New Orleans' victory You didn't have to be a football fan to appreciate the symbolism of the Saints' Super Bowl win four years after Katrina.

Katrina had damaged severely the Saints' stadium, the Superdome, where thousands sought refuge from the storm. The team was forced to play "home" games in 2005 in San Antonio and Baton Rouge. People questioned whether the team would ever return to New Orleans.

Some people also questioned whether New Orleans itself was worth rebuilding. But the city and its residents provided the answer through their perseverance. The home of jazz could not be beaten down, not even by a calamity of biblical proportions.

That spirit has been at work quietly since late summer in 2005. But it was put on display all at once when the Saints triumphed over the Indianapolis Colts, and joyous fans spilled into the streets of the Crescent City. No single moment better illustrates how far the city has come back.

With the Saints' victory, the list of NFL teams yet to win the Super Bowl is down to 14. The Eagles are still on that list.

But if any other city deserved to claim the prize before Philadelphia, New Orleans did.