Saints return to sold-out dome

NEW ORLEANS — The game is so big, it'll require two stadiums.

Two NFL commissioners will be there.

Two internationally renowned rock bands will play in the Louisiana Superdome shortly before kickoff.

And two 2-0 teams will take the field while nearly 70,000 fans purge a year of post-Katrina frustration with howls almost loud enough to blow the dome's new galvanized steel roof right off.

Saints players and coaches are well aware of all this, and they're trying not to think about it too much.

"The evening's only special if you win it," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "We're seeing a good team come in here in Atlanta. ... We're going to have to have a good week of practice, and all the other stuff is stuff that we can't control and we just want to make sure it doesn't become a distraction."

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel said more than 500 credentials have been issued to media outlets from around the world — from Sky Sports to Al-Jazeera — and that ESPN is sending a crew of several hundred to build up it's coverage of the "Monday Night Football" telecast.

Because the dome is sold out for the season, there's no place in the stands to set up an overflow press box as has been done in past Super Bowls, so a couple hundred media members will have to work out of the adjacent New Orleans Arena and watch the game on TV.

Former NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, who played a leading role in making this game happen when New Orleans' future in the NFL seemed in doubt after the storm, is expected to attend, along with his successor, Roger Goodell.

U2 and Green Day will play during pregame ceremonies. Former President George H.W. Bush is slated for the coin flip, although he may not receive quite the welcome of another Bush — the running back named Reggie, who'll be making his home debut in the refurbished dome.

This is a tough ticket. On the Saints' Web site, season ticket holders who have decided to resell their tickets on a team-approved exchange program are asking $690 for upper deck seats, more for premium seats.

"Could this game be any more hyped up or bigger than it already is?" quarterback Drew Brees said. "We all know what it is, but the way I'm approaching this week is: It's a football game and we need to win it. That's it."