For Saints & Drew Brees, After Katrina, Super Bowl XLIV is a Day at the Beach

Mardi Gras is in full swing down in New Orleans, but Saints All-Pro QB Drew Brees told ESPN's Mike and Mike that partying is the last thing on his mind this week in Miami— home to the greatest upset win in Super Bowl history.

We're gonna win. I guarantee it.

Brees sees this week is just another business trip. He will have plenty enough time to party at Carnival when he returns to The City That Care Forgot next week.

Come on take me to the Mardi Gras
Where the people sing and play
Where the dancing is elite
And there's music in the street
Both night and day

"It feels good to be in Miami. This is where we saw ourselves all year long," Brees told ESPN. "Obviously, it wasn't an easy road to get here, but here we are, and we have an opportunity to play for a Super Bowl championship."

"We're here to win a championship and really, for no other reason. We're not here to enjoy the parties or enjoy the festivities," Brees said. "We're here to practice and get ready to win a championship."

While Brees says he has sought advice from fellow quarterbacks on how to handle Super Bowl week, he credits New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton with preparing him for this week's hoopla.

"Having been here as a (offensive) coordinator in 2000 with the Giants, he (Payton) was able to paint the picture for us, as far as what the week is going to be like, about the media and the hype and just all the potential distractions that could be there and reel you in if you're not prepared for it. So, he's been able to give us some words of wisdom."

How much of a distraction could Miami and the Super Bowl be after you've lived through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans—a city of blockbuster hurricanes and all-night parties and Houses of Ill Repute that never seem to close until the morning sunlight smacks you in the face like an oncoming freight train?

You can legalize your lows
You can wear your summer clothes
In the New Orleans (or-leeeeens, that is)

While Brees says this is unchartered territory for these New Orleans Saints, losing focus is not a concern.

"While I definitely think you want to enjoy the moment, live in the moment, you always have to keep your eye on the prize," said Brees.

Back in the summer, Brees had a premonition that this may be the year. It was nothing that some Bourbon Street witch doctor told him. He just had a hunch.

Brees told reporters days before the start of training, "You get in July and you're working out, and you get in the best shape of your life, and especially in this stage of my career in particular, it feels like this is our time. You never know when it's going to be your year, and this could be our year.

"You look at the position we're in, its eciting. It's really exciting. I just think we've made all the right moves to put ourselves in position to win a championship. There's always going to be setbacks, you expect that, but I think we've got what it takes to fight through them and be successful."

A slick piece of prognostication there by Brees. Maybe when his playing days are done he has a career as one of those French Quarter fortune tellers.

Payton realizes his star QB isn't getting any younger, and in this high stakes poker game of NFL football, there's always the chance that this could be the last opportunity the Saints have at a Super Bowl championship with Brees.

Alas, windows of opportunity eventually close.

"Our time is now with (Drew) Brees," said Payton back in training camp. "Every year is critical. But there's a sense of urgency. He's played at a high level, and he's leading at a high level. The idea of a window, that's fair."

Said Brees, "It feels like this is our time. You never know when it's going to be your year."

But, hey, after you've lived through Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the Super Bowl seems like a day at the beach by comparison.

South Beach that is.