Poor Peyton Manning:
The New Orleans Saints turned the Super Bowl’s postgame celebration into something out of the French Quarter.From the trophy podium on the field, Drew Brees blew kisses and caught confetti raining down as Dr. John and Professor Longhair blared from the stadium speakers. Sean Payton hung over the railing clapping and shouting down to the crowd as if he were rolling on a Mardi Gras float, then waved a newspaper with the banner headline “WORLD CHAMPS.”
Who are the champions? The New Orleans Saints, dat’s who. The Saints overcame an early 10-point deficit, pulled off a risky onside kick and won their first NFL title by beating the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night. Brees tied a Super Bowl record for completions and was voted the game’s MVP, while the Saints held Peyton Manning to a single score in the final three quarters, intercepting him for a touchdown that sealed the victory.
New Orleans knows how to celebrate, but for the beleaguered city and its long-bedraggled NFL franchise, the championship touched off a new kind of joy.
“Four years ago, who ever thought this would be happening when 85 percent of the city was under water?” Brees said. “Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back. We just all looked at one another and said, `We are going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ This is the culmination in all that belief.”Nearly an hour after the game, Saints rooters kept chanting their rally cry, Who Dat? One player climbed into the stands, others tossed their sweaty padding to souvenir seekers, and coach Payton held up the Lombardi Trophy so fans along the railing could touch it. “I just wish we could split it up in a lot of little pieces,” Payton said.
With the city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina, an NFL title is sure to accelerate the healing. It was the Saints’ first appearance in a Super Bowl, and few outside of Louisiana foresaw a victory, with Indy a 5-point favorite.
N.O. Stand up!!!
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