A city still recovering from Hurricane Katrina earlier in the decade celebrated in style last night as their New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl The New Orleans Saints appeared to be a team of destiny during the 2009 NFL regular season and through the postseason. With a gunslinging quarterback in Drew Brees, two bruising running backs in Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell and a jack-of-all-trades Reggie Bush just a few of the names behind the Saints’ success, the team shook off decades of futility to win its first-ever Super Bowl. The party last night in and around Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida was raucous, as it was in the Saints locker room. Nowhere, however, was the party livelier than in New Orleans itself, where long-suffering residents did what they do best - celebrate.

Asked about the historic moment, Saints players reacted with glee and gravitas. Said Drew Brees, the Super Bowl MVP, “What can I say? We played for so much more than just ourselves. We played for our city. We played for the entire Gulf Coast region. We played for the entire Who Dat Nation who was behind us every step of the way.” Asked if he thought football helped in the emotional healing process of the city, Brees noted, “Absolutely. Are you kidding me? I mean, four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? We just all looked at one another and said, ‘We’re going to rebuild together. We’re going to lean on each other.’”

It is that spirit that marked the Saints and their city during the 2009-2010 NFL season. With a high-octane offense and a seriously underrated defense, the Saints made a long run at perfection before losing to the Dallas Cowboys in December. No matter. The Saints shrugged that and a loss to Tampa Bay off to move into the playoffs to get things done. In New Orleans, the trials and tribulations of an NFL season are nothing compared to what that city’s residents have faced, but the Super Bowl win does offer just a bit more hope for the city’s future.

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