New Orleans Saints Review

Well, Sunday turned out to be a day of epic proportions for Saints fans.  We are Super Bowl champions, and have memories that will last us a lifetime!

Here are a few thoughts about the game and the pre-game hoopla:

• I was impressed by both the ESPN and CBS pregame shows.  Lots of great stories about New Orleans.  My favorites might just be about Drew Brees‘ and Reggie Bush’s friendship with some special youngsters.  It definitely showcased how these guys are elite athletes and elite human beings.
• The pre-game and halftime music was, well, not my taste (I like indie rock, bands nobody’s heard of!).  The Who were at one time an amazing band.  I still listen to them.  They had such raw emotion and spoke of the times.  But they didn’t really do it for me at halftime.  A little too past their prime!
• Sean Payton sure did press all the right buttons, eh?  The onside kick worked to perfection and you have to give him credit for having the guts to make that call.  And the special teams unit, although picked on a bit this year, ran it to perfection.  Thomas Morstead couldn’t have kicked it any better, and Chris Reis fought hard for that ball.
• I think Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams did some wonderful things against the Indy offense.  While Peyton Manning did have a great day (other than the interception), it seemed like the Colts were a little bit timid on offense.  The Saints succeeded in putting just a hint of doubt into Manning’s head, I think.
• One thing the Colts did that really impressed me was how they ran the ball.  Joseph Addai hadn’t looked that strong in awhile.
• Props go out to Dwight Freeney for giving it a go.  He’s one heck of a player.
• Lance Moore’s 2 point conversion was something else.  I honestly thought he dropped the ball when the play first happened.  At full speed it was tough to tell.  But Reggie Bush pointed out after the game on NFL Network that the official was right there and was surprised how the call was missed.  Thankfully, replay showed that Moore had secured the ball before it was kicked out of his hands.  Kudos to Lance, that’s a tough play, especially for a guy who has been hurt most of the season.
• Jonathan Vilma was really impressive.  He broke up a potential touchdown pass by Manning and was all over the field as usual.  In fact, I give the entire linebacking corps an A+, they faced a real challenge out there and came through.
• Last night really got me thinking about how Payton and Drew Brees always seem to be on the same wavelength.  It’s so rare that you see a coach and quarterback who are so in sync.  That should be the topic of a future post this week.  But you can tell the respect and admiration they have for each other.
• One of the aspects that I truly love about this team is that there are no “divas” out there.  Every guy has a role to play and they work their tails off to do their job.  Have you ever seen a group of wide receivers who are so quiet?
• National media, are you still taking Matt Stover over Garrett Hartley? Ha!  I love Stover, and he’s had a wonderful career.  But if I need my kicker to hit from beyond 40 yards, it’s not the old man’s game anymore.  Hartley and Thomas Morstead both have rewarded Payton for his loyalty to them.
• Yes, I am very happy for Tom Benson and Rita Benson LeBlanc.  There have been ups and downs with Mr. Benson over the years, but I never questioned his desire to win.  He was a class act last night and I know this means the world to him.  Bravo!
• I also have to give Mickey Loomis and the front office some love.  They have done a wonderful job at bringing the right players in and building this organization into a winner.  Jim Finks is smiling somewhere up there.
• It was great to see that Rickey Jackson received the loudest ovation yesterday when the new Hall of Famers were announced before the game.  #57, this one’s for you!
• While I liked the pre-game show, CBS was terrible in the post game.  I was much better off switching between NFL Network and ESPN News.  I understand the need to pay the bills, but showing commercials so quickly after the game was over was a bummer.  Imagine being pretty much forced to watch Deion Sanders, ugh.
• Will Peyton Manning’s legacy be tarnished?  Not in the least. Still one of the greats of all time.  I have nothing but respect for him.

Rating:

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 5:45 pm and is filed under Opinion, Super Bowl Season. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.