to its proper orientation.