Super Bowl XLIV Saints – Colts Preview

Thursday, 04 February 2010 00:00

Everybody is waiting to see who will come on top on the much anticipated duel between league’s MVP Peyton Manning and the leader of the NFL’s No 1 offense Drew Brees.

The fans in part of Indiana and in New Orleans will have something to celebrate regardless of which team wins Super Bowl XLIV.

Manning faces his hometown team, as the Indianapolis Colts bid for their second title in four years Sunday at Miami, in a matchup with Brees and a New Orleans Saints team making its Super Bowl debut.

Three years ago, Manning won his first championship, a 29-17 win over Chicago in the same Land Shark Stadium. This time he’ll face a team once quarterbacked by his father Archie, who still lives in New Orleans. Peyton played at Isidore Newman High School, as did his brothers, Eli – who won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants two years ago – and Cooper.

If Manning leads the Colts to victory, many fans in New Orleans will certainly be celebrating their hometown hero’s accomplishment.

“New Orleans is a huge part of my life, as well as Eli’s life,” said Manning. “My dad’s been a part of the Saints organization for 39 years in some ways. We definitely have strong ties.”

Manning’s favorite target, Reggie Wayne, also grew up in New Orleans and running back Joseph Addai was still playing for LSU when Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005.

Despite those ties, the Saints have the undying loyalty of New Orleans natives, even more so now that they reached the championship game for the first time in the 43-year-old franchise’s history.

If the Saints win, parts of northwest Indiana will be cheering.

Near the Purdue campus in West Lafayette, 65 miles from Indianapolis, Brees remains an icon in the area after leading the Boilermakers’ revival a decade ago.

New Orleans, still recovering from the catastrophe, got a big boost from the Saints’ rise to prominence, and the fans are grateful as much of the team’s role in helping to rebuild the city following Katrina, as they are proud of their success on the field.

“It’s a moment I’ve been waiting for a long time,” said Brees. “The job is not done yet but obviously we’re going to enjoy this. Now we’ve got to finish it in Miami.”

Brees led the NFL with a 109.8 passer rating, throwing for 4,388 yds and a league-best 34 TDs. He threw for three TDs as the Saints won the NFC championship game 31-28 against the Vikings. The Saints (15-3) started 13-0, before losing to the Cowboys on Week 15, and then to Tampa Bay and Carolina to end the season.

Manning, who’s been criticized at times for his failure to win big games, has won six of his last eight playoff contests. He’s led the Colts to a 16-2 record this season, and they may have been perfect if Manning and other key players weren’t rested by first-year coach Jim Caldwell in the final two games of the regular season.

After finishing second in the NFL in yards passing with 4,500 and TD passes (33), Manning showed his great talent in beating Baltimore and the Jets, two of the league’s best defenses, in the postseason. His patience and his ability to strike quickly demonstrated how much he understands and dominates the game. He earned a 104.6 passer rating in the playoffs, throwing five TDs for one interception.

Manning threw for 377 yds and 3 TDs against the NFL’s top-ranked defense in the AFC championship game, leading Indianapolis to rally from an 11-point deficit with 2 minutes left in the first half to a 30-17 win over the Jets, in an impressive performance.

Colts defensive leader Dwight Freeney suffered an ankle injury in that game which kept him out of practice. The All-Pro defensive end expects to play, though probably in a limited role, on third downs. Freeney’s absence would be a big blow to the Colts, who ranked eighth in scoring defense (19.2 points per game) during the regular season, but raised the intensity and were impressive in the playoffs.

New Orleans raked 20th in scoring defense (21.3 pts per game), and allowed 42 points in the postseason. The Saints, though, have forced 39 turnovers during the regular season and seven in the playoffs. They intercepted Brett Favre twice and recovered three fumbles in the NFC title game, but didn’t sack the 40-year-old QB.

Although Manning was only sacked 10 times in the regular season, New Orleans’ defense will have to find a way to pressure him if they won’t to slow him down. Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams created a buzz by saying the Saints will try to put some “remember-me hits” on Manning.

To help out their defense, New Orleans may run the ball a bit more to try to control the clock and keep Manning off the field.

Well, we’ve heard that and we’ve seen the results, when the Ravens with Ray Rice, and the Jets with the league’s No 1 rushing offense attempted the same strategy with no success.

Pierre Thomas usually carries the load rushing for the Saints, and Reggie Bush is a very explosive running back, capable of big plays rushing and receiving.

“They have really good backs, fast backs with Reggie Bush,” Colts LB Clint Session said. “We try not to get a lot of separation with a guy like him in the open field, so we’re probably playing him a little tighter than normal.”

The Saints can’t expect the Colts to make the mistakes the Vikings did, turning the ball over five times. Manning has played two very clean postseason games against much better defenses.

Brees will have to be at his best and score a lot of points for the New Orleans Saints to accomplish what their fans think is their destiny, win their first Super Bowl.

Not that I’m not a believer in fate, but I think Manning once again will demonstrate he’s the most intelligent quarterback in the NFL and will lead Indianapolis to victory Sunday in Miami, joining a short list of quarterbacks that includes Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana, John Elway and Tom Brady, to win more than one Super Bowl

Check out the odds and betting lines at BetPhoenix.com Sportsbook, and put a wager on your favorite team to win Super Bowl XLIV. Don’t miss on the last NFL’s 2009 season matchup !

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Super Bowl XLIV Saints – Colts Preview

Super Bowl XLIV Saints – Colts Preview

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