The odd twist to this story is that Manning, who grew up in the Big Easy supporting his dad as quarterback for the then awful Saints, may end up breaking New Orleans’ heart as the team contests its first Super Bowl.

New Orleans always has been a football town, even when the Saints were the Aints _ back in the days Archie Manning led the team and fans wore paper bags on their heads to prevent being identified as supporters. But that four-decade love affair morphed into something more meaningful in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“It’s important for not only the people in New Orleans, but the people around the country because you do understand how much it means to that community and what they’ve been through,” Saints quarterback Drew Brees says. “Our success as a team over the last four years, but especially this year, has been tremendous just in regards to giving so many of the members of that community hope and lifting their spirits.

“There are still a lot of people in some pretty dire straits. For us to be able to have the success we’re having, it just does so much for that community as far as bringing everyone together. There’s a bond that we have with our fans _ between our organization and our fans _ that’s truly special.”

The Saints (15-3) led the league in scoring with 510 points. If Colts All-Pro defensive end Dwight Freeney and his 13-1/2 season sacks aren’t available due to an ankle injury, then Brees, along with Reggie Bush, Marques Colston and company might light up the Miami night with touchdowns.

So could the Colts (16-2) with their deep receiving corps and the incomparable Manning. Surpassing the 75 points in the 1995 Super Bowl (San Francisco 49, San Diego 26) is not out of the question. Doing it by halftime isn’t totally absurd.

When the Colts won their only championship representing Indinanapolis, Tony Dungy was the coach. Now it’s his hand-chosen successor, Jim Caldwell, and only two rookie coaches have ever won the Super Bowl. One of them, Don McCafferty, did it for the Baltimore Colts in 1971, the first title game after the AFL-NFL merger.

The Saints and Colts approached the unbeaten threshold in December. New Orleans was 13-0 before losing at home to Dallas, then rested many regulars in dropping the last two regular-season games. Indianapolis was 14-0 and perhaps headed for a 15th victory when Manning and other starters were removed in the third quarter against the Jets. New York rallied to win, and the backups lost at Buffalo in the season finale.

In the playoffs, the Colts handled the Baltimore Ravens and Jets pretty easily. The Saints, following a romp past Arizona, needed several mistakes by Minnesota _ including Brett Favre throwing an interception in the final seconds _ before beating the Vikings in overtime and finally erasing that Super Bowl void.

“I feel like both teams have gotten to this point because of the success of the teams,” Manning says. “Certainly if you look at our regular season and playoff schedule it has been a team season. Different guys have stepped up along the way, making critical plays at critical times.

“That is how I feel this game is going to turn out. It will be somebody stepping up along the way, in a critical situation, making a play and you never know just who it might be.”

“Sometimes you need a break from the sun,” said Nicki Grossman of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Everybody all over the country has weather. And you don’t have to shovel anything that has fallen on us.”

Even so, the less-than-Super weather _ daylong rain blanketing the region _ stirred unpleasant memories of the last time the NFL title game came to town three years ago. That was the first time rain fell on a Super Bowl, and it continued throughout the game, chasing some fans away at halftime and sending others into concourses to watch on television as the Indianapolis Colts beat the Chicago Bears.

“The same weather,” Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning said. “I don’t know what that is _ the Colts bringing rain to Miami.”

Although this is the middle of South Florida’s dry season, steady light rain also fell during Sunday night’s Pro Bowl in Miami.

The Colts and Saints landed Monday and were greeted by their Pro Bowl teammates _ seven from Indianapolis and seven from New Orleans _ who watched the all-star game from the sideline. One Pro Bowler was Manning, who said he didn’t mind making the trip the day before most of the Colts arrived.

“I got to fly on a private plane with six of my best friends and teammates,” Manning said. “We had Ruth’s Chris Steak House food on the plane, took a private escape down to Miami, shook a few hands, did a wave, did one interview and made $45,000. I can think of some worse things to put yourself through.”

The forecast called for a 30 percent chance of showers Tuesday, prompting the media day switch. And, there is at least a slight chance of rain every day the rest of the week, with a 20-percent chance Sunday.

“We’ll get prepared for it just in case we have to deal with some of the same issues we had to deal with last time,” Colts coach Jim Caldwell said. “It looks like it may rain during the course of the week, so maybe we’ll have an opportunity to practice in it. But our game plan won’t change.”

Media day will, however. Instead of conducting interviews on the field at Sun Life Stadium, the NFL will hold them in an indoor concourse on the club level.

All players and coaches from the Saints and Colts will still be available for interviews.

“This should not be a major problem,” NFL spokesman Michael Signora said. “It just will look different.”

The Saints’ first practice Monday was moved 30 miles north from the University of Miami’s outdoor fields to the indoor bubble at the Miami Dolphins’ complex. The starting time was pushed back while equipment was moved from one site to the other.

“It is what it is,” said quarterback Drew Brees, whose Saints have hurricanes in their history. “Weather the storm _ we know how to do that.”

Rain also affected preparation of the playing field, Signora said.

“I wouldn’t say anything is delayed,” he said. “I’d say work continues, and weather is one more factor built into the preparation.”

The weather made South Florida’s daunting traffic even more sluggish. The team hotels and practice sites are separated by drives of up to an hour _ sometimes more _ and while the Colts and Saints are whisked about with police escorts, getting around is more arduous for fans, volunteers, league officials and the media.

“We’re a regional effort, and we need to spread it around,” said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl host committee. “It’ll be judged afterward whether it really works out.”

Tourism officials said the wet weather didn’t tarnish the Pro Bowl, which was moved from Hawaii as a one-year experiment and drew the largest crowd for the game since 1959. But the stadium was half empty by the third quarter.

The Super Bowl is in Miami for the 10th time, the most of any city. While the rain may not dampen visitors’ enthusiasm for South Florida, the NFL says the Dolphins’ 22-year-old stadium needs upgrades, raising concerns about the region’s attractiveness as a site of future games.

The Dolphins have proposed adding a roof that would cover fans as part of stadium improvements that could cost $250 million or more. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell says the upgrades would help South Florida remain competitive in bidding for future Super Bowls.

“They’re saying, `Your whiskers are getting a little long,”’ Barreto said. “I don’t think we ought to fall asleep and sit on our laurels. We should take a good look and see if there is some way to partner with the Dolphins and figure out how to get something done.”

South Florida leaders are expected to seek public money for the project. But at the moment, Barreto said, they’re focused on praying for some sunshine.