MIAMI — By any logic known in the National Football League, what we saw Sunday night in Super Bowl XLIV was never supposed to happen.

As we await pro football’s biggest day, we look forward to watching the game’s current best vie for the ultimate prize. But why not look back and see where both the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts came from to get to this point. The latter has had much more overall success, but both have had talented players at all positions. Below is a rundown of each club’s top five best all-time players.

STAFFORD — It’ll take a heck of a mechanic to repair the Washington Redskins machine. Team brass is hoping that Mike Shanahan, set to be the next head coach, will be the guy with the Midas touch. Granted, he has two Super Bowl rings.

STAFFORD — When you say the year 2010, it almost sounds futuristic, almost like we should be driving flying cars and interacting with aliens. Those are, thankfully, never going to happen for the foreseeable years of our lifetime. What seems just as unlikely is the Washington Redskins having sustained success under their current regime. However, they provided a couple of the area’s top moments of the past decade. Below are the top five of the past 10 years

STAFFORD — Stripped of his play-calling abilities, Redskins Head Coach Zorn suffered another loss with Washington on Monday, losing to the Philadelphia Eagles 27-17.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a nearly-empty Nationals Park more than three hours before game time, John Maine stood in the green grass in left field and gently tossed the baseball to his catcher.

STAFFORD — The Washington Redskins’ loss to the New England Patriots on Aug. 28 (27-24) leaves them with just one remaining preseason game to tackle.

FEDEX FIELD, Md. — The Washington Redskins will face the New England Patriots at FedEx Field on Friday, following a win against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason.

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The Washington Nationals are playing the Milwaukee Brewers while the Redskins have a preseason game against the Steelers Saturday.

STAFFORD — The Redskins’ first preseason game was held Aug. 13 against the Baltimore Ravens.

A possible playoff preview in the Carolina League, the two division leaders will match up in Potomac.

New manager, same old story. The Nationals made a switch at skipper over the all-star break, replacing Manny Acta with Jim Riggleman. Just four games in, the results look all too familiar.

The Nationals and Astros start off their weekend series — the last prior to the All-Star break — in unusual fashion. Thursday begins with a Washington home game…in Houston.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Next year’s World Cup just got a little more interesting.

Applications are now being evaluated for the Ten Star All Star Summer Basketball Camp.

ARLINGTON — The Washington Capitals and the American Red Cross will host a blood drive on Feb. 28 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

TAMPA — So how do you get a hyperbaric chamber into your hotel room? Hines Ward laughed. “How do you do it? You move some tables out of the way and tell the hotel to pick up some tables and just lay it right beside my bed,” the Steelers’ all-time leading receiver said Tuesday.

TAMPA — Have we got a story for you. Larry Fitzgerald has covered 28 Super Bowls as a journalist but had never been at a Media Day like Tuesday, and not because there was a Spanish TV guy wearing a red gown.

TAMPA — The Titans, Panthers, Giants and Steelers hope that coveted first-round playoff bye lives up to its reputation this weekend.

It’s time to hand out the hardware for a 2008 NFL season marked by suspension, dissension, controversial officiating, key injuries and a flood of terrific performances.

ASHBURN — Jim Zorn addresses the media each Monday in an area about the size of a living room. He is given a podium and a Redskins background to create the appearance of a massive auditorium, though his left arm could grab a soda from the Coke machine right next to him.

WOODBRIDGE — So the Washington Redskins finally got a home win, ending a couple of dreadful streaks — three straight overall, three straight at home.

WOODBRIDGE — Potomac Nationals baseball is offering a Holiday Four-Pack, which includes two tickets to Opening Day on April 17 against the Myrtle Beach Pelicans and vouchers to any other three games of choice excluding the Fourth of July and playoffs.

LANDOVER, Md. — Jim Zorn’s sunny outlook remained, even in the wake of Sunday’s 23-7 loss to the division-leading New York Giants. Zorn’s Redskins could only sporadically move the ball and only occasionally prevent the Giants from moving.

STAFFORD — The Redskins have returned to Washington, D.C. after a successful game against the Seattle Seahawks. The team defeated the Seahawks 20-17 on Sunday.

LANDOVER, Md. — Washington Redskins head coach Jim Zorn walked to the podium and let out an exasperated sigh. He promised a full examination in the aftermath of Sunday night’s 14-10 loss to Dallas, a game that further muddied the picture of which NFC East teams will make the postseason.

LANDOVER, Md. — After three-and-a-half months of work, the Washington Redskins finally get their first chance to rest since the regular season began.

Volatility is common in the stock market these days as well as on the Washington sideline.

Even more surprisingly, volatility will occasionally erupt during a postgame interview. When such things happen, someone has to stay calm.

LANDOVER, Md. — Cleveland had but a few feet to six points. In most instances, it’s a foregone conclusion; goal line situations are plentiful, but goal line stands are rare.