AMEN! Saints March to Super Bowl Win!

OMG! HOLY CRAP! Hell has frozen over. Pigs have flown. WHO DAT BABY?! SAINTS WIN!

Now that I have all of that out of my system, I want to tell you about my Super Bowl experience. I made the trip down to New Orleans to watch the game with friends and to be part of history. We arrived on Saturday morning the city was the craziest I have ever seen it (this includes Mardi Gras). People were everywhere, decked out in Saints gear. There was an energy in New Orleans; Saints fans knew we were going to win.

The pre-game video about the team, Drew Brees and New Orleans evoked more emotion than I thought would be possible. I think outsiders often forget that not only have people residing on the Gulf Coast heard the story of hurricane Katrina, we lived it. So as you can imagine I was not excited to see another sad mini- documentary, but this was different. For once a piece about the city after the hurricane was about the positive progress we have made such as schools being rebuilt, people moving home, and all the good work that Drew Brees has been a part of. What Drew and his wife, Brittany, have done for the people of New Orleans is something we will never be able to repay. They love our city, our state, our home almost as much as the natives! All I can say is thank you Drew and Brittany for helping to bring us back to life.

On that note, please understand, this season, this team and this game are not about Katrina. The 2006 Saints were about Katrina. That team gave a region what it needed most in one of its darkest times. They allowed us to hope again. This team, the 2009 New Orleans Saints are about something very different. They are about fan base that has stood by a mediocre team for 43 years. I will now get off my soap box.

There was magic in the dome from the very first kickoff of the season. This magic carried not just the team but all of the Who Dat Nation through the season in a way that most of us had only dreamed about. Starting the season perfect at 13-0, this Saints team was able to win by every way possible. They won with offense, they won with defense, they won with the running game, the passing game and even with special teams. All the while giving fans a few highlights they will never forget.

We all know about Drew Brees and his unbelievable passer rating of 109.6, Darren Sharper’s nine interceptions, and Reggie Bush’s high flying touchdown leaps. We watched as Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith and Roman Harper made it difficult for opposing offenses to find a rhythm and for rookie quarterbacks to stay on their feet. The Saints combined for 64 touchdowns for the season with ten different players catching passes for touchdowns and six different players rushing for touchdowns. Jeremy Shockey, Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas and Devery Henderson made us stand up, scream and high-five as they drove the offense down the field. We all held our breath as Garrett Hartley kicked what will now be the most famous field goal in Saints history.

Fans screamed from the moment the team took the field till the early morning hours of the next day. You could hear “Who Dat” echoing into the night.

The Super Bowl got off to a rocky start for the Saints, down by ten, but the fans never lost faith. We knew this was our team’s night and the magic that had carried the Saints through the season would not let us down. There was not a dry eye in the house as the final seconds ticked away in Super Bowl XLIV. The dream was complete and our beloved misfit team had done the unthinkable. The Saints had won the Super Bowl. The demons of old are gone. The spirits that had been haunting the Super Dome for so many years have finally been put to rest.

The game itself was so much more than I could have ever asked for. Sean Payton's play calling will be remembered as one of the greatest coaching jobs in Super Bowl history. Risky plays payed off and it was clear that the Saint's magic would not be denied. To beat the Indianapolis Colts by two touchdowns left no doubt who was the better team and finally quieted the naysayers. We belonged there and we proved it. The Super Bowl victory was a perfect ending to an incredible story; a story that I will be sharing with my children and grandchildren someday. I can say I was a part of the magic.