Last week, the Indianapolis Colts defeated the New York Jets 30-17, and the New Orleans Saints edged the Minnesota Vikings 31-28 in overtime to earn berths in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, FL, this Sunday. “The Patriot” brings you a breakdown of the game, featuring Editor in Chief Daniel Gallen and Executive Editor Kate Froehlich, culminating with the final picks of the year, and thrusting fans everywhere into the second season: the offseason.
Daniel Gallen: Obviously, the main catalysts to this game are the quarterbacks. Everything on the Colts goes through Peyton Manning while everything on the Saints goes through Drew Brees. However, both teams can win if either quarterback is having an off day because of their supporting casts. But because of the struggles of the Colts running game with Joseph Addai and Donald Brown, it’s harder for the Colts to win if Manning isn’t Manning. The Saints can win without Brees having a significant role because of the job Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush have done. Bush showed the extent of his potential in the game against Arizona, but was contained by Minnesota in the NFC Championship Game. The first key to the game has to be the running games. The quarterbacks always show up to play, so a majority of their performance will depend on their running backs.
Kate Froehlich: Addai has proven that he can be a factor, just not as consistently as the Colts would like. Hopefully Kim Kardashian doesn’t come to the game; she hasn’t been the best luck in the past for Bush. Besides, Bush might have done well against the Cards, but he’s only had 390 yards this season, his lowest total of his career, although he was hampered by knee injuries. Not exactly encouraging signs. I’m curious to see if he’ll succeed against a small, but fast Colts D in the pressure of the Super Bowl.
I’m not convinced that the Colts will win without a strong performance by Manning. However, I doubt they have to worry. Manning will show up to this game more prepared than anyone else on the field, as usual. Even if the Saints secondary manages to shut down Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clarke like the Jets (well, Revis Island especially) were able to do, he has two surprisingly impressive emerging receivers in Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. If only the Ravens had this receiving core…
By the way, do you find it odd that both these teams have such proficient passing offenses? Normally when I think of the Super Bowl, I think of teams relying on their backs and strong defenses to get through the end of the season. But then again, I’m a Ravens fan. It’s all I’ve ever known. You know, “Defenses win championships?” Maybe this old adage is going to have to change…
DG: Yes, it does look pretty odd to have two high-flying offenses going up against each other. Last year, the Steelers’ grind-it-out offense won over the Cardinals powerful air attack, while before that, the Giants tough D and ground game took down the 18-0 Patriots. I can’t think of a year when there were two air attacks like these going at it. These cornerbacks are going to be in for long days, so it looks like it’ll come down to the team that has the most playmakers in the secondary. I have to give that edge to New Orleans with Darren Sharper. He was a rookie in Super Bowl XXXII with the Packers when they lost to John Elway and the Broncos and has been looking to make it back to the big game ever since. He’s showed up to play week in and week out this year, with nine interceptions and three touchdowns during the regular season. The Colts secondary doesn’t really have anyone that can make that big of an impact, with Bob Sanders missing most of the year. Sure, Antoine Bethea or Kelvin Hayden can make a play, but Sharper is definitely the defensive back to watch.
I love the Colts linebackers. They’re small, fast, and hard-hitting, which is what a team needs in order to stick with the Saints. Gary Brackett, Clint Sessions, and Philip Wheeler all have a noise for the ball. I’m really looking to see Sessions make a key play. He’s made some dumb plays in the past (like last year in the playoffs against San Diego), but this year he always seems to be in the right place at the right time. These are the guys that the Colts need to stick with Bush and Thomas, but they also have to cover Jeremy Shockey, who can develop this into an intriguing mismatch with his unique physical tools. Brees to Shockey could make the Colts D miserable. At the same time, Dallas Clark has been so good for the Colts offense that he’ll cause problems for the Saints D. I can’t remember a matchup where the offenses were so good position by position.
KF: Oh good times, Super Bowl XLII. I wonder if the makeup on the NFL is going to change- will it become a more passer-friendly league? Or maybe we’re just reading too much into one match up. But the passing-game-focused Colts beat out the Jets, who focus so much more on their run-game, to make it to the Super Bowl in the first place. Yes, the secondaries are going to be crucial. The Colts are missing Sanders (or “The Hitman”), who, when not struggling with injuries, is one of the best safeties in the league. I wouldn’t count out Bethea or Hayden- both have a pick in the post season, one more than Sharper. Melvin Bullit has been playing for Sanders, and while not even close to the same caliber of strong safety, he has had 77 tackles this season.
Yes, they should match up well with the Saints. The Colts are hoping so. The linebackers will be fine covering the backs for the Saints- they can match or get close to matching their speed. The tight ends for both teams are fantastic, although the Jets were able to shut down Clark pretty well. If the Saints can match that strategy, they’ll be fine.
Defensive end Dwight Freeney’s ankle injury is a huge cause for concern. He’s not practicing, but coach Jim Caldwell is claiming Freeney will play on Sunday. He’s not going to be 100 percent, obviously, with a sprained ankle, including a torn ligament. For a team leader with 13.5 sacks this year, Freeney coming off the edge is always a problem from offenses, even if he’s hindered by this injury.
However, we haven’t yet mentioned Super Bowl experience. Because of all the hype and media attention surrounding the Super Bowl, it is extremely important to have a team focused on winning the title and not getting distracted by the glamor of South Beach. The Colts have nearly half their roster with experience on the big stage, including offensive leaders like Manning and Wayne. Compare this to the Saints, where it’s just three players, one of whom is a long snapper. Look for the Colts to start off stronger, as the Saints may take a little more time to get adjusted to playing in the Super Bowl.
DG: If the Saints do shut down Clark, they leave Garcon and Collie open. Both teams’ offenses are just too much for me to think about right now. Too many weapons.
Freeney could definitely be the X-factor. We saw how much getting knocked around bothered Brett Favre, and the Colts will have to do the same thing to Brees to keep him from getting into a rhythm. This whole thing with the offenses and defenses being matched up so well creates an “anything-can-happen” atmosphere, which definitely plays into both teams’ strengths, but I’d say more in the Saints’ direction. The defense has been by described as “opportunistic” by nearly everyone, and I look for them to exhibit this fierce nose for the ball again on the big stage. As I said before, Darren Sharper will (hopefully) make a big play in this game, possibly for six.
However, the big game atmosphere seems to play into Caldwell’s court. Peyton Manning is, well, Peyton Manning, a true gamer who will always be focused out there. The Saints, on the other hand, are playing fast and loose, enjoying the ride. Sometimes this translates into good play, but other times it fails miserably. If the Saints get out to a slow start due to being starstruck in the Super Bowl atmosphere, the Colts can jump out to a big lead and never have to look back. I don’t see this happening though. Brees is the leader of that team and will have the Saints focused and ready to play. The Colts are already facing one big distraction in Freeney’s health, and this can also have a huge impact on the field.
Overall, both teams look great going into Sunday’s matchup. I’m hopeful that it will be a great game with plenty of big plays from the playmakers on either side. However, Drew Brees isn’t Joe Flacco or Mark Sanchez, both of whom were a bit careless with the ball against the Colts defense. Brees will not make the same mistakes those young quarterbacks did, while the Saints defense will force timely turnovers.
Pick: Saints 34, Colts 31
KF: I’m going with the Colts. It’s going to be a shoot out, but the Colts have the experience and big play makers on offense, as well as key players to watch on D. Watch Stover have a key field goal to win the game. Vegas is giving four in favor of the Colts, but it’s going to be closer than that.
And be quiet about Flacco, Dan, I’m still extremely bitter. By the way, I’m not surprised that you made a Favre reference. However, loving Brett is key to becoming a successful NFL journalist (see Peter King).
Pick: Colts 27, Saints 24
Daniel Gallen can be reached for comment at [email protected].
Kate Froehlich can be reached for comment at [email protected] .