Photo by Sean Gardner

In just their second game of the 2006 NFL season, the New Orleans Saints made every football fan feel good, with a triumphant return to the Superdome, after it was battered by Hurricane Katrina.

Apart from the spectacle of the game itself, this was an event that symbolized what competitive sports is really about - making Americans feel that they have the ability to overcome even the most daunting obstacle.

This game was also a stark reminder that NFL players and owners aren't all bad.

These days, it seems that most of the news out of the NFL is pretty rotten - rife with stories of drug abuse, wife or girlfriend beating and even murder.

If the 2007 season is to be more than just a string of police blotter updates, the NFL needs another feel-good story, similar to what the Saints gave us a year ago.

We don't need a tragedy like Katrina to create the setting for this story. The NFL just needs an organization or a player to be that beacon that once again reminds football fans what this great game symbolizes.