Saints a reflection of coach's guts, guile

By RANDY GALLOWAY

MIAMI -- Think what might have been.

A head coach at Valley Ranch who could win Super Bowls with a no-nonsense, hard-edge style, and a head coach who in the biggest spotlight of his life could repeatedly and fearlessly display guts and guile.

Sean Payton, of course, was once a coach at Valley Ranch. Unfortunately, he ain't coming back.

But on a Sunday night in South Florida, Payton and the New Orleans Saints completed the most compelling and, heck, even heartwarming, story maybe ever in the NFL.

Back home, Bourbon Street went ballistic, street cars jumped the tracks, and alligators danced in the swamps.

The once miserable Saints are now Super Bowl champs. No hurricane destruction and no FEMA can ever screw up this moment.

A 31-17 upset of the Indianapolis Colts revolved around multiple items, but start with Payton, who on Sunday night established a tone of no retreat, no surrender, no fear. Play to win, Who Dats.

His players took it from there.

Drew Brees, the Saints quarterback from the Austin area, was the first Lone Star-bred QB to ever start a Super Bowl. Voted the game's MVP on this evening, consider how huge the jump from coming out of high school and then being unwanted in his home state.

So all these years later, Brees took on the almighty Peyton Manning in the Super Bowl and led Peyton's hometown team to... -- Continue reading at the publisher's site