It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the Super Bowl represents the pinnacle of American culture. It’s the only sporting event that can usher in the discussion of whether or not it should be a national holiday. It is the prominent definition of American ingenuity as we see both sports and entertainment unite for one glorious extravaganza. People don’t just watch the Super Bowl for the game. They’re in it for the high-priced commercials and the captivating halftime performances of aging rock stars. Ever since the 2004 staging mishap with Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake, the Super Bowl committee has censored their halftime shows to the point where they are more family-oriented. The NFL steers away from controversy, playing it safe to avoid public scrutiny and continue delivering a product that sells every year. As a result, we have seen world-renowned artists like The Rolling Stones, Prince and Bruce Springsteen take to the stage and enthrall us with the famous music we know all too well. There was no hint of controversy with these performances. There was only the safeguarding of cultural shock value one would not be able to find if artists like Eminem and 50 Cent did the Super Bowl halftime show. This is a brilliant marketing ploy on the part of the NFL because it lures in the power of aging celebrity to sell the game to the average viewer. People who do not watch football on a regular basis watch for the spectacle of the Super Bowl, the idea of it being a staple of American culture and an event where one can party with friends at a local bar. Such is the mystique of Super Bowl Sunday, a glorified excuse to sit back, relax, and enjoy the finer points of being an American citizen.
Of course, there are many people who will tune in simply to watch a good football game. Journalists and fanboys everywhere are allured by the concept of having two #1 seeds meet in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1993. People are yearning to see two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL square off for the right to be called World Champion. And many are wondering if Colts GM Bill Polian will emerge as the ultimate architect of a Super Bowl winning season. Or will he be recognized as the shameful goat who said No to perfection only to have his team fall short in lieu of the big game. It is fair to say that this matchup between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts is certainly one of the more intriguing Super Bowls of the last decade. These two teams have the potential to put an extraordinary amount of points on the scoreboard and turn Super Bowl XLIV into a gunfight at the O.K. Corral. In the end, it may come down to which team has the ball last ,or quite possibly, which defense can make the pivotal stop to send their team to the podium with Jim Nantz and the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Let us turn our sights to the Indianapolis Colts. When one thinks about it, this is a team that hasn’t lost a game all season long. How is that possible when they lost two regular season games against the Jets and the Bills? It’s possible because in those two losses, they did not use their players for the full 60 minutes, thereby allowing the Jets and the Bills to take advantage of their opportunities and scratch off easy victories. In essence, the Colts are a perfect team because they have not lost a meaningful game all season long. There have been games where they’ve been outplayed from start to finish and quite frankly, did not deserve to win. Yet because of their competitive desire and the fire that burns strongly within the confines of that organization, the Colts found a way to win and solidified themselves as the absolute best in the AFC this season. In some cases, the reason why the Colts won some of those games was not because of Peyton Manning but rather their defense’s ability to force turnovers and make plays with the game on the line. The Colts defense has been flying under the radar all season long. Even though their statistical rankings fail to reflect the dynamics of a great defense, the Colts have had the ability to put pressure on the opposing quarterback and shut down the running game in very tight situations. In their two playoff games against the Ravens and Jets, the Colts defense effectively neutralized the opposing running games and forced Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez to make plays through the air. They held Ray Rice to just 67 yards rushing and forced four turnovers from the Ravens in a win that sent them to the AFC Championship Game. They held Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene to a combined total of 83 yards rushing and no touchdowns in a win that sent them to Super Bowl XLIV. This is a defensive unit that will have no problem shutting down the New Orleans running attack. They have had two weeks to prepare for the fast trickery and deceptive speed of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas, which means they will be ready for everything Sean Payton comes up with in this game. Luckily for the Saints, the strength of their offense comes through the air.
How will the Saints look to hang with the Colts on Sunday night? By throwing the ball early and often. Sean Payton and Drew Brees will want to establish their dominance and manipulation of the Colts secondary by opening up the playbook and going for the kill shot. They want the Colts to abandon their offensive game plan by forcing Peyton Manning to score touchdowns every time he steps on the field. Yet their defensive secondary is not going to give up so easily. The Colts were ranked 14th in the NFL in pass defense during the regular season. While that certainly was the best part of that defense statistically, they have not faced an offensive juggernaut like the New Orleans Saints since Week 12 when they played the Texans. With all due respect to the Ravens and the Jets, they did not have a sufficient arsenal that could hang with the Colts on the scoreboard. This means that the Colts secondary will be challenged all night long by Drew Brees and company. Cornerbacks Kelvin Hayden and Jerraud Powers are going to have a tough time containing Marques Colston and Devery Henderson at the line of scrimmage. In order for them to be successful in this game, the Colts will need to throw Colston and Henderson off their routes and force Brees to sit in the pocket a little longer. Safeties Antoine Bethea and Melvin Bullitt need to do the most work on Sunday because not only will they have to patrol the middle of the field and jam the New Orleans slot receivers, but they also have to help with coverage on Colston and Henderson. Brees is a quarterback of great accuracy who will have no problem getting the ball where it needs to be. And one of the primary advantages that the Saints receivers have is their ability to grab the ball at its highest point and snatch it on their way to the ground. The Colts secondary will certainly have their hands full on Sunday against a daunting Saints passing attack. If Brees doesn’t burn them with the deep threat, he will certainly wear them down by having Lance Moore slanting towards the middle in the slot and Jeremy Shockey running dig routes towards the sidelines. The Colts have had two weeks to prepare. Has that been enough time to find a way to slow down the Saints?
One could flip that last question around and wonder if the Saints have had enough time to figure out Peyton Manning. Yet therein lies the paradox of the situation, which is that it’s virtually impossible to stop Peyton Manning. A better question would be whether or not the Saints defense have figured out how to contain him. The Saints will seek to limit the damage Manning can inflict whenever he touches the ball. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has made no secret that he will try to blitz the Colts early and often in this game. In the NFC Championship Game, the Saints were very successful in getting to Brett Favre and wore him down significantly throughout the course of the game. They were also able to force five turnovers from the Vikings, which kept them in the ball game and prevented the Vikings from running away on a tide of momentum. This is the same formula that will be used in an effort to defeat the Colts on Sunday night. The Saints know deep down that they will not be able to shut down Peyton Manning simply because no team has been able to do it all season long. In order for them to be successful, they will need to get pressure on Manning in the pocket and force him to break out of his rhythm. All of this is easier said than done because if Peyton Manning needs to put points on the scoreboard, then he will put points on the scoreboard. The Saints have the #2 blitzing defense in the NFL. Which team was ranked #1? That would be the New York Jets whose butts got handed to them on a silver platter in the AFC Championship Game. Manning crippled the Jets secondary, going 26/39 for 377 yards and 3 touchdown passes. While it is true that the Jets were successfully able to contain Manning during the first half of that game, the second half was an entirely different story. Once Manning figured out the defensive schemes Rex Ryan was throwing at him, there was absolutely no way the Jets could stop him from executing play after play after play. Gregg Williams has had two weeks to cook up a defensive scheme of intriguing complexity and profound layers. He will need to throw everything at Manning, hoping to God that something works because truth be told, it will take a miracle for the Saints to have an effective pass rush in this game.
The Saints were ranked 25th in the NFL in total defense this season, which means that the odds are definitely not in their favor. Yet the only reason they are playing in Super Bowl XLIV is because their defense forced turnovers and made plays when they had to. They will need to do the same on Sunday because if they don’t, there will be no way to stop Manning from finding his receivers and having his way with the Saints secondary. Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, and Dallas Clark will present significant matchup problems for the Saints linebackers and secondary units. Collie and Garcon stepped up in a big way during the AFC Championship Game when Wayne was trapped on Revis Island and Clark was contained over the middle. The Saints do not have a shut-down cornerback who will be able to cause havoc for Wayne at the line of scrimmage. Cornerback Jabari Greer is going to have a lot of trouble taking Wayne out of this game, which means that Darren Sharper will spend the majority of his Super Bowl in double coverage. This will allow Manning to spread the ball around to his other receivers, which will force Jonathan Vilma and Scott Fujita to patrol the middle of the field and seal off Dallas Clark. Tracy Porter will need to have a great game against Pierre Garcon, who will no doubt have the spotlight in this game because he is playing for Haiti. Porter will have a tough challenge all night long because Garcon will be inspired and motivated to have the game of his life. Should Porter be successful, then the only weapon Manning will have is Austin Collie. And if it comes to that, then the Colts will look to pound the ball with Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. The Saints were ranked 21st in stopping the run this season, which means Addai and Brown have the potential to make some noise in between the tackles on Sunday. On paper, this is a Saints team completely outmatched by the power of the Colts offense. And in essence, this game really should not be close because the Colts are motivated to give Manning his 2nd Super Bowl title.
So then why are some people predicting the Saints to win this game when everyone in the world knows that the Colts are significantly better statistically? Because the Saints are playing for something bigger than the Vince Lombardi trophy. They are playing for a city that was ravaged by the pain and turmoil of Hurricane Katrina. They are playing for a city who used the Superdome as their second home when the howling winds and scattering rainstorms drowned New Orleans in pools of mud. They are playing for a city who has used their football team as a beacon of hope in their time of rebuilding. And they are playing for a city that is ready for a championship. One could argue that the Saints are a team of destiny. How else do you explain the Vikings having 12 men in the huddle with 19 seconds to go and Brett Favre throwing an interception to send the NFC Championship Game into overtime? This is a team that seems to believe that God is on their side; that the full tilt of inner-city resurrection will take a huge step forward with a victory on Sunday night. To watch the Saints win the Super Bowl on Sunday would probably go down as the most revered moment in NFL history. In order for that to happen, they will need everything to fall their way on Sunday night. They will need Peyton Manning to make mistakes throwing the football. The Saints defense will need to collapse him in the pocket and force him to throw the ball quickly. This means that the secondary will need to be very aggressive to the point where they are ready to deflect or intercept the ball once Manning releases it. And the Saints offense cannot afford to make mistakes or take plays off in this game. Drew Brees could have the game of his life on Sunday, carrying the dreams of a city on his shoulders. And it would truly be a storybook ending if Brees could throw the game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock and send the Vince Lombardi trophy to New Orleans for the first time in NFL history.
However, all of this is assuming that the Saints will play perfectly on Sunday night. A cold dose of reality tells me that Manning will not make mistakes and will have his team ready to play for a championship. The Saints will do their best to get in Manning’s face, with Will Smith and Bobby McCray beating the tackles at the edge and attacking Manning’s blind side. Yet Manning will prove once again why he is the best quarterback in the NFL. He will conquer the blitz with incredible ease and will find his receivers over the middle often in this game. The Colts will look to control the time of possession, which will prevent the Saints from putting enough points on the scoreboard. And once the game begins to spiral in the Colts favor, look for Brees to start forcing some throws along the sidelines. This will result in incompletions that will stall drives and take away the Saints’ ability to control the pace of the game. It will also result in a pivotal turnover that will lead to a game-ending touchdown by Manning and company. There is no doubt in my mind that the Saints will prove to be an admirable foe in Super Bowl XLIV. And it wouldn’t surprise me at all if they pulled off the upset on Sunday. But my head will not bet against Peyton Manning, not with a championship hanging in the balance and not when this Colts team abandoned perfection for the sake of the Vince Lombardi trophy. Who Dat Say They Gonna Beat Dem Saints? The Colts will put a dagger into the heart of this Cinderella season and bring a title home to Indianapolis.
FINAL SCORE: COLTS 34, SAINTS 24
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