No one could have been more thrilled than I was that the New Orleans Saints reached the Super Bowl.

Well, except maybe the whole state of Louisiana, the Gulf Coast region, all of those ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, former and current players, coaches and organizational personnel.

Well, maybe I'm not that high up, but for this organization, it's been a long time coming.

That's what makes reaching the Super Bowl such a big deal.

When the Arizona Cardinals — another team with a long streak of futility — reached the Super Bowl last season against the Steelers, it marked that organization's first trip in the 44-year history of the Super Bowl.

The parity of the NFL, in which a team with a bad season can make a serious run to the Super Bowl in the next season, is a key contributor to what's happened over the past two seasons.

The Saints have been close, losing to the Chicago Bears in the NFC championship game in 2006, and, since the arrival of quarterback Drew Brees, they have had one of the most explosive offenses in the league.

The Saints, who joined the NFL in 1967, one year after the first Super Bowl, went 13 years before finishing with a .500 record (8-8 in 1979), then 21 years before their first winning campaign (12-3 in 1987) and playoff appearance.

Their first playoff win didn't come until 2000, their 34th season.

The playoff run from three years ago put the Saints back into serious contention for the first time since those late 1980s, early 1990s teams, led by Jim Mora Sr, who also helped build the basis of the successful Indianapolis Colts, who the Saints will face Feb. 7.

The Saints were the darlings of the NFL this year, along with the Colts, both of whom opened the season at 13-0.

The Saints dropped their final three games of the season, the Colts the final two, but both were able to maintain the No. 1 seeds in their respective conferences.

You could make a case both teams went a little cold before the postseason, although the Colts rested their starters and blew a chance to go undefeated.

As it turned out, the Colts still reached the Super Bowl, without the pressures of going undefeated for the entire season.

The Saints had to prove they weren't going to fold. After a first-round bye — a team first — They crushed Arizona 45-14, then defeated the Brett Favre-led Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime to reach the championship game.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, whose father Archie was the Saints' QB in the early 1970s to early 1980s, won his fourth MVP award and has the Colts clicking.

The experience he brings will make the difference in the Super Bowl. He's been there before, winning the game against the aforementioned Bears.

And after trailing 17-6 to the New York Jets in the AFC final, en route to a 30-17 win, no deficit is too small for the Colts.

New Orleans is the feel-good story, but the Colts are the better team.

Colts 27, Saints 23.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.