Saints’ Super Bowl berth bridges the Gulf

Reporting from New Orleans — 

Terry Bradshaw won four Super Bowls as quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But, like legions of NFL fans from the Gulf Coast region, he has a special place in his heart for the New Orleans Saints.

A native of Shreveport, La., he has closely followed the rare ups and frequent downs of a franchise that Sunday secured its first Super Bowl bid in the club’s 43-year history. The Saints will play the Indianapolis Colts on Feb. 7 in South Florida (3:15 p.m. PST; TV: Channel 2).

“You get the feeling if the Saints win and go to the Super Bowl, it rights the ship,” said Bradshaw, a Fox analyst in attendance for New Orleans’ 31-28 overtime victory Sunday over Minnesota. “Finally, we have something that lets us stick our heads above the clouds. It’s our self-esteem.”

Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning can completely understand that sentiment. He still lives in New Orleans, after all. But his ties to the Colts run far deeper. His middle son is Peyton Manning, Indianapolis’ quarterback and the league’s only four-time most valuable player.

For the elder Manning, there’s no question where his allegiance lies.

“I’m going to pull for my son,” he told the Associated Press outside the Colts’ locker room Sunday, after Indianapolis beat the visiting New York Jets in the AFC championship game.

“Anybody who thinks it’s different must not have children.”

Archie and Olivia Manning’s other sons, Cooper and New York Giants quarterback Eli, also attended the game, watching from a luxury suite at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Back in their hometown, pure delirium. A sellout crowd of 71,276 packed the Superdome -- the stadium’s largest crowd to watch a Saints game -- and stayed long after the winning kick, roaring its approval during the presentation of the conference championship trophy, and dancing to hip-hop music played over the stadium speakers.

Bradshaw said the people of New Orleans “don’t need much of an excuse to party,” and are especially appreciative of the good things in life in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s devastation.

“This city has the perfect attitude: ‘I woke up today and I’m alive. This is great,’ ” he said. “That’s how they live their life down here. You go 100 miles north of here, it’s a whole different concept.

“I use the word ‘hope.’ That’s really all anybody ever wants in life. ‘I hope good things happen. I hope tomorrow’s a better day. I hope my life changes. I hope my kids are OK. I hope my mom and dad are OK.’ . . . They go through life in a happy way. It’s unlike any other atmosphere, any other attitude that I’ve experienced anywhere.”

And it’s not just those Saints fans who could afford tickets to the game. The local television ratings were astounding. In New Orleans, the game delivered the highest local rating (63.2) for a postseason game, beating the home-market rating of every team that has played in a Super Bowl. It’s estimated that 82% of televisions that were on in the city were tuned to the game.

“The city is on its way to recovery and in a lot of ways it’s back better than ever,” said Saints quarterback Drew Brees, whose team is an early four-point underdog to Indianapolis. “For us as a team, we use the strength and resiliency of our fans. We go out and play every Sunday and go out with the confidence to do it. We’re going to achieve everything we’ve set out to achieve.”

That’s something even Minnesota quarterback Brett Favre can appreciate. He’s from Kiln, Miss., about 60 miles northeast of New Orleans, and he knows well the tough times the region -- and its football fans -- have endured. He grew up rooting for the Saints.

“I would have loved to represent the NFC,” Favre said. “But, as I told [Saints Coach Sean Payton] throughout the year when we talked, ‘If it’s not us, I hope it’s you guys.’ ”

sam.farmer@latimes.com

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