Growing up in Louisiana, I have many memories of the Saints .
Most of them frustrating , some of them painful , but almost
all of them were bad.

Sure , there was the occasional 63 yard field goal from the pleasingly
plump Tom Demsey to shock the league and beat the Lions .
But most of the time, you knew they were going to lose.
It was strictly a matter of how they were going to blow it this time.

The best way to describe it is like watching a horrific trainwreck
every Sunday, but hey , it was our trainwreck.
The Saints are part of the Louisiana culture , as much as red beans
and rice or gumbo .
Even though they were bad - and they were really bad - an entire
state could commiserate together .
So their victory on Saturday was like the casting out of demons that
have plagued Saints fans throughout history.
Even my ex-wife called me to scream into the phone, "they won, they won,
I can't believe they won!" Only a real "Saint" could make that happen.

For the true Saints fans its not just about recovering from being
3-13 last season. The pain is much deeper than that .
Legendary New Orleans sportscaster Buddy Diliberto was the first to
put a bag over his head on the air , and the "Aints" were born.
Fans too embarassed to show their faces at Saints games could now
go to the game without their friends questioning their sanity .
Of course, Diliberto was banned from the team plane for life, but
his place in Saints history was secure.

I could go on and on , but the bottom line is a new coach and
34 new players have changed the course of a miserable history.
Next Sunday on a frozen field in Chicago, the Saints will be knock,
knock, knocking on heaven's door, the Super Bowl .