Super Bowl XLIV Wrap Up!

The New Orleans Saints pulled the upset and defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 to win Super Bowl XLIV. Tracy Porter's 74 yard interception return late in the fourth quarter put the nail in the coffin, and gave the Saints their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. Drew Brees received the MVP award, as he outdueled Peyton Manning in a very crisp and solid Super Bowl. Give credit to the Saints and the city of New Orleans. It was a great story going into the game, and I am happy for New Orleans and everyone in that area. Here are my random thoughts on Super Bowl XLIV.......

I) When Manning hit Pierre Garcon for a touchdown and gave the Colts a 10-0 first quarter lead on a 96 yard drive, I thought the game was over and this was going to be a 34-10 type of blowout. Give credit to the Saints for hanging in there and getting back into the game.

II) Great decision by Sean Payton to go for it on Fourth and Goal from the 1 yard line down 10-3 late in the second quarter. You need touchdowns against the Colts not field goals. Eventhough he didn't get it, he had enough time and timeouts available to get the ball back before the half was over. He got the ball back and converted a field goal to make it 10-6 at the half.

III) Terrible job by Jim Caldwell, Manning, and the Colts offense at the end of the half. Three straight running plays-two by fullback Mike Hart- resulted in a punt back to the Saints. Why go so conservative there? You have Peyton Manning. Throw the ball once to get a first down! Awful job by Caldwell.

IV) Payton's decision to onside kick to start the second half will go down as one of the gutiest and greatest coaching decisions in Super Bowl history. What a call and what a job by the Saints to come out of the pile with the ball. If they don't get it, Manning has great field position to put the Colts up 17-6. Sean Payton earned his paycheck with that one call.

V) The Saints capitalized on that onside kick with a touchdown pass to Pierre Thomas to go up 13-10. Manning came right back to make it 17-13 on the ensuing drive. Great sequence in the game.

VI) With the Colts leading 17-16 in the 4th quarter, Caldwell made another bad decision: Why attempt a 51 yard field goal with Matt Stover on 4th and 11. Go for it or at least punt the Saints down. Everyone knew that Stover couldn't make that kick. Now, the Saints have great field position and were moving the ball at will. This wasn't Jim Caldwell's coming out party.

VII) Garret Hartley was sensational for the Saints. The rookie made all three field goals from over 40 yards.

VIII) Nice redemption for Jeremy Shockey on the touchdown reception from Brees to give the Saints a 22-17 lead late in the fourth.

IX) Sean Payton's decision to challenge Lance Moore's two point conversion play was another great move. At first glance it looked like it was not a catch, but the replay and the rule confirmed that Moore had caught it and crossed the goal line for the two-pointer. The game is a lot different at 24-17 then it would have felt at 22-17 with Manning getting the ball.

X) The most definitive moment of Super Bowl XLIV goes to Tracy Porter's pick six of Manning. I thought for sure that the Colts would march down and tie the game 24-24, and we would be headed for the first overtime in SB history. On 3rd and 5 deep in Saint territory, Manning made his only mistake of the night. Tracy Porter read the route and jumped it and took it the distance to give the Saints the 31-17 lead. It was unreal to watch it at that moment because it was so unexpected. It is the greatest interception in Super Bowl history, and it will be the one image that will always live from this game going forward. Remarkable turn of events.

XI) The Colts did an awful job once again near the end of the game. Manning took too much time, dumped it off too much to Joseph Addai, ran the ball to Addai when he shouldn't have, and then called a timeout late in the game when he shouldn't have. For a QB and a team that pride themselves on being so meticulous and prepared, they looked lost at the end of the game-especially Manning. Peyton Manning's legacy took a hit in the Super Bowl. He didn't get his second ring and his interception cost him the game. He isn't at the top of Mount Rushmore just yet. He can't join the likes of Unitas, Montana, Elway, and Brady just yet.

XII) The Saints will be hosting the Thursday Night Season Opener next year and look for the Saints to host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday 9/10/2010 in the Superdome to kick off the 2010 NFL season. It will feature a matchup of the last two Super Bowl winners.

XIII) Overall, it was a solid Super Bowl. The game was played at a crisp pace because there weren't a lot of penalties, only one turnover, and a lot of completions by both quarterbacks. I enjoyed the game, and although we were deprived of the overtime that everyone would have loved to have seen, it was a fun game, a good game, and a game that I would watch anytime it was on NFL Network and replayed.

XIV) Another NFL season comes and goes. It was another fun season on the Bronco Blog. I'll be hibernating for a little while and then I will come back later in the month to give some Free Agency talk and see where the Broncos go in terms of the offseason.