Commentary by Scott Soshnick Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) — No one did more to elevate his stature in Super Bowl XLIV than New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton . It was Payton who used halftime to hatch a plan of surprise when conventional wisdom called for safe. He played to win. Imagine that. He did something that no other Super Bowl participant had dared. The Indianapolis Colts didn’t see that onside kick coming, which is why the Saints are going home champions. Let’s hope that coaches in all sports take note of the result, of Payton earning the ultimate honor, a celebratory ride on the shoulders of his players. Let’s hope those coaches take note of Saints quarterback Drew Brees carrying his son under a shower of red confetti, tears of jubilation covering his cheeks. Let’s hope they saw the images emanating from New Orleans, where they’re less than five years removed from devastation. “Louisiana, by way of New Orleans, is back,” said Saints owner Tom Benson , who didn’t need to explain. “And this shows the whole world.” There are feel-good stories and then there’s this. It’s hard to fathom anyone who doesn’t fancy himself a Hoosier pulling for quarterback Peyton Manning and the Colts, who were denied their second championship in four seasons. Shockey Silenced These Saints are the perfect antidote for difficult times, for reminding us that anything is, indeed, possible. It was the kind of game that left even loudmouth Jeremy Shockey searching for words. “I’m kind of at a loss,” is what Shockey came up with. If anyone knows about loss it’s the residents of New Orleans, where lives were lost, homes were lost and even hope was lost after Hurricane Katrina. No, a football game can’t repair damaged homes and psyches. But anyone who thinks it’s just a game needs a reminder of what a group of college hockey players did for the U.S. when they beat the Russians in the 1980 Olympics. Sports, at its best, can uplift. And that euphoria can linger. “We played for so much more than just ourselves; we played for our city,” said Brees, the game’s Most Valuable Player. “Eight-five percent of the city was under water.” And now 100 percent of the city is over the moon. Taking a Chance Make no mistake, unconventional wisdom is most responsible for the Saints beating the Colts, 31-17, last night at Sun Life Stadium in Miami. Saints fans used to wear brown paper bags over their heads. Last night those clad in black and gold, those who for more than an hour after the game kept chanting, wore nothing but smiles. They danced in the aisles, bopping as Iko Iko blasted from the loudspeakers. All season the fans of New Orleans asked Who Dat?, as in Who Dat Say Dey Gonna Beat Dem Saints. A more appropriate question last night would’ve been What Dat? Regretful is the fan at the refrigerator — or elsewhere — who missed the second-half kickoff because, well, what are the odds of anything of consequence happening? It’s just a kickoff. Well, something did happen. Something big. Something unexpected. Something memorable. Something wonderful. Hopefully something that changes the safety-first paradigm. A coach with everything to lose took a chance. The Saints trailed 10-6 at halftime, and the Colts would get the ball to start the second half. Payton knew that a touchdown might be too much to overcome, even for the highest- scoring team in the National Football League. Onside Kick So he called for an onside kick. Coaches usually order that low-percentage play because they have to, not because they want to, which explains why we’ve never seen one in the Super Bowl prior to the fourth quarter. This time it worked. Six plays and 58 yards later Pierre Thomas ran 16 yards into the end zone. “We were going to be aggressive,” said Payton, who earlier passed on a field goal for an unsuccessful fourth-and- goal attempt. “When you do something like that you put it on the players and they were able to execute.” Payton was able to take a chance because he, like Bill Belichick against the Colts earlier this season, didn’t fear the consequences of failure. How many other coaches do you suppose have thought about doing the same thing only to ponder the repercussions of being wrong. Risk versus reward, which this time was considerable. “The onside kick was huge,” said Melvin Bullitt , one of Indy’s special teams captains. Earlier this week Brees said the Saints, a five-point underdog, had a chance to lift their city, to give the fans hope. A chance. Payton took one. And because of it you’ll never miss the second-half kickoff again. (Scott Soshnick is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.) Click on “Send Comment” in the sidebar display to send a letter to the editor. To contact the writer of this column: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net
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What Dat? Is Better Question for NFL Champions: Scott Soshnick
