FanPost

Good story


From Len Pasquarelli on espn.com

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs/2009/columns/story?columnist=pasquarelli_len&id=4854724

NEW ORLEANS -- In these parts, they refer to it as lagniappe, a Creole word that, roughly translated, means "a little something extra."

On Sunday in the Superdome, the underappreciated New Orleans Saints defense provided a dose of lagniappe to this long-suffering franchise. The Saints' defenders compensated for a sometimes conservative New Orleans offense in a 31-28 overtime victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship Game.

"We just weren't going to lose, no matter how much we had to do," said cornerback Tracy Porter, whose interception of Brett Favre with seven seconds remaining in regulation killed a Minnesota drive that had reached the Saints' 38-yard line.

"We said to ourselves, 'OK, it's on us, right?' We just felt like somebody would step up … and that someone just happened to be me."

The Saints earned the first Super Bowl berth in franchise history courtesy of Garrett Hartley's 40-yard field goal nearly five minutes into the extra period. Hartley's game winner sent the 71,276 fans dancing onto Bourbon Street.

This FanPost was written by a reader and member of Canal Street Chronicles. It does not necessarily reflect the views of CSC and its staff or editors.