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Colts will win Super Bowl XLIV(44). And the reasoning is plain and simple. The Colts have Peyton Manning, who I believe is the greatest quarterback of all-time, regardless of a win or loss in this game. No one commands a team like General Manning and things will be no different come the night of Feb. 7.
So much for the Jets being the number one rated defense in the league. After Manning got through putting a thirty spot on them, they looked pretty much run of the mill. Peyton’s numbers for the game were absurd; 377 passing yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions or fumbles. With these numbers that Manning put up on the number one overall defense in football, I’m baffled how anyone can pick the Saints to win this football game. The Saints have the 26th passing defense in the league. That’s right behind the one-win St. Louis Rams. Sure the Saints have Drew Brees and a solid running game, but he can’t play both sides of the ball. I just can’t foresee the Saints stopping Peyton at all in this game. It wouldn’t surprise me if Peyton surpassed in AFC Championship performance and passed for over 44 yards against the lowly Saints defense.
And the good thing for the Colts is that the pressure has finally been lifted off Peyton’s shoulders because they actually have a formidable defense themselves this year. With an exemplary offense and above average defense, the Colts will be too much to handle for the offensive-minded Saints. The Colts defense gave up a little more than 200 ypg in the air during the regular season and if the Saints want to even have a fighting chance, Brees is going to have to match Manning every step of the way.
Even though I think the Colts will eventually run away with this game, obviously the Saints do have a chance of winning this game. And this chance is going to have to be manufactured with the ground game. Pierre Thomas is a very underrated starting back in the league, mostly due to the fact that Reggie Bush gets most of the attention, but Thomas has had a very solid postseason so far and will probably be the Saints x-factor for the game. The Colts had the 24th ranked rush defense during the regular season, which the Saints need to try and exploit. But the Colts showed some real toughness against the Jets’ running game, which ranked number one all year. The Colts rush defense held the Jets to only and astonishing 86 yards on the ground. And yes, rookie running back Shonn Greene did get injured in the second half, but the Jets were having a good amount of success at that point through the air. I do think Thomas and Bush could put up big numbers on the ground, but I think that their efforts will fall short.
Even though the Colts struggled with the rushing game against the Jets, frankly they just don’t need one because they have Peyton Manning. And what makes Peyton Manning great is that he makes other players great. If anyone said that Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie would both have 100+ yard games receiving in the AFC Championship and the begging of the season, then they would be big fat lairs. Garcon and Collie create a 4-headed monster for the Colts. Both Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark had so-so games, but even when these two pro bowlers aren’t the focus of the offensive attack, Manning can simply make his third and fourth options into serious threats. It has been awhile since I have seen players with the intensity of Garcon and Collie. They play hard and run great routes play after play and are always looking for the ball. And for some reason if all four receivers are covered, Joseph Addai and Donald Brown aren’t too shabby to check down to.
At the end of the day, Manning and the Colts will be wearing their second Super Bowl rings in four years. I know that the Saints are the feel good story for all of America and to be honest I’m not really rooting against them, but I just can’t compute how they are going to pull this win out. All I have to say is no one gave the New York Giants a fraction of a percent to win the Super Bowl two years ago against the 18-0 Patriots, so I can’t make this game a complete lock for the Colts. My final score prediction for the game is Colts 38-Saints 24. I know that sounds extremely high scoring, but with both of these teams offense comes first. I think that this Super Bowl might go down as the all-time leader in team offense and that’s why it will surely be a game for the ages.
-Sam Gerb
January 22, 2010
Among the devastation in Haiti, another supporter has risen among those willing to help and donate. Top Rank, boxing promoter, will donate $1 per ticket sold to every event through the 2010 fiscal year. Think about a fight like the Manny Pacquiao. The fight on March 13 will be held in the new Cowboys Stadium, which is being configured to seat 40,000 fans, but depending on demand the arena could seat up to 70,000.
Vikings vs. Saints: Rookie sensation, and Florida alumnus, Percy Harvin missed practice Friday with symptoms of migraine headaches and is now listed as questionable for the AFC title game. A big blow to the Vikes against a high-powered New Orléans offense. Minnesota will need all the offense they can get against Drew Brees and the Saints.
Cliff Lee made his first appearance in Seattle today. The move, for the Mariners, is probably the best of the offseason. While they obviously took on a large salary with Lee, they gained arguably the best No. 2 starter in the entire MLB. Watch for the improved Mariners to make a push in the tough AL West.
-Kyle Bennett
kbennett.ut@gmai.com
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed new tight end Kellen Winslow to a six-year contract worth an estimated $36.1 million.
The deal guarantees $20.1 million and could be worth up to $42.1 million through incentives. Winslow, who came over from Cleveland in an early offseason trade, had more than 80 receptions in 2006 and 2007 before being slowed down by a staph infection last season.
Despite only having 219 catches and 11 touchdowns in five NFL seasons, he is now the highest-paid tight end in league history. Of course, he got his money through negotiations with super agent Drew Rosenhaus. The Bucs were committed to him long-term as they rebuild their franchise under new management.
They were able to come to this record-setting deal to keep Winslow satisfied and focused on the game. But can it really work? Was it too much money? Let’s add up the factors.
There have been questions about Winslow’s attitude in the past. Last season he had disagreements with the Browns’ front office that were made into a very public battle. Before that, he missed a season with injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident – when motorcycle riding was expressly forbidden in his contract due to the fear that those injuries could occur. And of course, back in college at Miami, everyone should remember his “I’m a f—ing soldier” rant to reporters after he knowingly taunted an injured opponent.
There is also the question of his durability. Winslow played in a grand total of two games in his first two NFL seasons.
He also missed six games in 2008 over a staph infection. There are some caveats to these issues. Winslow’s disagreement with Browns management last season was over the fact that seven Browns had suffered staph infections, and he thought they had been negligent in handling the problem. Winslow was most likely correct, which Browns owner Randy Lerner acknowledged.
I must also point out that he appeared in all 16 games in 2006 and 2007, making the Pro Bowl in the latter season. So was it too excessive for the Bucs to sign Winslow for at least $6 million a year? It depends on which Kellen Winslow we get. Over the next six years, we may see them both.
-Brenton Burkett
Brenton can be reached at burkett@ut.edu
If you’re wondering which would hurt more, getting stabbed in the head with scissors or taking a knife to the neck, just ask Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Geno Hayes.
21-year-old Hayes’ girlfriend became belligerent after a late night argument in earlier this month, and instead of using her words, decided striking Hayes in the head with a pair of scissors would best convey her message. As the linebacker gained control of the scissors, his 19 year-old girlfriend then snatched a knife and added emphasis with a blow to the neck.
She was charged with aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, but released on $25,000 bail. Hayes was treated at the hospital and confessed that he and his significant other were having an argument.
Though it remains undisclosed what prompted the argument, I think it’s clear what Hayes, a former player at Florida State University, did.
He cheated.
-Bobby Winsler
Bobby can be reached at minaret.sports@gmail.com
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