Saints March Right Through the Door

Filed under: Saints, Super Bowl MIAMI -- The brash and bold attitude the freshly anointed New Orleans Saints displayed on Sunday night is a trait they have flaunted all season. There was nothing fluke or lucky or miraculous about what the Saints did to the Indianapolis Colts here well before "The Who'' appeared at halftime and well after the Colts wondered "Who Dat stole our thunder?'' You bet, the seeds for this whipping -- a 31-17 victory in Super Bowl XLIV that began with the Colts scoring the game's first 10 points and then being blitzed 31-7 -- were planted when Sean Payton walked through the door at the Saints complex four years ago. Instantly, he began whacking and whittling. Cutting wheat from shaft. Carving out whatever remnants of sulking, sorry losing mentality that remained, traits that had long helped strangle the franchise. Dumping grouchy players and lax coaches and overhauling the systems. Payton had a hammer in one hand and a bluepri...