Saints Win Super Bowl: Putting "Who dat?" to Rest

As I watched Bourbon Street fill up like Black Friday at the mall, a teary-eyed Drew Brees hold his young son on the field and most of Sun Life Stadium go nuts after the final seconds of the Super Bowl ticked off the clock, I couldn’t help but be amazed at what just took place.

The New Orleans Saints are world champions.

Incredible.

For a team that entered the league the same year the NFL introduced the Super Bowl to actually finally get to the big game and beat a veteran, favored Colts team was pretty impressive. But look at the players that make up the world champs:

Wide receiver Marques Colston, an unheralded, seventh-round compensatory pick by the Saints in 2006 out of football powerhouse Hofstra was New Orleans’ leading receiver.

Jeremy Shockey, whose old team–the New York Giants–forgot about as they won a Super Bowl without him, was traded to the Saints for a couple of draft picks in 2008. Shockey scored the winning touchdown in Sunday’s championship.

Kicker Garrett Hartley, who wasn’t even drafted, was forgotten twice in his career. Once by the Broncos when they cut him, and then by the Saints earlier this season. Hartley, suspended for the first four games, did not take over kicking duties until midway through the season when he replaced John Carney.

Hartley is now the only kicker in league history to connect on three 40+ yard field goals in one Super Bowl. His boot was also what sent New Orleans to the big game when he won the NFC Championship with an overtime field goal.

Look at running back Pierre Thomas, another undrafted player who was the Saints workhorse for much of the season. Thomas accounted for 85 yards Sunday, including a touchdown reception that came on the heels of head coach Sean Payton’s gutsy second half-opening onside kick decision.

And let’s not forget about the most important position on the field–the quarterback. After being run out of San Diego and labeled a bust, Payton took Drew Brees under his wing and molded him into one of the best signal-callers in the league.

All Brees has done since then is put up sick stats that leave onlookers staring in awe. Yesterday, Brees out-dueled arguably the greatest quarterback to ever put on shoulder pads in Peyton Manning en route to being named Super Bowl MVP.

All of these former unknowns came together to make history on Sunday, and the sports world certainly recognizes them now.

Who Dat won Super Bowl XLIV?

Now we know.

And history will make sure we never forget.