Sure, Manning made a throw that everyone thinks was bad. But were they in the huddle when the play was called? What most people fail to realize is that the game they were watching is nothing like the game they go out and play with their friends on a quiet street. There’s more to a play than just  some dude drawing routes on his palm in the huddle. Did Peyton make a bad throw or did the receiver bung up the route?

You know what, it doesn’t matter. Yea the play was a mistake and yea it seemed to have cost the Colts the game. But it didn’t. That wasn’t the only play the Colts failed to make. The offense could have done a better job executing all game. The defense could have done a better job creating negative plays on first downs and getting off the field on third downs. Special teams could have done a better job on coverage and returns. The coaches could have coached better.

Games aren’t won or lost on one play. Every play is an opportunity that can be capitalized on. The Colts, not just Manning, could have played better. But they didn’t. The Saints made more plays in the game then the Colts did. And that’s why the Colts lost.

Technorati Tags: Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, NFL, Peyton Manning, Super Bowl 44

As good as the Saints offensive line is, it never hurts to have quality backups. USC tackle Charles Brown has good size and is a great developmental project who has a ton of upside. The also added Boston College center Matt Tennant. Tight end got a little more competitive with the drafting of Jimmy Graham out of Miami. He’s another big, athletic tight end out of a school that churns them out and could see some time behind former Hurricane Jeremy Shockey.

They drafted LSU defensive tackle Al Woods who is a good second option at the nose position. Drew Brees is no doubt the man but a little security doesn’t help. Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield is a good fit in Sean Paytons offense and should benefit from great coaching. The Saints will pretty much be the same team this year as they were last year, which is a good thing for Saints fans.

Technorati Tags: 2010 NFL Draft, New Orleans Saints, NFL

Last night the Saints had something to say and they said it on the field. There can be no excuses made by the great Colts or Manning, they definitely aren’t making any. The game had few penalties and few mistakes. The costliest mistake was made by Peyton Manning when Tracy Porter picked off a Manning pass and returned it for a touchdown. That’s something you never saw Joe Montana do or something Tom Brady has yet to, and possibly may never do.

Manning may not be fully to blame for the interception, Porter diagnosed the play to perfection and stepped in front on the pass. However you rarely see Manning make such a mistake with such tight coverage.

The turning point in the game was no doubt the call by Sean Payton to attempt the onside kick at the beginning of the second half. The idea behind it was brilliant, keep Manning on the sidelines. If it wound up not working Payton probably would have been ridiculed for it by many people. But he stayed true to his philosophy of needing to take big chances in big games. Wether that play worked or not, you have to respect the man for staying true to his game plan.

While the world watched Peyton Manning prove he’s not even the best quarterback in the game today, let alone ever, they witnessed another quarterback take his game to a new level. Drew Brees played an amazing game. In the biggest game of his life he remained calm and poised. Right from the beginning of the game you could see his focus.

In the first quarter the offensive line of the Saints struggled a little with the pressure the Colts were putting on. But with all the chaos going on around him Brees slid around in that pocket and remained poised. The Colts came out and threw a lot at the Saints in the first quarter, the fact that New Orleans handled it played a huge role in the way the game went. Drew Brees handled the pressure of the big game like all the other quarterbacks that are considered to be the greatest did. Peyton Manning handled the pressure of the big game the way he usually does. His record in the postseason is 9-9. Now, remind me again of who dat everyone was anointing the greatest quarterback ever?

Technorati Tags: Drew Brees, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, Peyton Manning, Sean Payton

Freeney had 13.5 sacks this year and his pass rushing abilities are second to none in the league. He’s the last player the Colts could handle losing going into this game.

The Saints passing attack is the best in the NFL. When Brees gets time in the pocket he has a habit of picking defenses apart. Although he was noticably off in the NFC championship game, it’s fully expected he’ll bounce back from that and have a performance worthy of being in the big game.

If, in fact, Freeney does happen to miss the biggest game of the year it may hurt the Colts quite a bit. Their defense is built around getting pressure on the quarterback. If the pressure isn’t there the Colts corners are going to have to play extremely well. The Colts still have Mathis coming off the edge on the other side, but now you can put the focus solely on blocking him instead of having to split the attention.

If Brees gets all day to throw the football the Saints are going to score a lot of points. Hey, maybe Freeney missing this game could be a good thing. We may be in store for the most offensive Super Bowl ever, and I mean that in a good way.

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This is a good football team though and it’s not like they’re a different team than they were several weeks ago. They just seem to have lost that momentum the were riding so hard earlier in the year.

Have people figured them out? I don’t think it really matters. You can know exactly what they’re all about, it won’t make a difference if you can’t contain their offense.

And that’s kind of the whole point here. The Saints struggled down the stretch not because people unlocked some sort of blueprint, which seems to be quite the catchphrase these days. But because they haven’t been executing as well as they were earlier this year.

All that can change this weekend when the Cardinals come to town. Which Cardinals team shows up is anyones guess. Either way this is a chance for the Saints to get things back on track. When the offense is clicking it pretty much unstoppable, and if the D can get back to forcing turnovers it will be a great recipe.

Arizonas offense played lights out last week and surprised a lot of people shredding the Packers secondary. But their defense struggled in the second half letting Green Bays offense get into a rhythm. If the Cardinals defense has a repeat performance from last week the Saints will light them up.

New Orleans has a fairly good opportunity in front of them. If they can take advantage and find that chemistry they had earlier in the year they’ll be right back on track.

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This is no doubt the Cowboys biggest game of the year. It’s a Saturday night game in New Orleans with the Cowboys season hanging in the balance. It’s what the NFL hopes and prays for every year.

Of course, leave it to the Cowboys to talk some smack leading into the game. Roy Williams said that this is just round one for these two teams, implying they’ll meet again in the playoff. I’m not sure if Roy has been keeping pace with what’s going on in the NFL, or his team for that matter.

This game isn’t just big for Dallas, the Saints want it bad too. If they win this game they’re one step closer to home field advantage throughout the playoffs. And if you don’t think the Saints want to clobberknock the Cowboys at home in front of a good majority of the NFLs fans you’re obviously a Dallas fan.

The bottom line is the Cowboys can talk turkey all they want but they’ve got to go out and prove they have what it takes to win in December. Nobody has seen a Dallas team show up this late in the year since the days of Troy Aikman.

If Dallas has a good showing in New Orleans it could provide a boost of confidence, something this team has been missing down the stretch of the past few seasons.

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Well I’m going to come out and say right now that if Bill Belichick, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots couldn’t, the Saints can’t. I have a lot of respect for Sean Payton, Drew Brees and the Saints but they’re about to see pressure they’ve never experienced, any of them.

Each win from here on out is going to increase the attention, pressure and talk exponentially. When the Patriots finished the regular season off 16-0 I’d never seen such media attention over one team, and it got crazier in the playoffs.

I look at the Saints roster and they don’t have the same kind of veterans the Patriots had in 2007. Having guys that have won Super Bowls and have quite a bit of playoff experience counts for a lot.

The only starter that has any real big game experience is Shockey and he’s the last guy I’d ask my players to look to for guidance.

Maybe I’m wrong, maybe the Saints are the greatest team to ever play. But I doubt it. Time will tell whether the New Orleans has what it takes.

I think the Saints will reach the Super Bowl at 18-0. But I they’ll face a team they’ve already played this year. That said team will have a lot on their minds, including having their undefeated season coming up 1 game short.

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Brees lit it up throwing 5 touchdown passes and no interceptions. The defense was able to keep Brady out of synch coming up with 2 interceptions. This game was all New Orleans.

Big play after big play ruined the Patriots chances last night. And just when they seemed to be getting something going the Saints stepped up and made plays.

New Englands offense didn’t look nearly as bad as their defense. The secondary was out of position all night, allowing Brees to find open guys for huge chunks of yardage. The pressure put up by the Patriots front 7 was non existent.

The Saints are the team to beat right now. With Dallas being the only team remaining on their schedule looking remotely capable of beating them, the chances of them running the table are really good.

As for New England, the fact that they can’t seem to finish off elite teams seems to be a real problem. If they can’t fix their second half woes they won’t be going anywhere this year.

Technorati Tags: New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, NFL

But there’s more to the Saints than just passing. Their running game is proving to be one of the best in the league.

When most people think about the Saints they think passing. But the numbers tell a different story. The Saints have passed the ball 320 times this year for an average of 8.6 per pass. The Saints have run the ball 324 times for an average of 4.8 per rush.

I’m having a hard time recalling a team that has had this kind of balance mixed with the explosiveness that they have. I mean, it’s one thing to have balance on an offense that’s middle of the road, it’s another when said team is top 5 in both and on pace to set a scoring record.

The Patriots are going to have their hands full this Monday. This will be their toughest challenge yet. If the Saints can win this game I don’t see them losing this year, at least not in the regular season. But when you look at the balance on offense combined with an exceptional defense, there may not be a team that can stop them.

Technorati Tags: New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints, NFL