Saints get back down to business with opening win

By Simon Evans

NEW ORLEANS (Reuters) - The New Orleans Saints opened their Super Bowl title defense with a 14-9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday that epitomized head coach Sean Payton's 'back to business' mantra.

To celebrate the team's first NFL triumph, opening night was marked with a rock concert in the city's Jackson Square and television viewers were treated to lengthy build-up but inside the Louisiana Superdome, it was all about getting that first win.

The Saints took to the field to a deafening roar of fan chant "Who Dat?" and the 70,000 crowd made themselves heard whenever Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was set up for a snap with the 40-year-old saying it had been tough to make himself heard.

It was clear though that the Saints were not going to be overawed by their first game since their emotional victory over the Indianapolis Colts in Miami in February.

"Anytime you're in a game like that where there are festivities and everything beforehand, you have got to remain calm," Saints quarterback Drew Brees told reporters.

The occasion carried extra spice given that it was a win over the Vikings in New Orleans that clinched a berth in the Super Bowl and while it did not live up to high expectations, for Brees and company it was clearly "sweet to repeat."

IMPROVED DEFENSE

"We talked about it all week long and obviously it was extremely exciting to prepare for a game like this," said Brees, who noted the improved display from a defense that struggled against the Vikings in last season's 31-28 overtime win.