• By SHELDON MICKLES
• Advocate sportswriter
• Published: Feb 9, 2010

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MIAMI — The Vince Lombardi Trophy spent a few interesting hours in the hands of the New Orleans Saints after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell awarded it to team owner Tom Benson on Sunday night.

Soon after the Saints earned the silver-plated trophy by claiming their first NFL title with a 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Benson handed it over to coach Sean Payton for the trip back to the team hotel and a post-game celebration.

Around 3 a.m., after the party started to die down, Payton took the trophy up to his room, put it on the desk and said a prayer.

“I thanked God for these special times that don’t come around too often,” Payton said at a news conference about six hours later. “For that, I am very appreciative and very humbled.”

Then, the trophy wound up next to Payton in his bed when he finally drifted off to sleep about 4 a.m.

“I rolled over it a couple times; I probably drooled on it,” Payton said as he began to chuckle. “But, man, there’s nothing like it. There’s nothing like it.

“To be a coach and be a part of a great team with players like Drew Brees, I’m honored. I don’t take that opportunity lightly at all.”

Breaking through

In beating the Colts, the Saints did something no team had done in the 2009 postseason — and that’s score points in the second half, as the Colts defense blanked the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets in advancing to the Super Bowl.

The Colts met their match in the Saints, however. After averaging 31.9 points per game in the regular season to lead the league, the Saints averaged 38.0 points in their first two postseason wins.

The Colts’ scoreless streak came to an end on the first drive of the third quarter when Pierre Thomas caught a screen pass from Brees and, with the help of blockers, turned it into a 16-yard touchdown catch.

The Saints wound up scoring 25 second-half points to down the Colts.

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