I've waited to post anything about the Saints on my blog as I am so emotional about the win it was hard to find the right thing to say. As a life long Saints fan, I have had my fill of ups and downs with this team. There have been times when I just couldn't believe how bad they were, but most of the time, I have always been proud of our team. Although I am not a New Orleans resident, I, and most of the Gulf Coast area, consider them to be "Our Team". We have cheered for them and rooted them on through the good times and bad. I never wore a bag or called them the "Aint's", but I have had my share of cussing at a television screen on a Sunday afternoon. Since the beginning of the season, we have all known this was a great team. They are all strong, intelligent, compassionate guys, who have adopted the Katrina ravaged Gulf Coast into their hearts. You could tell by the way they played every game, that this season was special. As they won game after game the emotions strengthened. The fair weathered fans started crawling out of the woodwork and jumping on the bandwagon. That's ok, true fan's don't mind, it's just more energy to keep these boys pumped up....Then it happened, we were in the playoffs and the only thing standing between us and the NFC Championship was one of our own...Brett Favre. Who would have believed that a boy who rooted for the Saints his entire life, was now the one that could take it all away from them. That particular night I had fever and was practically delirious, but I watched in anticipation with the rest of this region.It truly was a spectacular game and although Brett gave his best, it wasn't good enough to stop "our boys"....The Saints won the NFC Championship and they were going to the Super Bowl....OMG!!!!! It meant so much to this area and to New Orleans to have this happen... years of waiting, hoping and rejection had just been squashed and we had finally proved everyone wrong....WE ARE CHAMPIONS! Here we come Miami...the Saints are marching in...The whole Gulf Coast had been rocking since that day...black and gold everywhere, Fleur de Lis everywhere, it had totally taken the place of the Mardi Gras season that most of us would have been celebrating...We all had Drew Brees on the brain. I just can't put into words what the last few weeks leading up to the Super Bowl were like, it was euphoric. Then game day....it truly is all a blur, the sportscasters counted us out, the celebrities in attendance counted us out, everyone was betting the Colts were going to take it...And keep in mind, the Colts quarterback, Peyton Manning, is also a hometown boy, who rooted for the Saints his entire life...maybe by default because his daddy was one of the most beloved Saints that ever played. We all still love Archie. But we couldn't let our feelings for a former player stand in the way of our dream. You could tell when they took the field that nobody was standing in their way. The gutsy calls by Sean Payton were mind blowing, he is truly the King of Calls...and Prince Drew Brees was unstoppable...With every second of the clock, my heart pounded harder and harder. I don't remember the commercials, the commentary or what anyone said to me that night. I do remember the incredible joy and elation when Drew Brees took a knee at 44 seconds left on the clock, to win the 44th Super Bowl, in the 44th year of the franchise and with the 44th President in office. It was destiny and I am still trying to come down from the high I have felt since Sunday. I have cried and cried, and next to the birth of my children and the day I married my husband, I don't think I have ever felt so much joy. I love the Saints, I love the Gulf Coast and I love the fact that they are all back with a vengeance. We are strong, faithful and hopeful....GOD BLESS YOU BOYS AND GEAUX SAINTS!!!!!
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