QUOTE: “Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.” -- Theodore Roosevelt
All season, Saints head coach Sean Payton loved to bring in different people to give pregame speeches to his team — people with a unique flair, a unique message and a unique perspective. Had Teddy Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States, been alive, he clearly would have given the Saints their Super Bowl XLIV pregame speech. To beat Peyton Manning and the Colts in the Super Bowl, Payton knew his team needed to think unconventionally. He learned that from the Patriots’ failure and all the other teams that had leads in the fourth but who thought conventionally and were unable to put the game away. The Saints had the wisdom to try something unconventional, to reach for victory, to leave it all on the field, to dare mighty things.
On defense, the Saints made the one play when it counted. They never really pressured Colts quarterback Peyton Manning with their blitz package, but the real pressure of the Saints came from their offense. With Drew Brees playing “lights out,” Manning realized he had to score every time he got the ball, and for the first time all season, the Colts faced a team that could match them yard for yard, play for play, point for point and, most important, were willing to take chances. The unconventional opponent is always the most dangerous opponent.
The Super Bowl was tremendous from start to finish. It had me on the edge of my seat all game until Saints cornerback Tracy Porter made the play to put the game away. It was the kind of game that will provide much to talk about all offseason. But for today, here are my thoughts:
What I learned from Super Bowl XLIV
Drew Brees had seven incomplete passes the entire game. One was a drop and one was a spike to stop the clock. He played incredible with his pinpoint accuracy and his sense of timing in the pocket. For once, the opposing quarterback made Peyton Manning nervous….
Did you realize that Brees didn’t throw an interception through the entire playoffs? His ball placement Sunday was rare….
Once the Saints got used to the speed of the Colts defense, they were able to move the ball at will. Both of their punts came in the first quarter, and after that, they never punted again….
Both teams had 50 rushes and completions combined, but the Colts committed two turnovers -- one on the missed field goal and one on the interception….
Did you know that Matt Stover hadn’t made a 50-yard kick since 2006? When he went on the field to attempt it, I wasn’t feeling it, nor would I have attempted it had I been the head coach. That miss changed the game….
The Saints were the best fourth-quarter team in the NFL this season in terms of points scored and points allowed. Sunday, they proved once again they can dominate the fourth….
Sean Payton realized early in the game that the seam passes were not available, so instead of forcing his calls, he went to his short passing game, and Brees never forced the ball down the field. The big-play Saints’ biggest play of the day was just 27 yards, and they had only one other play of more than 20 yards….
Saints corner Tracy Porter made a great read on the blitz adjustment route, but I keep watching the play, and it appears to me that Reggie Wayne was stuck in his cleats and never got out of his cut….
I thought the Saints should have deferred the coin toss, but by winning the onside kick, they got the ball to start the second half, so they accomplished the same thing. Gutsy call — I wonder if this was planned all along….
Jonathan Casillas of the Saints amazingly recovered the onside kick that was a struggle like none other I have ever seen. He fought hard in that pileup to secure the ball and will be the answer to a great trivia question in years to come….
Saints kicker Garrett Hartley was incredible, making three field goals of 40 yards or more, and will forever be the unsung hero of the game. Those kicks were huge….
Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney tried hard, but the longer the game went, the less effective he became. Without him on the field, the Colts had no pass rush. Without his pressure, the Colts couldn’t play zone defense, nor could they match up man to man against the Saint wideouts….
Both teams combined for 84 passing attempts, yet no pass interference was called in the game….
Colts coach Jim Caldwell is going to regret sending Stover on the field for that kick for a very long time….
Super Bowl commercials I liked
Everyone has their favorites, but here are my top five. What are yours? Here’s the link to follow to check them out...
1. ETRADE…Milkoholic — the kids are great.
2. Snicker/Betty White/Abe Vigoda — nice to see Tessio back in action.
3. Brett Favre/Hyundai — so true.
4. Doritos Smack/Go Daddy -- both very good.
5. Bud light Lost — so funny.
Follow me on Twitter: michaelombardi
Super Bowl accommodations in Miami have been provided to the National Football Post by the beautiful Catalina Hotel and Beach Club. Click on the link to learn more about this stunning boutique hotel in the heart of South Beach.
Kinda explains why Belichick went for it on 4th and 2...unconventional... he got crucified but Payton is lauded for balls.... oh well... succeed and you're ballsy, fail and you're an idiot...
...it was also good to see the Colts gag again, just in the big game this time. It cements their status as the Atlanta Braves of the NFL...
It's a shame that Peyton will always be overshadowed by his peers, when he appears to be the best QB in the league. His audibles were spot on, and his passing was sharp - that pass to Dallas Clark over two leaping Saint defenders was beautiful.
I think the Colts front office and head coach are Peyton's worst enemy. They are far too passive.
Isn't there a way that a coach can determine how aggressive he must be, when your best defensive player is less than 100% (and will be degrading as the game goes on)? The end of each half, the playcalling was lame, especially that 3rd down run at the end of the game? When you have to score 2 TDs in about a minute left in the game?
Manning threw 18 interceptions this year. He is not the best QB in the league.
I think the MVP was Mike Reis- recovered the opening kickoff and the first Saint with his hands on the Onside kick. He brought the heat.
The onside kick reminded me of what Bill Walsh was taught by Paul Brown. Use your trick plays first! The reverse didn't work but the onside kick was brilliant. I think it will be great to see if it was planned all along and if the Colts had one the toss if Payton would have used it on the opening kick off.
With Freeney it looked obvious the painkillers wore off in the 2nd quarter, and he was invisible after that. Good point about no pass interference calls, Bill Polian will be whining for months about that. Oh wait a minute, I just choked down Peter King's column and Polian is already crying, claiming Garcon got "jacked" on the dropped pass play. What a d-bag.
Mike, the Colts were called for offensive pass interference towards the end of the 4th quarter. So, there was 1 pass interference call even though there were 84 combined passing attempts.
Great game and loved the result. Who Dat!!
Totally agree about the Stover FG miss. Mike, would you have punted or gone for it? On the other side, Hartley was big and was probably the second MVP.
I loved the gutsy call to go for it down inside the five by the Saints. It gave me the sense that Payton was like the little engine that could.
I won't talk smack about the Colt's fans. They seemed to be very gracious both here and in SoFL. Maybe some of the Vikings fans can take some lessons.
I did like the Betty White/Tessio commercial.
If I didn't have work then I would probably go join the celebration on SoBe. Oh well.
Thank God the Colts rested their starters in weeks 15 and 16! That really worked out as planned. Has no one learned from the 2007 Giants? Resting or playing your starters in the final regular season games has nothing to do with winning playoff games or the Super Bowl. Hopefully teams will knock off that nonsense.
I haven't seen any props anywhere given to my favorite commercial of the night, the VW commercial where everyone is playing the punch-buggy game. Nothing like a kid whacking his grandpa in the sack and Stevie Wonder punching Tracy Morgan ("How do you do that?!?") in the same ad.
A friend called that afternoon and we discussed an onside kick to start the second half. Seemed like it would be the right thing to do in any instance. It would put a close game over the hump, it would cement an upset lead, or it would give you an extra possession to come back with.
"Both teams had 50 rushes and completions combined, but the Colts committed two turnovers -- one on the missed field goal and one on the interception….
Did you know that Matt Stover hadn’t made a 50-yard kick since 2006? When he went on the field to attempt it, I wasn’t feeling it, nor would I have attempted it had I been the head coach. That miss changed the game…."
The general standard is to kick long when it can give you lead, if you have one already, play field position. However, the percentages for a D with Freeney slowing after the 1st quarter were not good so Caldwell had them lay it on the line. He had to get extra points in the game somewhere as well.
Brees was so hot, when he was getting those short passes completed I thought he'd throw it like that until Indy made him change, the Colts couldn't do it. Credit the poise of Brees in being able to control the game with those short pass concepts. Checking down became a bigger item as the game went on and those throws to people on out routes in tight throw windows were awesome.
The Saints two point play was so close a margin, and if Garcon doesn't drop a pass it might be 17-0 early and become a route. That's how the good both these teams are. The fine line between and win and loss was on display the entire game
It looked like Tracy porter was pattern reading Wayne's teammate Clark. Knowing Dallas would draw the double I thought they'd sluggo Wayne there. Because the safety went over the interior slant in a situation like that, it made the outside play one on one. Dual slants is an auotmatic item that you practice from day one ,every day of the season. If the first route gets squeezed the second one is automatic against outside leverage. Porter sees Clark break the first step on his slant, and gets on track to jump the route, before Wayne can make his break on his third step. Reggie assumed he'd have softer technique out there from where Porter started at the snap, it really looked like the anticipation caught him off guard and once his face was crossed he knew it was too late.
Manning knew the blitz was on and didn't have time to spare for holding the ball, he knows dualies are on, you don't let the outside guy cross your face. Tracy basically took something he's always seen in film and practiced against or played against and took control of it.
Addai really slowed the second half, it appeared the Saints commited to stopping the run so Manning would have to win it and they could focus the specialty looks on him.
The reverse was being cross read by Bethea and he blew it up, they were planning that reverse as counter action off Strief's being on the field. His being an extra lineman let
Well,
In this instance, I have to give all glory, laud and honor to Sean Payton. The man is a genius maverick and as one who operates the Maverick Sports Corner at Mid-Utahradio.com, I'm pleased to see such a non-conformist coach making magnificent calls on the greatest stage the NFL has to offer. I am also happy for Drew Brees, he is an illustrious quarterback and perhaps even a better person off the field. This is a good mentor for youth to have, as is Peyton Manning. In any case, the Saints made more plays than the Colts did although Indy had some breakdowns. Among them: why not have Peyton go for the jugular when the Saints were stonewalled on the goal line late in the first half? Second, as you said, Lombardi, Matt Stover had no business kicking a 51-yard field goal, especially at sea level. Nevertheless, I reiterate New Orleans was the better team and I'm happy for them. I remember how great it felt to see my Broncos win their first Super Bowl against the Packers and I'm sure Saints fans are feeling a comparable sense of euphoria. As for Super Bowl commercials, I liked Charles Barkley and Lamar Odom in the Taco Bell spot, but I'm an NBA on TNT junkie as well. Thanks again, Lombardi and I can hardly wait until the NFL resumes with the 2010 regular season. I look forward to your columns on a daily basis!
My two lasting memories of this game -- Payton's decision to go for it (because in a game of that magnitude you ALWAYS play to win) and the way - as Lombardi mentioned - the Saints went after that onside kick. Brings to mind that Lawrence Taylor snipet the show from time to time - like a pack of crazed wolves (or whatever he said). That was the turning point of the game. Would love to know what Payton said to get his team to come out like THAT.
P.S. Wonder what Kendra's going to do with Mr. Kendra when he's waived out of the league next season.....
I don't think resting their players had anything to do with it. I think it was more about the fact that they weren't playing against 1st or 2nd year QBs and injured defenses.
I don't think resting their players had anything to do with it. I think it was more about the fact that they weren't playing against 1st or 2nd year QBs and injured defenses.
@CW, Peyton is a great QB, but the Colts have gone above and beyond to put him in a place to succeed. He wasn't pressured at any point. He has a wealth of receiving talent around him. The defense has played excellent football throughout the playoffs. He has more control over his offense than any QB in the league since Jim Kelly.
On his 4th quarter pick, he had a clean pocket and was throwing to Reggie Wayne...
On his last four plays of the game he was at the 5 yard line, and couldn't find a way to get a touchdown.
I have all the respect in the world for Manning, but he does not get off the hook for losing when he had the game in his hands and failed to execute. Those plays are on him, and he didn't get it done. Yes, there were other plays that other players could have made. Its a total team effort. Manning gets his share of blame just like the other 44 who dressed.
The onside kick was not the game, the pick six was. But the kick was huge.
Great coaching? More like crap coaching on the other side. I'm not a Colts fan. I didn't care who won. But if I'm the Colts coaching staff I'm taking a long look in the mirror. Exactly why was your team not prepared for that?
Any possible chance we can get this game on Saturday night? Lack of productivity (myself included) would not be such an issue. I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't agree this would be a good move.
I always like your writing, Michael, but I disagree with the point you made saying Manning The Patriots Sunday Night game was a time when Manning was matched play-for-play and point-for-point. Actually, he was outplayed, but thanks to one high-risk high-reward decision that went awry, he was just fortunate that the Pats fell one yard short.
This was a good game, but not a tremendous game. The first half was a bore for the most part. The second half gave us a lot to talk about and it started off with a bang on the onside kick. It was a great call by Payton, but one that a more experienced coach could have snuffed out better. There is no longer break in professional sports (besides, a rain delay) than there is at halftime of a Super Bowl. It was a perfect time to try it. As someone who played on special teams, I said to my friends watch for a surprise onside.
I do not think this game will rank in the top five Super Bowls. I am glad the Saints won. They are deserving champions of the NFL. Fortune favored the brave. The Colts miscues will be as remembered just as much as the Saints strong play.
There's not much talk about Peyton walking off the field without congratulating the winner.
That's pretty low class if you ask me.
I read that Payton decided on the onside kick right as the first half was ending. Also, there was an offensive pass interference called on the Colts in the Saints' end zone.
I'm surprised that nobody I've read today has mentioned the disputed 2-point conversion call that was overturned on review. To me, after seeing the replays it was clearly a catch, but nobody has mentioned it. I think it was the turning point of the game.
As a corollary to Sunny L's comment, I thought it was a dumb idea for the Saints to go for it on fourth down in the second quarter from the one yard line. The subsequent dumber sequence of play calling by the Colts gave the Saints those 3 points back before the half. Regarding Mike's comments about the pick six, Chris Carter said he thought it was caused by the injured knee of receiver Regie Wayne, which prevented a sharp cut off the planted leg.
I think the MVP was Mike Reis- recovered the opening kickoff and the first Saint with his hands on the Onside kick. He brought the heat.
I guess my eyes deceive me when I watch Peyton Manning making great audibles, accurate passes, and solid decisions. He threw a bad pass that got picked off. Obvious. But to say there are other QBs better than Peyton Manning in the league is ridiculous. There may be QBs that have better seasons than Peyton, but there's not one QB that has had the ridiculousness of success as long and as consistently that he has (in the past 10-15 years). But beside all that, I do respect the fact that the guy is all about football. He wants to be the best and win games. I think he deserves better than Jim Caldwell as a coach.
Why all the love for this game as a truly "great" game? I don't see it. Sure, a lot of moving of chess pieces. But anytime one team outscores another 31-7 over the last three quarters, well, that's not a classic. I admit it was interesting until the pick six. That was the decisive play of the game as it ended any chance the Colts had.
But a classic? I don't think so.
And the ads generally sucked as well. Everytime I see one of those brats trading online I think of everything wrong that this country has become. Money, money, money ad nauseum.
And now I'll get off my soapbox.
BTW, Brett Favre must come back if for no other reason than he showed once again he is the ultimate entertainer. His ad was fresh!
Why all the love for this game as a truly "great" game? I don't see it. Sure, a lot of moving of chess pieces. But anytime one team outscores another 31-7 over the last three quarters, well, that's not a classic. I admit it was interesting until the pick six. That was the decisive play of the game as it ended any chance the Colts had.
But a classic? I don't think so.
And the ads generally sucked as well. Everytime I see one of those brats trading online I think of everything wrong that this country has become. Money, money, money ad nauseum.
And now I'll get off my soapbox.
BTW, Brett Favre must come back if for no other reason than he showed once again he is the ultimate entertainer. His ad was fresh!
@CW no one is doubting Manning's greatness, especially in the regular season. But the playoffs are a whole nother matter. He is a bit more pedestrian there. I'm not going to bore you with the numbers, but there have been others grander on the grand stage. It's just a fact.
"He threw a bad pass that got picked off." Really? That all it was? Actually, it was a game killer, and he has to wear it. He's done it before. Part of the Peyton package. The good, the bad and the ugly.
For the record, when Rex Grossman threw a pick six three years ago he got gutted.
For the record, Brees didn't throw a pick the entire playoffs. That's money.
Anyone notice that Peyton Manning had that sick-having no fun-weight of the world-don't screw this up-my panties are in a bunch look on his face from beginning to end? Almost like a self-fullfilling prophecy if you ask me.
"Chris Carter said he thought it was caused by the injured knee of receiver Regie Wayne, which prevented a sharp cut off the planted leg."
...bob from ny makes a good point there, repeating Carter's insight.
The Colts also did some things outside the box, at times in the game. Manning's TD throw to Garcon came with eleven seconds on the play clock. He usually waits until under five seconds, to bait coverage or give time for the route combos to identify rotations for coverage adjustments.
The early snap may have been what helped get Garcon off the line so fast, as the Saint DB couldn't get in position from biding time on their expecting an adjustment, as they try and hide hide coverage technique.
One of the best parts of the game for me was the referees letting the teams play without endless ticky-tack penalties. Several times I saw defenders contact receivers within the legal five yards and the contact didn't break off until downfield six or seven yards, but the refs let 'em play. No defensive holds 30 yards from the play giving the offense an easy first down. Great game by the refs.
The offensive pass interference was a smart play by Garcon. He knew he had no chance at the pass, so he started grabbing the defender's arms to prevent a pick. Many receivers in the league just give up and let the pick occur. Ironically, dispite Garcon's efforts, the DB did catch the ball, but out of bounds.
I greatly enjoyed the game, third year in a row. Put the Packers in it next season and make it four in a row!
I do have to agree with CW here. I'm not saying Manning is the greatest QB of all time, I don't think he is. But he has had an average coaching staff compared to his peers like Brady and Brees. Where is the innovation with this staff? They sit in Cover 2 all game on defense. There is no good blitz package. The special teams have been the worst in the league over the last 10. The offensive line is below average. When you look at Polian's drafts over the last 5 years, they are average. They don't have the best roster in the league compared to teams like Minnesota and Dallas, and they don't have the innovation in the coaching staff to make up for it. Put a good QB on this team like a Tony Romo, and they probably lose 3-4 more games every year. Put an average QB like Garrard, they are a mediocre team. In particular, with Freeney hurt.
A list of thank yous and a final...
Even if you called me an idiot,...
Their success will depend on QB...
Titans coach wants Chris Johnson...
Now is the QB’s chance to show...
Feb 08, 2010
11:36 AM
- If you take away the drop and the spike to stop the clock, Brees finished the game by going 29 of 30. Amazing.
- Also amazing, the 4th quarter stats for the Saints season. What a team, they deserve to be Super Bowl Champions.
- Mini Polamalu commerical was pretty cool
- I miss football season already