Well the big game is here! Sunday February 7th (way too late into the year and the NFL wants a longer season?!) in Miami, we got the final matchup, the two #1 teams all year by rank and possibly by talent in the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts and the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints. I got a bad feeling of a blowout after having 2 excellent games the last 2 years, so I hope I’m wrong. At least the halftime show should be good with the Who playing classics like Pinball Wizard, Who are You and We Won’t Be Fooled Again (let’s just hope that David Caruso doesn’t suddenly come onto the field and a CSI episode breaks out as ESPN’s Around the Horn pointed out!), though I wonder like with WWE if the NFL really thinks this generation can even recall the bands of the past (and let’s not think how the WWE on this week debuted the XFL against the NFL...only to fall in 1 year). I would add we get to see the ads too that cost millions but up in Canada we get Canadian ones instead that are pretty lame. Maybe good old Youtube will be checked post game for them if any are interesting, and not just controversial like Tim Tebow’s Pro Choice ad or the ones they won’t show like the one from a Toronto Gay Dating company that had a Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings fan kiss as they watched the game (a poke at Favre perhaps?).
So the Crystal Ball is set for me to make my pick! It might not be covered by Diane Sawyer like for President Obama’s pick of New Orleans (whom others have pick as well from analysts to even Hulk Hogan, brotha), but it’s mine nevertheless!
SUPER BOWL XLIV-Indianapolis vs. New Orleans
Source help from
http://www.tsn.ca/nfl/ HARU’S PICK: As I said earlier, I don’t like the odds for one of these teams. That would be the New Orleans Saints who played a bad game statistically against Minnesota in the NFC Championship, and only won due to so many turnovers by the Vikings (someone buy Adrian Peterson new gloves with glue on them) and a hot home crowd. I very doubt the former will occur as the Colts have been here before while this is not only the first time most of the Saints have been to the Super Bowl, but also the first time for this team in its history. The latter advantage of home field will not be as grand as in their dome, but they will likely have a mass exodus from Louisiana to Miami unlike the Indianapolis fans, that have already done this before and rather let the suits from the sponsors have those seats instead.
Now I will give this could see a lot of scoring, as from the Saints end you got a star on the rise in Drew Brees, who plays a great spread offense to find many forms of offense, like running backs Pierre Thomas or Reggie Bush, who can also do it on special teams, tight end Jeremy Shockey who has the experience so long as his body holds up, to wide receivers like Marques Colston and Devery Henderson. I think the Colts don’t have that great a defence as other teams but it should be intriguing to see if Dwight Freeney (who could be even more key if his ankle injury either limits him or worse, keeps him on the bench) or Robert Mathis can get to Brees to pressure him to throw interceptions, where a young safety like Antoine Bethea might be able to change the look of the game. Barring a special teams score which I can only see occurring if Bush is even kicked to, the Saints might move the ball but I don’t see them scoring often enough early on when the Colts might start slow to be able to stop “the dissection.”
Looking at the other side of the ball, that dissection comes from the MVP of the league, Peyton Manning. Watching him simply analyse the Jets’ top defence (and the #2 defence the week before in the Baltimore Ravens) while they played from behind, he took them apart and will likely do the same to the Saints defence as well, keeping the Saints own offense on the sidelines more often than not. Manning can pass inside the middle to tight end Dallas Clark, to the outside to Reggie Wayne or to the better Pierre on the rise in Pierre Garçon. Joseph Addai is a much underrated running back who can give Peyton enough space to work, as the Saints defence, led by Darren Sharper, will have to keep honest is Addai runs efficiently. There are just too many weapons for Manning to choose from, and I think by the first half the score will be run up before the Who even get on stage.
In the end, the Saints are a good story, but the best team going into this is the Colts, and when they play 4 quarters this year, they win, simply put.
Haru is choosing the Indianapolis Colts to win the Super Bowl by a score of 45-27.
Here are the standings and final picks from the NFL Fun and Free Playoff Pool I’ve been doing as well!
PICKS for the last time this season are CLOSED for the Playoff Pool!
PLAYER NAME # GAMES PICKED WINS-LOSSES WINNING PERCENTAGE (WINS/GAMES)
DTM 10 8-2 .800
ANDONE 10 6-4 .600
HARU 10 3-7 .300
SUPER BOWL PICKS:
HARU-IND
DTM-NO
Sending you out on the Who with the likely starting song of the halftime show, Won’t Get Fooled Again AMV -
Ta and enjoy the game!