NEW ORLEANS (AP) -Special teams standout Steve Gleason likened the Saints' welcome home to a Mardi Gras parade, except that it happened on a dark and normally quiet airport access road around 2:30 a.m. Monday.
A throng of jubilant fans set up along the road with coolers as they would on St. Charles Avenue during Carnival, leaving only enough room for players' cars to creep past single file.
``There must have been between 500 and 1,000 fans going crazy. We couldn't get our cars out of the parking lot. It was like a parade pace,'' Gleason said. ``I went through that crowd, and I was like, 'Man, this is such a special time for us, because this is such a special town in such a special situation.' For us to be able to bring that kind of joy to this community, I couldn't be more grateful.''
New Orleans, which has not been to the playoffs since 2000, is now 9-4 and can clinch the NFC South Division title by beating the Washington Redskins in the Louisiana Superdome next Sunday.
The dream scenario that made a nice story over the season's first few weeks has endured well beyond what any NFL prognosticator predicted for a team that went 3-13 in 2005.
The Saints' return here after being displaced by Hurricane Katrina was uplifting by itself. But consistent winning has kept Saints hysteria building, and it hit a new high during New Orleans' 42-17 triumph at Dallas on Sunday night.
``When we were flying back I thought surely at 2:30 in the morning there's not going to be any one out there,'' first-year coach Sean Payton said. ``Then when we landed it seemed like there were more people out there (than usual), so I don't know how much work is getting done today.''
Even in Texas Stadium on Sunday night, traveling Saints fans established a presence in the crowd. Those at the game or watching on television could hear the long howls of ``Deuce!'' whenever Deuce McAllister ran the ball, or chants of ``Who dat say they gonna beat dem Saints!''
``It's awesome to see the type of support we got,'' said quarterback Drew Brees, who threw for 384 yards and five touchdowns. ``It's like, where are we playing? Are we playing in New Orleans or are we playing in Dallas?''
Continuing to demonstrate surprising depth and versatility for a team that overhauled more than half its roster since last season, New Orleans got four touchdowns from players who had never scored before - three by fullback Mike Karney and one by reserve receiver Jamal Jones.
``Coach does a great job of utilizing everybody. It's just a matter of knowing when your number's called, and when it's called to capitalize,'' Karney said. ``It was a great night. It was an opportunity to present our team to the rest of the country in a positive way.''
Young, rising stars Reggie Bush and Devery Henderson added two long scores. Then the Saints ate up most of the last 11 minutes of the game on a series of powerful runs by Bush and McAllister.
The Saints' defense also played impressively in contributing to highly hyped quarterback Tony Romo's worst game as a starter. His one touchdown pass should have been intercepted, but went through the hands of cornerback Fred Thomas, who was wearing a cast. One Cowboys' field goal came only after Mike McKenzie dropped a possible interception. Even so, the Saints intercepted Romo twice.
New Orleans linebacker Scott Fujita, who played at Dallas last season, was so elated by the Saints' performance and their fan support, he told a local broadcaster that he would give away 25 tickets to the Saints' last regular-season road game against the New York Giants. He instructed those interested to send a letter to Saints headquarters.
Throughout the night, fans hand-delivered letters, slipping them under the glass doors at the main entrance.
Season-ticket holder Chad Ricouard was watching the postgame show at a friend's house when he saw Fujita's offer. He went straight home to his computer to type out a letter.
Ricouard attends one road game every year. He traveled to Pittsburgh in November. He also was in New York for the Saints' victory over the Jets in 2005.
``I would be absolutely thrilled to get an opportunity to go back and get some revenge for our supposed home game last year,'' Ricouard wrote, referring to the Saints' loss in a scheduled home game against the Giants last year that was moved to Giants Stadium because of Katrina. ``This season has been unbelievable and I don't see it slowing down anytime soon. ... And I would love to be in that number.''
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