“Tonight, the two best teams in the NFL played another classic game,” said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. “But tonight, the Super Bowl belongs to the City of New Orleans!” He then presented the Vince Lombardi trophy to New Orleans Saints owner Tom Benson, who was asked “How can you possibly put into words what this night means to you and the city of New Orleans?” Said Benson: “Not only the city, but this whole state — and Louisiana, by the way of New Orleans is back! And it showed the whole world! We’re back! We’re back! The whole world!” Then, joking that he could “kiss” head coach Sean Payton, he handed the trophy over to the coach — who lifted it high. Said Payton: “Everybody back in New Orleans gets a piece of this trophy.” And on Bourbon Street, they went wild.

Then he handed the trophy to MVP QB Drew Brees, and they hugged. “We knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us,” said Brees. “Mardi gras may never end — the celebration’s not gonna end.”

Sorry, Colts. This is the ending we were all rooting for. But — good game! At least you were leading for most of it. Oops, that probably doesn’t make you feel better.

Here’s the winning play:

Saints MVP and Quarterback Drew Brees, with his son, which caused the CBS announcers to go all gushy and start blathering about fatherhood (cf. Peyton and Archie Manning, btw):

(Image via SoupSoup)

…and here is what my previously-mentioned football guru-blog In Other News said was “heard ’round the world.” Well, certainly on Bourbon Street. BTW there’s a “Pret a Porter” joke in there somewhere. I am betting the CBS announcers can’t find it though.

…and, back home on Bourbon Street:

Related:
Louis Armstrong – When The Saints Go Marching In

(Via Winston Wolfe)

Top photo via In Other News. Thanks to my Tumblr dashboard for teaching me about football tonight!

“Bourbon Street has come to the Superbowl!” thundered a booming voice on CBS just now, whipping up the pre-game excitement. That’s a big deal. We can all remember when Bourbon Street wasn’t going anywhere, because it was covered in water. New Orleans wasn’t the only city ravaged by Hurricane Katrina — there was Gulfport, Waveland, Biloxi — but it came to represent the awful destruction of Hurricane Katrina and how it brought an entire swath of the country so very low. Tonight, with the Saints representing in the Superbowl, it has come to represent a return from that awful time, a re-emergence and a renewal.

Never mind that Peyton Manning’s father, Archie Manning, was the longtime Saints quarterback, anchoring the team for a full ten years, sans Super Bowl. But though Manning pere says he’s not torn about who to root for, the rest of the country doesn’t have relatives on that field. On the contrary, Archie Manning’s longtime, Super Bowl-less tenure with the Saints just seems to make it all the more poetic if they do win. What is football, after all, without poetry?

So — if you’re a Colts fan and you don’t live in Indianapolis, ask yourself: Why do you hate America? Just kidding. But it must suck to be a Colts fan today. It’s almost not a fair fight, because all the fairweather fans are joining in on the other side. “I am not a partisan for the game itself — I’m a Patriots fan!” said MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, “But I’m psyched, you’re psyched and kind of the whole country is psyched for how psyched New Orleans is for its Saints.” CNN’s Howie Kurtz played that clip on “Reliable Sources” this morning and speculated that the press was “in the tank” for the Saints. Well, they’re not in the tank as in covering Peyton Manning like Hillary Clinton circa March 2008, but there’s no question that there’s a poignant national story at play here.

There’s another story too, of course — steely-faced Peyton Manning, with his blonde hair, sunswept face and clear green-gray eyes, who does such a good job dancing in that Sony Vaio commercial, is up for his second Super Bowl ring and a shot at being named one of the all-time greats. That would be nice for the Colts. But still — on one side you’ve got this All-American icon and his All-American story, and on the other side, you’ve got a team that represents an entire region ravaged by an All-American tragedy, one that we all watched in horror en masse around the television, not unlike how we’re all watching the Superbowl today. There’s a wee bit of difference there.

Well — it’s almost kickoff time, and whoever may be in the tank for whom, it’s all going to come down to what happens on that football field in Miami. So — good luck to both sides, and may the best team win. But I hope it’s the Saints.

Related:
Nightmare in New Orleans [MSNBC, Aug. 30, 2005]

Also Related:
Archie Manning’s son, Peyton, faces father’s longtime New Orleans Saints [Seattle Times]

Photo via Times Online. This post has been edited with an additional paragraph mentioning Archie Manning’s history with the Saints.

As the NFL playoffs come down to the final four teams, the national sports media begins to ponder the potential matchups – and the potential storylines – of Super Bowl XLIV.  What games would provide the most drama? What combination of teams, cities, and personalities would make for the most compelling television?  What games would be fun to watch? For the NFL, at least this year, there is no wrong answer to these questions.

Regardless of the outcomes of the two playoff games this weekend, the Super Bowl will have plenty of compelling story lines. Mediaite presents a four part series where we tell you who’s left in the NFL playoffs, why they matter, and what the media will not stop talking about if they earn a trip to the big game (part two can be found here). Now, we take a look at the Indianapolis Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts (regular season record: 14-2)

What You Need To Know: The Colts have been the best and most consistent team all season. Going into their week 16 game against the Jets, in fact, they were perfect. Sporting a 14-0 record, they made the controversial decision to rest their best players for the playoffs. They ended up losing the game, and a chance at becoming the second team ever to go undefeated. Their fans were pissed. Now, a Super Bowl victory is the only way to save face.

Who Matters: Peyton Manning, this season’s NFL MVP and star of every commercial, ever. Marvin Harrison, who used to be Peyton Manning’s favorite target, but is now suspected of having someone killed. Pierre Garcon, the rookie wide receiver who will be playing while also worrying about missing relatives in Haiti. The Colts front office, who made the decision to pull their starters against the Jets, and effectively cost the team a shot at an undefeated season.

The Potential Angle(s): There will two things that dominate the Super Bowl conversation if the Colts are involved. The first is Peyton Manning’s place among the best quarterbacks of all time, which is at the top if he wins this game. The second is the Colts’ decision to rest their best players in week 16. Even if they win the Super Bowl, their fans will still be left wondering what could have been. And they’ll probably still be pissed.

If They Win, The Media Would Love To See Them Play: Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. There’s nothing that sportswriters salivate over more than a matchup between alltime great QB’s, and this one will have them writing downright creepy things.

If They Win, The Funnest Super Bowl To Watch Them Play Would Be: … against Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. All creepiness aside, this matchup would have so many peripheral incentives to watch that it couldn’t NOT be compelling TV. The game also has a chance to be great, with two high-powered offenses and a combined final score that could be upwards of 70 points.

Next, we finish up our Super Bowl preview with a guide to the Minnesota Vikings. And in case you doubted the marketability of a funny quarterback, check out this clip from Peyton Manning’s SNL appearance.

As the NFL playoffs come down to the final four teams, the national sports media begins to ponder the potential matchups – and the potential storylines – of Super Bowl XLIV.  What games would provide the most drama? What combination of teams, cities, and personalities would make for the most compelling television?  What games would be fun to watch? For the NFL, at least this year, there is no wrong answer to these questions.

Regardless of the outcomes of the two playoff games this weekend, the Super Bowl will have plenty of compelling story lines. Mediaite presents a four part series where we tell you who’s left in the NFL playoffs, why they matter, and what the media will not stop talking about if they earn a trip to the big game (part one can be found here). Now, we take a look at the New Orleans Saints.

The New Orleans Saints (regular season record: 13-3)

What You Need To Know: The Saints have had very little success since they were established in 1967. In fact, one could argue that they’ve had no success. They are one of five teams to have never played in a Super Bowl, and things have been so bad in the past that fans have worn paper bags over their heads. Then along came Drew Brees. Now, nobody is ashamed to wear the black and gold, and that includes Brad Pitt.

Who Matters: Drew Brees, quarterback of the Saints and media-appointed savior of post-Katrina New Orleans. Reggie Bush, the running back who will (maybe) propose to girlfriend Kim Kardashian if the Saints win the Super Bowl. Jeremy Shockey, the most widely reviled player on an otherwise likable team. The SuperDome, which has gone from being a symbol of despair to the best home field advantage in sports.

The Potential Angle(s): Katrina. The team was a symbol of hope after the hurricane, and that’s when they were still losers. And as much as the public would get sick of a profile on every single person that was: a) effected by the hurricane, and b) cheers for the Saints, most would agree that a Super Bowl victory for the people of New Orleans would be pretty awesome.

If They Win, The Media Would Love To See Them Play: Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Peyton’s dad, Archie Manning, is the greatest Saints player of all time (which is kind of like being the greatest Jamaican bobsledder of all time, but still), and the Mannings are an institution in Louisiana. The Colts, being one of the most successful teams of the decade, would also provide the perfect foil to the Saints’ historic futility.

If They Win, The Funnest Super Bowl To Watch Would Be: Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. If you find yourself in the unfortunate, but statistically likely, position of not having your favorite team in the Super Bowl (or not having a favorite team at all!), then this is the matchup for you. The Colts have won before. The Saints haven’t. Watching perennial underdog Drew Brees try to outduel the most endorsed athlete in sports, and win one for the people of New Orleans, would be the best kind of drama.

Next, we’ll preview the Indianapolis Colts. And, if you want to instantly grow hair on your chest, check out Drew Brees’ pregame warmup ritual below:

The questionable play call on 4th and 2 opens the door for criticism of Belichick’s coaching strategy, and is one of the first instances that his coaching style has so obviously and negatively effected his team. Although he’s familiar with negative attention from the press, it usually has nothing to do with the X’s and O’s of football. But last night sportswriters were finally given license to publish the “Bill Belichick is an Arrogant Prick AND a Bad Coach” piece that has been saved on their desktop since the Pats’ first title in 2001. Leading the charge, and giving a preview of his two-minute beatdown on “PTI” later today, is Micheal Wilbon:

“No great coach, no head coach with multiple Super Bowl victories, would have made that call — except the most arrogant great coach of them all, Bill Belichick. And the decision to try and pick up those two yards in Indianapolis last night instead of punting, fittingly, is the most arrogant end-of-game decision I’ve ever seen in 40-plus years of watching pro football.”

Up until this point, the only thing protecting Belichick from this type of coverage was his reputation as a master strategist and schematic mastermind. Sure, his post-game handshakes with opposing coaches usually last 2 seconds, and his press conferences are marked by muffled answers and bouts of floor-staring (have you ever seen a guy who didn’t want to be there as much as Belichick?). But his antisocial behavior was seen as a quirk, a completely understandable side effect of being an NFL genius. Now, we are seeing the effects of that genius being called into question.

“Ask yourself if Vince Lombardi, with his team leading by six points, would have gone for it on fourth and 2 from his own 28 with two minutes to play in the game? You think Don Shula would have made that call? Tom Landry. No, of course not.”

Finally, Wilbon imagines what it would have been like had things gone differently:

“If the play works, we’re in awe of the Patriots again. They’re 7-2, they knocked the Colts from the ranks of the undefeated again, they’re looking like the best team in the AFC again, what with Brady healthy and firing rockets to Randy Moss. If that play works you could have cued the Gladiator music because the Patriots would have been on their invincible train once again.”

Here are how some others are covering Belichick’s misfortune:

Dan Shaughnessy says this is worse than anything Grady Little ever did.

Rodney Harrison, former Patriot and current “Football Night in America” analyst, called it the “worst decision” he’d ever seen.

Game On! compares Belichick to Bill Buckner, and also notes that the vaunted Belichick coaching tree isn’t doing so hot.

In addition to the backlash, there is also a strong contingent of writers defending Belichick’s call:

USA Today points out that, statistically, Belichick made the right choice.

Wayne Winston also defended the move on HuffPo, but don’t worry, Bill Belichick is still “one of his least favorite people in sports.”

Joe Posnanski of SI.com says Bill’s lack of empathy made him do it, marking the first time an NFL coaches playcalling was defended because of his sociopathic tendencies.