Garp
07-02-2010, 07:34
Superbowl Sunday is upon us again, kicking off at 6:25pm Eastern (11:25 GMT I believe?)
This year it's the New Orleans Saint's in their first ever Superbowl, a huge achievement from a team who's fans not all that long ago would turn up at games with paper bags on their heads rather than be seen to be Saint's fans.
Primarily they've got to the Superbowl on the strength of their Quarterback Drew Brees, who has had an incredible season, and the dynamic duo of Pierre Thomas & Marques Colston (Running Back and Wide Receiver respectively.) With two other solid RBs and WRs Brees has had a good number of targets for his passing.
That said Brees has become considerably more scrappy as the season has gone by. Watching their Superbowl qualifier against the usually sublime Vikings it was hard to imagine they were Superbowl material. They might have pounded Arizona Cardinals the week before, but this was a different, possibly tired team. Almost every throw from Brees was visibly sloppy, wobbling along. As much as their fans might argue, it was more a case of the Vikings having lost the game than the Saints actually winning it.
The Saints defense is rock solid. It's been extremely hard to get anything past them all season, one of the reasons they held such an impressive season record (13 wins 0 losses, and then having ensured their playoffs place they started resting their main players and lost 3 in a row).
Colts have been unbelievable the entire season, ending it 14 wins, and just 2 losses (again like the Saints they rested their decent players for the playoffs). Peyton Manning, their star QuarterBack is in a class of his own. His ability to read and anticipate the opposing defensive team and choose appropriate plays are almost unparalleled (there are 5 or 6 really decent QBs this year) and no defensive coach seems to have figured out the secrets of his hand waving. Even the Colts own defensive team are clueless. Unlike the Saints they've remained solid even through the playoffs.
There has been a bit of fuss in the media about the loss of one of their defenders, but honestly it's a big fuss over relatively nothing. He's a decent guy, but not the be all and end all of the defense.
If the Saints bring their strong game from earlier in the season and Brees starts throwing properly we could be in for one heck of a game tomorrow. Brees and his receivers are an unbelievable force, capable of outfoxing the best of them.
If they're still playing like they were against the Vikings, though, I'm expecting the Colts defense to rip every offensive play to shreds, and Manning to do his usual job of destroying opposing defense.
I've a niggling feeling we'll be seeing the former. I certainly hope so!
This year it's the New Orleans Saint's in their first ever Superbowl, a huge achievement from a team who's fans not all that long ago would turn up at games with paper bags on their heads rather than be seen to be Saint's fans.
Primarily they've got to the Superbowl on the strength of their Quarterback Drew Brees, who has had an incredible season, and the dynamic duo of Pierre Thomas & Marques Colston (Running Back and Wide Receiver respectively.) With two other solid RBs and WRs Brees has had a good number of targets for his passing.
That said Brees has become considerably more scrappy as the season has gone by. Watching their Superbowl qualifier against the usually sublime Vikings it was hard to imagine they were Superbowl material. They might have pounded Arizona Cardinals the week before, but this was a different, possibly tired team. Almost every throw from Brees was visibly sloppy, wobbling along. As much as their fans might argue, it was more a case of the Vikings having lost the game than the Saints actually winning it.
The Saints defense is rock solid. It's been extremely hard to get anything past them all season, one of the reasons they held such an impressive season record (13 wins 0 losses, and then having ensured their playoffs place they started resting their main players and lost 3 in a row).
Colts have been unbelievable the entire season, ending it 14 wins, and just 2 losses (again like the Saints they rested their decent players for the playoffs). Peyton Manning, their star QuarterBack is in a class of his own. His ability to read and anticipate the opposing defensive team and choose appropriate plays are almost unparalleled (there are 5 or 6 really decent QBs this year) and no defensive coach seems to have figured out the secrets of his hand waving. Even the Colts own defensive team are clueless. Unlike the Saints they've remained solid even through the playoffs.
There has been a bit of fuss in the media about the loss of one of their defenders, but honestly it's a big fuss over relatively nothing. He's a decent guy, but not the be all and end all of the defense.
If the Saints bring their strong game from earlier in the season and Brees starts throwing properly we could be in for one heck of a game tomorrow. Brees and his receivers are an unbelievable force, capable of outfoxing the best of them.
If they're still playing like they were against the Vikings, though, I'm expecting the Colts defense to rip every offensive play to shreds, and Manning to do his usual job of destroying opposing defense.
I've a niggling feeling we'll be seeing the former. I certainly hope so!