Plenty of Superlatives for Saints in Exciting Super Bowl Victory

Drew Brees was once cast aside. The Saints, for decades, were an NFL laughingstock. And the city of New Orleans suffered through hardships to which few in this country can relate.

They may have been underdogs all around, but the Saints were divine in a masterful, 31-17 victory against the Colts in Super Bowl XLIV.

There are too many adjectives that could be used to describe the Saints' level of greatness on Feb. 7, 2010, but the only barometer that can perfectly capture their brilliance rests in the shine that will forever glow off of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Brees, the Super Bowl MVP, was fantastic, tying Tom Brady's Super Bowl record of 32 completions (on 39 attempts) for 288 yards, two touchdowns and no turnovers. He only threw three incomplete passes after the first quarter — and one of them was a spike to stop the clock. Then, on his game-winning drive in the fourth quarter, Brees completed all seven of his passes for 44 yards and a touchdown before completing another pass for the Saints' two-point conversion.

That drive, which will define Brees' career and could put him in the Hall of Fame conversation, spanned 59 yards and 4:57. It put the Saints ahead 24-17 with less than six minutes to play. It was a dangerous amount of time for Peyton Manning to work with, but New Orleans cornerback Tracy Porter destroyed his second legend in as many games.

Porter, who intercepted what may end up being the last pass of Brett Favre's career in the NFC championship game, jumped on a pass intended for Reggie Wayne and dashed 74 yards for a clinching touchdown. The drive could have been the hallmark highlight of Manning's career, a reference point to his status as the greatest of all time, a rite of passage shared by the likes of Joe Montana, John Elway and Brady.

Instead, Sun Life Stadium turned into Porter's house, as the cornerback caused a roar so loud it could have been heard all the way back on Bourbon Street. He capped off an awesome Super Bowl with one of the great defensive plays in the game's history, ripping Manning's comeback hopes out of thin air and causing mass hysteria in “Who Dat” Nation.

Even Garrett Hartley, who might be the most anonymous hero of this game — both in the immediate future and decades from this day — had a great performance. He became the only player in Super Bowl history to kick three field goals of at least 40 yards (46, 44, 47), and all three came when the Saints were trailing. Each successful kick allowed the Saints to hang around, allowing them to breathe when they were on the verge of drowning in the Colts' early lead.

And then there was New Orleans head coach Sean Payton, whose aggressive game plan was so necessary and helped to keep the team's spirits at an excitable boil. There were times when Manning tried to lull the game into a bore, settling for easy passes over the middle and in the flat for the sake of long, well-executed possessions.

But Payton kept his offense on the field on a fourth-and-goal from the Indianapolis 1-yard line (which backfired) and called for an onside kick after halftime. Of course, a coach's brilliance is only as celebrated as the execution of his players, and a Saints loss might have landed Payton in a straightjacket.

The Saints weren't losers, though. For the majority of four decades? Certainly. But in Super Bowl XLIV, the Saints were great in an unimaginable fashion.