The New Orleans Saints played a game for the ages. While it wasn’t exactly a David vs. Goliath matchup, it looked as though Indy was on the verge of dominating them by the end of the first quarter. Sir Peyton of Manning Clan was slicing and dicing the Saint defense at will and the Colts smoothly moved down the field on each of their first quarter possessions.
It turns out that the Saints were working on their own variation of the rope-a-dope strategy. They had a first half defensive package that kept a lot of their blitz schemes in reserve until later in the game. In hindsight, Indy’s 10-6 halftime lead was a victory for the Saints’ defense. They changed up a few things in the third quarter, but still held their kitchen sink blitz packages until the all-important fourth quarter. I can’t remember another game where a defensive gameplan was divided up into quarters. But that’s what defensive coordinator Greg Williams came up with, and it paid big dividends late in the fourth quarter, when Sir Peyton was blitzed into throwing the INT that sealed the win for New Orleans.
The play of the game, however, was the Saints’ successful onside kick to start the second half. One cardinal rule in football, from high school to pro, is the first possession of the third quarter can often dictate the rest of the game. Colts fans had to be confident as they anticipated their unstoppable offense getting their hands on the ball to begin the third quarter. Manning was poised and ready. But the onside kick kept him on the sideline watching Drew Brees move his offense down the field for a touchdown to take the lead. The Colts would immediately strike back with a TD of their own, but the Saints had established their rhythm on offense, and the defense appeared to be getting a bit stronger. The Saints roared back and drove to the Colts’ 37, where Garrett Hartley knocked through a 47-yard field goal. Hartley was a perfect 3 for 3 on the night. The Colt’s Matt Stover, whose 42 years of age make him the oldest player to play in a Super Bowl, was 1 for 2 attempts.
Heading into the fourth quarter it looked as though the last QB to get the ball in his hands would win. But the Saints D rose up. And Sir Peyton became their latest victim, joining Bret Favre, whom they picked off near the end of regulation in the NFC title game. The week before, they roughed up and shut down future hall of fame QB Kurt Warner.
The quarterback duel lived up to its hype. In any other game, Manning’s 1 INT wouldn’t decide the game. Other than that play, he was borderline phenomenal. He finished up with 31 completions in 45 attempts for 333 yards. Watching Sir Peyton conduct the Colt’s offense is something that finally is getting the attention due. It’s as if he’s channeling Ol’ Hightops when he’s out there. We’ve not seen a chess master quarterback like this since Johnny Unitas.
As good as Peyton was, though, Brees was better. The knock on him has always been arm strength, but he whistled the ball down the field in some truly tight places with nearly perfect accuracy. He tied Tom Brady for the Super Bowl record of 32 consecutive completions. And he finished the night with 32 completions in 39 attempts for 288 yards and 2 TD’s. Brees came to New Orleans surrounded by doubts about his surgically rebuilt throwing shoulder. New Orleans was also working through a dark cloud of doubt about the city’s ability to rebound and rebuild after Katrina. The two were a perfect match.
Speaking of New Orleans, one suspects that Mardi Gras started a little early this year as the game clock wound down to zero. It’s worth watching to see how this victory in the biggest championship game of them all (sorry World Cup, maybe in a couple of generations from now) affects the zeitgeist of New Orleans.
Overall, Super Bowl 44 ranks as one of the better games played for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. You get the idea that if these teams played 10 times it would be a 5-5 split. But tonight belonged to New Orleans, as Drew Brees took his place alongside Andy Jackson as this era’s beloved New Orleans general who led his team to a surprisingly thorough victory. Congratulations, Who Dat Nation, y’all have been waiting for this moment a long, long, long, long time.
This Tumbleweed Life 