I really didn’t care about the SuperBowl.

Well that statement isn’t entirely accurate.  I did want the Bears to lose for reasons that are not necessary to state if you are a regular reader of my cyber-polemics.

But I didn’t care to watch the game.  My attitude about pro-football is simple: if the Saints ain’t playing, then I ain’t watching short of the outcome affecting the Saints’ postseason picture.

So as people around the country gathered at the Thanksgiving of junk food, I got a haircut (all twelve of them), had my car serviced and engaged in my favorite variation of Russian roulette, taking a two-mile stroll in Orleans Parish. 

In lieu of spending one minute of my limited attention span on a “Saintsless” SuperBowl, I wanted to celebrate New Orleans’ super season.

Halfway through my three-mile trudge from Soldier Field to Kinzie Chophouse, I hypothesized why Chicagoans treated Saints fans so shabbily through Katrina barbs and physical assault when the answer dawned on me: heckling Saints fans about a loss in the NFC Championship game had no measurable effect on their fleur-de-lis wearing targets since the black and gold faithful were thrilled that their team had made it that far and were not about to gripe if the season ended in the Windy City.

So when clever taunts like “Saints suck!” or “Reggie Bush sucks!” (ironically or rather “ignoramusly” hollered after his spectacular run) bounced off Saints fans, Bears fans decided to bring up “dead aunt Edna” and the FEMA trailers in order to get a reaction.

But not even foul-mouthed Chicagoans could put a damper on the best season in the team’s history.

It’s the reason why hundreds of Saints fans lined up on Airline Highway at a late hour and in inclement weather to give a hero’s welcome to the vanquished.  Like the creatures of Whoville from the Dr. Seuss classic, locals were not about to let the Grinches of the Midway stop them from gleefully offering thanks.

The media has liked to point to the ravages of Katrina as the reason why this season was so special.  Trust me, Saints fans have been just as annoyed as those of other teams with this angle.  Journalists tried that same line last year as well but the combined ineptness of Aaron Brooks and Jim Haslett didn’t help spin an enduring fairytale.

To be brutally honest, the Katrina factor had little direct impact with the soaring local spirits about the team and its success.  

I can think of three storm-related factors that played a role: 1) the effect of the logistical difficulties in hastening the termination of the services of the aforementioned albatrosses, 2) the hurricane damage sustained by the Superdome led to its quick renovation into a better stadium and 3) the problems of the previous season landing the team with the second overall draft pick.

What would determine the on-field success of the team was not some kind of mystical aura emitting from Katrina’s devastation but the ownership’s new commitment to excellence.  Dismissing Haslett and Brooks was step one.  Signing Drew Brees was two.  And the crucial third step was what the front office would do with the number two pick.  That decision would have incredible implications for the franchise. 

While Bush’s overall numbers were not in the category of league MVP, picking the superstar running back signaled to the fans that things were going to be different.  Management was now finally playing to win.  And then things happened, like the unprecedented pre-season selling-out of the Superdome and the black and gold mania that enveloped the city. 

And what do you know, the Saints front office discovered there is indeed another way to increase the team’s profitability aside from cutting corners and demanding an annual subsidy from the state. 

The Saints probably make the playoffs in some capacity had they picked someone other than Bush, but they don’t sell out the Dome without him.

Sure the reopening of the Superdome with Green Day and U2 had sentimental power, but the real magic was when Mickey Loomis and Sean Payton, with the consent and support of Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc, put together a quality team. 

The run by number twenty-five in the NFC Championship contest was not just the highlight of an otherwise dreary game for Saints fans; it was also an advance screening of the flash and dash we can expect from Reggie in the 2007 season. 

During the home divisional playoff game, the organization unveiled a banner paying tribute to the support of the fans, more than a few of whom are still in the midst of struggling with their own recovery from Katrina. 

If the team really wanted to show their appreciation for season-ticket holders, they’ll be as aggressive in free agency this off-season as they were in 2006. 

The phrase “wait till next year” never had so much meaning to Saints fans

by Mike Bayham who can be reached at MikeBayham@aol.com