Super Bowl XLIV: Thoughts About the Game

These are some of my favorite thoughts surrounding this year's Super Bowl.

I'm a bit tired of hearing about Katrina and I have heard the same from some people from New Orleans. I just think that it is great to see one more team off of the list of those who have never made it there. Especially one that has had such lows for such long periods of time.

I like the work that Drew Brees has done on the field and off. He invests time and money in the community as well as in the international charity, Operation Kids. On the field he is amazingly accurate. This is a fun video pointing that out. He spreads the ball all over the place. 21 different players have scored for the Saints this year. It makes them fun to watch.

As Archie was the QB for the Saints, Peyton and his brothers grew up cheering for the Saints. Mom wouldn't let the kids 'boo' with the rest of the fans. Oldest son, Cooper did once wear an 'Aints bag over his head at a game before his mom caught him. When Brees came to New Orleans, Cooper Manning showed Drew and his family the ins and outs of the city. Their families are very good friends, but Coop and the rest of the Mannings are still rooting for Peyton first. It really eats at Archie though because his entire career was with the Saints and they never had a winning record while he was there. Now, they finally make the Super Bowl, and he can't cheer for them.

All of the Colts' Super Bowls have been in Miami. I loved Peyton's quote "I'm not superstitious, just a little stitious. I got that from my brother, Eli." I love his corniness. He is so NOT slick.

You could not get two better QBs both by skill and humble character (I guess Kurt Warner would fit there, too.) They are both great to listen to. They understand that they are very good at what they do, but they are not full of themselves and you can tell their aren't just 'saying the right thing.' That really seems to be them. They have a great respect for the game, it's players, and it's history. They understand that they are very fortunate to be in the situation that they are in.

I like that the Saints are not bashful about wanting to rattle the opposing QBs. That is what everyone is doing. It isn't a secret, but I hate hearing about wanting to injure them with hits that are not legal. Part of the game is hitting hard so that the player gets somewhat fearful, but playing with the goal to injure and not caring if it is even a legal hit should have no place in sports. That game is moving the football down the field and stopping them, not beating the snot out of someone so that they can't play. I'm not naive, I know that it happens all the time, but that does not make it right. I find no honor in that.

I like that these two teams really don't know one another at all. It could be the beginning of a great rivalry.

I'm really hoping that Freeney and Shockey can play at least to 90% of their ability. They each are a big part of their teams and I want to see them do their thing. Shockey already missed one Super Bowl due to injury.

Colts' Offensive Coordinator, Tom Moore and Offensive line coach, Howard Mudd will most likely be coaching their last games. Tom Moore starting coaching in the NFL in 1977 with the Steelers. Along the way, he turned the Lions offense into the #1 offense in the mid 90's with Barry sanders and 2 WR's topping 100 catches. He came to the Colts in 1998 and has coached Peyton his whole career. Ask Manning about Tom and he can't say enough good things about his coach. Mudd was the 3 time Pro Bowler before coaching. He started coaching in 1974 and like Moore has been with the Colts since 1998. The players will all tell you that their consistency and excellence has played a large part int he Colts' continued success. Last year both of these guys were going to be semi-forced to retire because their pension was going to be adversely affected if they continued. Things were worked out such that they could continue one more year. It would be very sweet to send them out on top.

Side note: I was in a prayer group that regularly prayed for one of Tom Moore's high school friends. When the Colts came to play the Raiders a few years ago, Tom got tickets for all of us to go to the game. Out of the blue kindness makes me a big Tom Moore fan.