MIAMI — Jeremy Shockey wasn't in a suite for this Super Bowl. Instead, he was part of the New Orleans Saints' sweetest victory.

Shockey hauled in a touchdown catch for the go-ahead score Sunday night, helping the Saints beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 for their first Super Bowl championship.

And for Shockey, that 2-yard score had to feel like redemption. He was with the New York Giants — in name only — when they won the Super Bowl two years ago, watching that title game from a suite and feeling like an outcast after breaking his left leg and missing their scintillating playoff run.

That essentially set up his trade to New Orleans. This ring, he can say he earned.

The stat sheet will say he had only three catches for 13 yards in the title game. The Saints will quickly say that Shockey did so much more than that on the way to this championship.

Blond, bold and brash, Shockey came to the NFL from the Miami Hurricanes, where he blossomed into a star.

He caught 74 passes for 894 yards as a rookie with the Giants in 2002, both of those numbers still representing his career-highs.

On Sunday, he got the best moment of his career.

It came with 5:42 left in the game, catching a pass from Drew Brees and barreling backward into the end zone — putting the Saints ahead for good. Shockey tossed the ball to the sideline, wanting it as a keepsake.

A ballboy picked it up instead.

No matter — Shockey will have plenty of other ways to remember this one.