It’s a new day for the National Football League. its ambassador, Peyton Manning – who, let’s face it, the league’s powers-that-be love – wasn’t holding up the Vince Lombardi Trophy late Sunday evening, confetti flying around him.
That role was played by Drew Brees, the quarterback everybody mentions as one of the best but, for some reason, don’t really believe it when they say it.
Believe it now. He was fantastic, with a record tying 32 completions, 32 of 39 for 288 yards and two TDs, the main reason for new Orleans’ 31-17 victory.
It’s a great story, how the city has bounced back from the whole Katrina thing, a disaster we can’t even being to imagine. a few years later new Orleans, which everyone always says is the best city to host a Super Bowl, now has a Super Bowl championship team of its own.
How did they do it? they simply outscored the Colts, the way many new England Patriots fans thought they would. The Patriots were clocked by the Saints in early December, and of course if it weren’t for Fourth-And-2 they would have beaten the Colts. Thus, pure logic dictated the Saints were the better team. and those Patriot fans who thought that way were right.
And they are gleeful today, no doubt. There’s a huge rivalry with the Colts, the Manning-Tom Brady thing, and no one around these parts wants to see Manning catching up to Brady in terms of Super Bowl rings. a win Sunday and Archie’s kid would be one away from Brady, but now he still only has that one ring from three years ago. Whew.
No such animosity toward Brees, but there could have been. The Miami Dolphins reportedly passed on him four years ago after he went into his free agency coming off of shoulder surgery, and he ended up a Saint. You could argue this was the best Super Bowl quarterback matchup since Montana-Marino in January of 1985. Brees won it hands down, giving him a Super Bowl MVP while Manning flopped after getting the Colts out to a 10-0 lead, crashing and burning on Tracy Porter’s 78-yard interception return. That’s a big oops. it was Porter who also ruined Brett Favre’s day two weeks ago.
And now, if there was any doubt about Brees’ ascendance to the top shelf of quarterbacks, it’s gone. He was simply superb. Brady-esque, in fact, finding eight different receivers.
There were other factors besides Brees’ great ability. one, the Colts, after whatever gave Dwight Freeney’s ankle new life was wearing off, couldn’t get any pressure on the Saints’ QB. He was allowed to pick Indy apart, for the most part.
Two, Saints coach Sean Payton out-coached his Indy counterpart, Jim Caldwell, after an early hiccup.
Caldwell was conservative to a fault. After Payton foolishly called two straight running plays during Indy’s late first-half goal line stand , Caldwell ran it three times, taking the ball out of his quarterback’s hands. that played right into the Saints’ hands and delivered new Orleans three points before the half to make it 10-6.
Payton again came up bit with that incredible gamble, the successful on-sides kick that his Saints turned into seven points. But then Caldwell, still leading 17-16, made the game’s worst decision. He decided to go for a 51-yard field goal that, if missed, would give the Saints great field position. The way the Indy defense – and Brees – were playing, you knew it was going to turn into more points for the Saints and, more importantly, the lead. Stover missed. Brees-to-Jeremy Shockey for six.
And that was that. The city that loves to party finally has something of its own to celebrate.
The two quarterbacks combined for, as expected, tons of real estate – 621 yards. But it was Manning who made the big mistake, and the image we take from the 2009 NFL season is Drew Brees holding his young son in his arms right after the game, soaking in the moment.
His moment. His Super Bowl championship.
Tom King can be reached at 594-6468 or tking@nashuatelegraph.com.