Enjoy!
* From which, oddly enough, legendary Baltimore Colts Quarterback actually suffered.
Indianapolis Colts (AFC No.1) Vs (NFC No.1) New Orleans Saints
This is the clash of the titans: both number one seeds facing-off against each other in what is becoming an increasingly rare outcome of the playoffs. Rare it is that both number one seeds carry their regular season form all the way to the Super Bowl. The playoffs have, of late, been the stomping ground of underdogs. But not this year.
This game sees Peyton Manning, league superstar, Colts and NFL legend, take on the team for whom his father played. Manning is from the New Orleans area and is loved there like a surrogate son. His father Archie still attends the Saints games when he can and no doubt Peyton’s younger brother – Super Bowl winning Quarterback of the New York Giants, Eli – will be there too. The stage is set for a fantastic showdown between the hometown kid turned pro and the beloved saints who are fast replacing the Dallas Cowboys as America’s team.
The Colts won their first super bowl nearly forty years ago during their time in Baltimore. Manning brought Indianapolis its first championship three years ago and is hungry for seconds. Conversely, not only have the Saints never won a title, they have never even been to the big game. Not once in their long and largely haphazard history.
But this is the not the Saints team who were annual bottom-dwellers in the NFC South. After a lacklustre season in 2008 – they finished a below-par 8-8 on the campaign – the rattled off victory after victory to start this season with a bang, en route to the franchise’s best ever regular season record – an impressive 13-3.
I think Peyton deserves another Lombardi Trophy in his personal collection, but if this transpires to be the last game of the season, I’ll be praying the Saints go marching home with World Championship number one in the bag. The other Payton (that’s Sean Payton, New Orleans’ coach) has been one of the most impressive young coaches of recent years. He has transformed not only the mentality of the hapless Saints, but their fortunes; turning the ‘Who Dat?’ nation into a whodunit – the list of fatalities at the hands of the rampant Saints is growing and Payton insists his team’s onslaught won’t end before Miami is reached.
What about the positional breakdown? Quarterbacks can not be separated in terms of prolificacy, but Peyton is more experienced; New Orleans owns the more talented rushing attack; Indianapolis the better receivers; the Saints the better O-line; the Colts the better D. Who will win this emotionally charged contest?
Next time someone asks: “Who dat?” you tell them that dey’s the World Champs. Bow down and kiss Brees’ (Super Bowl) ring.
Indianapolis Colts (AFC No.1) Vs (NFC No.2) Minnesota Vikings
Tasty, tasty: this is actually the Super Bowl I want to see. Regrettable it is that one of the Vikings and Saints must lose their NFC Championship match-up as I’d love to guarantee a winner from that conference – both franchises need it more. But if you ask me to pick between the Colts and the Jets I have to say the boys in blue deserve it more – the Jets are plucky chancers and should be applauded, but not regarded as a championship calibre team.
So legend against legend; Manning against Favre. Who will win? This is up to Favre I think: if he can play like he did against the Cowboys in the divisional playoffs, the Vikings will win. Manning’s been here recently though, and although he faced a unit which lacked any significant offensive threat (the Bears that lost in ’06 were yet to use Devin Hester on Offence) that kind of experience is invaluable.
The prospect of these two iconic passers squaring-off in the biggest game of either’s career: Favre needs to end his time in the NFL on a high and Manning needs to prove he can win the big games with consistency – a 1-1 record in super bowls would be one of the more lacklustre statistics next to his name.
Inevitably, this game means more to Favre and the Vikings for several reasons. One, the aging gunslinger was coaxed out of retirement by Coach Childress to give the almost complete Vikings squad a chance of making the Super Bowl. For that reason it is a Championship or bust for them. Since being ousted from Green Bay two years ago, Favre, the celebrated Packers Quarterback bounced to the Jets and then from New York to the Packers’ fierce rivals the Vikings in the hope of one more shot at the big one. He’s been searching for a fairytale ending to his stellar career for a few years now. Victory in Miami would be just that and allow the legend of Favre to sleep easy when his career is finally put to bed.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day; Bar Centro; or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre.
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