Super Bowl 44 2010 Perdictions: Indianapollis Colts Vs.New Orleans Saints

2010 Super Bowl Betting Line: New Orleans Saints (56.5) vs. Indianapolis Colts (-5.5)

For the first time in 16 years, the NFL’s ultimate game will feature the top two seeds from each conference when the NFC’s New Orleans Saints meets the AFC’s Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, February 7th in Miami. All three of the Colts previous Super Bowl appearances have been in Miami while the long-suffering Saints franchise is playing in the game for the first time.

The two franchises have split ten regular season meetings since the Saints became an NFL franchise in 1967. In the last meeting between the two clubs, the Colts rolled to a 41-10 home victory over New Orleans in the opening game of the 2007 season.

New Orleans Saints (15-3 SU, 9-9 ATS)

New Orleans was fortunate to escape the NFC title game after being out gained by more than 200 yards against Minnesota. With the help of five Vikings turnovers, the Saints have finally reached a Super Bowl. Star quarterback Drew Brees has fired six TD passes without an interception in the postseason. He led the NFL in quarterback rating and touchdown passes during the regular season. The Saints are also able to move the ball on the ground after ranking second in the NFC in rushing this season.

The defense (25th in NFL in total defense) will be in for a major test against Peyton Manning after allowing nearly 500 yards to the Vikings offense. The Saints defense did pick off 26 passes during the regular season. Head coach Sean Payton has put together a record of 38-26 in his four seasons with New Orleans.

Indianapolis Colts (16-2 SU, 12-6 ATS)

The Colts are hoping that the karma of Miami will enable the franchise to win its third Super Bowl title. Indianapolis rolled to a pair of double-digit wins in the AFC playoffs to reach the Super Bowl. Like Brees, NFL MVP Manning has had a strong postseason with five TD strikes and just a single interception. The Colts have plenty of receiving weapons to work with. Veterans Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark each grabbed 100 catches in the regular season but youngsters Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie were the main targets against the Jets in the AFC title game.

While the Colts (last in NFL in rushing offense) don’t run the ball too much, Joseph Addai was able to rush for 80 yards against the Jets. The unheralded Indianapolis defense finished 8th in the NFL in scoring defense during the regular season. The unit has allowed an average of just ten points per game in the postseason. With a combined 23 sacks, Pro Bowl defensive linemen Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis will be seeking to disrupt Brees and the Saints offense. In his first year as an NFL head coach, Jim Caldwell has proven himself to be a worthy successor to Tony Dungy after being an assistant on the Colts staff in recent years.

2010 Super Bowl Prediction:

Colts 31 – Saints 27 Super Bowl Predictions: Colts vs. Saints Super Bowl Picks 2010

New Orleans Saints Path To Super Bowl In Miami

For the New Orleans Saints and their fans, this weekend's Super Bowl is supposedly more than a game. It is being portrayed by many folks as the end of a redemptive journey from the Hurricane Katrina nightmare.

In that portrayal, however, I have seen no previous mention of one unlikely fact. A piece of that journey actually began here.

In San Jose? Yes, in San Jose.

This is where the Saints were when Katrina hit in late August 2005. Such a weird week that was. On a Sunday afternoon, knowing the hurricane was bearing down on New Orleans, the Saints decided to leave town early for a Thursday night exhibition in Oakland.

Of course, that meant the Saints needed to practice somewhere in the Bay Area for a few days. They struck a deal with San Jose State.

Which explains why, at the very moment that Katrina slammed into Louisiana and began ripping the roof off the Superdome, the Saints were working on their two-minute offense at a campus field off Seventh Street.

I remember being there as the players walked off the turf, their eyes glazed over. Less than 24 hours earlier, they had been at their own training facility, where all was familiar. Now they were "... here. Where? Someplace in California. Someplace strange where the sun was shining. That's all they knew. That's what I have in the notes I saved.

"Unbelievable," said Saints quarterback Aaron Brooks, fighting his emotions that day. "We were eating dinner last
night at a place near our hotel, and people here were going about their lives like nothing was happening. "... We just want to hear that everything is all right."

It was not all right, as the world would soon learn. Yet somehow, the Saints carried on. What else could they do? All of them had made arrangements for their families to evacuate New Orleans before the hurricane struck. But each day, before and after the players were bused to practice, they sat in their Fremont Marriott Hotel rooms as the heartbreak played out on television and they watched, numbly.

"Nobody knows when we get back, what we're going to see," said Saints coach Jim Haslett.

Pro athletes often try to act too cool, as if they are above the rest of the human race. The Saints did none of that in San Jose. Brent Brennan, a San Jose State assistant coach then and now, recalled Wednesday how he visited the Saints' practices and picked up right away how different things were.

"You could tell that their tempo wasn't the same, that their focus wasn't there," Brennan said. "They were just trying to make do. Some of our San Jose State players were also there watching, trying to get an idea of what it was like at that level, and I told them, 'You're not getting the real picture here of what the NFL's like. This is a team with hearts and minds somewhere else.' "

The Saints' arrangement with San Jose State worked well, because the school's team, preparing for its own season opener, practiced at 7 a.m. under a schedule preferred by coach Dick Tomey. That left the bulk of the day for the Saints to use SJSU's facilities, including the weight room and training room.

Under the circumstances, San Jose State didn't charge the Saints a dime. But as a goodwill gesture, the NFL team purchased $5,000 worth of tickets to the Spartans' opener. The athletic department distributed them to San Jose youth groups.

Finally, after a long three days, the Saints motored up to the Oakland Coliseum on Thursday night and lost to the Raiders 13-6. But what would happen next? By then, it was clear that the Saints' own practice complex in suburban New Orleans was not usable. Plus, the Superdome was out of commission indefinitely.

As a result, the Saints never really did go "home" that season. Instead, they flew to San Antonio and set up temporary headquarters. They split their home schedule between the Alamodome in that city and LSU's stadium in Baton Rouge. Predictably, they won only three games. Haslett was fired after the season.

Brooks might have had it worse, though. The quarterback, so openly emotional about Katrina, created a flap when he criticized Saints owner Tom Benson for essentially abandoning the team to a substandard situation in Texas. The Saints dumped him, and Brooks signed on to play quarterback for the miserable 2006 Raiders of Art Shell. He was sacked nine times in the season opener, dislocated a shoulder in the second game and was out of football a year later. He is now a developer in his Virginia hometown.

And what of the other Saints who endured that week in San Jose? Only a handful remain with the team, but the handful includes wide receiver Devery Henderson and defensive end Will Smith. If they win Sunday, I don't imagine they will send any thank-you notes to any of us in the 408. But if you're looking for another reason to pull for the underdog in this Super Bowl, you have one. For a few bizarre days in 2005, they were the San Jose Saints.

Peyton Manning The Highest Paid Quarterback?

MIAMI -- Negotiations to extend the contract of Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning will begin in earnest after the season, Colts owner Jim Irsay confirmed on Tuesday, and the new deal is expected to make the Colts' star the highest-paid player in NFL history and to keep him with the franchise for his entire career.
Manning's current deal, the final two years of which have been technically voided, will expire after the 2010 season.
"You know it's going to get done," Irsay said during media day interviews. "I think it's clear, and we'll start on it this summer. That's been the way we do things [to hammer out an extension when a player is entering the final year of his contract]. And it'll be the biggest [contract] in history; there's not much doubt about that."
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Irsay has said in the past that Manning will be "a Colt for life," and he reiterated that stance on Tuesday morning.
Manning, 33, signed a contract extension for $99.2 million in 2004, and the deal included a record $34.5 million singing bonus, all of it paid up front. The final two seasons of that contract were voided because Manning met predetermined playing-time incentives, making 2010 the final year of the deal.
The Manning contract, Irsay said, "is the easy one to do, because you know it's going to have to be the highest ever." The Colts' owner noted the "harder deals" are the ones involving good, but less important players, and cited former Indianapolis starters like guard Steve McKinney and linebackers Marcus Washington and David Thornton, veterans whom the Colts could not afford to pay because of the franchise's salary structure, and were forced to sacrifice to free agency.
"It simply comes to one question, and that's replaceability," Irsay explained. "Everything is based on the replaceability factor. You make decisions based on who you can afford to target and keep. ... Other guys you really want to [re-sign] you might have trouble doing it, because of what it costs you, and how much attention they're getting [from other teams in free agency]. We don't have that luxury and we've had to work hard."
Team president Bill Polian said during the season that the club, because it had such high-profile players, often had to determine "how fungible" some players and positions were. But Irsay, who invested about $100 million into the club after his father, Robert Irsay, died in 1997, is prepared to make Manning a very rich man. The younger Irsay, in fact, has dipped into his own wallet in the past to fund the contracts of some key players.
Ironically, the contracts of Manning and New England quarterback Tom Brady are both up after the 2010 campaign. Irsay allowed he will "watch closely" the bargaining on the Brady deal.
"We didn't have the luxury [of not having a salary cap]," Irsay said. "Without one, not having those [constraints], we would have done an incredible job."
There have been some preliminary discussions between Irsay and agent Tom Condon on the Manning deal. Condon, who represents about a dozen starting quarterbacks in the NFL, has a solid relationship with Colts management, and it is difficult to project that a new deal won't be completed.
Last year, Condon negotiated a six-year, $97.5 million contract extension for Eli Manning, with about $35 million in guarantees, that made the New York Giants' star one of the league's highest-paid performers. Depending on the methods of valuation, the highest-paid player in the league with a multiyear contract and based on average compensation per season is Cincinnati quarterback Carson Palmer, at $16.17 million per year.
Given the salary spiral, his stature in the league, and the likelihood that 2010 will be an "uncapped" season, it is not unthinkable to project that Manning could receive an extension pushing $20 million per year, and with a signing bonus of about $50 million.

Why Peyton Manning Is a Better NFL Quarterback Montana And Brady

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Peyton Manning is about to become the best quarterback in the NFL over the past 30 years. I know that may ruffle feathers from San Francisco to New England, but hear me out.
The topic of Manning's place in history has heated up in the wake of the Colts punching their ticket to another Super Bowl. While everyone agrees Manning already is among the NFL's greatest QBs and that his stature will only improve if he gets an a second Lombardi Trophy, few are ready to take the big leap I am. Here are the reasons I think Manning, with a win Sunday, will cement his place as the best to play the game in my lifetime.
• One big caveat. I'm going by what I have seen over the past 30 years. That means I can only place Manning in the context of signal callers who played in the 1980s or later. Johnny Unitas' success speaks for itself, and it sounds as if Otto Graham was amazing too, but I was born in 1979. So unless you want to read my grandfather's opinion and not mine, I'll stick with the guys I've seen on a fairly regular basis over the years.
• It's not about the numbers ... but could be. The easiest way to make a case for Manning is to look at the statistics. Now in his 12th season, he has a record-four regular season MVPs and is among the top five all-time in wins, completions, yards and touchdowns. At his current rate of production, he won't just break all of those records, he'll annihilate them. But it really is not just about the numbers.
• The main competition. Dan Marino was a tremendous pure passer but never won a Super Bowl. John Elway, of course, is in the conversation for helping the Broncos win two championships in the mid- 90's. Brett Favre had a better 2009 season than anyone could have imagined, and his consecutive starts streak is absurd, but his penchant for the big turnover knocks him out of the running.
The only two men who really challenge Manning, again assuming he wins Sunday, are Joe Montana and Tom Brady. Both were incredible leaders who put up astounding numbers at times while seemingly willing their teams to multiple Super Bowl titles. Montana may have been the most clutch performer ever; his postseason success is almost unprecedented. He did, however, play in an era before the advent of free agency and the salary cap. That's not his fault, of course, but it does help explain why he accomplished what he did, benefitting from immensely talented rosters that other teams couldn't raid.
Perhaps the best argument in favor of Brady is that he won three Super Bowls with a surrounding cast of skill players that barely even got Pro Bowl invites, let alone anyone who will join him some day in Canton. He did, however, have the benefit of playing for one of the greatest coaches and defensive minds, Bill Belichick. Belichick's game planning against Manning earlier this decade was a primary factor in the Pats' success. Brady has also been blessed by a defense that was among the league's best for a good portion of his career.
• Believe your eyes. Manning has been far from a one-man show in Indy. He's been surrounded by outstanding skill position players and a couple of defensive playmakers for a decent portion of career. But Manning has also shown an ability to adjust, even after losing longtime running mate Marvin Harrison. His ability to seamlessly integrate Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie into the offense is as much a credit to Manning as it is a tip of the cap to Bill Polian and the Colts' scouting staff for finding those two youngsters. They are a big reason this may be Manning's finest season.
His offensive line has never been dominant, and yet their weaknesses have been covered up by his uncanny ability to get rid of the ball before the defender gets to him. There are guys on the Colts starting line, like left tackle Charlie Johnson and guards Ryan Lilja and Kyle Devan, who probably would have a tough time starting for a lot of teams in the NFL. Yet even when they get beat, they know Manning will get rid of the football before it becomes a sack or a knockdown. Whether or not he is the best quarterback ever is up for debate. Whether or not he gets rid of the ball quicker and more efficiently than anyone who has ever lived is not.
I can't think of any other player who has as much control over the game plan or play-calling.That, of course, is fitting because I don't think any other player has ever had quite the same grasp of his offense that Manning does. He changes protections and plays better than anyone else I've ever seen. His anticipation and accuracy are virtually unmatched because he throws the ball before defenders are ready and puts it in a place where only his guy can catch it. Keep in mind he has never had much of a run game and has never been blessed with anything remotely resembling a dominant defense, although this year's unit is underrated.
• No end in sight. The beauty of Manning is there is no telling what he may accomplish over the next decade. His obsessive, controlling personality and desire to make his mark make you think he will play at least for the next five or six years, if not more. Plus the recent success of guys like Favre and Kurt Warner has changed our opinion about how long a quarterback can play and what type of performer they can be during their later years.
I had the chance to play with Brady and never played with any other quarterback who was even close to his skill level. But Brady's injury, and Manning's continued dominance, have me thinking Peyton Manning is the better quarterback. He used to have issues with 3-4 defenses -- that is why his playoff record hasn't been sterling -- but he appears to have figured it out, shredding both blitz-heavy schemes and 3-4s at an amazing rate this year. The scary thing is he really appears to be getting better. That means there is a chance two or three years from now this subject is not even up for discussion.

Week 13 Preveiw Buffalo Bills Host New York Jets in Toronto

This Thursday the 4-7 Buffalo Bills will travel to Toronto to play a home game against the 5-6 New York Jets. This game taps into the Bills large regional drawing area, and gives the fans who commute down from Canada, a chance to see a real NFL game in there own backyard. It will be interested how loud the crowd will be and who will they be rooting for. If the Bills win this game with the Jets the will be tied for last place at 5-7 in the AFC East. If the Bills are 5-7 you would conclude that they are running on automatic pilot for there fourth consecutive season of 7-9 finish. This is a drill Bills fans know all too well. Under Interim Head Coach Perry Fewell the Bills are putting points on the scoreboard and long range touchdown passes of 98 and 51 yards to Terrell Owens help create excitement. the Jets trail the Jacksonville Jaguars for the final AFC Wildcard spot, so they can't afford to lose to Buffalo again. The Bills defeated the Jets back in weeks six 16-13 which broke the Bills long losing streak against AFC East teams. That game resulted with the Bills forcing six Marc Sanchez interceptions. It also, marked the coming out part of rookie Jarius Byrd who exposed Sanchez as a not-quite-ready-for-prime-time quarterback by coming up with two picks that day. Sanchez has already thrown 17 interceptions this season, which is the fourth highest total in the NFL this season. So, the Jets have gone to a coding system that serves a trigger warning mechanism for Sanchez, so he will know how much risk is involved with every pass play that is called. Another way the Jets can minimize Sanchez interceptions is by altering there offensive schemes. They are running the ball more and throwing it less, Last, as a , example they ran it 39 times and pass it 18 times. The key to the game is will the Bills porous rush defense be able to contain Thomas Jones who has 959 yards rushing this season. Expect Thomas Jones name to heard frequently because in there last game against the Bills Jones rushed for 220 yards in a losing effort against the Bills. The Jets rushed for over 300 yards against the Bills and somehow found away to lose the football game in overtime. For all the flaws the Bills defense has, turning the ball over something the Bills defense specializes in, as they lead the AFC in creating turnovers with 25 so far. The Jets defense must keep the pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick if they expect to win this game. Finally, I expect the Jets to get some revenge against the Bills in the Thursday Night NFL tilt. Jets 24 Bills 13