Not So Special Teams

After the anger and disappointment of the Super Bowl has started to subside we begin to take a look back at Sunday’s game and break down what led to the Saints victory over the Colts. In my opinion, the first and most obvious thing that comes to mind is special teams. The Saints clearly won the special teams battle of the game, and as little attention as this third area of the game gets, it sure had a huge impact on the outcome. 

When the Colts got out to a 10-0 first quarter lead, I started to wonder if this game was even going to be somewhat respectable at the end. The Colts had everything going for them, and the Saints were clearly nervous and not as ready at the beginning as the Colts. However, as the first half continued the Saints began to muster a little more momentum as every minute passed, and by halftime they had cut the lead to 10-6. Not only had the cut the lead to four points, but they did so without any scoring from their offensive unit. Garrett Hartley, the two year kicker out of Oklahoma, was able to knock home two 40+ yard field goals, quite a feat for a kicker who didn’t earn the starting job until the second half of the season. But that wasn’t all Hartley was able to do, because in the third quarter he was able to connect on his third, and most important, field goal attempt of 40+ yards, cutting the Colts lead to 17-16. 

Clearly the Saints received a much needed boost in production from their kicker, and in my opinion his kicks in the second quarter gave the Saints renewed hope. On the other side of the coin, all the Colts received was a punch in the gut from their field goal kicker, as Matt Stover missed on a 51 yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter. This not only prevented Indianapolis from putting three more points on the board, but it also gave the Saints great field position and even more momentum in the fourth quarter. The Saints clearly received much more production from their kicker in this game, and it certainly shaped the outcome of this game. However, none of these kicks were the biggest of the game.

The biggest kick of the game was in fact the shortest of the game. Coming out for the second half after a very extended halftime break, thanks to the NFL’s grand idea to have halftime break lasting thirty minutes, the Colts were ready to receive the football and expand on their lead. However, the Saints decided to make one of the most gutty calls ever in Super Bowl history, electing for an onside kick. Sure enough, the Colts had no idea what was going on and Hank Baskett was nailed with the football, ultimately leading to a Saints recovery. 

Now you can talk about Stover’s missed field goal or Peyton Manning’s interception, however, this is what ultimately led to the Colts’ demise. After recovering the football the Saints were able to drive it down the shortened field and score on a pass to Pierre Thomas, giving them a 13-10 lead. This was all that the Saints needed to realize that this game was now there’s to win, and after this play Manning and company never got it going again. Even though you cannot blame a loss on one certain play, in my opinion the onside kick ultimately led to the Colts defeat. Unable to ever regain momentum and stop the Saints, the Colts defense that had looked so stout and promising throughout the season surrendered 25 second half points. In the end it all comes down to taking a risk once in awhile and the Colts took none of them this season.