Saints Praying, and Playing, for the Super Bowl

Jan. 20, 2007 — -- For the past 38 years, 77-year-old Jerry Romig has been the voice of the New Orleans Saints -- but even he says there's never been a season like this one.

Like many Saints fans, he's hoping that a win Sunday in Chicago over the Bears will lead to the team's first Super Bowl. But for Romig and his fellow New Orleanians, the game is about more than winning or losing.

Seventeen months after Katrina tore the city to pieces, the miracle some New Orleanians have hoped for has arrived -- in the form of the Saints.

Like many New Orleanians, the Saints lost their home when Katrina hit. The Superdome was not fit for football last season, forcing the team to roam from stadium to stadium. Like many of their fans, the Saints were searching for a place to call home.

This year, the Saints returned to the Superdome in a dramatic Monday Night Football game, beating the Atlanta Falcons and making a statement.

The rest of the season has been just as memorable. The team that was just 3-13 last season is now 11-6, playing for the Super Bowl, and is the talk of the town.

The Romigs are like many Saints families, dedicated fans spanning many generations. Romig's daughter, Mary Beth, is the director of public relations and communications for the New Orleans Convention and Visitor's Bureau. Like her father, Mary Beth has been a lifelong Saints fan. She says the Saints' turnaround season is symbolic of the revitalization of New Orleans.

"We're picking ourselves up by the bootstraps, we're resilient, and the team is a great metaphor for what the city is going though," she said. "What this is doing is lifting people's spirits. It makes dealing with the day-to-day process of recovery easier."

So this season, the little team could became "America's team." The "Who Dat Nation," as Saints fans call themselves, are hoping that support from across the country will give their team the emotional boost they need to win in Bears country Sunday.