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Saints win in return to Superdome

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- The New Orleans Saints knew it would be a special night, but the point was really driven home when they pulled into the parking lot at the refurbished Superdome.

Several hours before kickoff, tens of thousands of fans already were milling about in the streets, ready for a party that was a horrific year in the making.

Even quarterback Drew Brees had a tough time finding his parking spot, resolving at one point to maroon his car on an island before someone showed him the way.

No problem. After all New Orleans has been through, that hardly qualified as a hassle.

The Saints made a triumphant return to the Big Easy on Monday night, romping to a 23-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons that -- for several hours, at least -- helped this battered city feel good about itself again.

Instead of worrying about insurance payments or grieving for those died, the fans cheered on Reggie Bush is his first home game, reveled in a defense that battered Michael Vick, marveled at a special teams that blocked two kicks, and roared when the Saints pulled off a trick play known, appropriately enough, as "The Superdome Special."

They even got a chance to salute once-reviled owner Tom Benson, who broke out his parasol and bounced around the field -- just like the good ol' days before Hurricane Katrina changed life forever.

"From the moment I signed with the Saints, I was looking forward to this," said Brees, who joined New Orleans during the offseason.

This one couldn't have been scripted any better for a team that spent all of last season on the road, and it couldn't have come at a better time for a city that is still struggling to overcome the devastation of Katrina.

After a Super Bowl-like pregame show that included a performance by supergroups U2 and Green Day, the Saints wasted no time turning their welcome-home party into Mardi Gras: The Falcons' first drive went three-and-out, and special teams demon Steve Gleason sliced through the middle of the Atlanta line to smother Michael Koenen's punt.

The ball skidded across the goal line, where Curtis Deloatch fell on it for a touchdown -- the first given up by the Falcons this season. Just like that, Saints sent an emphatic message to the NFL and the entire country.

New Orleans is open for business.

Deloatch ran over to the stands and pointed at the crowd of 70,003, as if to say, "Take that Katrina!"

Undoubtedly, many more were cheering around this still-recovering city, some of them vowing to set up televisions outside government-issued trailers that pass for homes more than a year after the storm blew ashore, the levees broke and the water poured through.

"That set the tone," Brees said. "That's when we all knew. This was our day, our night."