Super Bowl XLIV: Indianapolis Colts vs New Orleans Saints – 23:30 Sunday 7th February Sky Sports 1/ BBC1:
As with every Super Bowl there is always a lot of history and Super Bowl XLIV does not disappoint.Firstly we have the New Orleans Saints, hailing from a city which only fours years ago had been devastated by Hurricane Katrina. After finishing the 2005 season 3-13, not even the most diehard Saints fans would have believed their team would make the play-offs, let alone the Super Bowl, within the next five years. And as this is also their first Super Bowl you can expect it to be pretty emotional for everyone connected to the Saints. The Colts also have a strong connection to New Orleans, with Archie Manning (Peyton’s father) having played for the Saints for ten years. Peyton was also brought up in New Orleans where he attended Isidore Newman School. This means that it will be an emotional game for the Manning family and puts Archie Manning in a difficult position – his son or his team?
Now attention turns to the serious stuff, we’ll start by looking at the Saints. They are a pass first offence with Drew Brees at the helm.Brees has put up fantastic numbers this season and has proved to his critics that he can handle the big game atmosphere by leading the game winning drive in the NFC Championship game. The Saints can also run the ball effectively, averaging 131yds per game (6th in the NFL), and with the dynamic duo of Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas in the backfield the Saints also possess two running backs that are very adept at catching the ball. Brees also likes to spread the ball about, with seven players having caught 35 or more passes, and with Marques Colston and Robert Meachem both being deep threats, they have the ability to put points on the board quickly. On the defensive side of the ball the Saints are ranked 20th in the NFL, giving up 21 points per game.But they are one of the most productive defences in the NFL with 26 interceptions, 15 forced fumbles (13 recovered) and 8 defensive touchdowns. So Peyton Manning will have to be on the top of his game to beat Darren Sharper and co. The one position that the Saints are weak at is kicker. Although second season kicker Garrett Hartley has only missed two field goal attempts all season, he only had his first start of the season in week 13 and he hasn’t made a kick that has been longer than 39yds this season.And a missed field goal could be what costs the Saints the game.
As with the Saints the Colts are also a pass first offence, but who can blame them. If you have Peyton Manning at quarterback, you use him as much as you can.Manning and Brees are both elite quarterbacks in the NFL but if I had to choose, there would only be one winner. Manning’s stats are nearly identical to Brees’ but the difference between the two of them are the intangibles that Manning possess’. With countless game winning drives behind him, Peyton Manning is almost unflappable and if the Colts find themselves behind with two minutes to play, it is a certainty the ball will be in the hands of number 18. The Colts also have an excellent group of receivers including Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon and the rookie Austin Collie. They also have the leagues best tight end in the form of Dallas Clark.It should be a great match-up between this group and the defensive backs of the Saints. The Colts leading rushers is Joseph Addai with 828yds this season.Addai isn’t the most productive running back in the NFL but he does what the Colts require of him. And like the two running backs for the Saints, Addai is also pretty useful when the ball is thrown to him. The Colts have been labelled as an undersized defensive unit, but the Saints aren’t a power running team, so they shouldn’t have to worry about getting manhandled at the line of scrimmage. And with the speed that the Colt’s defence possesses they have a very good chance of containing Bush and Thomas. They also don’t have a great pass rush with only 34 sacks in the season and 13.5 of them came from Dwight Freeney who is a questionable starter. So with no pressure on Brees, he will have plenty of time in the pocket to try and pick apart the Colts secondary, which hasn’t faced a premiere quarterback in the postseason and he could make them look foolish if they aren’t on the top of their game.
On paper these teams are evenly matched, but the stats don’t counter in the fact that the Colts have been in this position before and came out on top. They have also kept a lot of the key players from that Super Bowl win. So with the big game experience I think the Colts will prevail, in what should be a high scoring match.
Selection:
Indianapolis to beat New Orleans 8/15 (Skybet & Bwin)
