It should have never been in doubt. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is dancing in the end zone, having put together a thrilling last-minute drive to score city-funded Super Bowl tickets. In case you haven't been following: Last week, it was fourth and long as Nagin, feeling a little insulted that he was only offered the option to buy tickets in the "nosebleed" section, was still looking for a decent seat at the game, and debating how to pay for them. He told WBOK's Gerod Stevens: "I just thought that as mayor of the city, I would go to the (Super Bowl) as a representative of the city and of the Saints, and it wouldn't be an issue."

It looked like a long field ahead, but Nagin stepped up his game. Reminding any doubters that he is a seasoned veteran, he told WBOK: "Some people seem to forget I come from the business environment. So I got contacts at ESPN, USAToday, you name it. So I'm going to work it out." That's when Nagin made a critical call to the Saints organization.

With the goal line in sight, the mayor fumbled, then recovered when a reporter asked who paid for the tickets. "I paid for them," he told WBOK's Stevens before correcting himself. "Well, the city paid for them because this is an official visit, a business trip." Touchdown, Nagin. And the extra point is good as NOLA taxpayers will also fund the mayor's securtiy detail for the trip.