Super Bowl XLIV was a whirlwind for Times-Picayune reporters and our readers
But now it’s over, and all we can do is reflect on the season that was and look ahead to what will be for the New Orleans Saints.
To help pass the time, we’ve compiled a list of each Super Bowl reporter’s best articles that you might have missed during the chaos that was Super Bowl week. Here’s a look at the best of the Who Dat controversy. Enjoy.
This is what he will hear:
“DREWWWWWW!!! OHMYGOD!!! OHMYGOD!!! RIGHT HERE, DREW!!! I’M OPEN!!! THROW ME SOMETHING, DREW!!! I LOVE YOU, DREWWWWWW!!! WHO DAT, BABY!!! WILL YOU MARRY ME, DREW?!?!?!? I KNOW YOU’RE MARRIED, SO AM I, WE CAN WORK THAT OUT!!! REALLY!!! MY HUSBAND WON’T MIND, HE’S GOT A CRUSH ON YOU, TOO!!! DREWWWWWW!!! DREWWWWWW!!! OHMYGOD, DID YOU SEE THAT?!?!?!? HE THREW IT RIGHT TO ME!!! YOU DA MAN, DREWWWWWW!!!”
But that’s not exactly what the Who Dats on the parade route want to say.
It’s hard to be eloquent when a float is rolling past. So little time, so much pressure — you wait seven hours on a curb in the hopes of catching something, ANYTHING, directly from the hand of Super Bowl XLIV MVP and Bacchus 2010 Drew Brees. How can you possibly be expected to get his attention AND snag a flying doubloon AND put everything you’re feeling into words in just a few, fleeting seconds?
You can’t. So Drew is going to have to read between the lines. He’s going to have to know that when we say all of that, what we really want to tell him is this:
Thank you.
Thank you for bringing your broken shoulder to town and rebuilding yourself right alongside us.
Thank you for teaching us how to finish strong.
It seems awfully early to be asking the New Orleans Saints, “What have you done for us lately?”
But the NFL scouting combine kicks off in less than two weeks, and the free-agent signing period begins March 5. So it’s already time to start working on that repeat.
The good news is that the Super Bowl champs likely will be able to keep their roster mostly intact. Assuming the NFL heads into this year without a salary cap, as expected, the Saints will have only two unrestricted free agents in their starting lineup — safety Darren Sharper and outside linebacker Scott Fujita.
Chances are the Saints will be able to keep both, and they’ll likely also hang on to tailback Reggie Bush despite his exorbitant $8 million salary in 2010.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Here’s a scary thought for the rest of the NFL:
What if the New Orleans Saints aren’t one-year wonders?
What if they’re here for a while?
What if they’re — dare I say it — an emerging dynasty?
It might sound crazy. After all, the Saints had to wait 43 years to win their first world title.
But laugh not.
The Saints are poised for a lengthy run of contention.
MIAMI – Shortly before the start of the third quarter of Super Bowl XLIV, while the 74,059 fans at Sun Life Stadium were rocking out to the raucous climax of The Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton put on a crowd-pleasing performance in the visitors’ locker room.
“Listen, we’re gonna run ‘Ambush’ to start the second half,” Payton told his players, referring to an onside-kick call the team had practiced repeatedly in the two weeks leading up to Sunday’s showdown with the Indianapolis Colts. “We’re playing this game to win it. We’ve got all the bullets; we might as well use ‘em. So you’d better get on that damn ball and make me look good.”
The Saints howled their approval, then headed back onto the field with a bounce in their step. Trailing by four points against the seemingly indomitable Peyton Manning(notes), New Orleans would be fueled by the audacity of hope as it had all season.
FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Watching the happy Who Dats and New Orleans Saints sharing the love, watching the tears flow from fans and players alike, I couldn’t help wondering: Will they be the exception to the rule?
Today, the Saints and the adoring Who Dat Nation are like lovers just back from the honeymoon, still glowing with the memories, ready to spend the next months looking at the snap shots, watching the videos, convinced their special time will never end.
And it has been very special.
The Super Bowl champions New Orleans Saints flew home Monday afternoon to find a throng of shrieking fans at Louis Armstrong International Airport.
The team’s charter flight from Miami touched down about 3 p.m., and players, coaches and other personnel began pulling away from the general aviation terminal in their own vehicles.
But it was extremely slow going, as the motorcade inched through thick crowds that had began lining the route before 10 a.m. By the time the plane landed, the crowd stretched back 1-1/2 miles.
The Times-Picayune February 08, 2010, 4:01PM
t became one of the most memorable and touching moments of the Saints’ unlikely Super Bowl celebration: Drew Brees holding his son Baylen in his arms, tearing up and whispering a word to the 1-year-old boy.
But what was the story with the headset?
Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees cherishes the moment during the Lombardi trophey presentation ceremony with his 1-year-old son Baylen Robert and his wife Brittany after the game Sunday.
By Pat Yasinskas
MIAMI — On the very first question of his Monday news conference, not even 12 hours after his team had won Super Bowl XLIV, Sean Payton suddenly had to face the future.
He was asked about how the Saints would respond to the challenge of following up a championship season, a challenge that’s been difficult for most recent winners. Payton would have been well within his rights to say something like, “Please, let us enjoy this for at least a day.’’
But he didn’t. He made mention of the fact the Saints have a young team and a steady Drew Brees, who now officially has joined, if not surpassed, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady on the list of the game’s elite quarterbacks. That’s a good start right there, but history hasn’t always been kind to teams that finish at the top of the NFL when they come back for the next season.
Especially teams that finish at the top of the NFC South. Prior to the Saints, the NFC South has had two Super Bowl teams. The 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers won it and the 2003 Carolina Panthers lost it. Neither came close to even getting to the game the next season.
Super Bowl records set in Super Bowl XLIV
Highest completion percentage, career (minimum: 30 completions): 82.1, Drew Brees, New Orleans
Most completions, game, both teams: 63, New Orleans (32) vs. Indianapolis (31)
Highest completion percentage, game, both teams: 75.0, New Orleans (82.1) vs. Indianapolis (68.9)
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