Film study paid off for Porter on fourth-quarter interception

MIAMI (AP) — Louisiana native Tracy Porter played a crucial role in the New Orleans Saints’ magical run to a Super Bowl title and their victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

A second-round draft pick out of Indiana, who grew up 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.

Now the Saints have done the previously unthinkable in large part because of him in a 31-17 victory Sunday.

His 74-yard touchdown on an interception of Peyton Manning gave the Saints an insurmountable two-touchdown lead late in the fourth quarter.

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.

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.

Manning called the interception a “great play.”

“Porter made a heck of a play,” Manning said.

In the NFC title game, Porter’s 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-ever Super Bowl berth.

When asked how it felt to make a huge interception against a quarterback such as Manning in such a big game, Porter had a little deja vu.

“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.”

Porter was drafted by the Saints in 2008 and earned a starting cornerback spot in his rookie season. But that year was cut short by a broken wrist in the first half of the season.

This season, Porter went down in midseason with what was thought to be a season-ending knee injury at St. Louis. The next day, Porter — and the Saints — got good news. It was a severe sprain. His season wasn’t over. He returned in Week 15 and played brilliantly in the playoffs.

On Super Bowl Sunday, Porter met his regular New Orleans barber in the Saints’ downtown Miami hotel and had his head shaved in a design, as he often does before games. This time, there was “SB 44” (for Super Bowl 44), as well as a rendering of the Louisiana Superdome connected by a road to the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

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

And that means, in the midst of Mardi Gras season, his family, friends, and Saints fans in New Orleans and all across the Gulf South have another reason to party.

“This team means more to the people of New Orleans than I can say any team in the NFL. I can say no one is behind their team as much as the people of New Orleans,” Porter said. “They’re just as much a part of this victory as we are.”