Super Bowl Recap

I wanted to release my thoughts on the game yesterday, but I figured I would let my emotions wear off and watch the game one more time from an objective point of view. After watching it a second time, not caring this time about my “interest” in the Colts, I came to the conclusion that I should have stuck to my guns. I should have known this was an even game on paper, the line was inflated and that two of the Colts’ biggest stars were playing on bum wheels. I just could not get over the greatness of Peyton Manning. Well his greatness was outdone by a brilliant gameplan by Sean Payton and Greg Williams, outdone by a brilliant performance from Drew Brees, and outdone by another game where the Colts refused to attack for 60 minutes. Most of the credit for the Saints’ 31-17 Super Bowl victory will and should go to Brees, Payton and Tracy Porter, who had the pick-six to seal the victory, but to me this game was more about what the Colts didn’t do, than what the Saints did.

Let’s start by giving credit where credit is due. The Saints had a masterful gameplan put in place both offensively and defensively. Sean Payton did his normal amazing job of play-calling, called the greatest onside kick in NFL history, and absolutely nailed the sequence of events at the end of the first half.

Quick tangent on that last topic; Many “old-school” football guys were disagreeing with Payton at the time for going for it on 4th and goal at the Colts’ one with less than two minutes to play (I know most of the guys I was with thought he should kick). They would have been killing him had the Saints not gotten a field goal to end the half and eventually lost the game, whether that field goal would have mattered or not. Well I don’t know how to say it without insulting anyone, but that thought is absolutely, 100% wrong. If the Saints kick a field goal there, they cut the lead to 10-6. They then would have to kick-off to the Colts, giving Manning decent field position, two minutes and three time-outs. At that point the Saints would have been happy to hold Manning to a field goal and give the three points right back, with a very real possibility of Manning leading his team down for a TD and an 11 point halftime lead. Going for it gave the Saints the opportunity to tie the game and if they were unsuccessful, it left the Colts in the position to only try and run the clock out. Worst case is a 10-3 deficit at halftime, and that would have been the same as a 13-6 score that most likely would have ensued, at a minimum, had the Saints kicked a field goal. The Saints even got the best case scenario, holding the Colts without a first down and getting a field goal to end the half. It was simply a great coaching decision by Sean Payton. Ok, off of my high horse…

Where was I, oh yes, giving credit to the Saints. Drew Brees was flawless, tying the Super Bowl record for most completions, hitting on over 80% of his passes, and earning an absolutely deserving MVP award. Brees used all of his weapons, stayed patient in the pocket and put every throw where it needed to be. Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Devery Henderson and Jeremy Shockey were all major factors in the game and that goes to the credit of a brilliant system masterminded by Sean Payton and run to perfection by Drew Brees. Defensive Coordinator Greg Williams’ gameplan was just as well-planned and well-executed as Sean Payton’s and the Saints’ offense. The Saints defense was able to keep Peyton Manning just a little off guard with their blitzes, even without registering a sack, forcing Manning to throw a few times just a bit earlier than he would have liked. They also forced the Colts to do something that they do not want to do, and that is run the football and sustain long drives (more on this in just a minute). Finally, and like they have done all year, the opportunistic Saints defense made the play of the game, with Porter picking Manning off and taking it to the house, infuriating the Vegas sportsbooks who had to pay out large sums for the defensive touchdown prop bet. In the end, the Saints coached a great game, played a great game, and deserved to win the Super Bowl.

I could end the analysis there and that would be that but the Colts total lack of urgency, in my opinion, is what cost Manning his second Super Bowl ring. I thought they did the same thing against the Ravens, letting them hang around for far too long in a game that should have been over long before. They were doing the same thing against the Jets until they found themselves down two scores. I said it during the Jets game to a friend that the best thing that happened to the Colts was going down two scores. The Colts, and Manning in particular, went immediately into attack mode, said screw the running the game, and stayed there for the remainder of the game. When the Colts get into attack mode, they are virtually unstoppable. Against an offense like New Orleans, the Colts should have been in attack mode the entire game.

The Colts came out in this attack mode against the Saints, scoring 10 early points, and then took their proverbial foot off the pedal. Give the Saints some credit for this as their long drives in the second quarter kept Manning off the field, not to mention a crucial drop by Pierre Garcon, but you could tell with the speed and urgency that the Colts offense was playing with that they were not in full-out attack mode. The Saints dared the Colts to run the football, and the Colts played right into their hands by doing so. Yes they were running it with moderate success, but the Saints gameplan was to force the Colts into 3rd and 4 or 3rd and 5 and try to stop Manning one time per series instead of three times, and the Colts took the bait for much of the game. When the Saints scored to go up 13-10, the Colts went back into attack mode, throwing six of the next nine plays and marching right down the field to immediately answer with a touchdown of their own. We did not see the Colts in this attack mode again until the Saints held a 24-17 lead. Manning, or Wayne, whomever you would like to blame, made the crucial error and it was too late.

Had the Colts been in attack mode the entire game, I’m guessing they win this game by two scores. They fell into an approach through the playoffs of getting ahead and hoping to hold on instead of a let’s score and keep scoring mentality. Without doing much digging into the Colts past playoff failures, my guess is this has been the same problem in many of the playoff lossesthe Colts have suffered. It is the same organizational mentality that refuses to chase the undefeated season. It is a mentality that I can best describe as a lack of killer instinct when it matters the most. But just as Peyton Manning learned from his early 2000s defeats at the hands of the Patriots, here’s betting that Manning learns from this defeat and is right back in this situation once again in the very near future. It’s just too bad that I didn’t realize this before the game!