Welcome to the final Monday Mash of this NFL season.  In my opinion, the Super Bowl indeed had the two best teams the NFL had to offer.  And at about 9:45 last night (what a short Super Bowl!) we officially crowned the Fresh Prince of New Orleans...


                                                              "WHO DAT?"

Ellen DeGeneres, James Carville, and the rest of Saints nation rejoice!  It is the first Super Bowl in the forty-plus year history of the franchise.  As a 5-point underdog, New Orleans stared into the face of Peyton Manning and never backed down.  Though the low point total was a surprise, this was a refreshing-ly strong game played by both teams.  Penalties and bone-headed plays were kept at a minimum, and a few jaw-dropping moments kept the game riveting from beginning to end.

I will not patronize you by describing what happened in the game.  If you read this blog, I'm 140% sure you saw the game and know what occurred.  What I will do instead is pick out a couple of key moments and shine some hopefully-insightful light on them.  Whether they were the game-changing plays or little things that proved critical, here were my five key plays/moments that resulted in the Saints coming out of Super Bowl XLIV as champs.

1.  Pierre Garcon's drop in the 2nd quarter.
Garcon really came on as a serviceable player in the Colts offense late this season.  When the playoffs started, he exploded onto the scene as a go-to guy.  He had another quality game yesterday catching the ball, but it was the catch he didn't make that is seen as one of the game's turning points.  The Colts offense cruised the whole first half and had a 10-3 lead.  The Saints may have been dead in the water had Indy scored again.  On 3rd down at their own 28, Manning had Garcon in the middle of the field and no defender was within 5 yards of him.  The Saints showed no signs of being able to stop the Colts, but they took this good fortune and seized it.  The New Orleans offense started up and chewed up the clock, and the next time Peyton Manning's offense took the field in a practical situation, the Colts trailed 13-10.  The way Indy was clicking on offense, Garcon's drop just seemed like a little hiccup when it happened.  It turned out to be a whole lot more.  Just ask Tony Dungy.

2.  The Saints' failure to score on 4th and goal from the 1.
I was on board with Sean Payton's call here.  His team, who seemed to be overmatched all half, had a chance to tie the game by getting one yard.  As everyone learned the season (especially the Jets in the AFC Championship) it's not a great idea to play for field goals against Manning and the Colts.  If they kicked it there and made the game 10-6, Indy's offense would have had about two minutes to respond.  I'm not trying to project that the Colts definitely would have scored, but we have to look at history here.  They always do.  It's uncanny.  The Saints had to be thinking, "Ok, if they're gonna get the ball back with this much time, we better make it worth our while once we're this close."  Well, they went for the touchdown and didn't make it.  And you know what?  It was the best thing that could've happened to them.  Sure, they left points up on the board.  But Indy went from getting the ball from at the 20 yard line (at least) to having it just inches from their own end zone.  The Colts didn't help themselves with their ultra-conservative playcalling and would punt the ball right back to New Orleans.  Brees hits one key pass, the clock ticks down, and the Saints kick a field goal as time expires in the first half.  So to recap: the Saints could have made the game 10-6 and given Manning 2 minutes to increase his lead.  Instead, they make it 10-6 with no time left, take the momentum into the locker room, and have a little more flexibility to pull something like...

3.  The onside kick heard 'round the world.
Admittedly, I did not see this play on TV when it happened.  I was frantically traveling between Super Bowl parties and was only afforded my car's AM radio.  Marv Albert was calling the game.  It was very interesting to hear the crowd in the background go from "mild, ready for the kickoff" chatter to "OH MY HEAVENS" pandemonium in a split second.  Albert was losing his mind as the refs tried to remove bodies from the pile and see who had the ball.  Once the Saints had it, everyone knew that the second half would be epic.  I'm not sure if it was the greatest play in Super Bowl history (hello, Tyree) but it was without a doubt the gutsiest.  They risked giving the Colts a short field to extend their lead to two-scores.  Instead they cut the corner and rope-a-doped their way into a 3-point lead.  Manning and the Colts went on to score on the next drive, and that was something the Saints couldn't afford to have coming out of halftime.  This play will be talked about forever.

4.  Jonathan Vilma's pass breakup of Manning's pass to Austin Collie.
Yes, by all means this is a homer pick.  I'm using it in place of Tracy Porter's interception because everybody knows how big that was.  It would be a waste.  But this Vilma play was humongous.  Indy had a 1-point lead at this point and were driving for more.  It was 3rd down and long at the Saints' 33 yard line.  Colts kicker Matt Stover is approximately 63 years old, and everyone knew that the Colts needed to get closer to feel good about a field goal.  Instead of a shorter, safer pass to get Stover in range, Manning launched one deep down the middle to Collie.  To take such a risk, Manning had to be certain that Collie could come down with it.  Only linebacker Jonathan Vilma was responsible for covering the speedy Collie.  Vilma was able to get his head turned and make a play on the ball, breaking up the pass and preventing what would have been an 8-point lead for the Colts.  To nobody's surprise, Stover would miss the long field goal and the Saints wound up with terrific field position to start their go-ahead drive.  Great play Jonathan.  You're forever my Valentine.     

5.  The Colts' nightmare once they had 1st and goal from the 3.
This was tough to watch.  You know when a college football team is an underdog by something like 30 points but they shock everyone and make it a real close game, only to have some tough break or head-scratching decision cost them the game?  That was the case here...but it was the freakin' Colts!  The team of robot perfectionists!  Everyone expected the Colts to score within 5 seconds and then do the onside kick and all that business.  Here's what happened instead:
-Offensive pass interference on Garcon
-Pass to Addai down to the 3 yard line...Timeout Colts in what has to be in the top-10 worst decisions in SB history
-Incomplete pass to Collie
-Run by Addai for negative-2 yards in what WAS the worst decision in SB history
-Incomplete pass to Wayne on 4th down

That was even tough to type.  Jim Caldwell did a great job considering he's a first year head coach.  But he left much to be desired in this one.  The Colts never helped themselves, and the Saints always made them pay.  Sometimes, it's just that easy. 


Well, those are the things I remembered from Super Bowl XLIV.  Most of all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable game and I feel a genuine excitement for the Saints and their fans.  Everybody deserves at least one moment in the sun, right?  And staying true to the Monday Mash tradition...

The Montauk BeverageWorks Delicious Performance of the Week: 
Drew Brees, Saints.  Nothing special or shocking here, but the man deserves his own little spot in this blog.  Like most of you, even I got a little tired as the networks filled hours and hours of pregame with "Hail Brees!" stuff.  I'm not canonizing the man or anything, but he played a hell of a game regardless.  As expected, he was unfazed by the grand stage and used all his receivers in perfect efficiency.  He deserved a championship, he deserved the MVP.  With his veteran experience leading a young, talented squad of Saints skill players, New Orleans looks like they'll only have one question for the next few years...

"WHO DAT?"


Thanks for reading, everybody.