The Duke debates...
Colts
Ryan Nguyen
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Sports
Last update: 2/3/10 at 10:41 PM EST
With the Super Bowl this Sunday, The Duquesne Duke's Ryan Nguyen and Matt Kasznel give their thoughts on who they think will emerge victorious.
Offense, offense, offense and, well, offense. This Super Bowl seems to have everything a fan dreams about: two prolific offenses that have the ability to put up tons of points against each defense. In fact, this may be the best offensive matchup in recent years. Maybe even the best ever.
It's time to forget about defense and that cliche "defense wins championships." Just last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers proved that offense wins championships after their number one ranked defense failed to show up, and the team's offense had to bail them out.
With this match-up, it would appear as if the Colts have the historical advantage. This is the Saints' first Super Bowl in franchise history. History is not on the Saints' side. The last three teams (Carolina, Seattle, and Arizona) that appeared in the Super Bowl for the first time all had the same outcomes. They lost.
Safety Darren Sharper is the one significant player on the Saints who boasts Super Bowl experience. Sure, he just may be the best ball hawking safety in the league, but that will not be enough for the Saints, who hope to slow down Peyton Manning and his offense.
And that brings me to Peyton Manning. Can't we just call him "Mr. Perfect" already?
The four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLI MVP has led the Colts to a perfect 16-0 record this season when playing all 60 minutes. Even with future Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison's retirement two seasons ago, Manning has not missed a beat with pass catchers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.
The Colts have two other receivers who have made a huge impact this season. Together, second-year receiver Pierre Garcon and rookie Austin Collie have accounted for 107 receptions, 1441 yards and 11 touchdowns. Think jitters will start to show up in the big game? Think again. In the AFC Championship, Garcon had a career-high 11 receptions and 151 yards to go along with a touchdown. Collie had 7 receptions for a career-best 123 yards and a touchdown.
New Orleans is obviously an easy team to get behind. The city has been turned upside down since Hurricane Katrina and it seems as if they finally have a winner in the Drew Brees led Saints. They had the best record in the NFC this year, but are considered underdogs in this Super Bowl with no previous experience. It would be a Cinderella story for them to win the Super Bowl, but we are not talking about fairytales here. We are talking about football.
The Colts are bound for glory once again in Miami and will win the Super Bowl with a score of 31- 20.
As far as I'm concerned, only one question remains. Just who will Archie Manning, the former Saints quarterback and father of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, be rooting for?
Offense, offense, offense and, well, offense. This Super Bowl seems to have everything a fan dreams about: two prolific offenses that have the ability to put up tons of points against each defense. In fact, this may be the best offensive matchup in recent years. Maybe even the best ever.
It's time to forget about defense and that cliche "defense wins championships." Just last year, the Pittsburgh Steelers proved that offense wins championships after their number one ranked defense failed to show up, and the team's offense had to bail them out.
With this match-up, it would appear as if the Colts have the historical advantage. This is the Saints' first Super Bowl in franchise history. History is not on the Saints' side. The last three teams (Carolina, Seattle, and Arizona) that appeared in the Super Bowl for the first time all had the same outcomes. They lost.
Safety Darren Sharper is the one significant player on the Saints who boasts Super Bowl experience. Sure, he just may be the best ball hawking safety in the league, but that will not be enough for the Saints, who hope to slow down Peyton Manning and his offense.
And that brings me to Peyton Manning. Can't we just call him "Mr. Perfect" already?
The four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLI MVP has led the Colts to a perfect 16-0 record this season when playing all 60 minutes. Even with future Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison's retirement two seasons ago, Manning has not missed a beat with pass catchers Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark.
The Colts have two other receivers who have made a huge impact this season. Together, second-year receiver Pierre Garcon and rookie Austin Collie have accounted for 107 receptions, 1441 yards and 11 touchdowns. Think jitters will start to show up in the big game? Think again. In the AFC Championship, Garcon had a career-high 11 receptions and 151 yards to go along with a touchdown. Collie had 7 receptions for a career-best 123 yards and a touchdown.
New Orleans is obviously an easy team to get behind. The city has been turned upside down since Hurricane Katrina and it seems as if they finally have a winner in the Drew Brees led Saints. They had the best record in the NFC this year, but are considered underdogs in this Super Bowl with no previous experience. It would be a Cinderella story for them to win the Super Bowl, but we are not talking about fairytales here. We are talking about football.
The Colts are bound for glory once again in Miami and will win the Super Bowl with a score of 31- 20.
As far as I'm concerned, only one question remains. Just who will Archie Manning, the former Saints quarterback and father of Colts quarterback Peyton Manning, be rooting for?
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