Although Super Bowls are traditionally a time for the wonderful world of mindless sports coverage, this year will be better than ever—thanks to the wonderful (if not a wee-bit erratic) New Orleans Saints. Why? Because, having worked in media for more than 15-plus years, I can tell you exactly what sports editors and writers all around the country are already thinking. And what they’re thinking is …

Holy cow! This is an irresistible story—the Saints giving New Orleans a gift a mere 4 1/2 years after Hurricane Katrina. Trust me. In the ensuing two weeks, reporters from all over the country (even the world!) will ambush New Orleans, searching for any face (preferably a downtrodden-looking African-American male) to tell the camera/mic/tape recorder how horrible life has been, what with the ruin, the poverty, the lack of federal interest, the ongoing health issues. But now, thanks to the Saints, well, we can dream again. (If it’s on ESPN—and, i can assure you, it will be on ESPN, cue some bullshit triumphant music, with a Tom Rinaldi voice-over wrapping with, “And that (long pause) is why they’re called (another pause) the Saints.”