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| The last of the colorful graphic Super Bowl logos before the following year's transition to a black/metallic motif featuring the Lombardi Tropby and some representation of the host city. |
SUPER BOWL XLIV RETROSPECTIVE:
WHO DAT?
THEY CALL ME THE BREES!
Who Dat? Try Drew Brees, Sean Payton and a team that has reversed its embarrassing past, carrying an entire city to the top with it.
Put away those paper bags forever.
Brees and the Saints rallied to upset Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 Sunday night in one of pro football's most thrilling title games.
"We just believed in ourselves and we knew that we had an entire city and maybe an entire country behind us," said Brees, the game's MVP. "What can I say? I tried to imagine what this moment would be like for a long time, and it's better than expected."
"Four years ago, who ever thought this would be happening when 85 percent of the city was under water from (Hurricane) Katrina," Brees said. "Most people not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back or if the organization and the team would come back. ... This is the culmination of that belief and that faith."
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| Date | February 7, 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
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| Stadium | Sun Life Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida | ||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Drew Brees, Quarterback[1] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Favorite | Colts by 5[2][3] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Referee | Scott Green | ||||||||||||||||||
| Attendance | 74,059[4] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Future Hall of Famers | |||||||||||||||||||
| Saints: none Colts: Bill Polian (general manager) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ceremonies | |||||||||||||||||||
| National anthem | Carrie Underwood[5] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Coin toss | Emmitt Smith, representing the Pro Football Hall of Fame class in 2010 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Halftime show | The Who | ||||||||||||||||||
| TV in the United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Network | CBS | ||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Steve Tasker and Solomon Wilcots | ||||||||||||||||||
| Nielsen ratings | 45.0 (national)[6] 56.3 (New Orleans) 54.2 (Indianapolis) US viewership: 106.5 million est. avg., 153.4 million est. total[7] | ||||||||||||||||||
| Market share | 68 (national) 82 (New Orleans) 80 (Indianapolis) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cost of 30-second commercial | $2.5 – $2.8 million [8] | ||||||||||||||||||
Brees tied a Super Bowl record with 32 completions, the last a 2-yard slant to Jeremy Shockey for the winning points with 5:42 remaining. He was 32 for 39 for 288 yards.
A surprise onside kick sparked the Saints' second-half comeback. Their 25th-ranked defense made several key stops, and Tracy Porter's 74-yard interception return touchdown on a pass from Manning clinched it.
Manning tried to give chase, but was blocked by Saints DE Will Smith and fell awkwardly as the cornerback raced by. The four-time NFL MVP forlornly walked to the sideline as the Big Easy celebrations began.
"It's time for the Saints to celebrate," he said. "It's their field and it's their championship."
The Saints (16-3) won three postseason games this winter after winning only two in the previous 42 years. They beat Arizona, Minnesota and Indianapolis (16-3) -- all division winners -- for their first title, scoring 107 points and allowing only 59.
The championship came 4 ½ years after Katrina ravaged New Orleans, making the Saints nomads for the 2005 season. There even was some doubt they would return, but the NFL refused to abandon the city. The Superdome was repaired and the Saints won the NFC South in '06, their first season with Brees and Payton.
Four downs
» The Saints are the seventh team since 1970 to win a Super Bowl title after finishing first in scoring and total offense.
» Colts S Aaron Francisco joined Eugene Robinson (1997 GB, 1998 ATL) as the only players in NFL history to lose back-to-back Super Bowls with two different teams (Francisco lost with Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII).
» Peyton Manning threw for at least 300 yards in a playoff game for the eighth time in his career (the most in NFL history).
Before many of the 74,059 fans got settled following the Who's halftime show, the Saints worked a little football voodoo. Garrett Hartley's onside kick was touched by the Colts' Hank Baskett, then recovered by Chris Reis at the New Orleans' 42.
"I just told our guys you've got to make me look good on this," Payton said. "That really becomes like a turnover."
Looking like the NFL's most potent offense, the Saints seized the opportunity to take their first lead. It came on Pierre Thomas' brilliant 16-yard run with a screen pass, capped by a dive into the end zone.
"Look around the stadium," linebacker Scott Fujita said. "It was like 6- or 7-to-1 (Saints fans). The black and gold just poured into Miami.
"The whole world was behind us. This was bigger than just a game for the Saints. We are the world's team."
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