newjerseynewsroom.com

BY SAM HITCHCOCK

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

COMMENTARY

After watching the Saints run onto the field as time expired in their Super Bowl victory, only one thing was running through my head: "Hmm, I guess that makes sense." After hearing for two weeks about the daunting task that lay ahead for New Orleans, I suppose I was meant to feel shock and awe over this colossal upset. But, putting aside the greatness of Peyton Manning, and the remarkable things he accomplished this season at the age of 33, I wondered, why exactly was Indy favored by so much?

Let's start with the quarterbacks first. Manning was awesome this season, but so was Brees. In fact, Brees had more touchdowns, less interceptions, and a better completion percentage. Manning only reigned supreme in passing yardage, and due to the five interception gap between him and Brees, he remained a little less than ten points behind Brees in passer rating at the season's end.

After being told in 40 different SportsCenter segments how amazing it is that Manning coaches the offense, and what he achieved with such an inferior receiving core (I will get to that), I questioned if his vibrant personality, along with extraordinary body of work, prevented America's eyes from seeing that at least this season (not career-wise) he was indeed the lesser quarterback of the two? I would not rule this out.

Receivers. Manning has Reggie Wayne; Brees has Marques Colston. They are two of the game's best, and favorite targets for both quarterbacks. So, assuming these two cancel each other out, Brees' other favorite three targets are Devery Henderson, Robert Meachem, and Jeremy Shockey. For the Colts, these three are Pierre Garcon, Dallas Clark, and Austin Collie.

Am I really supposed to believe this is a landslide victory in the Saints' favor? So much time was spent during Super Bowl week discussing how Manning does so much, with so little, but, come on now, having Dallas Clark to throw to counts as having so little? The guy is such a beast he does not even subscribe to the notion of using receiver gloves. Plus, what exactly is so impressive about Meachem, Henderson, and Shockey? Granted, Shockey caught a touchdown pass in the Super Bowl and used to be a Pro Bowler, but for much of the season he was barely even factored into the offense, to the point that backup tight end Dave Thomas had comparable receiving stats (taking into account he was only getting looked at during the last eight weeks of the season).

Also, much was made about Manning tutoring and mentoring young receivers Garcon and Collie. Well, isn't that what Brees did with Meachem? Perhaps due to his first round draft status, Meachem may be getting more credit than he is due. In a league where your draft position is essentially irrelevant as far as nailing a blue chip receiver (see Colston), shouldn't Garcon and Collie be considered identical pieces to Meachem? All three have done splendidly due to top-tier quarterbacks.

This leaves Henderson, and anyone who owned him in fantasy this season will tell you, he is NOT that good. Although he finished with 800 yards receiving, he cannot catch a touchdown pass to save his life, acting as the 2009 poor man's Antwaan Randle El. So, just to be clear I am indeed cheating a little bit. By elaborating on Manning having deceivingly good receivers, I am indeed attempting to bolster my argument that Brees has been the better quarterback this season.

When Joseph Addai broke out his 26-yard run, I had a nice laugh as the statistic flashed showing how long it had been since he had run a comparable distance. Since his awesome season in 2007, I had barely seen him break three yards on a carry before tripping over his own feet. In the running-back category, the Saints have the edge with Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush; both have been highly proficient, running very effectively all season and even in the big game against the Colts. Hard to argue that the Saints do not win the rushing attack battle in a landslide, unless Peyton Manning's one-yard touchdown sneaks are given extra points for intangibles.

For defense, if you look at yards given up per game during the regular season, or average points allowed, Indianapolis clearly has the edge. But in the present day game of football, especially in a championship game, is it about a collective unit not breaking the seal, or having several game breakers who can create that killer turnover? I count three game breakers for New Orleans: Darren Sharper (led the league in interceptions with nine), Will Smith (had 13 sacks and was half a sack short of matching Dwight Freeney, plus anyone who saw the interception he made on Kurt Warner knows he is oozing with talent), and Jonathan Vilma (made clutch plays all season and led the team in tackles, although in the big game it was his pass swatting abilities that made the difference).

For Indianapolis, Dwight Freeney is the only one who really resonates. It is true that Indy has some really fine defensive players, but even having to argue about their validity as defensive game breakers makes them not viable candidates. The Saints' strength on defense relied on their ability to pick their moments to go for that haymaker blow to the face.

In the Super Bowl, it was Tracy Porter, but all season they had been finding ways to make amends for their defense giving up too many points. The microcosm of the season was in Week 13 against Washington, after Brees threw a horrendous pick. Meachem ran back for the tackle, stripped the ball out and ran it for a touchdown. This freak play epitomized what they had been doing all season — their defense had been masterminding turnovers — aided by the underrated aspect of pure luck.

The pieces all fell into place for New Orleans in 2009, and watching Porter dance in the end zone Sunday as Jim Caldwell failed to blink should not have left anyone too appalled. Unless you took the over on the spread and lost a ton of money.