Super Bowl Shock: Saints' Storybook Finish is One Game from Completion

I’m sure you’ve heard before that the best of the bests in football come from the South.

More specifically, it’s a given that high school football is almost as religious as Sunday morning’s sermon in the Lone Star State.

And, believe it or not, New Orleans Saints' quarterback Drew Brees was born and raised in Texas.

Taking his first breath in a hospital room in Dallas, a young and pro-bound Brees moved to Austin at the age of seven, eventually leading his high school football team Westlake to a 16-0 record and 5A State Title as a senior.

Brees attended Purdue in college and was a two-time Heisman candidate, leading the Boilermakers to the Big-10 Title and Rose Bowl in 2000.

Now, 10 years later, it’s time to repeat history on the NFL stage: this time, bringing his underdog Saints to a monumental matchup against pigskin’s elite Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

“In reality, we had to lean on each other in order to survive and in order to get where we are now,” Brees told Southern California Public Radio, 89.3 KPCC. “The city is on its way to recovery, and in a lot of ways has come back better than ever. We’ve used the strength and resiliency of our fans to go out and play every Sunday and play with the confidence that we can do it, that we can achieve everything we’ve set out to achieve.”

For Brees and his Saints, it’s time to complete the storybook finish by winning the big one next Sunday over the Colts.

“It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for for a long time and obviously we’re not done yet,” Brees said.

NFL’s Final Four: For the Love of Last Sunday’s Football

We really couldn’t have asked for a better final four in this year’s NFL Playoffs.

Honestly, tell me what more could have been done, even by the masterminds in Hollywood? Beyond the fact that Jets' quarterback Mark Sanchez already looks like he’s ready for his premiere in HBO’s Entourage when the hit show returns to the air.

On a side note, is there anyone funnier in sports journalism than the one and only Bill Simmons? I read his stuff as often as possible and end up in literal tears most of the time from laughing so hard. However, I digress…

Come kickoff on Super Bowl Sunday, football fans around the globe are in for quite a game.

From Brett Favre’s return to glory falling short against the New Orleans Saints’ rise from the hurricane grave, last weekend's gridiron matchups had a little of everything.

But that time is now history, and the horizon is bright with a Saints-Colts contest slated for next Sunday’s Super Bowl matchup.

One final comment, this time regarding Kurt Warner’s official retirement from the league after a news conference being held on Friday afternoon: Warner is the epitome of dreams coming true and if any kids out there have an imagination of becoming a future NFL star, let this guy’s story touch your heart strings from here to eternity.

“It’s been an amazing ride,” Warner said on ESPN during his news conference. “I don’t think I could have dreamt it would have played out like it has, but I’ve been humbled every day that I woke up the last 12 years and amazed that God would choose to use me to do what he’s given me the opportunity to do.”

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]