New Orleans Saints News

In '03, Brees wasn't ready for sainthood
"Drew Brees now is a Super Bowl-winning quarterback, and while we can try pointing more fingers than a school of squid as to the why of it - the reason he accomplished this as a Saint and not as a Charger - in the end they all aim at one person: Drew Brees. Nothing personal. When it mattered, when the team thought he had a chance to be The Guy, he wasn't nearly good enough. There is no other reason - other than Drew Brees. Passionate fans love to put themselves in the Hawaiian shirts occupied by General Manager A.J. Smith, so let's play that game. Let's play Smith - and Marty Schottenheimer, coach at the time - and be totally honest, rational and unemotional about the entire process that ..."
Praise for Saints Coach Sean Payton, QB Drew Brees flows
"After about 2 1/2 hours of sleep, Saints quarterback Drew Brees said he woke up Monday morning and turned to his wife, Brittany, and asked her, "Did yesterday really happen?" His coach, Sean Payton, woke up next to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, which he said he took to bed with him at around 3 a.m. after a raucous victory celebration at the team hotel in downtown Miami after their thrilling 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. "This thing laid in my bed next to me last night. I rolled over a couple times, probably drooled on it," said Payton, who said before he climbed in bed, he took time to pray, thanking God for the opportunity to coach this Saints team and play a ..."
The wait for some in Saints' fold super long
"When Dan "Chief" Simmons was hired by the Saints as equipment manager in 1973, the head coach who hired him, J.D. Roberts, was fired before the start of the season -- replaced in training camp by then-assistant John North. And in the regular-season opener that year against the Atlanta Falcons at Tulane Stadium, the Saints lost 62-7. "I'm wondering, 'What the heck did I get into?' " Simmons, the longest-tenured Saints employee said Monday morning, basking in the afterglow of New Orleans' 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday night. "I remember back then they didn't have the nets behind the goal posts, and we ran out of game balls because the Falcons were ..."
Saints were simply magical
"On the morning after, having saluted the winning coach and MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell still was shaking his head after leaving the media center. "You think of the story and all you do is keep coming back to the word 'magical,' " he said Monday. All week long, it was a story told -- over and over -- how this championship was more than just a football game, how the Saints were more than just a football team, how the success of the Saints demonstrated the "value of sports," not only to a city, but to a region."
Saints likely to contend for while
"Here's a scary thought for the rest of the NFL: What if the Saints aren't one-year wonders? What if they're here for a while? What if they're -- dare I say it -- an emerging dynasty? It might sound crazy. After all, the Saints had to wait 43 years to win their first world title. But laugh not. The Saints are poised for a lengthy run of contention. It has been the plan of Coach Sean Payton all along to build a perennial contender such as New England, Pittsburgh, Indianapolis or Philadelphia. In Year 4 of his tenure, he has accomplished his goal of winning the Super Bowl."
Saints celebrate victory like they play -- all out
"With the stench of beer and whiskey still seeping through their pores, the Saints staggered their way through a gauntlet of fans in the lobby of their downtown hotel, still wearing smiles and some of their NFL championship garb Monday morning. It all felt like a dream. But many of them hadn't been to sleep since beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday night, so this had to be real. "It's still sinking in," linebacker Scott Fujita said. "I haven't slept, yet. I'm still hung over. I'm running on fumes." Many New Orleans players shared Fujita's sentiments, if not his inebriated state. "I don't think it did set in until we all got back here, and we had time to ..."
Ex-Jaguar Mark Brunell savors sweet Super Bowl moments
"In 30 years of playing football, Mark Brunell could never recall crying on the field. But when the New Orleans Saints backup quarterback and Jacksonville resident saw his wife, Stacy, and father, Dave, coming toward him Sunday night to celebrate his first Super Bowl victory in 17 NFL seasons, the Brunell family embraced and simultaneously lost it. In the jubilant Saints locker room, the former Jaguars quarterback was still smiling about those free-flowing tears. "It was probably my favorite part of the day," Mark said. "As soon as I saw my wife and my dad, all three of us just broke down [crying]. It was a special moment. I'll remember it for the rest of my life." Near Brunell's locker, ..."
Fans find religion on Bourbon Street
"Do you believe in this religion? In the pure and holy power of Saints? Stand here and bear witness, humbled servant, at the intersection of Bourbon Street and Canal, and listen to how joyful it sounds and feels when a desperate city finally has its prayer answered. Bourbon Street, epicenter of debauchery, was practically empty a moment ago. Unusually still. Impossibly quiet. Everyone was inside, watching the game, so the man bobbing at the center of the vacant street with his warning and his 15-foot white cross actually looked kind of lonely. But listen closely now. You can actually hear it approaching. The city is about to come to him. It is about to come to Jesus. The long-suffering New ..."
Parcells-Payton connection remains strong
"Ten minutes before walking into his morning-after Super Bowl news conference, Saints coach Sean Payton took a congratulatory call from one of his greatest mentors. It was Dolphins football czar Bill Parcells, who hired Payton to his Dallas staff and employed him from 2003-05. "He was just proud," a bleary-eyed Payton said, refusing to divulge any details of the conversation. "Proud and, uh, proud." What about the successful onside kick Payton called to open the second half in Sunday's 31-17 upset of the Colts? What about the fourth-and-goal attempt late in the first half? What did Parcells think of his pupil taking a classic page from his mentor's big-game handbook?"
A taste of Indiana goes to New Orleans
"On Monday, several officials in the state prepared to make good on Super Bowl bets with their Louisiana counterparts. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard's staff contacted the five food vendors who will donate their trademark treats to New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. The city will uphold its bet with Nagin, who reached his term limit and was replaced by Louisiana Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu in an election Saturday, said Lacey Everett, a Ballard spokeswoman. Among the goods that will be sent are cookies from IndyAnna's Catering; a case of pork tenderloins from Mug 'n Bun; a platter from Judge's Bar-B-Que; shrimp cocktails from St. Elmo Steakhouse; and Cajun food from Papa Roux, owned by a New Orleans ..."
Indy plant cranking out Saints NFL title shirts
"A mad rush was on Monday to churn out New Orleans Saints Super Bowl champs shirts in an ironic place: Indianapolis. But even as employees at the Adidas Group plant on the Eastside mourned their home team's loss, general manager Blake Lundberg couldn't help but smile -- just a bit. "From a business standpoint, the Saints' win is tremendous for us," he said. "It will be a very nice long week for us." Adidas has the contract to manufacture licensed gear for all NFL teams through its Reebok subsidiary. And pre-order sales for Saints' Super Bowl merchandise was quadruple that of the Indianapolis Colts. Lundberg expects demand to remain high as vacationers head to New Orleans for Mardi Gras -- ..."
Ex-Cowboys coach Bill Parcells congratulates former pupil Sean Payton
"Ten minutes before walking into his morning-after Super Bowl news conference, Saints coach Sean Payton took a congratulatory call from one of his greatest mentors. It was Dolphins football czar Bill Parcells, who hired Payton to his Dallas staff and employed him from 2003-05. "He was just proud," a bleary-eyed Payton said, refusing to divulge any details of the conversation. "Proud and, uh, proud." What about the successful onside kick Payton called to open the second half in Sunday's 31-17 upset of the Colts? What about the fourth-and-goal attempt late in the first half? What did Parcells think of his pupil taking a classic page from his mentor's big-game handbook? "He liked it," Payton ..."
Chip off the old trophy
"New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton excused himself, walked to a table and brought the Vince Lombardi Trophy back with him to the podium where he was conducting a post-Super Bowl news conference Monday morning. Payton wanted to share the special meaning the trophy has to New Orleans, the Saints organization and especially a particular member of his coaching staff. To him, it was almost ordained that the Lombardi Trophy, the symbol of Super Bowl victory, was in the Saints' hands. "Last night at about midnight, we grabbed this trophy and one of our coaches, his name is Joe Lombardi - he's Vince Lombardi's grandson - and Joe Lombardi, his father Vince Jr., his two brothers sat and posed with ..."
Saints' march not done
"New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton took the Vince Lombardi Trophy to bed with him Sunday night. He cuddled up to it as he slept. "I rolled over it a couple of times and I probably drooled on it," Payton said yesterday. New Orleans quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees went to Disney World. He then flew to New York to tape the "Late Show with David Letterman." Think the world champion Saints are having a little fun? By upsetting Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday and putting a Katrina-ravaged city on their backs, the Saints not only have "Who Dat" Nation adoring them but America, too."
Cherished trophy reunited with Lombardi family after New Orleans Saints' Super Bowl upset over Colts
"How cool is this? During the Saints' victory party, back at their hotel about two hours after Super Bowl XLIV, quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi cradled the Vince Lombardi Trophy - named after his late grandfather - and posed for pictures. Lombardi was joined by his two brothers and their father, Vince Jr. It was a priceless moment, one that coach Sean Payton shared Monday. "I thought to myself, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" said Payton, holding the trophy at Drew Brees' MVP news conference. "If you believe in heaven and you believe Vince Lombardi is there, looking down on his grandson, it doesn't get any better." Joe, 38, never met his legendary grandfather, who died nine months before he ..."
New Orleans Saints get a super welcome home at airport
"Some of the loudest cheers Monday from fans greeting the New Orleans Saints at the Louis Armstrong International Airport were not for a player or coach. The decibels were highest when coach Sean Payton lifted the Vince Lombardi trophy, given to the Super Bowl championship team, from the sunroof of his sedan. Fans ran alongside Payton's Mercedes-Benz, some videotaping him and the trophy, others just cheering and waving. "It was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," Kenner resident Rolita Small said. As they do after every away game, throngs of fans met the Saints at the airport, a tradition that is unique among National Football League teams. Members of the Saints organization line up ..."
Jeremy Shockey relishes touchdown in Saints' Super Bowl victory over Colts
"It was a simple route: a jab step to the outside followed by a slant to the inside past defensive back Jacob Lacey. And it covered only two yards. The greatest two yards in Jeremy Shockey's football career. The two yards that helped bring the Saints a 31-17 victory over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. "I've probably run that route 100 times in my career and I've probably only caught a couple of touchdowns off it," Shockey said afterward. "But one is in the Super Bowl." The former Miami tight end made Super Bowl history here at Sun Life Stadium by putting New Orleans ahead by by five points with 5:42 to play in the game. A two-point conversion on a diving catch by Lance Moore, which was ..."
Saints a reflection of coach's guts, guile
"Think what might have been.A head coach at Valley Ranch who could win Super Bowls with a no-nonsense, hard-edge style, and a head coach who in the biggest spotlight of his life could repeatedly and fearlessly display guts and guile.Sean Payton, of course, was once a coach at Valley Ranch. Unfortunately, he ain't coming back.But on a Sunday night in South Florida, Payton and the New Orleans Saints completed the most compelling and, heck, even heartwarming, story maybe ever in the NFL.Back home, Bourbon Street went ballistic, street cars jumped the tracks, and alligators danced in the swamps.The once miserable Saints are now Super Bowl champs. No hurricane destruction and no FEMA can ever ..."
Fleur de glee: Drew Brees leads Saints to first Super Bowl title
"The New Orleans Saints had nuns on their sideline before the game. They had Drew Brees on their side during the game. And they had the Lombardi Trophy by their side after the game.Brees earned Super Bowl MVP honors in leading the Saints to the franchise's first NFL championship with an improbable 31-17 upset of the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night."I've tried to imagine what this moment would be like for a long time," Brees said.The Saints, who came in 5-point underdogs, won with a mixture of daring, luck and resourcefulness. It took an onside kick, a cool quarterback, a can't-miss kicker and an interception return for a touchdown by a Louisiana native for New Orleans to complete its ..."
Gregg Williams avoids second loss
"Ten years later, Gregg Williams still hasn't watched the replay of the first Super Bowl he was a part of, when the Titans lost to the Rams. He might be watching this one over and over. The Saints defensive coordinator dialed up a game plan that limited Colts quarterback Peyton Manning to one of his lowest scoring outputs of the season. It was one of the big reasons the Saints were able to pull off an upset in Super Bowl XLIV, beating the Colts 31-17 at Sun Life Stadium. Last week, Williams said he couldn't stand to watch highlights of Super Bowl XXXIV, won by the Rams 23-16 on a 73-yard touchdown pass against his defense in the final minutes. Williams was defensive coordinator of the ..."
Ain't no stoppin' dem
"A city that was abandoned is partying again. "Mardi Gras may never end," Drew Brees said as confetti spilled around him. "The celebration is not going to end." The man too hurt in 2006 for the San Diego Chargers to keep or for anyone but a desperate franchise to take a chance on, gave his adopted hometown a championship in its team's first trip to the Super Bowl. "I look back on all of that, and there is adversity that you face along the way - whether it is injuries, whether it be maybe getting shunned by another team," said Brees, named the game's MVP after completing 32-of-39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. "… There was so much we had to go through and how much adversity we ..."
Sharper pulls off a perfect landing in New Orleans
"Darren Sharper is a Super Bowl champion. Finally. "We're the best in the world, baby! Can you believe it? The best in the world!" the Saints' safety yelled as he grabbed teammate Reggie Bush and shook him after Sunday's 31-17 win over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium. Sharper, 34, joined the Saints during the offseason when the Vikings didn't make what he considered a serious offer to bring him back for a fifth season in purple. He ended up becoming one of the missing pieces in new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' aggressive unit. It was a perfect fit that resulted in the 13-year veteran helping beat the Vikings in the NFC title game to reach the Super Bowl for the ..."
Onside kick was in works all along
"Onside kick was in works all along The scheme was in the works for the past two weeks, but New Orleans coach Sean Payton wasn't sure when would be the right time to spring a surprise onside kick on the New Orleans Saints. When halftime arrived, he decided to use it on the second-half kickoff. "It's going to be a great play," he said he told his team. And it was. The ball traveled the necessary 10 yards, hit a Colts player and was recovered by the Saints, who then took advantage of it with their first touchdown of the game, giving them their first lead, 13-10. "Our guys did a good job in showing normal kickoff coverage," Payton said. "You know you get a little nervous. There's a lot going ..."
Aints no more: New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champs
"New Orleans, the city that four years ago was in post-Katrina shambles, now is home to the Super Bowl champions. Line up all the most prolific storybook sports events and there might not be a match to this one. Game most valuable player Drew Brees, who has championed the cause of the poor and the hurting during his four years in New Orleans, said the impact of the Saints' 31-17 victory against the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV was difficult to measure. "We played for so much more than ourselves," said Brees. "We played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the 'Who Dat?' Nation that has been behind us every step of the way." Brees' voice cracked as ..."
New Orleans Saints, Drew Brees capture first Super Bowl victory
"The city of New Orleans has faced many tough questions the past several years. It's now time to find an answer to an easier one: How in the world is anyone going to find time for all these parades? Concluding a season that has lifted the spirit of a region on the rebound, the Saints became the Super Bowl champions Sunday in a 31-17 victory because of a calculated quarterback, a risk-taking coach and a team's faith that didn't waver. If the Saints are a symbol of the city, this win was a symbol of the Saints' identity. It took relentlessness. It took risks. It took a team unwilling to subside despite the shadow of quarterback Peyton Manning and his favored Colts. When cornerback Tracy ..."
Drew Brees helps revive a ravaged New Orleans
"Like New Orleans, Drew Brees once was left for dead. He was damaged. He became a reclamation project. Few had faith in his future. ``Who dat?'' might have been a question about Brees when he came back from shoulder surgery. But not now, not after Brees led the New Orleans Saints to a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Not after his acceptance of the MVP trophy started a celebration back home in the City That Care Forgot, a celebration that will make the typical Mardi Gras seem like a tea party. One day, it will sound like a fable: Quarterback decides to reincarnate his career in New Orleans, ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, so he can help reincarnate the city. While ..."
New Orleans' weight of years of losing is lifted
"The fans who call themselves Who Dat Nation were celebrating the triumph of New Orleans here Sunday night -- of a city, not just a team. Of a people, not just players. It was the biggest football game imaginable, yet somehow bigger than just that. Fireworks flew and confetti filled the air and everything was lifting. The weight of all of those years of losing by a franchise that once seemed cursed. The weight of so much of the ache from the disaster that put fresh perspective on what losing really is. The Saints had 43 years of waiting for this night and the unparalleled wanting it -- a team so driven to win a Super Bowl as a symbol of New Orleans' ultimate prevailing over the ravages of ..."
No ifs, ands or buts, night belongs to Saints
"If ifs were points, the Colts would be Super Bowl kings again today. But they play this game with footballs, not maybes, so the champs are Drew Brees and his pistolero pals from New Orleans. After a gang of circus offense both predicted and realized, it was a defensive jewel -- Tracy Porter stealing a Peyton Manning pass and racing it back 74 yards -- that finished it, 31-17, in the Saints' favor. Brees -- ``Beesus,'' some of the Saints call him -- won the shootout. Manning can go back and count a dozen ifs, ands or buts that might have saved the Indianapolis cause, but scoreboards don't lie. If Manning had played better than Brees. . . . But he didn't. If. If. If. Brees hit 32 times in 39 ..."
This victory was no accident
"Tracy Porter knew the play was coming. He'd studied it for days, thought about it, prepared for it. He watched so much of the Indianapolis Colts in these situations that he believed he could think along with Peyton Manning. He convinced himself that this Super Bowl might go right through him. Every player in Super Bowl 44 probably thought the same thing. They were all going to be heroes. Let's face it, champions aren't timid. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees said early in the week his teammates had been jittery, nervous, anxious. By Thursday, everything had changed. The Saints believed they were so well prepared that this opportunity would become their moment. "We were confident," ..."
Merci beaucoup, New Orleans Saints
"Years from now, when the memories of Sunday begin to fade, New Orleans Saints fans will still remember where they were when cornerback Tracy Porter intercepted Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and returned the ball 70 yards for the decisive touchdown of Super Bowl XLIV. As the score flashed 31-17 and the game clock ticked away, Who Dat chants began to fall like a shower over Sun Life Stadium in Miami and fans across metro New Orleans screamed, hugged and cried -- free at last from 43 years of frustrations. The Saints, our lovable underdogs, are world champions. New Orleans native Peyton Manning and the Colts played their hearts out. But they were no match for a squad that through this ..."
Saints' Super Bowl win means the French Quarter never sleeps
"Several hours after the New Orleans Saints won their first Super Bowl, things seemed to have finally quieted down in the French Quarter, ar at least, the upper end, away from the raucous crowds of Bourbon Street. The crowds of black-and-gold-clad revelers, the bubbles, the balloons, the confetti, the shouting, the lusty singing, the emotion that threatened to overload everything -- all seemed to have faded a bit. Suddenly, a small band materialized. It was followed by a rag-tag parade. "Who Dat"was the cry and it echoed off the old buildings as feather boas, ballooons and hand grenades accompanied the black and gold faithful through the streets. "Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints!?!" ..."
Saints were media magnet in Super Bowl XLIV
"New Orleans won the Super Bowl before the first snap. More than the lift it gave the team's fans, more than a national introduction to a New Orleans civic entity actually executing a sophisticated task at a consistent level of excellence, the greatest benefit of the New Orleans Saints' playoff run was the attention their city received from all kinds of outside news media curious about the Who Dat Nation's capital city. It was a weeks-long love letter. The Super Bowl was held where? Miami? You would have barely known that from the pregame coverage. The Saints-charged national interest in New Orleans comes at the beginning of a year that promises plenty of it. The HBO drama "Treme, " which ..."
Saints steal Peyton Manning's thunder
"OK, all you Perfect Peyton haters, you can now give it a rest. He isn't perfect, after all. And that might be the most stunning news from Super Bowl XLIV. While The Who Dat Nation is probably still dancing in the streets savoring the incredible underdog-comes-from-behind 31-17 victory Sunday, the football world outside those boundaries still is trying to accept how it happened. Because the key play was a mistake by the greatest player in the game. It was an interception thrown at the pivotal moment by a future Hall of Fame quarterback -- and his name wasn't Brett Favre. The scene was set for another one of those Peystonesque comebacks. The score was 24-17 with just 3 minutes, 24 seconds ..."
Colts stumble down stretch vs. New Orleans Saints
"Despite running the ball and protecting their quarterback well, the Indianapolis Colts simply didn't have enough answers for the New Orleans Saints in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday night. Afterward, Colts players still seemed stunned by their 31-17 defeat. "I can't say I foresaw it coming at all, " center Jeff Saturday said. "I felt like we had the team to take this thing out, and they just outplayed us." Said Indianapolis tight end Dallas Clark: "It's miserable. It's not the way you want to end a season. It's still too early to be able to comment fully on how you feel, but it's not good." From the Colts perspective, Super Bowl XLIV provided the moment in which they would be stamped as ..."
Saints Coach Sean Payton's aggressive style pays off
"The gutsiest coach ever to walk the sideline for the New Orleans Saints saved his most daring call for the biggest game in franchise history. Yes, they're made of brass. And because of that, Sean Payton and the Saints own a prize that's sterling silver -- the Lombardi Trophy, earned by the NFL champion, which New Orleans assuredly and emphatically is after posting a 31-17 victory over Indianapolis in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday at Sun Life Stadium. The title game will be remembered for many things -- Tracy Porter's theft of a Peyton Manning pass and 74-yard return for the clinching score, Drew Brees' pinpoint accuracy (32-of-39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns en route to being selected ..."
To the NFL: New Orleans Saints victory means we're no longer league doormat
"OK, now that we have your attention – good game, huh? – there's a few things we'd like to clear up. First of all, you may as well get used to seeing us at the Super Bowl. Because about 100 million TV people saw something during the game Sunday night that countless national media "experts" couldn't see before: We belong. We also hate to miss a good party. And you know what? The Super Bowl is one hell of a party. And that was true even before the public address announcer cranked up "Iko Iko" on the stadium loudspeakers after the Lombardi Trophy presentation ceremony. One other thing. We know what sticklers you are for legal documentation, so please consider this our formal written notice of ..."
Colts fans in party mood, but Saints spoil fun
"They painted horseshoes on their faces, fingernails and cars. They perched on the same lucky bar stools they sat on to watch the 2007 victory. They woke up at 5 a.m. so they could spend the day cheering their team as it pursued the loftiest goal in football. But that outpouring from the Colts faithful couldn't prevent the New Orleans Saints from clinching a Super bowl victory that left Hoosiers nursing their disappointment Sunday night. "At the end of the first half I really thought we were going to win," Alan Ignace said from his bar stool at the Front Page Sports Bar & Grill in Downtown Indianapolis. "You could kind of see the wind go out of their sails." At a table nearby, Tyler Dyson, ..."
CBS didn't fumble with game likely to draw big audience
"Before the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints kicked off Sunday evening, there was already one clear winner in Super Bowl XLIV: CBS. The network was coming off a regular season in which it averaged the most viewers in 23 years for its American Football Conference telecasts. Then two weeks ago, it pulled the highest rating for an AFC Championship Game in 16 years. With that kind of momentum, CBS was handed the top seeds from each conference in the Super Bowl for the first time in 16 years. Add a pair of marquee quarterbacks at the controls of light-'em-up offenses, throw in a feel-good New Orleans story and you've got the makings of a ratings bonanza. So it was no surprise when CBS ..."
Football gods gets their revenge
"They had hoped to trade in the perfect season for the perfect ending, but in the end, the Indianapolis Colts were left with nothing. Just a bitter, hollow feeling that will last well into the offseason as they try to figure out how another brilliant season could end so badly. Maybe the football gods, angry as most mortals over the Dec. 27 debacle, got their ultimate revenge on this Super Bowl Sunday, sending the New Orleans Saints to a devastating 31-17 victory over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. Or maybe it was just this: The Saints were too good, too polished, too inspired . . . too intent on bringing their wounded city a much-needed boost. Think about this: In their championship run, the ..."
Super Drew Brees powers Saints to NFL title
"No more paper bags. Just confetti. Saints alive! New Orleans has won the Super Bowl. A record-setting night from Drew Brees and another big play from their ball-hawking defense propelled the Saints to a 31-17 victory over the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. And as the final seconds ticked down on the Saints' first-ever NFL championship, the chants of "Who Dat?" gave way to one mighty roar -- 43 years in the making -- from the fans in black and gold. Back home on Bourbon Street, Mardi Gras is starting a week early, a welcome sight less than five years after the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina. "What can I say? We played for so much more than ourselves," said quarterback Drew ..."
Saints win with guts, persistence
"It took guts. Coach Sean Payton's decision to try an onside kick to open the second half was stunning. It took precision. Most Valuable Player Drew Brees completed 82.1% of his 39 passes, including 16 of 17 in the second half. It took resolve. Two failed running plays from the 1-yard line near the end of the first half might have ruined a weaker team. One year after the Arizona Cardinals came within a last-ditch drive by the Pittsburgh Steelers of becoming the National Football League's most unlikely champion, the New Orleans Saints became exactly that champion Sunday night in the 10th Super Bowl played in South Florida. A five-point underdog against Peyton Manning and the battle-hardened ..."
Gamblin' man Payton, Saints hit jackpot
"The game was held in South Florida, but it might as well have been in Nevada with the way Sean Payton played it. Instead of a black Saints sweatshirt, headset and visor, Payton could have worn a silk pinstriped suit, alligator shoes and some bling on his pinky. Mr. High Roller. Mr. Crapshooter. And, Mr. Winner. The next time Payton comes this way, everything should be on the house. After a career of taking risks, going from Naperville Central High School, to Eastern Illinois, to the Chicago Bruisers of the Arena League, to the strike replacement team for the 1987 Bears, to the Leicester Panthers of the British League, to a series of jobs as a college assistant, then a series of jobs as an ..."
New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl
"The New Orleans Saints, for decades the NFL's lovable losers, used the biggest stage Sunday to answer the question that has become their mantra. Who dat say dey gonna beat dem Saints? The answer: Not a soul. What once was unbelievable is now a reality. The underdog Saints are pro football's champions, 31-17 victors over the Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV. As thousands of fans gathered in the stands behind an end zone at Sun Life Stadium chanting, "Who dat! Who dat!" Saints quarterback Drew Brees sat at a podium and tried to find the right words. To him, the club's first trip to the Super Bowl — and, of course, it's first Lombardi Trophy — means so much more than a spot in the ..."
Peyton Manning put in place
"When the Pro Football Hall of Fame named the All-Decade team last week it selected two quarterbacks. The selectors knew what they were doing. Peyton Manning for the regular season. Tom Brady for the playoffs. Manning finished the decade with more regular-season wins than any quarterback in football, but after last night's 31-17 Super Bowl XLIV loss to the New Orleans Saints, he's a .500 quarterback when it counts. Legends are not built on such things. Doubts are. This was New Age football at its high-octane best. It was "Madden 10," a videogame with real people in which both sides throw the football until somebody's defense finally finds a way to stop it. For long stretches it didn't ..."
Saints coach hits jackpot
"Players aren't the only ones who can rise to the occasion in big games. Coaches can also deliver in a big way with the ultimate prize on the line. Last night, while New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees rightfully earned MVP honors in Super Bowl XLIV, coach Sean Payton was easily the most valuable person in the Saints' 31-17 win. If this was a match between Payton and Colts coach Jim Caldwell, it was no contest. Perhaps taking a page out of mentor Bill Parcells' book, Payton pulled out all the stops to give his team a chance to win last night. He took chances that may have left others shaking their heads. But when Peyton Manning is on the other sideline, and your defense hasn't shown the ..."
Ex-New York Giants TE Jeremy Shockey scores for Saints, wins ring with New Orleans
"Maybe now Jeremy Shockey can forget about his miserable experience with the Giants in Super Bowl XLII. Two years after he was reduced to being an unhappy spectator while his teammates won a championship, the former Giant not only got to play, but he caught the go-ahead touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIV. His 2-yard score with 5:42 remaining gave the New Orleans Saints the lead for good in their 31-17 win. "It's very special," Shockey said. "It's gratifying to even be in the game, much less catch a touchdown pass. I've put in a lot of hard work for this since I was in seventh grade. Everything worked out for a reason." It wasn't always clear that things were going to work out for the ..."
Champs? The Saints, Dat's Who
"The New Orleans Saints almost left when their city flooded and their stadium had been turned into a shelter, a disaster seeming to provide the perfect escape route for a team in search of a better stadium and a bigger market. Displaced and disheartened, the Saints haltingly returned to a repaired Superdome after Hurricane Katrina. And a team so awful that its fans used to wear bags on their heads came to symbolize and be embraced by a battered but rebuilding community. On Sunday, with a quarterback who had hitched his career to resurrecting the Saints and with a team that played nearly flawlessly, the Saints gave New Orleans a reason to do what it does better than any other American city: ..."
Colts' glorious decade ends on bitter note as Brees, Porter lead Saints
"Who dat blew dat? A grand season and a great start crashed down around the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night at Sun Life Stadium. They charged into a 10-point lead, then went into a dead stall as the New Orleans Saints dominated the final three quarters to win Super Bowl XLIV 31-17. As the orange and white confetti swirled and many in the Saints-dominated crowd of 74,059 celebrated, the Colts struggled to choke down a bitter end to a bountiful decade. The won six division titles and 115 games, more than any team in any decade in NFL history. They started this season 14-0 to run their winning streak to an NFL-record 23, but there was a single title, a victory in Super Bowl XLI after the ..."
Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees cements his place in New Orleans lore
"Sunday started in New Orleans with the Rev. Monsignor Crosby W. Kern celebrating Mass with a Drew Brees jersey underneath his vestments. It ended in Miami Gardens with Brees standing atop a gridiron altar to accept the Pete Rozelle Trophy as the MVP of Super Bowl XLIV after his near flawless performance led the New Orleans Saints to their first world championship. They elected a new mayor in New Orleans on Saturday. They will crown a new king of Carnival next week. But New Orleans is and forever will be Brees' town. He'll never buy another drink, never purchase another meal and never pay another parking ticket. It's his faubourg. We're just living in it. The Saints quarterback etched his ..."
New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl XLIV champions
"After the confetti had dropped, after the tears were shed, after they stood in front of the cameras and the microphones and tried to put the greatest night of their professional lives in perspective, Sean Payton and Drew Brees shared a quiet moment together. They hopped on the back of a golf cart, each with a hand on the shiny silver Vince Lombardi Trophy that rested in Payton's lap, each with a wide grin across their faces. "Don't you just want it to slow down and last longer?" the coach said to his quarterback. Lucky for them, the feeling won't go away any time soon, now that the New Orleans Saints have become Super Bowl XLIV champions for the first time in their 43-year history, thanks ..."