Louisiana native Porter's pick seals Saints win

MIAMI - Right before getting on the team bus to go to the Super Bowl, Tracy Porter sat in the Saints' downtown Miami hotel, getting his head shaved by his regular New Orleans barber.

Patches of hair left on Porter's mostly bald head included a rendering of the Louisiana Superdome, connected by a road to the Vince Lombardi Trophy, as well as "SB 44," a reference to the Saints' meeting with the Indianapolis Colts in the 44th Super Bowl.

"Now you can look at the Lombardi Trophy on the same road back to the Superdome," Porter said.

And that once unthinkable truth came thanks in no small part to Porter himself, a Louisiana native - and former Indiana University player - who made two of the biggest interceptions in Saints history in consecutive games.

His 74-yard touchdown on an interception of Peyton Manning gave the Saints an insurmountable two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter of New Orleans' 31-17 victory over the Colts on Sunday night.

In the NFC title game, his late interception of Brett Favre stalled Minnesota's potential game-winning drive. The Saints went on to beat the Vikings in overtime to earn their first Super Bowl berth in the club's 43-year history.

When asked how it felt to make a huge interception against a quarterback such as Manning in such a big game, Porter had already been there.

"I got the same question when I picked off Brett Favre. Peyton, he's a phenomenal quarterback, a first-ballot Hall of Famer, such as the previous two quarterbacks we played in the playoffs," he said, also referring to Arizona's Kurt Warner. "I've been watching (Manning) since my time at Indiana put up points on the scoreboard."

Growing up in Port Allen, across the Mississippi River from Baton Rouge, Porter watched the Saints every Sunday with his family and friends. He remembers bags on the heads of embarrassed fans during the lean years.

"This is a moment he could really use to build off of and really elevate his status," Saints safety and active NFL interception leader Darren Sharper said. "I tell him all the time, 'Tracy, if you wanted to be, you could be one of the top cornerbacks in the league the rest of your career' because he has all he intangibles, all the talents to do that. And days like this in big-time games are what catapults guys to the upper echelon of players."

Porter said it was a case of film study paying off. He recognized the formation, with Austin Collie going in motion, and knew Manning would be looking for Reggie Wayne right around the needed distance for a first down.

"When I saw Austin Collie go in motion I said, 'Oh yeah, this is the route they've been running all year,' and yeah, I had it in my mind I was going to jump the route," Porter said. "It was just like I was watching it on film and I made the break on it and here comes the end zone."

He followed a couple of blocks, made one cut, and there was nothing but open field in front of him. He knew he was going to score and pointed to the stands, where Saints fans were jumping out of their seats with delight.

"I was pointing at the Who Dat nation out there," he said.