Do the Chargers Look at Brees with a Jealous Eye?

What do you think the Chargers are thinking right now? They let Drew Brees go because his shoulder was bothering him a little and they had a young stud in the wings. But they consistenly get bounced out of the playoffs after having a seemingly powerhouse team every year.

Meanwhile, Drew Brees racks up yardage, points, accolades and more importantly - wins. This guy is a winner plain and simple. And now hes' got a Superbowl and an MVP to go along with it. Above all of that he's a class act.

Phillip Rivers will have a great career, but the Chargers have still got to look over their shoulder every once in awhile and wonder - what if?

The Gutsiest Calls Get the Glory

Another Superbowl in the books and it turned out to be a pretty good game. When Peyton Manning lofted that pretty ball into the air over the defenders head for their first touchdown making the score 10-0, it really looked like the game was over already. It looked like the Colts were going to nurse the lead going into the half and then do what they've always done this season, explode in the second half.

But in the second quarter Drew Brees and company started to get their stride again. Even though they only scored 2 FG's, you could tell they were starting to click again. Then we had a very old, traditional, non-controversial half time show (where is Janet and some wardrobe malfunctions when you need them?) and on came a second half that was awesome.

First of all, to me the greatest call of this game was the onside kick to open the second half. Genius. This was even more gutsy than the call to go for it on 4th and goal with another run play. (For the record, I thought it was gutsy but the wrong call..and not just because they didn't convert. At least one of those plays should've been a pass) I remember thinking when the ball was in the air..."genius!". If you're going to do it, that's the time to do it, in a big game when absolutely no one was expecting it. It was only a 4 point game and their defense was playing pretty well and I thought it was worth the shot. I thought all of this while the ball was still unclaimed. You've got to take risks sometimes and I was agreeing with this call before we even found out that it actually worked.

If that was the biggest call, then the biggest play was Tracy Porter's pick 6 while the Colts were threatening to tie the score. That sealed the victory.

The biggest winner here, though, is not Sean Payton or Drew Brees, or even Jeremy Shockey who is a forgotten story (and player) around here. The biggest winner without question is the city of New Orleans and the whole state of Louisiana. Is there anyone who is actually upset that the Saints won? I'm surrounded by true Carolina Panthers fans, a division rival, and they were rooting for the Saints. I don't even think Colts fans are upset that the Saints won. Upset that the Colts lost, yes, but not upset that the Saints won. Good for them. Who Dat?

Who Dat Gonna Win the Superbowl?

The time is finally here. Tomorrow the two juggernauts of the NFL, prematurely crowned many weeks ago as the favorites to represent the NFC and AFC and finally came through after being doubted, second-guessed and taking a few losses, the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will square off. Who will win?

The fan favorite seems to be the Who Dat nation of Saints fans and the many women who will be watching the game purely to see Reggie Bush...I can't tell you how many young and old women have told me that they are watching just to see him. The analyst favorite seems to be the reliable, offensive powerhouse of the Colts. Not necessarily because of the team, but because Peyton Manning is a savant at his position.

I agree with anything that a Colts fan or analyst will tell me. Yes, the Colts won every game that they actually tried to win. Yes, Peyton Manning is uncanny at figuring out defenses and ripping them to shreds in the second half. Yes, they've played better defenses than the Saints (the Jets for example). Yes, this is the first time the Saints have been in the Superbowl while the Colts have been here before and won. And yes, the Saints barely beat the Vikings and in all honesty should have lost that game.

But here's where I stand with this. I believe that the Saints offense will make for a powerful defense and the Colts will have to play under pressure on both sides of the ball. (Let's not forget that the Saints defense is not shabby at all. Not as good as the Jets, but not shabby) I believe that the Saints really want it and that is an intangible that cannot be overstated. I also believe that the key to this game will come down to 2 players. You're expecting me to say Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, but that's too obvious. Besides, they will probably both play lights out. The two players that will shape this game the most is Dwight Freeney and Reggie Bush.
In all likelihood, Dwight Freeney will not play. That could be huge for the Colts. Freeney is their best pass rusher. They do have some other players that are pretty good, but none can really take his place. Reggie Bush is always an X factor and it seems like he's been showing some glimpses of really adapting to this NFL game over the last few weeks. If the Colts cannot adequately replace Freeney's effect on the defense and if Reggie Bush can make 1 or 2 big plays on special teams and on the run game, it may be hard for the Colts to come back from those early leads they habitually give up. I'm picking the Saints.

Who Dat!?!?!

Who Will be in the Superbowl?

This year's playoffs have been a crazy ride. But when it comes down to it, the 2 teams everyone thought were favored to face each other in the Superbowl still have a chance to make it a reality. Of course, everyone thought they would be facing each other as 2 undefeated teams but looking back that kind of fairy tale is too far fetched and unrealistic.

Tomorrow the Saints will face the Vikings for the NFC championship. The Vikings have a potent passing game, the potential for an explosive running game if they ever actually let Adrian Peterson loose again, what looks to be a rejuvenated defense and did I mention one of the best Quarterbacks to ever play the game? The Saints...well, they're the Saints. Highly potent offense, solid running game, potentially explosive special teams and a defense that plays well when it wants to. By the way, Drew Brees is certainly no slouch at QB either. This is a tough game to call, and I could see it going either way. For the sake of making a pick, I will go with the New Orleans Saints.

In the AFC, the Colts will be facing the Jets. On paper this seems like such an easy pick. But in reality the Jets are playing really good football. They remind me of that Ravens team that won the Superbowl several years ago. Outstanding defense, solid running game and less than stellar at the QB position. That being said, there's no way you can go against the Colts in a game like this. They've won every game this year that they've actually tried to win. Brett Favre may be one of the best (or arguably the best) QB to ever play, but Peyton Manning is the best in the league right now. He will not allow this team to lose. The Colts defense is fast...not necessarily great, but fast...besides the Colts offense is their defense. With the Jets its the opposite. Their defense is their offense. This game is not as easy to call as it seems, but I'm definitely going with the Colts. How could you not?

So that would leave us with The New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts in the Superbowl. This was a foregone conclusion about 5 weeks ago, but then the Saints lost some important games and the Colts intentionally lost some games and everyone abandoned hope. Now, if conventional wisdom holds true, they should have a chance to atone for what everyone else saw as "backing into the playoffs."

The Colts and the Saints, yup...sticking to it. We'll see what happens tomorrow.