The entire world was watching last night as the New Orleans Saints finally became Champions, they staged a dramatic come back in Miami for the second time this season. The paper bags can be put away forever. The franchise that once was so awful its fans were embarrassed to show their faces, is now a world champion.
The New Orleans Saints, who went 21 seasons before reaching the playoffs and 34 seasons before winning a postseason game, completed their storybook season Sunday night by moving past the favored Colts 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV in Sun Life Stadium.
We were told the game would be high-scoring, but the teams managed only two offensive touchdowns each. New Orleans, which averaged a league-high 31.9 points a game during the regular season, was so out of sync offensively that it managed only three field goals on its first five trips inside the Indy 30-yard line.
The most memorable moments through two-plus quarters were provided by Saints coach Sean Payton, who unsuccessfully went for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1 in the closing minutes of the first half, then opened the third quarter by calling for a successful onside kick.
I still can’t figure out how the Colts the best team in the NFL, a juggernaut that was controlling the game until Pierre Garcon’s deadly third-down drop midway through the second quarter, followed by a bizarre seven-minute Saints drive, a Colts goal-line stand, a three-and-out and a sneaky Saints field goal to close the half ended up self-destructing in the second half.
The onside kick was the catalyst for the Colts demise, and as I wrote before the Saints receiving Corps won this game for the Saints. not because they scored a bunch of touchdowns, but they kept Peyton Manning off of the field. The Colts only had eight possession when they normally have about 12 in normal game.
With not much of a running game to speak of the Saints controlled the ball, and limited the chances of the Colts offense. Who knows what this will do to the legacy of Peyton Manning, he will still be regarded as a great quarterback. But Drew Brees is the new hot topic in town, and if the Saints continue to stack up wins maybe Brees becomes the new golden boy.
