Time for the men to stand out from the boys

During the season there were two teams who started 13-0 and many people wondered if these two would meet in the Super Bowl. Feb. 21 we got our answer when the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts both prevailed to meet in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints have been the talk of the NFL since quarterback Drew Brees came from the San Diego Chargers and helped revive the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana that was devastated by Hurricane Katrina. Three years later the Saints have made the Super Bowl for the first time in the franchises 43-year existence in the NFL and are helping resurrect the city. The Colts, with arguably the greatest quarterback in the NFL, four-time Most Valuable Player, Peyton Manning and rookie Head Coach Jim Caldwell look to bring the Lombardi Trophy back to Indianapolis. The Colts have been scrutinized the last five weeks for resting its players after starting 14-0 and losing the final two games of the year in an effort to be healthy to make a run at a championship. When looking at these two teams, the match-up is intriguing. Two of the highest powered offenses, led by Manning and Brees both have young, talented wide receivers. The Saints receivers Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem and Jeremy Shockey are going to have to be explosive and make plays after the catch, similar to the way the Colts, Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon and Dallas Clark have done all year. The Colts will continue to use its tight end and young receivers to move the ball down field. Advantage: Colts. Another big match-up to watch is the running game. The Colts do not rely on the run game to set up the play action like the Saints, who have been moving the ball on the ground well as of late. Still the Colts' Joseph Addai has yet to run for more than 100 yards in a game this season, but the slack has been picked up by Mike Hart and Donald Brown throughout the postseason. The Saints, on the other hand is finally seeing the Reggie Bush everyone expected when they drafted him second overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. Since the playoffs have begun, Bush has been running over people instead of using his speed to get to the outside. He has also been a huge part of the passing game, as well as returning punts. Pierre Thomas, who is the Saints every down back, has continued to move the chains throughout the postseason and looks to do so against the Colts defense. Advantage: Saints Two of the most underrated defenses in the league will also be on display in South Florida. The Colts defense is small but is one of the fastest defenses in football with all 11 guys being around the ball. The Colts also rely heavily on the pass rushes from defensive ends Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney. These two have a chance to play a key role in the Super Bowl as the Saints are sometimes vulnerable by a fast outside pass rush as shown in the Week 15 loss against the Dallas Cowboys. The Saints defense has given up its fair share of points and yards all season, but one thing that continuously has been bailing them out is their ability to make turnovers. The Saints have caused two or more turnovers in 14 of their 18 games this year and were second in the NFL, forcing a total of 41 turnovers. Safety Darren Sharper, who is playing in the Super Bowl for the first time in his 13 year career, is no doubt one of the leaders and reason for a handful of turnovers. He needs to have this young defense focused and ready to get after Manning to disrupt his timing and prevent him from making big plays. Advantage: Push. Now we all wonder who is going to win this game. Both offenses will likely play as well as they have all season which should make for a high scoring and very exciting game, but the outcome will hinge on the ability to stop the deep plays and try to force turnovers. The Saints will have to stay within their game and not get overly excited and make costly turnovers, missing chances to score. Specials teams will also be a key component by containing Bush from having a big punt return. As good as the Saints are and as great of a story as it would be for the city of New Orleans, I believe Manning will continue to march toward being the greatest quarterback ever by capturing his second Super Bowl trophy in Miami, in a close exciting game.