The Saints Paid Tribute To Steve Gleason With This Incredible Blocked Punt Touchdown

The New Orleans Saints’ decision to claim former Minnesota linebacker Michael Mauti off of the waiver wire paid off on Thursday night. Mauti was playing on the Saints’ punt team and made what could easily go down as the best play of Week 6.

Atlanta lined up for a punt late in the first quarter and – right after the ball was snapped – Mauti managed to blast through the line and blocked Matt Bosher’s punt. Mauti didn’t quit on the play, as he scooped the ball up on the Falcons’ four yard line and made his way to the end zone with the help of his teammates for his first career touchdown, giving the Saints a 14-0 lead on their NFC South rivals.

The play looked familiar for Saints fans, who got to watch Steve Gleason pull off similar highlights years ago. Awesomely enough, Gleason was on-hand to watch Mauti’s great play on Thursday night.

In fact, right after the touchdown, Gleason decided to do the Falcons a solid and give them a piece of advice.

As for Mauti, this play had a special connection to his family. The former standout at Penn State was able to do something his father – who was a wide receiver and a returner in the NFL – was never able to do: score a touchdown on a kick.