SAINTS MANIA IN FULL SWING

New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees

This game is about a devastating hurricane and a city's inspiring recovery.

It's about a franchise that has struggled to get here for more than four decades, and a loyal fan base that has kept the faith.

It's about the hometown hero, Peyton Manning, who now rides into this game wearing the "black hat, " hoping to lead the other team to victory.

It's about Manning's legacy and Drew Brees' legacy, and Sean Payton's legacy and Jim Caldwell's legacy. And it's about the Indianapolis Colts cementing their place in history and the New Orleans Saints changing their reputation forever.

But when Super Bowl XLIV finally kicks off this evening inside Sun Life Stadium, more than anything, it will be about football.

This game will be about the two best teams in the NFL doing what they do best for three hours inside their own little bubble on the game's ultimate stage.
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Brees said he always has some level of nerves or butterflies leading up to a game. And he said, "If you don't have any of that, it may be time to get out."

But he said the more he prepares and visualizes the moment, the more those nerves become replaced with confidence.

"It's really about getting past all that (pregame) stuff initially and being able to get to the game, " Brees said. "You have to say to yourself, 'It's football. It's another game, and we know how to go out and play well and win these types of games
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The Saints came up with a team mantra to start this offseason, one that has been repeated often as they've learned how to dominate the fourth quarter and find ways to win. But that mantra has never been more fitting than it is right now:

"Finish Strong."

"Sounds good to me," says she who knows very little about football.




Yeah. CRAAAZEEE!

From NOLA.com.

Win or lose, there will be a Saints parade Tuesday.

The New Orleans Saints Super Bowl parade scheduled for next Tuesday will begin at 5 p.m. on Poydras Street in front of the Superdome, according to the New Orleans Police Department.

The entire Saints team and organization will be on a series of floats donated from various Carnival krewes across the city.

There you go. We don't have enough parades parading right about now. One more will round things off.