The Duke debates...
Saints
Matt Kasznel
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: Sports
Last update: 2/3/10 at 10:44 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.
So people have been saying, "Peyton Manning's the best statistical quarterback of our generation! He's so cerebral! The Saints don't want him to have the ball in his hands with two minutes left!"
Wasn't it about five minutes ago that Manning was the biggest choke job in pro football? He couldn't win a big game for years, and when he finally got to the big game, Super Bowl XLI, how did he do? 25-38, 247 yards, a touchdown and an interception, clearly struggling with the muggy conditions in Miami.
Manning may have won the game's MVP award, but the real reasons Indianapolis won that game were the Colts' running game (nonexistent this year), Adam Vinatieri (not playing), and Bears' QB Rex "Pick-Six" Grossman (who will be enjoying this game from his couch, living off his salary as a backup QB for the Houston Texans.)
Now, with Reggie Wayne most likely shadowed by underrated Saints cornerback Jabari Greer and Dallas Clark covered by speedy linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Manning will rely on young receivers Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to find holes in the Saints defense. Yes, Garcon had a great game in the AFC championship game, but the lights will be a little brighter this week, and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has had two weeks to prepare for the young bucks.
"Alright Kaz, you've spent a lot of time tearing up Indy, so what makes you think the Aints gonna beat dem Colts?"
For one thing, Colts' injured pass-rusher Dwight Freeney will be limited to a few snaps, meaning the Saints can send an extra receiver out on routes because they won't have to double-team both Freeney and Robert Mathis.
And if there's one quarterback besides Manning who can take advantage of those types of weaknesses, it's General Brees, who has the third highest passer rating in postseason history and a 127 passer rating this season when only four men rush him.
The running game, powered by Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and a resurgent Reggie Bush, demands far more respect than Indianapolis' backfield, and Bush adds the threat to take punt returns back for scores, an ability that Indianapolis has never had. If the Saints can force Manning to make tough throws in the poor conditions, the Saints' ball-hawking defense, second in the league with 39 takeaways this year, will make him pay.
It's amazing how a team that started the season 13-0 is almost considered an afterthought in this game. They've slain the high-flying Cardinals offense and the seemingly unstoppable force that was the Minnesota Vikings in the last two weeks. They're facing their biggest challenge of the season, but they pose just the right matchup for Indy to set them up to slay one more giant.
So people have been saying, "Peyton Manning's the best statistical quarterback of our generation! He's so cerebral! The Saints don't want him to have the ball in his hands with two minutes left!"
Wasn't it about five minutes ago that Manning was the biggest choke job in pro football? He couldn't win a big game for years, and when he finally got to the big game, Super Bowl XLI, how did he do? 25-38, 247 yards, a touchdown and an interception, clearly struggling with the muggy conditions in Miami.
Manning may have won the game's MVP award, but the real reasons Indianapolis won that game were the Colts' running game (nonexistent this year), Adam Vinatieri (not playing), and Bears' QB Rex "Pick-Six" Grossman (who will be enjoying this game from his couch, living off his salary as a backup QB for the Houston Texans.)
Now, with Reggie Wayne most likely shadowed by underrated Saints cornerback Jabari Greer and Dallas Clark covered by speedy linebacker Jonathan Vilma, Manning will rely on young receivers Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to find holes in the Saints defense. Yes, Garcon had a great game in the AFC championship game, but the lights will be a little brighter this week, and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has had two weeks to prepare for the young bucks.
"Alright Kaz, you've spent a lot of time tearing up Indy, so what makes you think the Aints gonna beat dem Colts?"
For one thing, Colts' injured pass-rusher Dwight Freeney will be limited to a few snaps, meaning the Saints can send an extra receiver out on routes because they won't have to double-team both Freeney and Robert Mathis.
And if there's one quarterback besides Manning who can take advantage of those types of weaknesses, it's General Brees, who has the third highest passer rating in postseason history and a 127 passer rating this season when only four men rush him.
The running game, powered by Pierre Thomas, Mike Bell and a resurgent Reggie Bush, demands far more respect than Indianapolis' backfield, and Bush adds the threat to take punt returns back for scores, an ability that Indianapolis has never had. If the Saints can force Manning to make tough throws in the poor conditions, the Saints' ball-hawking defense, second in the league with 39 takeaways this year, will make him pay.
It's amazing how a team that started the season 13-0 is almost considered an afterthought in this game. They've slain the high-flying Cardinals offense and the seemingly unstoppable force that was the Minnesota Vikings in the last two weeks. They're facing their biggest challenge of the season, but they pose just the right matchup for Indy to set them up to slay one more giant.
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