By Peter Finney, Times-Picayune
February 08, 2010, 3:22AM
MIAMI GARDENS, FLA. - HOW ABOUT DAT?
Scott Threlkeld/The Times-PIcayuneHere's how it will be remembered: On a picture-postcard day that wound its way into a crystal-clear evening, the New Orleans Saints gave their city, and its far-flung Who Dat Nation, the greatest moment in their long history.
Go back as far as you please and there has never been anything like it.
Look down at the green carpet inside Sun Life Stadium and it's raining black and gold confetti.
I'm trying to find Sean Payton in the crowd.
There he is.
It's LOVE DAT time.
The coach is kissing Drew Brees, his MVP quarterback.
Now I'm trying to find Tracy Porter.
He's over there, pointing to the number on his jersey.
Number 22.
It's HUG DAT time.
Porter is grabbing Darren Sharper.
And why not.
The planet has stopped spinning, at least for a WHO DAT moment.
The Saints are the world champions of professional football.
And that's only part of the story.
The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17.
And that's only another part of the story.
It's how Sean Payton's football team did it.
It's how they rose up to defeat Peyton Manning, a quarterback out to embellish a legend.
What they wound up watching is the other quarterback taking a giant step in establishing a legend of his own.
Chris Granger/The Times-PIcayuneNew Orleans Saints rookie cornerback Malcolm Jenkins is overcome with emotion after his team defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Super Bowl XLIV in Miami.The Saints did it with the kind of aggressive passion that has been their hallmark.
It all began with the head coach calling an onside kick to open the second half.
It continued with the Saints recovering, with Brees marching the Saints 58 yards to their first touchdown and into a 13-10 lead.
After Manning took his team 76 yards to put the Colts up by four, one of Garrett Hartley's three 40-plus yard field goals brought the Saints within a point going into the final period.
Which is when WHO DAT TIME arrived.
Never was the hand of a poised Drew Brees more evident in the biggest drive of this championship game.
In traveling 59 yards in nine plays, Brees hit seven receivers, Pierre Thomas, Devery Henderson, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Robert Meachem, David Thomas. Finally, he hit Jeremy Shockey for the touchdown.
Then, incredibly, he found another pair of hands, Lance Moore's, for two points and a seven-point cushion with nine minutes to go.
All of which set the table for a game-breaking WHO DAT MOMENT that will remain forever golden.
With plenty of time to draw even, Manning had taken the Colts to a third-and-5 at the Saints' 31 when hummed one of his fastballs in search of the trusted hands of Reggie Wayne.
The football found instead the sure hands of Porter and there he went, a sea of daylight in front of him, going 74 yards into the end zone.
New Orleans Saints stamp their place in sports history
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Squirrelmonkey
What do urine samples and Canadian beer have in common? The taste.
Bookmarks