What a disastrous weekend...

I am the kind of person who gets up for everything. I get excited to watch Television shows, movies, sporting events, going to the park with my little angel. I make a big deal about everything. So when I have a weekend that has the Daytona 500, the NBA All star weekend and the start of the Winter Olympics, I am expecting a weekend of good eats, wrastling with my daughter and my wife wondering when can she get to watch her programs. It was over 75 on Sunday here and in the 70's on Saturday so I figured that she and my daughter would disappear like they do but they did not so we had a barbecue and was let down by what we saw.
First, the Winter Olympics needs to have its head examined. The IOC is bunch of old idiots who should be taken behind the wood shed and spanked for all of the things it has said this weekend. The show must go on. I understand that mentality, but blaming an athlete for a tragedy is lunacy. I know that Dick Ebersol gets criticized for putting his foot down for making sure events are on that is going to make money for NBC sports but the Luge is not one of those sports. That is another topic. If the athlete is the cause for his own death then why change the course? The Canadians allegedly did not allow any one other than their own people to practice on this track months ago and get a gauge for the speed then and now the world suffers. In fact the best Luger in the world had crashed the day earlier and warned that the track was too fast. We are now learning that other people had crashed too. For the committee to say it was his fault and then change the course shows you how gutless they are. Then for NBC and the Olympic committee to keep the event going now and not postpone it to later is a joke. Now the other Luger's are complaining that course is too short and to slow. The Georgian team deserves better than this and so does the memory of the Luger.
Did you see how angry Wayne Gretzky looked waiting to light the torch? How the portion of the of the indoor torch not lighting. A beautiful ceremony though. Then Canada beats Slovenia 16-0 in a game. They don't want Olympic women's ski jumping because not enough women do it and because "a woman's body cannot take the punishment of competing a sport like that".I think that if people can watch a 16-0 hockey game or a 12-1 hockey game i think that they would watch women ski jump even if they were 6 women doing it. The IOC is a joke!!! They are sexist and foolish. They take away women sports because they can't see progress. They are still living in the caveman period..
LET'S hope that things will get better. We will never forget how it has started...
Did the Daytona 500 end? How can you not re-pave a track every year that a race is held on it? I think I aged 10 years on Sunday. I was watching golf and 3 guys shot a 9 on the 14th hole at Pebble and I was like did i just see that? The I turn back to the race and they were waiting for a pothole to be fixed. This event is supposed to be the Super Bowl of the sport!!!! Can you imagine the Super Bowl being played and the field sinking in like a black hole during the game? Then Dale Earnhart jr. almost steals the race. I am baffled that they don't re-pave the course every year. I heard that used to race on the actual beach back in the 60's and 70's. Can you imagine driving in a circle and then the Atlantic ocean pops a hole through the course.. I better stop..
The NBA All Star game itself was entertaining and at least they played hard in the 4th quarter. Unlike the Pro bowl when they did not try at all, the players in this game gave us something to smile about. Seeing Chris Bosh play well made me happy because he is often forgotten in the 2005 draft class. Drawing 108,000 people to the game is awesome for the league. They need some positive news because they look like they are going to have a lockout next year. The reports that the owners tore up the proposal is scary and bold. The other events of the weekend were poor as well. Paul Pierce winning the 3-point championship is shocking. Nate Robinson winning 3 straight slam dunk titles is laughable. I have finally been convinced that the dunk contest is dead. The only way it works is if the best players participate. I think they should have it be the street legends versus the NBA players in that contest then you will see something. The Pros don't want to risk injury so I understand they won't participate. That is why I don't vote for none of this stuff.
All in All the weekend was a let down. I did see a great movie called "the Great Raid". It is about American p.o.w.'s in the Philippines during World War 2. Starring Ben Brat, Joesph Fiennes James Franco. A must see...

Remember when the NBA all star game ...

Remember when the NBA all star weekend was spectacular? Jordan, Magic, Dominique, Larry Legend, Dr. J? Today's players may be more athletic but if they played these legends in a game in their primes, It would not be close. Today's stars are great but everyone says that the NBA is garbage. I love Lebron, Kobe, D-Wade, Carmelo. I wish that they partook in the events other than the skills competition. They should sell the game the same way as Jordan, Bird and Dominique did. Magic may not have done any of the skills competitions, but he was everywhere. Shaquille Oneal needs to be there some how. He needs to have a microphone in his hands or coaching the Rookies or doing something for the league. TNT needs to have him in the booth or roving around with a a microphone. He is a class clown. Plus this is the last time he may be at an all star affair. He is from the Dallas area. This all star game Kobe is not playing. Neither is Iverson. So it is up to Dirk and Timmy to lead the West against Lebron. Good Luck!!
The Dunk contest used to be must see t.v. Do you realize that Jordan and Dominique did the contest 4 or 5 times. Vince Carter the greatest dunker of this generation only did it once. Kobe did it once. Lebron did it once. That is a joke. The players in the 80's and 90's did not get paid as much money as these guys did so that bonus check at the all star game came in handy. Jordan did not start getting paid until later in his career. Dominique was never really appreciated. He was the "human highlight film" and he in my opinion defeated Jordan in that epic dunking contest in Chicago. I watched it the other night and it was no contest. The power in which he dunked the ball is still unmatched. He did a lot of similar dunks and that cost him. Remember when Bird won the three point contest and did not take off his warm-up jacket? He told all of the players that the check already had his name on it. The NBA does have a great weekend of fun with the games and bringing back the legends. The celebrities show up all glamorous as ever. I just wish that the stars participated in the marquee events. They could learn something from the old guard.. .. I will watch

The winter olympics is upon us..

There are two events that happen in the world that most people in this country don't care as much about as they should. The World Cup of Soccer and the Winter Olympics. Now before anyone jumps on me about how Figure Skating is watched by everyone in the country, I will say that is true but that is one event. Olympic Hockey is great to watch and we have a great team this time around but I doubt that will get most Americans off their routine of shows like Figure Skating will. The skiing and speed skating is great but if our two favorites don't win, the press really will pile on them. Remember Bode Miller? He was supposed to be the guy last time around and the press absolutely killed him. Apollo Ono and Lindsay Vonn have the weight of the country around their necks. Lindsay Vonn is injured and yet she is still expected to perform this weekend. She has been the best skier male or female this season. I hope she delivers the goods and puts the U.S. on the map in Olympic skiing. Not since Picabo Street has there been such high expectations. Ono has a chance to make some history. NBC is hoping for a bonanza with both athletes and hope that Sascha Cohen can deliver in figure skating. The Hockey team has its hands full because the world is pretty good. Russia and Canada are the favorites but usually the Fins, the Swedes, the Czechs, do damage in the tournament. It should be fun, but the Canadians are under so much pressure to win since the games are being held on their soil. Sid the kid can achieve Gretzky like status with a gold medal. His Russian counterpart Alex the great has pressure on him to deliver too. Russia has not been the same since the Miracle on ice. They need this as badly as Canada. That is my Olympic preview folks.
Now let me speak from the heart. What kills the Winter Games for me is the X games. ESPN has decided that the traditional winter sports are antiquated and therefore creating an event for extreme/ crazy athletes would be better for the country. And guess what they were right. don't you want to see people riding downhill on bikes in the snow racing? How about snowboarders going so high that they can touch the sky and then crush their faces when the hit the snow bank? Shawn White is more famous than Apollo Anton Ono. Now I know the Olympics have added some of the extreme/crazy events and Shawn White has a gold medal, but the X games have already stolen the thunder of these games. We hear about the X games athletes all year and every year. We only hear about the "normal" winter Olympic athlete every 2 -4 years. It is sad. I will watch what I can. Plus this weekend you got the NBA all star game and Daytona 500. And Danica going for history... Great timing for an Olympics huh...

what has happened to UNC

Remember when the Duke-Carolina game was must see television? One year ago the Tar Heels were cutting down the nets down and were on top of the college basketball universe. Duke has not been to a final four in years and people are doubting Coach K's ability to win the big game. Both Coach K and Coach Williams have stayed away from the one and done players it has killed Duke but the Tar Heels have thrived in this recent era. Duke was the college that every one loved to beat because Dick Vitale was always touting them. I once watched an interview with Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun and he could not say a sentence without mentioning Duke and Coach K. Charlie Rose asked him question after question and he continued to gush about the "Dukies". Early in his career, Duke defeated them in big games all the time. Recent years Connecticut has turned the table. Earlier this year Duke finally beat UConn and ever since then Coach Calhoun has been sick. Connecticut has struggled this year too, but we will save them for another day. Duke has been bullied over the past 5 years by the Tar Heels. Tonight The Dukies played horribly and won by ten. They have a decent team but will struggle against a team that has good guard play and a big man who can get his own shot. The positive of Duke is that they can shoot and make free throws. So if they are making their threes they will be a tough out for anyone.
The Tar Heels have fallen and can't get up. They have lost several games in a row and have losses at teams that defy logic. They have played a tough non-conference schedule but ever since they lost to Texas(another team that is struggling) they have not been the same team that many people thought would contend for a title. I think the problem is that they don't know who they are. No one's roles are defined and they don't know who the go to person is. They have very skilled interior players but the guards do not know how to get the ball in scoring position enough. The guards cant shoot. They miss several wide open looks and miss layups way to often. Coach Williams must be wondering where Ty Lawson and Tyler Hansbrough are because they lack leadership. Someone needs to grab the ball and take games over for them. John Wall is a freshman at Kentucky and he makes sure everyone knows that the ball is his and he will give it to you when you deserve it.
I look around at College basketball and that to me seems to be the overriding problem for most teams. Texas, Uconn, and Carolina have all of these super star players who are not used to being benched or not getting 20 shots a game. Teamwork is not just two words put together, coaches need to design plays that make their players feel a sense of responsibility. Texas looked like world beaters when I saw them beat UNC. Carolina looked good too in that game. Both teams need a leader to say "follow me" and lead them to the promise land. It is already going to be a weird tournament. The Pac-10 conference teams are all sorry and UConn and UNC not playing well is making the tournament become about a few teams and unknowns. (like New Mexico and Butler) I am hoping that this an anomaly and that next year we will look forward to this game. Coach Roy will get it fixed. Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins are not walking through that door any time soon....

The Hall of Fame needs help...

Last fall I was asked to be on a show that talked about the upcoming class of the NFL hall of fame. The Obvious two players Jerry Rice and Emmitt Smith were going in no matter what. They have hardware and records that will never be touched. They have rings and performances in the biggest games that make them true Hall of Famers. There are at least ten guys that deserve to be in the Hall of Fame that seem to be no brainer's if people are basing their vote on performance. Plus there are a couple of guys who deserving because they were integral parts of teams that won titles. Jerry Kramer was voted to the all half century team and is not in Hall for some crazy reason. His center Forrest Gregg is in and maybe some voters feel that he was the reason that the Packers was so successful. Offensive lines are hard to gauge unless you really standout. The funny thing s that if you watch NFL films you never see any highlights of Forrest Gregg blocking for Taylor, Hornung or Starr. You always see Kramer. John Hannah is an example of a blocker that stood out on his own and is a Hall of Famer. Mike Webster was the center for all of the great Steeler teams in the 70's and he stood out. Gen Upshaw and Reggie Mckenzie stood out. Every highlight of O.J. Simpson showed Mckenzie blocking and creating holes for the juice. Who the hell did Dermonti Dawson block for? Barry Foster, Jerome Bettis? Russ Grimm blocked for John Riggins. He did not stand out more than Joe Jacoby or George Starks did? These guys were not better than Mark Stepnoski from the Cowboys or Bart Otes from the Giants!!!! What the hell is going on?
Charles Haley should have been a first ballot Hall of Famer. He was a major contributor to 5 championship teams. Since Lawrence Taylor and Mike Singletary were 1 and 2 as far best defenders of there generation, guess who was in top 5? Haley, Lott, White. You can argue Derek Thomas, but (may he rest in peace) he never played in a super bowl. Teams game planned around Haley. Ask Steve Young Phil Simms what player would drive them crazy aside from the other big three. Rickey Jackson was not even the best defensive player on his team. Pat Swilling and Sam Mills would be way over Jackson. Haley was better than John Randle too!!! Now they are saying that he was a prick to interview and that is why he is not getting the support. That is a joke. He was a star on both Dallas and San Francisco and should be in to the Hall.
Chris Carter, Tim Brown and Shannon Sharpe are getting no support because the voters feel that the 16 game schedule has helped their numbers. Also they think that Sharpe was more of a receiver than a tight end. Sharpe is the all time leading receiver for tight ends and he has three rings. He was a major contributor to both Denver and Baltimore's title run. He had that 96 yard catch to defeat the Raiders in the championship game for the Ravens. Andre Reed is another sad story. He was the third cog in the threesome of the Bills. He played in four losing super bowls but it was not his fault they lost. Yes against Redskins he had the unsportsmanlike penalty that hurt his team, but come on he was the best receiver in the AFC. Tim Brown was the second best. Steve Largent was great but he never played in a super bowl. Reed has more catches and yards than him. So did Tim Brown. Maybe they wanted Rice to go in as the exemplary player and gauge every one after this ballot.
Floyd Little was a great Bronco for 7 years. He was the franchise and played hard deserves to be in the Broncos ring of honor but not the Hall of Fame. The two greatest Broncos are John Elway and Terrell Davis and Davis is not getting in the Hall unless there is a public outcry for him. Little played when there was 14 games and not many great backs. O.J. was just becoming a star and Jim Brown had just retired to be an actor. Leroy Kelly and Larry Brown were good too. Calvin Hill and Larry Csonka were leading teams to titles. I am so confused on what it takes to get in the Hall. I think the voters are too......

I could toot my own horn but..

I could toot my own horn but I actually did not play yesterday. I did not call a play or drop a key pass. I was actually surprised that the Saints won. I thought the would win but I did not think they way the game was going that the Saints were playing smart. I thought the Saints were lifeless in the first half. They dropped passes and they did not seem to have energy or emotion. Then the on-sides kick re- energized the team and the rest is history. I thought that Peyton Manning was brilliant. He got let down by his receivers in the second quarter and they went over an hour without the ball. They were running the ball well and gave the Saints life when they went three and out just before the half after they just stopped the Saints on the goal line. The game just fell apart for the Colts after that. They did have one great drive after halftime.
This game does not affect Manning's legacy either. He did not lay an egg. He threw for over 300 yards. He had one turnover and did not try to make a tackle on an interception. The Colts defense could not get off the field. Freeney had one sack and looked great in the first half, but the second half, Brees had all day to survey the field and the three headed running back crew of the Saints chewed up clock.. Manning is still an all-timer and with the game being played in Indianapolis in 2012 he will be expected to be there and win then. I find it funny that people today are saying that Manning is 9-9 in the post season and he is not in the same class as Montana, Elway, Brady, Bradshaw. Manning is going to have every record known to man when he is done. Manning will have more chances to win more titles as his owner is committed to making him the richest player ever to play in the league. He deserves it and I hope that next year they address the defense in the draft. Bob Sanders will be back and they will have one mission.
As far as Bress is concerned is he ready to be in the discussion of great qb's? The emphatic answer is yes!! He is going to have a chance to play in the Super Bowl for the next 5 years. The NFC is good but lets face facts. Romo, Mcnabb, Eli, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, and maybe Favre as competition. The NFC west does not have a real contending team now that Warner has retired. The Saints play 10 games a year in either great weather or domes!!! The only way they don't win is if Brees gets hurt or players start defecting to other teams. Next year the pressure is on Dallas to play in their stadium that is hosting the Super Bowl. Brees is from Texas and would love to play in that game more than anything. So would Romo. The Saints are very young and probably need to address their defense too. Brees will get better and the offense will become more diverse as time goes on. I am rooting for them and hope that the city of New Orleans gets the financial boom that they need.
As far as the other parts of the Super Bowl I was not impressed with the Who. Why did we not have Gloria Estefan or Jon Secada perform? When the Colts and Dolphins played earlier this year on Monday night, they did a Latin themed night and Hank William sang the theme song in Spanish. I know that the Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake fiasco has the NFL afraid to put pop stars on stage but the old non American acts need to stop. In Dallas next year they will have country i am certain of that. They may even have some Mariachi play too. I look forward to that. The commercials I thought were very very sexist and stupid. I thought Doritos was funny but I agree with Jim Rome when he said that companies paid 3 million dollars to put Megan Fox, Danica Patrick, Kim Kardashian in nude scenes and Go Daddy.com should just make a porno. I thought that the e-trade commercial was funny but the dove commercials were stupid. Bud Light commercials were stupid and even the coke commercials were foolish. I need 3million dollars if a company wants to throw away money. Sex sells we all know but the Super Bowl does not need to attract more of audience. They had 105 million viewers and if the people were not all partying on Burbon street, they may have had more. I enjoyed my ribs and had great company but I was disappointed in the ads.
Now on to more topics in 2010. My wife is happy the season is over and I look forward to baseball season as well as the rest of the NBA and college basketball season. This week I have great topics to blog on so until then... and oh if i helped you win some money this weekend my address is ....

reason 5 the Saints will win... Intangibles

What is an Intangible? An in tangible is something that is undefined. It is that certain "je ne c'est pas" that a team or a player has. An intangible is something that one cannot explain but some how or some way we all know what a person is talking about. The Colts are a very up front in your face type of team.. They win because Peyton Manning. That is it. They have no running game, a defense that bends but does not break, and a non existent special team. They have won 7 games in the fourth quarter due to Manning and his ability to finish. That is why he won league M.V.P. over Brees and Favre. When you play the Colts, you know what you are going to get and you must find a way to stop them. The Jets had the plan but played way too conservative to keep the plan going. If the Saints have an 11 point lead in the game, I guarantee you they will go for more. They wont turn around and give ball to the back and try not to lose the game. The Saints are explosive in any quarter and in any game. Think back to the Dolphin game this season. Brees threw interceptions and the Saints were down by 18 points at one point in the first half. They outscored the Dolphins 43-14 from the 2 minute warning till the end of the game!!!! That is insane!!!In the game against the Redskins they were down big as well and it looked like they were finished and then they come back to win the game when the kicker misses a 20 plus yard field goal!!! The Cowboy game though they lost, the kicker from the Cowboys missed a chip shot kick and gave the Saints the ball and a chance. They are built for this moment. They put 4 guys over 6 feet and say split the seams and force your safeties to cover them. Bill Bellichick, the defensive guru of the league said that this team is unstoppable. They could have scored 50 on the Patriots if he hadn't called off the dogs. Look at the Vikings game, the Saints did not play a great offensive game but forced 5 turnovers and found a way to win against the Vikings. The only reason the Saints are not favored is that they played poorly in the Championship game. Had they won 44-21 the would have been favored in this game. They make plays to win games and they will show that on Sunday.
I am amazed at how much the world loves Peyton Manning. It reminds of something that I heard throughout the college football season. Every week we kept hearing about how great Tim Tebow was. How he is the greatest college player ever and that if he has the ball in the fourth quarter, the Gators would be unbeatable. Then Alabama shut all of that nonsense up with tough defense and a running attack that the unbeatable Gators could not stop. Tebow and Manning have a ton in common in terms of leadership. Just as the 'Bama players got sick hearing about Tebow, the saints players are probably sick of hearing about Peyton Manning. The Saints scored 510 points this year. Not the Colts. The Saints played six similar opponents to the Colts and beat all of them by double digits except the Rams!!!! Think about that for a second. They defeated the Jets, Dolphins, Bills, Patriots, Cardinals, and Rams. The Colts are a great team and should have gone for the perfect season. They ended up getting hurt in the playoffs anyway. Freeney is not going to be a factor in this game for a full four quarters. If I was the Saints I would run the ball right at him and make sure that he spends the entire game on his ass looking up at the sky.
The City of New Orleans is owed a day other than Fat Tuesday to celebrate. Saints 41- Colts 28.

reason 4.. the running attack of the Saints is

The Saints rushing attack is quite scary. They have three running backs that can take it the distance from anywhere on the field. They catch the ball out of back field better than most and Reggie Bush is due to show his USC prowess on the big stage. When the Saints were 13-0 they had two games where the offense could not throw the ball at all. The Bills and the Jets did a great job at limiting the passing attack of the Saints. The Saints still won both games by double digits is because they ran the ball down the throat of both of those teams. If you add the dimension of Bush in the return game, this team comes at you in waves. They were 6th in the NFL in total rushing yards. They did not Bell, Bush and Thomas in all 16 regular season games and yet kept defense coordinators up all night trying to figure out how to stop them. The Saints rush defense is average but they play in a run happy conference. They face Carolina and Atlanta twice a year so they are used to facing good ground attacks. However, not many teams are used to facing what they can do on the field. The Colts linebackers are not very good in space and I am positive that the saints will try to take advantage of the lack of cover speed of the Colts backers. Plus if the Colts are not getting a rush on Brees, Brees will have his choice of plays to call.
The Colts did not discover their running game until the playoffs. The Colts ranked dead last during the regular season in rushing only averaging 80 yards a game. Both Donald Brown and Joseph Addai have had injuries this season that have hampered the attack but allowed Peyton Manning to win his 4th M.V.P. award. In the Jet game, the Colts ran the ball better than the Jets and once they were able to control the Jets pass rush and defeat the Jets pass defense, they ran the ball quite well. The Colts really need to run the ball to control the score and tempo of the game. They can shoot it out with the Saints but prefer to do it at their own pace. If Addai can avoid getting hurt or can find some running room, this will make the game quite competitive. In my opinion he is the most important person on the field Sunday. If the Colts feel that they can control the game they will and they will win going away.
In short whoever runs the ball best will win. I think the Saints will be allowed to run the ball because the Colts will want to shorten the game rather than play in a shootout. The only problem with that is the Saints backs make a lot of big plays in games. They don't run 10 yards here, 7 yards here. They run 10 yards and then 30, then 60 and then the game is over!!

reason 3..is the defense

The Saints defense is pretty damn good. I know that they have given up a lot of yards. I think that is only due to the fact that teams are trying to catch them. The Saints defense was soooo impressive against the Cardinals and Patriots that I have to keep mentioning what they did in both of those games. In the patriot game, they did not blitz Tom Brady as much as they have any other quarterback this season. They covered his receivers like a blanket and shut down the run. The Cardinals had some things working but once Warner got hit and they started turning the ball over, it was over. The Saints defense forced 41 turnovers people!!! They had 39 sacks and basically beat the hell out of Warner and Favre in the playoffs. The reason why the Colts are favored is the Saints did not light up the Vikings in the playoff game. The Vikings were able to move the ball up and down the field but the Saints defense did not crack and forced 5 turnovers. They made the Cardinals turn the ball over as well which killed the momentum that the Cards had in the first quarter. Darren Sharper is a wily veteran who has seen it all and has faced Manning several times in his career. The defense coordinator Greg William has faced Manning a lot too. Manning has had success against Williams defenses over the years but Williams has not had the talent like he has in New Orleans. The Saints don't have a lot of marquee players but have just as fast a defense as the Colts. The ball hawk like no other team and they seem to don't hang their heads when they fail. Once again, lets look at who the Saints played in the playoffs and who the Colts played. The Saints faced two hall of famers and found a way to defeat them. They hit Favre so many times legally and illegally that it forced him into that bad decision at the end. That is their game plan. they want to hit your quarterback and stop the run. I believe only a handful of teams this year ran for 100 yards against both defenses. The Colts offense makes the best adjustments of any team in the league. if the Saints are ahead, they tend to get more energized on defense because they want to score like their offensive brethren.
The Colts can not turn the ball over and they must establish a rushing attack. If they fail to either or both of these things, they will lose badly. The Saints have everything to gain and NOTHING to lose. If the refs let them be physical with the Colts receivers and Dallas Clark this will be a long evening in Miami. Also if it rains, both teams will be limited on offense. I believe that Saints defense will be more at an advantage because the Colts don't like to run the ball. Joesph Addai is often injured and his manhood will be tested in this game. The Saints have three running backs to attack the Colts. Should be fun....
If you want me to say anything about the Colts defense I will say this, they also bend but don't break. They have not faced anything like this this season. If they want success they should watch the Cowboy tape and hope that Brock, Mathis and Freeney can disrupt the Saints attack. Not out of the question but if the Saints can run the ball, this game is over!!! So pick your poison. Stop the run or the big plays over the top... Good Luck

Reason 2 why I like the Saints over the Colts

What teams did the Colts play this season? They went 14-2 against one of the easiest schedules in the league. They played the NFC west, AFC east and Baltimore and Denver and the AFC south that all under achieved this year. Houston, Tennessee and Jacksonville all had high aspirations this season and neither of the three teams had a good year. Tennessee changed quarterbacks after losing their first six games and Jacksonville had a horrible year. Houston is a team on the rise. They gave the Colts a run for their money and we just saw how good Schaub can be in the based on his performance in the joke Pro Bowl. The Colts played six teams that the Saints did. They went 4-2 and I know the 2 losses were at the end of the season. They both struggled with Miami for a half and rallied to beat them in Miami with unbelievable fourth quarter performances. The Colts did not have the ball much against the Dolphins and found a way to win on a Manning magical drive. The Saints trailed at the half in this game 24-6 I believe and Brees was getting hit and throwing intercepted all over the yard. Then in the third and fourth quarter the Saints scored40 unanswered points and won the game 46-34. The saints also went 6-0 against like opponents. The Rams gave the Saints fits but the Colts destroyed them. The Saints defeated the other five Opponents by more than 12 points in each game. They absolutely crushed the Patriots in the statement game of the year for them. The Colts benefited from a bobble by Kevin Faulk and won in dramatic fashion against the Pats 35-34. Also in the game against the Patriots, the Saints held Wes Welker to one catch and Randy Moss to four meaningless receptions. They confused Brady and forced a couple of interceptions. The Colts know that they got a break in the game against the Pats. Lets also look at the Saints schedule. They played the NFC east and AFC east. Romo and the boys got them in week 14, but the went to Philly and destroyed the Eagles and crushed the Giants at home. They also defeated the Jets when the Jets were 3-0 and the talk of the league. Also they play Atlanta who was playoff team twice and won both games. Both teams are not the same playing on the road or on grass. The Saints apparently played poorly last weekend and scored 31 points. They also on grass this year averaged only 32 points a game. The Colts play on grass a lot and scored 29 points a game.
So ask yourself how is it that a team that has played weaker opponents is favored over a more battle tested team. The Raven and the Jets had great years but did not win their divisions. The Saints had to beat a great Cardinal team that was in the Super Bowl last year and a Viking team that won its division with a hall of fame quarterback. In fact both teams had hall of fame qb's. The Colts also had the benefit of playing both opponents twice this year. They had an idea of what to attack in each game. The edge goes to the Saints in the strength of schedule folks. Yes there are Detroits and Tampa bay on the schedule but they played all ofthe division winners and defeated all but Dallas. The Colts did not play San Diego or Cincinnati.

five reasons why i like the saints..

I will spend the next 5 days giving you a reason a day why the Saints will win the Super Bowl. I cannot believe how many people like the Colts. No one on television gives the Saints a chance to win. I know how great Peyton Manning is, but last time I checked, he does not play any defense. So lets get into this.
Reason 1).
The Colts have benefited this post season by not having to play any team with a two dimensional attach. The Ravens and the Jets had great running attacks but average passing attacks. Each quarterback, Joe Flacco and Mark Sanchez had one purpose i their games against the Colts, "don't turn the ball over and don't be the reason we lose". Neither Sanchez or Flacco played the game like they were supposed to win the game. They both only threw the ball after their teams trailed in the game and if the Jets had explored that option more, I think they would have won the game. The Saints are not going to be afraid of Peyton Manning and what he is capable of. They have an incredible assortment of receivers who are reason 1 why I think they will win the game. They are all big, physical players who will attack the Colts defensive backfield. . The strength of the secondary of the Colts are the play of their safeties. Bullitt and Bethea are great run supporters and can play the pass pretty well. One of the corners of the Colts is rookie and he was burned by Braylon Edwards on the 80 yard touchdown pass in the championship game. The Saints throw the ball to everyone. The running backs are great screen backs, the receivers love to run deep and in the seams of the Colts zone defenses and the tight end Shockey can get deep and make it difficult for the Colts to cove him. How do you stop this assortment of talent? The Patriots played the Saints and Colts this year and was in awe of what the Saints can throw at you. They had a grasp of the Colts offense and should have won the game if not for a bobble by Kevin Faulk. The Saints had both Tom Brady and Bill Bellichick watching them run the offense and both conceded that on that particular day they had no answers for all of the weaponry. If the Saints have a running game going they will score over 40 points in the game. They are a three dimensional team who can beat you on special teams too. They had 10 different players score touchdowns on offense via the pass. They averaged 31.9 a game and over 400 yard of offense a game which were both the best in the entire league. The Colts do not have Bob Sanders and are going to rely on a rookie to understand what the Saints receivers are doing. To the Colts credit, they have a pretty good scheme and are rated in the top half of the league against the pass. That is due to the great pass rush generated by Freeney and Mathis. Freeney is hampered with an ankle sprain and he is not going to be affective as he normally would be. They played one game on this field in the regular season and rallied from a 24-3 deficit and scored 43 points including I believe 40 points in the second half to defeat the Dolphins. They average 37.6 points a game on grass this year. They don't slow down on grass like a lot of turf teams do. The Eagles, Redskins, Dolphins and Buccaneers can tell you more about that. They all gave up over 30 points in the games because the relentless passing attack by Brees. Shockey, Meachem, Colston, Thomas, Bush, Henderson are a scary bunch and will have ample opportunities to light up the scoreboard on Sunday.
Tomorrow will be reason 2......