The Colts Are Back In Town

Unless you have been living in a cave for the past 24 hours or deprived from any connection with the sports world, you are aware that the Indianapolis Colts will be heading to the Super Bowl to face the New Orleans Saints. This will mark the Colts’ second trip to the Super Bowl in the past four years, coincidentally both of which have been held in Miami. Both of these teams staggered into the playoffs on multiple game losing streaks, and neither were the sexy choices to win the Super Bowl. Teams like the Chargers, Jets, Vikings, and Cowboys were being chosen left and right as favorites to make it to the Super Bowl, but all stumbled along the way. Ironically the two teams playing the worst football at the end of the season were the two that would ultimately represent their conferences. 

All week leading up to the conference championships the media was enamored by the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Jets. With Brett Favre under helm attempting to make it back to the Super Bowl with his second team, and Rex Ryan supplying more than ample comments for the media to stuff into their reader’s faces it seemed that a Vikings-Jets Super Bowl was inevitable. However, both number one seeds prevailed, and now we have a Super Bowl consisting of one of the greatest quarterback match-ups of all time. Drew Brees has never been in this position and Peyton Manning has only been once, but unlike Manning’s last Super Bowl against the Chicago Bears this game has another quarterback that can also put up points in bunches. 

In Super Bowl XLI the Indianapolis Colts defeated the Chicago Bears in Miami, during a game that was dictated by poor weather conditions and poor offensive play. The Colts now find themselves in Super Bowl XLIV, also being held in Miami, in a game that will certainly have more offensive production. For the past two weeks the Colts have faced defensive oriented teams that pound the football in the Jets and the Ravens. For their next matchup the Colts will have to scrap the blueprint that worked so well against those two teams, and will be forced to stop a team that is very similar to their own. The Saints, like the Colts, are led by their quarterback, Drew Brees is asked to do the same things for the Saints that Manning does for the Colts, win games. However, the similarities go deeper, both teams have a plethora of receiving threats that can make big plays at any point of a game. For the Saints Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Jeremy Shockey, Robert Meachem, and Reggie Bush supply Brees with multiple options on every pass. The Colts and Manning have their options as well, with Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie, and Dallas Clark, all of whom have shown the potential to post 100+ yard games. On the other side of the ball the Saints and Colts are also very similar. Each team relies upon the play of their safeties, while using their front seven to fly around, hit the quarterback, and take advantage of quick starts from their offense’s. 

Bill Polian, Jim Irsay, and Jim Caldwell threw away the chance of a perfect season in order to, hopefully, increase their chance at making it to the Super Bowl. Even though the Colts have not won, it appears that the people in charge of this franchise have a pretty good idea of what they are doing. Well either that or the Colts may just be really attracted to Miami and play much better whenever the opportunity to play in Miami presents itself. Besides who wants to be in Indiana for the winter when you can be in Miami?