As I said yesterday, it will take me a long time to sink in that the Saints are finally going to the Super Bowl. Who knows, maybe this whole fan diary thing is good luck, at least I'll know that it's not a dream. Sunday's game was the most intense roller-coaster ride I can ever remember being on (I'll spare you the details of me pacing around the room like a crazed maniac and crying at the end of the game).
The back and forth nature of the game - the fumbles, the big plays, the replay challenges, the hits on Favre, Porter's INT, 4th & 1 in OT, and Hartley's kick was too much to handle. If you've been under a rock for the last 48 hours, here are the awesome highlights of one of the more thrilling conference title games ever featuring the radio calls of both teams...
One thing you might have missed though is the incredible call from Vikings radio on Favre's pick, THIS IS NOT DETROIT MAN!!!
Jokes at the Vikings radio team aside, this game had so many twists and turns that I felt like I was a character in one of those Saw sequels, except I survived. But, when looking at the big picture, that game and that win meant more to the Saints fan base than any game could mean. When seeing the celebrations and the quotes from players, coaches, and dignitaries from Sunday, it was clear exactly how much winning the NFC Championship in the Superdome meant. In fact, that win Sunday might mean more to the Saints franchise than a Super Bowl could. Here are some quotes from the Times-Picayune:
"It's incredible," linebacker Scott Fujita said. "For everything to come together on this night for the city of New Orleans, it just doesn't get any better. This was the biggest game in Saints history. I really don't have any words to describe it. I still feel like I'm floating."
"You can draw so many parallels between this team and our fans," Drew Brees said. "We've had to lean on each other in order to survive, in order to get to where we are now. We've used to the strength and resiliency of our fans to go out and play every Sunday. It hasn't always been easy. We've had to overcome adversity, just like this city has."
"This stadium became a symbol of so much. To see the stadium come back, and now to see that it means so much to this community, that's very significant in and of itself, " said Roger Goodell, who also was in the building for the emotional Monday night return against Atlanta in '06. "But the real significance to us is the team, and how it reflects so much of this community and represents the hopes and dreams of this community.
"This is for everybody in this city, " Coach Sean Payton said. "This stadium used to have holes in it and used to be wet. It's not wet anymore. This is for the city of New Orleans."
Now, that might not make any sense, but it's the symbolism of winning that game in the Superdome for the people of New Orleans in New Orleans. For a franchise that has had so much losing to be able to win the biggest game in franchise history in front of the home fans is an unforgettable moment. Garrett Hartley's kick going through the uprights was the culmination of 43 years of waiting for that moment.
For this Saints fan, Hartley's kick going through the uprights meant the 20 years of living through the Dome Patrol's playoff losses, Ricky Williams in a wedding dress, John Carney's missed PAT, Aaron Brooks' backwards pass, the close calls, getting Brees and Bush, the 2006 comeback, and all the good and bad memories in between.
I never thought that the Saints would reach the Super Bowl. When you cheer for a team that has had such little success over the years, you always have hope, but you never really expect your team to finally reach the mountaintop. You always tell yourself, "maybe next year" and think that that is the great thing about sports, that there is always next year. But you never expect next year to be this year.
Now I know what the greatest thing about sports and being a fan is experiencing when next year becomes this year.
With the two week break until the Super Bowl, our fan diary will continue up until the big game. While the joy and memories of finally reaching the Super Bowl will last a lifetime, there is still a world title to win! We'll provide extensive Super Bowl coverage for the next two weeks, and pay attention to some other stuff going on in sports as well. Bye for now!
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