The Daily Philadelphian

Drew Brees didn’t win win Super Bowl 44 for New Orleans. Neither did Reggie Bush.

Coach Sean Payton won the game with gutsy play calling and should be the MVP of Super Bowl 44. Obviously, he’s not a player and can’t win the award, but everyone has to realize that Bourbon Street isn’t partying right now if not for the Saints head coach.

The onside kick to start the second half will go down as one of the top plays in Super Bowl history. And, Payton will go down as the coach with the most guts in the history of sport.

Sean Payton will forever be a part of Super Bowl lore.

Trailing 10-6 to start the second half, many coaches would not start with an onside kick. Especially not in the Super Bowl! The SUPER BOWL!

That call was more about whether or not his team recovered the ball. Of course, the fact that Hank Baskett’s hands got soft from playing with Kendra’s breasts didn’t hurt.

Instead, that call was more about displaying confidence in his players, in his coaches, in his team, in his organization. Every person on the Saints sideline walked with more moxie after that play. If they thought they could win the Super Bowl when the game started and at halftime, they knew would win after that call.

The entire squad played even more aggressively, getting after Peyton Manning. Heck, when’s the last time a team has forced Manning to make a mistake with the game on the line in the last five minutes of the fourth quarter. Tracy Porter did that by picking off Manning and taking it 74 yards to the house to seal the game and bring the Lombardi Trophy to New Orleans.

None of that happens without Sean Payton’s leadership. It doesn’t happen without his moxie. It doesn’t happen with the balls he had to try an onside kick.

When people look back on this game, they’ll think of Payton. The coach left his mark on the NFL on the biggest stage in all of sports.