Sean Payton's Relentless Pursuit

The week before the Superbowl, I experienced quite a bit of internal conflict. Which team do you root for? The one who represents a city torn apart by disaster and pieced together by the love of a team? Or do you go for the golden boy of football whose intensity has translated into an infamous look that has the power to bring grown men to tears. At the end of the day it didn’t just come down to the city or its prodigal son. This game was decided by what some may considered a lost art in an era over glamorized and glorified players-- this game came down to good solid coaching.

Two words come to mind when I think of Sean Payton’s performance yesterday- relentless pursuit. In essence it was a mix of tenacity, courage, and an unceasing drive that made theses underdogs Superbowl Champions.

The highlight reel of the game is full of several eyebrow raising plays that paint a picture of a coaching staff that has a thorough understanding of big risks leading to big rewards. At the start of many plays, I found myself thinking A) did they actually just do that and B) that is something that I would only attempt in the safety of a Madden video game. Not each of them turned out to be immediately fruitful (read going for it on 4th and goal) but others had the power to turn the tide, and change the momentum of the game. The confidence that Payton had in his players was captured fully with the surprise onside kick to start the 2nd half, something that has never been attempted in Superbowl history. And then there was the boldness of going for the two point conversion despite the power of the Colts defensive line and their success in stopping your running game just a few drives before. And more importantly was the faith in your team to go for the Challenge after the call. In the Superbowl every point counts and relentless pursuit is that unwavering ability to play that way for the full 60 minutes of the game.

Play of the game- Without a doubt, and no matter the team that you were rooting, you were overwhelmed with shock and disbelief when the pass intended for Reggie Wayne was intercepted by Tracy Porter for a Saints TD. Take a moment and think a few plays back when Manning drilled the ball to Dallas Clark despite the coverage of 5 defenders, it is no secret that Manning is known of his accuracy and getting the ball exactly where it needs to be. And in the play to Wade, Manning threw with the same precision. After reviewing the play, I can see no error in Wade or Manning, but rather, a foresight in the moves of Porter. He knew exactly where the ball was coming something that can be attributed to countless hours of pregame studying. It goes back to that relentless pursuit by Sean Payton, that unquenchable desire he has instilled in his players and their purposeful execution.

An evaluation of Payton’s performance in this game cannot be complete without speaking on what he has done for this city and its players. Brees said it best, to come in to New Orleans at the time that he did took a certain amount of character. Before Peyton brought Brees from San Diego, the guy we know as one of the greatest QB of this decade may have been on the Dolphins who believed that he only had a 25% chance of recovering from his shoulder injury. The Saints were a team full of essential college football nobodies barely somebodies and a headliner in Reggie Bush. The journey that he brought those players on is the difference between him and Caldwell.

Caldwell, will go down as the most successful first year coach with 14 wins this season. But in comparison to the journey Payton and the Saints, Caldwell had a rather easy job. Much of the cultivation of athletic character was already done at the hands of Tony Dungy, the leadership and command on the field was already established by Manning. For these two coaches it’s the difference between being a good coach and coaching a good team.

Payton showed no interest in playing it safe. To be honest if they had played it safe the result of the game may have been very different. In traditional, predictable football, Manning has you beat as seen in the 10-0 start to the game. But in a game where you put you play with both your heart and your head the Saints become the victor.

In the words of everyone's favorite commentator, Micheal Irvin

“Today the Saints are America’s Team”

More Satiation For Your Superbowl Craving

Well we are only one day away from the Superbowl and if these last two weeks have taught me anything you can never have too much coverage so with that I will commence the breakdown of every position for both the Saints and the Colts as well as give my prediction for the game.

Quarterbacks: Advantage Colts

Peyton Manning is the greatest quarterback in the game today period. There is no doubt in my mind. All the physical skills are there that make him the elite passer that he is. He is able to make throws that wide receivers salivate over. The amount of preparation that must go into his games is astounding and he just has moments where he is literally unstoppable. I used to call that the Kobe zone, where one player just zones in and become vicious to the opponent but I might have to change the name after this Superbowl. This is not saying that Drew Brees is not right behind Peyton as far as quarterbacks go and he is easily the second best player in the game but Peyton rules the field.

Running Back: Advantage Saints

There is no one on the Colts bench that will be garner as much attention when they are on the field as Reggie Bush will. Though not an elite running back in between the tackles; if you give Bush space to work, he is always a threat to take it to the house. Pierre Thomas provides an even more reliable runner as he has the versatility to run between the tackles as well as to the outside. None of the run games are elite but the Saints’ running backs will probably provide the most impact.

Wide Receivers: Push if not slight advantage to the Colts

Reggie Wayne is one of the top Wide Receivers in the game but even if teams try and only take him out of the game Peyton Manning has the ability to turn both Collie and Garcon into instant superstars at a moments notice. The Saints wide receivers are no slouches though as they provide Drew Brees with an abundant source of different targets to throw to. Marques Colston is Drew Brees’ security blanket as he has both the size and strength to go up and fight for every ball. Meachem has finally lived up to his first round pick billing as he provides mismatches with both his size and his speed for opposing defenders. Devery Henderson is also a huge threat to get lost behind the defense and take one to the house. Plus its really easy to just throw Reggie Bush in this group as well. These two groups are both fantastic.

Tight Ends: Advantage Colts

While Jeremy Shockey is always a threat to have an impact in the game, Dallas Clark is one of the best pass catching tight ends in the game today. He has developed such a good repertoire with Peyton Manning that he has become the first look for Peyton after Reggie Wayne and Manning’s outlet when the rush is on. You will also find him picking up and chipping on blitzers coming in as he is releasing for his route.

Offensive Line - Advantage Saints

The sheer size of the Saints line allows them to have success holding up against the rush and opening some holes for their runners. The interior linemen for the Saints should hold up fine but the big match up will once again occur on the left side of the line for the Saints offense if Freeney plays and how Jermon Bushrod is able to hold up against him.

Defensive Line - Advantage Colts

Speaking of Dwight Freeney, if and when he plays this weekend his and Robert Mathis’ responsibility will be to get to Drew Brees and make him truly feel the anxiety of the situation of playing on such a stage. The key to this game will be if they are able to slow Brees’ game down so that they can take the big play out of the Saints playbook.

Linebackers - Push if not slight advantage to the Colts

This is not a big strength for either team. Both teams have their core linebackers in both Jonathan Vilma and Gary Brackett. And it isn’t as if their supporting casts are liabilities or anything close, but it seems like this game may be won in the success of the men in the trenches.

Defensive Backs - Advantage: Saints

Jabari Greer and Darren Sharper will make an attempt to figure out the machine they call Peyton Manning or at least make his job a little bit more difficult. Both secondary players are ball hawking in their coverage, and while the Saints pass defense is not regarded very highly the one thing they do get is turnovers.

Special Teams: Advantage Saints

Reggie Bush once again is the X-Factor in this case as he is a threat to run one back at any point in time. Let’s just hope these kickers can do their jobs if it comes down to it..

Coaches: Push

The best coach on the field is definitely Peyton. Yes Peyton Manning, not Sean Payton. Peyton Manning is the key to the offense as he is the coach on the field and his ability to read the defense in real time is unparalleled by anyone else in the game. His relationship with the offensive coordinator Tom Moore is really what makes this offense and this team tick. On the other side of the field, Sean Payton is one of the best coaches at managing the game for his team and always has an ace up his sleeve. He studied at the elbow of one the greats in Bill Parcells and you can be sure that Payton will be bringing a few wrinkles to solve the Colts’ defensive speed and force Peyton Manning and the Colts offense into “breaking their serve” first.

My final prediction: Colts 35 - Saints 24

Obligatory Super Bowl Post

My apologies, I very nearly committed a Cardinal Sin by allowing another sport to take precedence over football during Super Bowl week. In my defense, I'm used to enduring two full weeks of overanalysis and speculation completely devoid of football before the big game. Moving the Pro Bowl threw me completely off-kilter; thanks a lot, Goodell! In any event, the time has come to make some claims about what will and will not happen this Sunday after kickoff. As the hour is so late, I'll use the tried-and-true "matchups" method to highlight some of the more interesting storylines; hopefully there will be time to get into a more nuanced discussion later in the week. So, without further ado, John's take on Super Bowl XLIV.

Colts offense vs. Saints defense: Advantage Colts. Leading off with this one because it's a no-brainer. The rational part of me hates to write off defensive stars like Darren Sharper, Jonathan Vilma (both Pro Bowlers), and Will Smith, but the part of me writing this article knows that Peyton Manning will methodically dismantle New Orleans. The Saints do have the talent on defense to force one or two critical turnovers, though, which will figure dramatically into the outcome of the game.

Saints offense vs. Colts defense: Advantage Saints. Easily the biggest story this week has been whether or not Dwight Freeney would play in the Super Bowl, and the Colts insist that he will be able to play. Dwight currently has a "3rd degree ankle sprain" (a torn ligament, for the uninitiated), and his trademark spin move will likely be completely ineffective against the Saints' offensive line. With Pro Bowl RT Jon Stinchcomb holding Robert Mathis at bay, Brees will be able to dissect the Colts just as easily as Peyton can.

Special teams: Advantage Saints. As far as field goals go, the matchup is almost a push. Stover has the advantages of age and experience on the biggest stage, but Hartley has delivered consistent if not spectacular performance this postseason. In the return game, though, Reggie Bush and Courtney Roby have a marked advantage over their Indianapolis counterparts.

Who wins? The New Orleans Saints. Yes, the Colts have won at the highest level, and the Saints are new to the stage, but we're going to watch two high-powered offenses collide in a game where key stops and special teams will make the difference. And the Saints have a slight advantage over the Colts in both realms, especially given Freeney's injury.

PS: If you haven't heard enough talk about the most famous ankle in the world, DwightFreeney DwightFreeney DwightFreeney