Saints a reflection of coach's guts, guile

By RANDY GALLOWAY

rgalloway@star-telegram.com

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 football glory land.

And then there was the cornerback from Louisiana who went to yes, Indiana U., to play college football (the same as Brees after his Southwest Conference rejection, except he went to Purdue) and made the MIP of this victory for the Saints. MIP? Most Important Play.

Tracy Porter snookered Manning, which is not exactly commonplace, on a third-down play late in the fourth quarter with the Colts driving, down by seven points.

"It was great film study. We knew that on third-and-short, they like the outside release for the slant," said Porter, explaining his sneaky interception of a Manning throw. Next thing the Who Dat Nation knew, Porter was gone, gone, gone on a 74-yard pick six.

Manning was throwing to receiver Reggie Wayne, his No. 1 target, on that slant. Porter easily jumped the route. "Great film study by me, a great jump and a great play," noted Porter, even if he said so himself. Any arguments?

While the accolades flow, also throw in some glowing words for Southlake Carroll product Garrett Hartley. In an NFL season when field goal kickers have repeatedly failed in the clutch, Hartley calmly nailed boots of 46, 44 and 47 yards, and early on kept the Saints in the game after a 10-0 deficit. No kicker in Super Bowl history had ever made three from 40 yards and beyond.

But then there's Sean Payton.

Start with the dedication to winning, and at any cost, but in this case, the $250,000 he took out of his own bank account to supplement the salary it took to lure Gregg Williams to New Orleans last off-season as defensive coordinator. In November, Saints ownership decided to reimburse Payton, but only after a 9-0 start.

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