Brees v. Manning, Super Bowl 44

So I have to talk about something to get that 31 point (should have been worse) drubbing of the Razorbacks out of my mind; so I turn my sights to the NFL. There is this thing called the Super Bowl (have you ever noticed that even broadcasters don't know if it's one or two words?) and the teams that are slated to be there are the Indianapolis Colts (Mark's preseason pick) and the New Orleans Saints (Brad's preseason pick).

If you are like me and you watched the games this weekend you can't help but be excited about Super Bowl 44. Let's start with Mark's pick, the Colts. The Colts took the number one rated defense in football and made them look like chumps. I for one am glad because I was so tired of seeing the Jets thump their chests. Two words jump out to me when I think of the Colts: Peyton Manning. People, he is the GREATEST QUARTERBACK TO EVER PLAY THE GAME! I have always been of the though that John Elway was the best ever, but I was wrong. When you watch Peyton Manning it is easy to see why one might think that Mr. Elway, or whoever you want to put in the "greatest ever" category has been surpassed.

This guy does flat out amazing things with his mind. To say that he's not the most mobile quarterback in history would be an understatement with a 40 time somewhere in the mid fives one would suppose. To say he doesn't have the greatest arm in history would also be a fair assessment, although his arm is obviously up to standard. To say that he's the smartest quarterback in history would be right on the money. The things that he does are just mind boggling. He makes teams show him what they are doing before they do it which gives him an obvious advantage. It didn't matter what Rex Ryan and the Jets defense wanted to throw at Mr. Manning it was not enough. He's simply amazing. He became one of five quarterbacks to throw for 375 + yards three touchdowns and zero interceptions in a playoff game. Remember all the Revis Island talk before the game? Revis was an absolute non-factor in the game. On the shoulders of Manning the Colts looked great in coming back from a 17-6 deficit, scoring 24 straight for a 30-17 victory.

On to the Saints. I bet the Dallas Cowboys are kicking themselves for not naming Shawn Peyton coach in waiting when he was the number one assistant for Bill Parcells. All this guy has done has get the New Orleans Saints from the laughingstock of the league to two NFC championships in four years and now a Super Bowl. Now that being said, my preseason pick New Orleans Saints should be sitting at home right now and the Minnesota Vikings should be the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl. Although, when you turn the ball over five times you do not deserve to win the game. The Saints just took advantage of what was given to them by the Vikings. Either way, the Saints were the best team in the NFC for most of the year, after starting 13-0. There was a thought at one time that Colts v. Saints as two undefeated teams vying for the biggest prize could be a reality; but the Saints got pounded by the Cowboys, and the Colts pretty much just didn't want to go undefeated (in my opinion they would have done it). So it's not as if the Saints don't deserve to go.

The Saints can be proud because they have become a symbol for a ravaged city. When Hurricane Katrina pounded New Orleans it looked as if the Saints new destination would be Los Angeles. Had that happened it could have been the blow that the city could not have recovered from. To the organization's credit they stuck it out. It couldn't have been easy playing a home game against the Giants in New York, or playing the majority of their home games in LSU's death valley. They also took a chance on a quarterback who had shown brilliance in his career, but had a major shoulder injury that nobody was really sure how he would recover, in Drew Brees. They must also thank Nick Saban because he was the coach for the Miami Dolphins and they were Drew Brees' number one destination, but the Dolphins decided to pass on Brees and take Daunte Culpepper. Shawn Peyton, New Orleans, and Brees have been a match made in heaven. These guys have brought more success to the Saints in the brief amount of time they have been there than in the history of the Saints combined.

Will the dream season for the Saints continue?

Even though, the Saints have been my pick for the Super Bowl I am going to have to give the Colts the advantage in this one. Their defense is underrated and again Peyton Manning just seems like he is too good right now to lose the big one. I like the Colts 27 Saints 17