What happened on the football field and parade route after the Saints' Super Bowl victory is amazing and uplifting.

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"He is now a grand icon that in some sense transcends what he does on the football field, " Jones said.

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He said most players simply lift weights to build strength and go through drills that rarely mimic what actually happens on a football field.

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But at the National Football League, voters decide based solely on what happened on the field.

CNN: July 28, 2012 -- Updated 1425 GMT (2225 HKT)

It's been replaced by what's known as "in-fill" turf systems, which cover a football field with 50 million to 70 million 2.5-inch-tall blades of "grass" made from polyethylene, cushioned by a mixture of rubber pellets and silica that acts as the dirt.

FORBES: Magazine Article

What could be better, for his purposes, than a boss with eyes only for the football field, who dismissed him as an exasperating, impulsive knucklehead?

NEWYORKER: In Plain View

As most football fans now know, it is the business arrangements behind the scenes which often drive what happens on the field.

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