For the last four years, fans on the message board SaintsReport.com have been adding to a thread called "Write the Times-Picayune's Headline for the Day After the Saints Win the Super Bowl." The 13 pages of suggestions that piled up between 2006 and the opening kickoff of Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV—"Convoy of Snow Plows arrives in Hell!"; "Holy *Bleep*!!!"; "We Won! We Actually Won!!!"; and "New Orleans Runs Out of Liquor," to name a few—reveal that, even for the most-optimistic Saints fans, this day was unimaginable. When it actually happened—holy bleep, the Saints really, seriously won the Super Bowl 31-17 over the Indianapolis Colts—the Times-Picayune's real-life headline writers shrugged and admitted defeat. On the field, Saints coach Sean Payton held up a paper that said, simply, "World Champs." Yeah, there really are no words.
If New Orleanians couldn't picture their team winning the Lombardi Trophy, the Saints played like a team that didn't show up to lose. Head coach Sean Payton's Super Bowl philosophy, it appeared, was that it was better to look foolish than act timid. Down seven at the end of the second quarter, Payton chose to go for a touchdown on 4th and goal rather than kick an easy field goal. The Saints got stuffed. The coach's response: an onside kick to start the second half, the first in Super Bowl history before the fourth quarter. Win, lose, or lose while taking huge risks that could make you look totally ridiculous, Payton had decided the Saints would be aggressors. After an unholy mid-field scrum, New Orleans recovered that onside kick and drove for a score to take the lead. "I wasn't worried," Saints kicker Thomas Morstead said after the game about the surprise onside try, which he executed flawlessly. "I was terrified."
The Saints had good reason to be terrified of Peyton Manning. A narrow victory over Brett Favre and the Vikings in the NFC championship game revealed that the Saints' defense struggles to stop a good quarterback without a silly amount of fumbles and interceptions. In the Super Bowl, New Orleans showed there's one other way for a not-so-great defense to stop a great quarterback: Don't let him take the field. Thanks to some time-killing second quarter drives and Morstead's onside kick, the Saints kept the Colts star and New Orleans native on the bench for a shockingly long stretch in the middle of the game.
When he did get a chance to fling the ball around, Manning showed the Saints were right to play keep-away. The Colts' QB repeatedly evaded the New Orleans blitz—no "remember me shots" in this game, despite defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' promise—and zipped passes to tight end Dallas Clark. Struggling to stop the pass, the Saints' defense also couldn't get a hand on running back Joseph Addai. All that kept the Colts from running up the score in the first half was a third-down drop by a wide open Pierre Garçon.
And then, after holding the Saints on 4th and goal with less than two minutes to go, the Colts stopped themselves. Rather than let Manning try to throw the team into field goal range, Indy strangely complied with the Saints' plan to keep the NFL's most valuable player on the sidelines. After three faint-hearted running plays, the Saints had the ball back with enough time to cut their halftime deficit to 10-6 on a 44-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley.
Nonetheless, New Orleans' second half comeback wasn't solely the product of momentum or an audacious onside kick. The Saints won for the reason they usually win: Drew Brees' scary accuracy. After the 2008 season, a show called Sport Science asked Brees to throw a football at an archery target ten times; he hit the bull's-eye on all ten throws. The Saints' quarterback doesn't do much worse with huge defensive linemen trying to kill him. Brees set an NFL record this season by completing 70.6 percent of his passes. He did even better on Sunday night, completing more than 82 percent of his throws. The final stats for the deserving Super Bowl MVP: 32-39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Brees moved his team against a Colts defense that tackled surely and didn't allow any big plays. All year long, the Saints piled up points with long passes. In the Super Bowl, they had just two offensive plays longer than 20 yards. In today's NFL, though, there's no way to keep a good passing game down without a dominant pass rush. By the second half, Indy's star defensive end Dwight Freeney was hobbling around on his busted ankle and Brees had time to thread the ball to Pierre Thomas for 12 yards, Devery Henderson for nine, and Marques Colston for eight. Every ball was on somebody's fingertips, and the Saints receivers didn't drop anything after Colston let a ball bounce off his face in the first quarter.
Despite Brees throwing close to a perfect game, the Colts still had a 17-16 lead in the fourth quarter. In a game of huge kicks, both onside and conventional—a hat tip to Hartley, the first kicker in Super Bowl history to make three field goals of longer than 40 yards—Matt Stover's missed 51-yard field goal with 10:39 to go had the biggest effect on the outcome. Instead of giving the Colts a four-point lead, the errant kick set up the Saints at their 40-yard line—field position they'd use to drive for the game-winning touchdown.
Stover deserves no blame for missing that crucial kick—he hasn't made a 50-yard field goal since 2006. Blame Colts coach Jim Caldwell. Sure, it would've taken Sean Payton-esque chutzpah to go for it on 4th and 11 from the 33-yard line in a one-point game. But to hell with convention: When your elderly kicker has no chance of knocking it through, why have him try?
Aside from Caldwell's iffy game management, this was a Super Bowl free of all things that make football annoying. The refs kept their flags in their pockets and CBS announcers Jim Nantz and Phil Simms kept their feet out of their mouths, sticking to the on-field action rather than waxing poetic about the Saints uniting a hurricane-ravaged city. (Dishonorable mention does go to Katie Couric, who asked Brees in a pre-game interview, "Did you help save New Orleans, or did New Orleans help save you?") There was also just one contested call—a replay reversal on Lance Moore's catch for a two-point conversion—that, by comparison with your average Super Bowl imbroglio, barely qualified as controversial. (Saints fans should send black-and-gold bouquets to CBS for the copious super-slo-mo replays of Moore lunging the ball across the goal line.)
Even after Brees, Moore, and the guy in the replay booth gave the Saints a 24-17 lead, Peyton Manning still had the ball with a chance to tie the score. Manning trails just Dan Marino in come-from-behind fourth quarter victories, and the Colts had seven such wins this season. One of those comebacks came when Patriots coach Bill Belichick—showing confidence, or boldness, or stupidity—chose to go for it on fourth down from inside his own 30-yard line rather than willingly put the ball in Manning's hands.
On Sunday night, the Saints had no choice but to let the comeback king do his thing. The thing Manning did, shockingly, was seal the Super Bowl for his hometown Saints. On 3rd and 5 from the Saints' 31, Manning threw a quick slant to Reggie Wayne. It's a play the Colts have run a million times, one that's impossible to defend when a receiver and quarterback hit their marks. This time, the Colts went 0-for-2. Wayne appeared to slip and didn't make a sharp break on the ball. Manning, maybe too eager to stick with an old, reliable play call, didn't notice that Tracy Porter—the Saints cornerback who picked off Favre to save the NFC championship game and came out for Super Bowl XLIV with the Superdome and the Lombardi Trophy shaved into the side of his head—had the route sussed out. Porter jumped in front of Wayne, caught the ball in full stride, and streaked 74 yards for the game's final points. "I'm sure when Peyton Manning was growing up he always wanted to throw the TD pass that gave the Saints a Super Bowl win," ESPN the Magazine's Jorge Arangure wrote after the game. "Now he has."
For a team that went two full decades without a winning season and had just two all-time playoff wins before 2010, this ridiculous ending was just as plausible as any. When the game was over, I tried to call home and couldn't get through to anyone for 15 minutes. "All circuits are busy"—that is, everyone who knows what it means to miss New Orleans was dying to find out what they were missing. When I managed to reach a friend who'd been watching the game in the French Quarter, he told me that all the folks in Brees jerseys had sprinted full out for Bourbon Street after the final horn. Once everybody was smashed together, dancing on cars and screaming "Who dat!", there was no doubt it had really happened. We won! We actually won!!!
Showing posts with label new Orleans Saints. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new Orleans Saints. Show all posts
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Super Bowl 44 Gameday Edition: Indianapolis Colts vs. New Orleans Saints
FOUR IMPACT PLAYERS
Colts QB Peyton Manning For the Saints to have any chance, they have to stop Manning on third down. The Vikings were able to convert seven of 12 third-down opportunities against the Saints in the NFC title game. The Colts convert at an amazing rate of 49 percent. That's partly because of Manning's passing abilities, but also because of how he manages first and second down to create more third-and-short situations than any other team in the league.
Saints QB Drew Brees Brees didn't have a great NFC title game, but he also didn't throw the game away like Brett Favre did at the end. Brees hasn't been intercepted in 63 postseason passes. And he threw only 11 in 514 regular-season attempts. And, oh yeah, he broke an NFL record by completing 70.6 percent of his passes during the regular season. Brees threw for only 197 yards against the Vikings, but he did have three TDs. The Colts play a similar Tampa 2 defense.
Colts DE Dwight Freeney All eyes will be on the Colts pass rusher to see whether he's: A) able to play on a damaged right ankle that has a torn ligament; and B) able to play well enough to put any kind of pressure on Brees. One would have to assume Freeney will give it a try since it's the Super Bowl. If he can play well, Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod will have to deal with a player who has more sacks (89), tackles for loss (119) and forced fumbles (37) than Saints CB Jabari Greer When Greer is healthy, which he finally is now, the Saints' pass defense is much better. He did a decent job containing the Vikings' Sidney Rice in the NFC title game. Sunday, he'll be matched up with Reggie Wayne, who caught 100 passes, including 10 for TDs, during the regular season. Wayne was shut down in the AFC title game by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Manning would like to go back to Wayne but doesn't have a problem spreading it around. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon combined for 18 catches and 274 yards and two TDs against the Jets.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
Protecting the passer For the first time in years, the Super Bowl features the two best teams with the two best quarterbacks in the league. Protecting them will be the key to victory. The Colts' Peyton Manning was sacked a career-low 10 times during the regular season but has gone down four times in two playoff games. Brees' accuracy and aggressiveness down the field depend heavily on good protection. The Vikings disrupted his rhythm some in the NFC title game. The Colts can do the same if Dwight Freeney is healthy.
Control the ball Neither team is built around running the football. But the Saints are better equipped with a more physical offensive line and the diverse running styles of the more powerful Pierre Thomas, the elusive Reggie Bush and the short-yardage efficiency of Mike Bell and Lynell Hamilton. Limiting Manning's number of possessions is the best way to beat him, although it's not a foolproof method for success, as the Dolphins found out early in the season. The Colts offensive line is built for one thing -- to protect Manning. Indy was last in the league in rushing (80.9), but Manning is talented enough to control the ball with the passing game.
It's the turnovers, stupid Most of this other stuff won't end up meaning squat if the turnover bug bites. Two weeks ago, the Vikings dominated the Saints in every statistical category but lost in overtime because they turned the ball over five times. One of the main reasons the Saints are playing Sunday is takeaways. They were second in the league with 39 this season. They also were third in turnover differential (plus-11), while the Colts were tied for 13th at plus-2.
Saints CB Jabari Greer When Greer is healthy, which he finally is now, the Saints' pass defense is much better. He did a decent job containing the Vikings' Sidney Rice in the NFC title game. Sunday, he'll be matched up with Reggie Wayne, who caught 100 passes, including 10 for TDs, during the regular season. Wayne was shut down in the AFC title game by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Manning would like to go back to Wayne but doesn't have a problem spreading it around. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon combined for 18 catches and 274 yards and two TDs against the Jets.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
Protecting the passer For the first time in years, the Super Bowl features the two best teams with the two best quarterbacks in the league. Protecting them will be the key to victory. The Colts' Peyton Manning was sacked a career-low 10 times during the regular season but has gone down four times in two playoff games. Brees' accuracy and aggressiveness down the field depend heavily on good protection. The Vikings disrupted his rhythm some in the NFC title game. The Colts can do the same if Dwight Freeney is healthy.
Control the ball Neither team is built around running the football. But the Saints are better equipped with a more physical offensive line and the diverse running styles of the more powerful Pierre Thomas, the elusive Reggie Bush and the short-yardage efficiency of Mike Bell and Lynell Hamilton. Limiting Manning's number of possessions is the best way to beat him, although it's not a foolproof method for success, as the Dolphins found out early in the season. The Colts offensive line is built for one thing -- to protect Manning. Indy was last in the league in rushing (80.9), but Manning is talented enough to control the ball with the passing game.
It's the turnovers, stupid Most of this other stuff won't end up meaning squat if the turnover bug bites. Two weeks ago, the Vikings dominated the Saints in every statistical category but lost in overtime because they turned the ball over five times. One of the main reasons the Saints are playing Sunday is takeaways. They were second in the league with 39 this season. They also were third in turnover differential (plus-11), while the Colts were tied for 13th at plus-2.
Saints RB Pierre Thomas Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and the Saints receivers typically get most of the publicity. But the Saints have a better chance of winning if Thomas has the kind of game he had against the Vikings. It wasn't a huge game, but he had 14 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, two catches for 38 yards and a touchdown, and a 40-yard kickoff return in overtime that set up a short drive to the game-winning field goal.
Colts special teamer Ramon Humber Bush is one of the league's most-feared punt returners. Humber is a rookie free agent from North Dakota State and Champlin Park High. They may be on different pay levels, but Humber will play a big role in trying to contain Bush, as well as the Saints' sneaky-good kickoff returners. Humber, a 5-11, 232-pound linebacker, led the Colts in special teams tackles with 17 this season.
ONE BOLD PREDICTION
The Saints and New Orleans are the feel-good story. The story everyone outside of Indiana wants to see as the storybook ending to this season. This is their first Super Bowl in their 43-year existence. It's a city still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina 4 1/2 years ago. The Saints and New Orleans are simply impossible to hate. But sorry, Big Easy, the Colts will win. Peyton Manning will not have one of those Bad Brett moments. In fact, I think he'll have his way with the Saints defense and win by double digits. Colts 41, Saints 31
Colts QB Peyton Manning For the Saints to have any chance, they have to stop Manning on third down. The Vikings were able to convert seven of 12 third-down opportunities against the Saints in the NFC title game. The Colts convert at an amazing rate of 49 percent. That's partly because of Manning's passing abilities, but also because of how he manages first and second down to create more third-and-short situations than any other team in the league.
Saints QB Drew Brees Brees didn't have a great NFC title game, but he also didn't throw the game away like Brett Favre did at the end. Brees hasn't been intercepted in 63 postseason passes. And he threw only 11 in 514 regular-season attempts. And, oh yeah, he broke an NFL record by completing 70.6 percent of his passes during the regular season. Brees threw for only 197 yards against the Vikings, but he did have three TDs. The Colts play a similar Tampa 2 defense.
Colts DE Dwight Freeney All eyes will be on the Colts pass rusher to see whether he's: A) able to play on a damaged right ankle that has a torn ligament; and B) able to play well enough to put any kind of pressure on Brees. One would have to assume Freeney will give it a try since it's the Super Bowl. If he can play well, Saints left tackle Jermon Bushrod will have to deal with a player who has more sacks (89), tackles for loss (119) and forced fumbles (37) than Saints CB Jabari Greer When Greer is healthy, which he finally is now, the Saints' pass defense is much better. He did a decent job containing the Vikings' Sidney Rice in the NFC title game. Sunday, he'll be matched up with Reggie Wayne, who caught 100 passes, including 10 for TDs, during the regular season. Wayne was shut down in the AFC title game by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Manning would like to go back to Wayne but doesn't have a problem spreading it around. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon combined for 18 catches and 274 yards and two TDs against the Jets.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
Protecting the passer For the first time in years, the Super Bowl features the two best teams with the two best quarterbacks in the league. Protecting them will be the key to victory. The Colts' Peyton Manning was sacked a career-low 10 times during the regular season but has gone down four times in two playoff games. Brees' accuracy and aggressiveness down the field depend heavily on good protection. The Vikings disrupted his rhythm some in the NFC title game. The Colts can do the same if Dwight Freeney is healthy.
Control the ball Neither team is built around running the football. But the Saints are better equipped with a more physical offensive line and the diverse running styles of the more powerful Pierre Thomas, the elusive Reggie Bush and the short-yardage efficiency of Mike Bell and Lynell Hamilton. Limiting Manning's number of possessions is the best way to beat him, although it's not a foolproof method for success, as the Dolphins found out early in the season. The Colts offensive line is built for one thing -- to protect Manning. Indy was last in the league in rushing (80.9), but Manning is talented enough to control the ball with the passing game.
It's the turnovers, stupid Most of this other stuff won't end up meaning squat if the turnover bug bites. Two weeks ago, the Vikings dominated the Saints in every statistical category but lost in overtime because they turned the ball over five times. One of the main reasons the Saints are playing Sunday is takeaways. They were second in the league with 39 this season. They also were third in turnover differential (plus-11), while the Colts were tied for 13th at plus-2.
Saints CB Jabari Greer When Greer is healthy, which he finally is now, the Saints' pass defense is much better. He did a decent job containing the Vikings' Sidney Rice in the NFC title game. Sunday, he'll be matched up with Reggie Wayne, who caught 100 passes, including 10 for TDs, during the regular season. Wayne was shut down in the AFC title game by Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis. Manning would like to go back to Wayne but doesn't have a problem spreading it around. Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon combined for 18 catches and 274 yards and two TDs against the Jets.
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
Protecting the passer For the first time in years, the Super Bowl features the two best teams with the two best quarterbacks in the league. Protecting them will be the key to victory. The Colts' Peyton Manning was sacked a career-low 10 times during the regular season but has gone down four times in two playoff games. Brees' accuracy and aggressiveness down the field depend heavily on good protection. The Vikings disrupted his rhythm some in the NFC title game. The Colts can do the same if Dwight Freeney is healthy.
Control the ball Neither team is built around running the football. But the Saints are better equipped with a more physical offensive line and the diverse running styles of the more powerful Pierre Thomas, the elusive Reggie Bush and the short-yardage efficiency of Mike Bell and Lynell Hamilton. Limiting Manning's number of possessions is the best way to beat him, although it's not a foolproof method for success, as the Dolphins found out early in the season. The Colts offensive line is built for one thing -- to protect Manning. Indy was last in the league in rushing (80.9), but Manning is talented enough to control the ball with the passing game.
It's the turnovers, stupid Most of this other stuff won't end up meaning squat if the turnover bug bites. Two weeks ago, the Vikings dominated the Saints in every statistical category but lost in overtime because they turned the ball over five times. One of the main reasons the Saints are playing Sunday is takeaways. They were second in the league with 39 this season. They also were third in turnover differential (plus-11), while the Colts were tied for 13th at plus-2.
Saints RB Pierre Thomas Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and the Saints receivers typically get most of the publicity. But the Saints have a better chance of winning if Thomas has the kind of game he had against the Vikings. It wasn't a huge game, but he had 14 carries for 61 yards and a touchdown, two catches for 38 yards and a touchdown, and a 40-yard kickoff return in overtime that set up a short drive to the game-winning field goal.
Colts special teamer Ramon Humber Bush is one of the league's most-feared punt returners. Humber is a rookie free agent from North Dakota State and Champlin Park High. They may be on different pay levels, but Humber will play a big role in trying to contain Bush, as well as the Saints' sneaky-good kickoff returners. Humber, a 5-11, 232-pound linebacker, led the Colts in special teams tackles with 17 this season.
ONE BOLD PREDICTION
The Saints and New Orleans are the feel-good story. The story everyone outside of Indiana wants to see as the storybook ending to this season. This is their first Super Bowl in their 43-year existence. It's a city still recovering from the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina 4 1/2 years ago. The Saints and New Orleans are simply impossible to hate. But sorry, Big Easy, the Colts will win. Peyton Manning will not have one of those Bad Brett moments. In fact, I think he'll have his way with the Saints defense and win by double digits. Colts 41, Saints 31
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Buffalo Bills Lose New Orleans Saints 27-7
The Buffalo Bills lose to New Orleans Saints 27-7 at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, New York. The Buffalo Bills could not stop the vaunted Saints Offense in the fourth quarter which controlled the Football Game. Brew Brees 16/29 172 yd. put on another command performance on his way to breaking Tom Brady record of 50 touchdown passes in a single season. The Saints scored on there first possession with a L Hamilton 1 yd. touchdown run. The drive was 10 plays 82 yd. in 4:56 to take a early 7-0 lead.The Bills finally, got on the scoreboard in the second quarter with fake filed goal. Buffalo Bills punter Brian Moorman threw a 25 yd. touchdown pass to Ryan Denney to tie the score 7-7. This would be the only touchdown of the day by the Buffalo Bills pathetic offense. The Saints finished off the first half scoring with a John Carney 27 yd. field goal. The Saints opened up the fourth quarter scoring with a Pierre Thomas 34 yd. touchdown run which capped of a 3 play 66 yard drive in 1:15. The Saints next possession in the fourth quarter finished with a Jon Carney 35 yd. field goal drive: 9 plays 49 yards in 4:01. The Saints scored on there next possession after the Bills turned the football over on downs. The Saints scored on a Pierre Thomas 19 yd. touchdown to finish a dominate performance by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth quarter outscoring the Bills 17-0. The Star of the Football Game was Pierre Thomas who finished the with 14 carries 126 yd. rushing. The New Orleans Saints rushed for 222 yd. which is a total surprise to all football fans all across America. The Saints finished the football game with 378 total yd. while, the Bills pathetic offense had 243 yd. The Bills Defense played a solid game for three quarters but collapsed in the fourth quarter under the pressure of the Saints explosive offense because, they received no help from the Bills offense. This is another home loss to a good football team under the Dick Jauron Administration. I expected the Bills to lose this football game because they always lose to superior football teams. The Bills will never win as long as Dick Jauron is the Head Coach Of The Buffalo Bills. The Bills will probably finish the season 6-10 and the Bills will re-sign Terrell Owens.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
New Orleans Saints @ Buffalo Bills NFL Week 3 Preview
The Buffalo Bills get back to back home games in Week 2 and week 3. The Bills will have to be ready for a high-flying scoring affair against the Saints who ended the 2008 season top 5 in all passing categories. Sounds like a Terrell Owens type of football game. Terrell Owens and Lee Evans should have a field day against the Saints suspect Secondary. The Bills will Defense will be under extreme pressure by the best offense in the NFL. Drew Brees already has 9 touchdowns after two games this season and he, is on pace to break Tom Brady record of 50 touchdown passes in 2007. The Saints offense is scoring over 45 points per game and they seem unstoppable with all the weapons they have on offense. The Bills will have to put pressure Drew Brees with the front four because blitzing him is futile. Unfortunately, that is not a realistic proposition because Buffalo has just three sacks this season and they will be going up against a elite offensive line. The front line is elite even without Jamal Brown, because Jermon Bushford is doing a excellent job fill in . Bushford has given up one sack in two regular season football games. So, if the Bills can't contain the Saints they will have to match the Saints point for point. Again, and that is not realistic. I like Fred Jackson and I believe that he should be the starter running back when Marshawn Lynch returns. However, the Saints defense is only given up 2.9 YPC this year. That is no fluke. The Defense is vastly underrated, so Trent Edwards will have to move the chains on his own. The experts believe that the Saints will obliterate the Bills, but I fell the Bills will play a solid football game against the Saints. The Saints will win a shootout 34-24 in Ralph Wilson Stadium.
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