Super Bowl In The City Where The Heat Is On

Will Miami be Peyton's Place or Payton's Place?
(americanfootballblog.com)

It's off to Miami, where we will witness through our giant high-definition boxes, who will replace the Steelers as the owners of the Vince Lombardi Trophy. I've spent the last 4 days trying to get a certain Will Smith song out of my head that hasn't possessed my soul to this degree since middle school. I have to admit that I'm kind of bothered by one thing: I never expected a Super Bowl week in Miami to be this subdued. Sure, there were a few men dressed in lingerie, but you probably could have seen that in New Orleans, which is where the real party is at this year. Maybe it's been the weather, which has been a little drab this past week down at the MIA, but I will take the projected game day temp of 68 right now, believe me. All I know is that I'm always ready for the Super Bowl, a.k.a, Man's Christmas. For me, it doesn't matter who the teams are. I mean, who can turn down a winner-takes-all sporting event involving the biggest sport in the country with arguably the two best quarterbacks in the league? Even if the game isn't up to par, the clever multi-million dollar commercials make for solid backup programming. Besides, this game has some personal importance for me, only because I'm cheering for the sanity of Boston sports fans like myself, who are on the verge of seeing the Yankees, Lakers and Colts conquer their respective leagues in the span of almost 8 months (still waiting for the steam to stop pouring out of my ears). Also, don't forget to place your bets on how many Archie Manning/Kim Kardashian shots we will get during the game, which will surely rival the competition on the field. Let's get to my final football prediction of the year, because I know deep down inside that you are disappointed that I didn't analyze the Pro Bowl!

Gun show, Miami, Sunday, and thankfully no Gilbert Arenas!
(imgsrv.wwl.com)

(1) Indianopolis Colts vs. (1) New Orleans Saints

It took 43 years and a mistake prone quarterback (you know who I'm talking about), but the Saints are finally in the Super Bowl. Maybe it was destiny the way the game played out (although pretty cruel for already tortured Vikings fans), maybe it was Favre being Favre, or maybe it was that God awful Vikings fight song that was written by all people, Prince. As we all know however, turnovers are part of the game, and the better team never commits 5 turnovers. In New Orleans, all eyes will be on Drew Brees and whether he can give a city that has had its share of trying times its first professional title. The Saints will surely be the nation's pick for sentiment, and because of the spread of the many relocated after Katrina. Many of "Who Dat Nation" will be wondering whether Reggie Bush as another big game in him like he had against the Cardinals and whether their defense (only 1 sack in the 2 playoff games) can muster up a consistent pass rush against Peyton. I believe the big key for them is to establish a running game not only to balance their offensive attack, but so they can keep the ball away from Manning. A few of those "remember me" hits that were talked about by defensive coordinator Gregg Williams would also be a vital ingredient to the victory recipe. On the other side, we have a Colts team that has triumphed in spite of the multitude of changes that any NFL team goes through (including head coach), thanks to the help of constant presences like Wayne, Freeney, and of course, Manning. The status of one of those constants (Freeney) is in limbo after an ankle sprain in the AFC Championship game, which will significantly stunt a Colts defense that uses its flash as a weapon. The $64,000 dollar question the Colts must ask themselves is whether a Freeney at 50-75% is going to be as/more effective than a Raheem Brock at 100%. Their main weapon however, is obviously at the quarterback position, with a guy who just won his 4th MVP and seems to get better and more focused as he gets older (avoiding not to make a vicious Brady comment here). He has a chance to win this game purely on his own merit, considering I don't think that the Saints defense can trap big playmakers like Wayne and Clark like the Jets did, and even the Jets still lost. Unfortunately, I just don't see how you go against the Colts, who not only have that speedy defense that flusters quarterbacks, but has a quarterback who has seen pretty much every defensive scheme you can possibly devise. In the midst of the crazy weather of Miami, I predict a re-coronation of the Colts in the Magic City the place where they beat the Bears 4 years back. Yup, the Yanks, the Lakers, and the Colts. It's gonna be like dying, waking up, and just dying all over again. I have a feeling I will be taking 50 kamikaze shots and passing out before the end of the game........with 'Welcome to Miami' in the background.

Final Score: Colts 27, Saints 21