If you’re an old buzzard like me, you’d remember the classic Jerome Kern-Oscar Hammerstein II musical “Showboat’ that debuted in 1936 and was revived as a movie in 1951. Purportedly, the Showboat uses New Orleans as its base and makes stops along the Mississippi river towns.
Based on Edna Ferber’s novel, it had a daring plot for the time in describing a mixed marriage that results in the leading lady being tossed off the boat. But the most interesting character was an unrepentant riverboat gambler named Gaylord Ravenal, first portrayed by Allen Jones and later by Howard Keel.
Well. It’s time for Gaylord to move over. He’s been replaced by Sean Payton, an impulsive gambler who kept rolling 7’s in the second half Sunday and hit the jackpot in leading the once down-trodden New Orleans Saints to a 31-17 Super Bowl victory over Peyton Manning and the favored Indianapolis Colts in Miami.
Payton wasn’t perfect. He spurned a certain field goal from the two-yard line on fourth down late in the second quarter and a running play failed. But that didn’t stop Payton one bit. He opened the second half with a successful onside kick to change the game’s momentum.
In the fourth quarter, following Drew Brees’ 2-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Shockey that produced a 22-17 lead, Payton called for a two-point conversion, which really made sense. At first, the referees ruled that Lance Moore had lost control of the ball while extending his arms across the goal line. But Payton gambled again by challenging the call, and a review determined that Moore had held on long enough to give the Saints a 24-17 lead with 5.35 remaining.
It was still plenty of time for Manning to make one of his patented comebacks. He quickly moved the Colts to the Saints 31, but cornerback Tracy Porter, who, two weeks earlier ended the Vikings’ Super bowl bid by swiping Brett Favre’s last pass, again provided the clincher. He jumped the route on Manning’s pass to Reggie Wayne and scampered 78 yards for a two-touchdown lead.
“I just studied and knew their tendencies,’’ said Porter. “I just jumped around and the ball went right to me.’’
The gambling instincts of Payton and Porter had much to do with the Saints finally erasing the memory of the woeful “Aints’’ when frustrated fans wore bags over their heads. But none of this would have happened without an inspiring effort by Brees, who made it his mission in life to give his adopted city of New Orleans a chance to forget the horror of Hurricane Katrina.
Raising the trophy as MVP of Super Bowl XLIV, Brees called it his “destiny.’’
But, in essence, the under-sized and underrated quarterback was the feel good story of the year
Playing for San Diego in the final game of 2005, he completely tore his right arm out of its socket. Famed orthopedic surgeon James Andrews, who is consulted by all the top players following an injury, did not try to hide the truth.. He told Brees that his chances of playing again following surgery were 500-1.
Andrews needed four other doctors to help with the major operation, and, amazingly, Brees beat the odds.
The Chargers had already written him off in favor of Philip Rivers. Two teams-- Miami and New Orleans-- expressed interest, but the Dolphins were still wary of Brees’ repaired arm and settled for Daunte Culpepper.
The Saints took the big gamble, offering Brees a six-year contract worth $60 million. It is certain that it will be torn up and sweetened considerably after Brees was near-perfect Sunday in completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He kept the Colts’ defense guessing all afternoon by finding eight different receivers, although Marques Colston, Pierre Thomas and Devery Henderson were his prime targets.
As soon as Brees arrived in the Crescent City, it was a match made in heaven. The locals embraced him and he reciprocated by donating millions to charities, including children with cancer and rebuilding the football stadium at Lusher Charter School that had been completely destroyed by the hurricane..
On the field, he has proven a consistent winner, leading the league in touchdown passes and completion percentage. He has thrown for 4,000 or more yards in four consecutive seasons. But somehow, when critics assess the top NFL quarterbacks are mentioned, he finishes a distant third or fourth to Manning, Tom Brady and Favre.
But Manning has always admired Brees’ talent. In fact, when Bree, in his senior year at Purdue, completed a 68-yard pass to upset Ohio State, he received a surprising call from Manning. Brees realized Manning’s ties to New Orleans through his father, Archie, who had given the struggling Saints of the Sixties a touch of respectability. And the day he joined the Saints, he immediately called on Archie to ease his transition.
It’s easy to feel joyful about Brees’ success, but not that easy to feel glad for the Saints’ 82-year-old owner Tom Benson, who now owns the Lombardi Trophy When the hurricane hit and badly damaged the Superdome, Benson was quickly making plans to permanently relocate the team in Baton Rouge or even out of Louisiana. He received threats from longtime Saints’ supporters. But the NFL brass persuaded Benaon to remain in New Orleans.
If you had to choose the lesser of two evils, Benson would win decisively over Colts’ owner Jimmy Irsay. You can love Peyton Manning, but Baltimoreans will never forgive the Irsays from moving the Colts to Indianapolis.
History tells us that Bob Irsay not only stole his father’s business to make his fortune, but also denied his religion. He was Jewish and his family name was Israel. Most of all, he was an incoherent drunk. Son Jimmy became a religious freak after his lengthy experimentation with mind-blowing drugs, and became a billionaire by default. Now he is regarded as one of the NFL’s leading owners. Simply amazing.
But not as amazing as Payton, Brees and the Saints who have everyone dancing on Bourbon Street a week before Mardi Gras. And the wild celebration might just last until opening day in September.
AINT THIS JUST GRAND.
Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites
