Jonathan Davis’ Blog

In just 24 hours from now we will have Super Bowl XLIV between the New Orleans Saints versus the Indianapolis Colts features two of the top seven scoring teams in the National Football League (NFL) in 2009. We have a match-up between the two top scoring offenses. Two teams with prolific signal callers. Two head coaches who have earned their stripes to be at the pinnacle of greatness. We also have two teams trying to achieve more than just winning a championship for just themselves.

 

At the start of this season the Indianapolis Colts were very different from the previous six seasons. They had a new side line general in former quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell, who replaced Tony Dungy who retired after the 2008 season, that saw the Colts lose in the American Football Conference (AFC) Wild Card round at San Diego Chargers 23-17 in overtime.

 

Quarterback Peyton Manning’s go to receiver that he had when he came into the league 12 seasons ago Marvin Harrison was released in the off-season. While he still had all-world tight end Dallas Clark and wide receiver Reggie Wayne, they had three new receivers who now had to play a major role in the offense in rookie wide receiver out of BYU Austin Collie, sophomore receiver Pierre Garcon and third year wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez.

 

Things looked very shaky for the team at the beginning of this season when Gonzalez was lost after a Week 1 14-12 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars with a he sustained in the first quarter. The question now was how the team was going to respond without a guy who has a grasp of a very complicated offense.

 

In Week 2, the Colts answered that question with a profound just fine as they compiled 356 yards of total offense 295 through the air. Clark had 183 of those yards, including an 80-yard touchdown pass from Manning to make the score 7-0.

 

In a game in which the Dolphins held the ball for 45:07 of the 60 minutes and lead 23-20 in the fourth quarter, Manning and the Colts capped a 4-play 80-yard drive with a 48-yard touchdown strike to Garcon. That was his only catch of the contest.

 

From that point forward, the Colts hit their stride and rolled up 12 more consecutive wins to go to 14-0 by Week 16. In their match-up with the New York Jets in the next to last week of the regular season, the Colts decided to rest some of their starters in the second half of that game and their lead went from 15-10 to a 29-15 defeat that not only ended the Colts quest for a perfect season, but it put an end to an NFL record 23 consecutive wins in the regular season. The team then lost its last game of the regular season at the Buffalo Bills 30-7 as the starters once again played very little.

 

The Colts finished the regular season tying a franchise record with 14 victories going 14-2 in the regular season. They won the AFC South division for the six times in seven seasons.

 

Manning, in winning his 4^th Most Valuable Player award of his career, threw for 4,000 yards for the 10^th time in his 12-year career with 4,500, 33 touchdowns and just 16 interceptions with a career best completion percentage of 68.8.

 

Wayne and Clark each had 100 receptions and had 1,264 and 1,106 receiving yards respectably in 2009 and each had 10 touchdown receptions. The new receivers Collie and Garcon had 47 and 60 catches respectably. Collie had 676 receiving yards and seven scores while Garcon had 765 receiving yards and four scores. While four-year running back Joseph Addai had a less than stellar season running the football, he still finished the season with 828 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, while also scoring three receiving touchdowns.

 

Defensively, the Colts finished 8^th in scoring defense by surrendering just 19.2 points per game. Defensive ends Dwight Freeney (13.5) and Robert Mathis (9.5) had 20 of the teams 34 sacks. That is not bad for a team that lost a number of stalwarts on the defensive side of the ball this season in safety Bob Sanders, linebacker Tyjuan Hagler and cornerback Marlon Jackson.

 

In the playoffs, the Colts defeated the Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional round of the AFC playoffs 20-3. After a 234 rushing performance in 52 attempts in their 33-14 win at the New England Patriots in the Wild Card round the week before, the Colts defense held the Ravens to just 87 yards on ground. Sophomore running back Ray Rice who had 159 rushing yards and two scores a week ago was held to just 67 yards on the ground. The Ravens turned the ball over four times after forcing that man against the Pats the week prior. Ravens signal caller Joe Flacco who was a modest 4 for 10 for 34 yards a week ago went 20 for 35 for 189 and had two interceptions. Manning in comparison was 30 for 44 for 246 yards, two touchdowns and just one interception.   

 

The Colts won this game with two touchdown drives in the second period. The first one came on a 14-play 75-yard march from their own 25-yard line that made the score 10-3. The second score came on an 8-play 64-yard drive from their own 36-yard line that made the score 17-3.

 

In the AFC Championship Game versus the Jets, things did not start well for Colts. After holding the Jets in check for the first quarter, they hit their mark with two scoring drives that ended in end zone finished. The first came on an 80-yard strike from rookie QB Mark Sanchez to wideout Braylon Edwards that made the score 7-3. After the Colts added another field goal from place kicker Matt Stover, the Jets scored again on a 9-yard touchdown to tight end Dustin Keller capping a seven-play 77-yard drive that made the score 14-6.

 

Trailing 17-6 in the late stages of the second quarter and having been sacked twice already, Manning went to work against Rex Ryan and his Jets No. 1 ranked defense and put together a 4-play 80-yard drive from their own 20-yard line that ended in a 16-yard touchdown pass to Collie that cut the lead to 17-13 at intermission.

 

In the second half, the Colts offense engineered two touchdown drives and one that ended in a field goal in that ended the Jets chances and gave them a 30-17 victory to win their second AFC crown in the last four seasons.

 

Manning went 26-39 for 377 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions and Manning became the first player in NFL history to have seven games of 300 passing yards or more in the postseason, which broke a tie between recently retired Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner and Hall of Fame signal caller of the San Francisco 49ers Joe Montana.

 

Collie and Garcon, who were both questions marks at the start of this season, had the games of their lives. Garcon, a native of Haiti, had a career day with 11 receptions for 151 yards and a touchdown. Collie had seven catches for 123 yards and a score.

 

With the Colts victory, Caldwell became the fifth rookie head coach to reach Super Sunday. He will try to join former 49ers head coach George Seifert and former Baltimore Colts head man Don McCafferty as head coaches who have won it all in their first season as a the lead man on the professional gridiron sideline.

 

For the New Orleans Saints, their run to their first appearance on Super Sunday in franchise history started back in 2006.

 

Back in 2005, the Saints and the city of New Orleans dealt with the most destructive natural disaster known in United States history as Hurricane Katrina severely damaged the city. At one point the Superdome which is home to the team of the “Who Dat” nation was a refuge for thousands that survived the disaster.

 

It was no help to the team either as they were displaced to both Baton Rouge, LA and San Antonio, TX for that season. It resulted in a 3-13 year for the Saints who essentially played all 16 of their games on the road. It ended with a 27-13 defeat at the NFC South division champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

 

In the off season, the team fired then head coach Jim Haslett and hired former Dallas Cowboys offensive coordinator Sean Payton. They also signed a brand new signal caller in former San Diego Charger Drew Brees. In the draft, they selected all world running back out of the University of Southern California and Heisman Trophy winner Reggie Bush and in the 7^th round they selected Hofstra product in wide receiver Marcus Colston.

 

They began 2006 a new in winning at the Cleveland Browns 19-14 in Week 1 and followed that up with a 34-27 win at the Green Bay Packers in Week 2.

 

Their home opener versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 was one for the ages as the Superdome, which once was a symbol of the devastation and the displacement of many New Orleans and Gulf Coast residents was the site of how the city was on the way back and the football team did not disappoint.

 

The onslaught began when the Saints held the Falcons to a three-and-out on their first possession and Special Teams ace Steve Gleason block the punt of Michael Koenen and was picked up in the end zone by Curtis Deloatch that gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead and they never looked back. The Falcons could only manage a field goal as the Saints were victorious 23-3.

 

The team would go 10-6 that season winning the NFC South division and the No. 2 seed in the NFC, which earned them a first round by. Brees earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl with a stellar season of 4,418 passing yards, 26 TDs and just 11 Ints and a passer rating of 96.2. Bush in his rookie season gained 1,307 total yards in rushing and receiving and scored eight touchdowns. Colston in 12 games played in 2006 had 70 receptions for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns.

 

In the postseason the Saints hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in the Divisional Playoff round and they defeated them as they did in Week 6 back by the same score of 27-24 to advance to the franchises first NFC Championship Game.

 

Brees was magnificent going 20 for 32 for 243 yards and a touchdown. Running back Deuce McAllister rushed for 143 yards and scored a touchdown. The Saints out gained the Eagles on the ground 208 to 123 and in total yards 435 to 355.    

 

In the NFC title game at the Chicago Bears the Saints did not get off to the grandest of starts as four of their first five scoring drives ended in punts and their third drive ended in a fumble. The No.1 Seeded Bears converted four of their six scoring drives into three field goals and a touchdown to take a 16-0 lead.

 

The Saints got back into the contest when they converted an 8-play 73-yard drive from their own 27-yard line into a 13-yard touchdown by Colston that cut the deficit to 16-7.

 

On the second play of the Saints opening drive of the second half, Bush took an 88-yard pass to the end zone that cut the deficit to 16-14. That is as close as the Saints would get as the Bears scored 35 unanswered points to capture the NFC crown 39-14 earning a trip to Super Bowl XLI.

 

While the Bears were unable to contain Brees as he went 27 for 49 for 354 yards and two scores, they out gained the Saints on the ground 196 to 56 and they forced four Saints turnovers.

 

The next two seasons were setbacks for the New Orleans Saints as they finished 2007 with a 7-9 record finishing 3^rd in the NFC South. They followed that up with an 8-8 record in 2008.

 

A big reason why the Saints had a serious drop off in wins since 2006 is because of a defense that surrendered an average of 24.2 (25^th in the NFL) and 24.6 points per contest (26^th in the league) in 2007 and 208 respectably.  That wasted two very strong seasons by Brees who followed he 2006 season with 4,423 passing yards 28 touchdowns compared to 18 interceptions in 2007. In 2008 he threw for the second most passing yards in NFL history with 5,069 with 34 touchdowns compared to 17 interceptions.

 

This past off season, the Saints looked to fix their problems on the defensive side of the ball the Saints signed Gregg Williams to be their new defensive coordinator. In free agency they signed veteran safety Darren Sharper, defensive end Paul Spicer and safety Pireson Prioleau. In the draft, they selected in the 1^st round with the 14^th overall pick defensive back Malcolm Jenkins out of Ohio State.

 

While the defense was still ranked 20^th in scoring defense giving up 21.3 points per game, they were in the middle of the pack in sacks with 35. Defensive end Will Smith had 13 of those sacks. The Saints ranked 3^rd in the NFL in interceptions with 26, with Sharper ranking first in the NFL with nine picks and three of them he took  back for touchdowns. 

 

The improved defense along with their top ranked offense that averaged 31.9 points per game, the Saints got off to their best start in franchise history winning their first eight contests. Their 26-23 victory at the Falcons brought their record to 13-0 which set a record for an NFC team going that late into the season without a setback since the AFL-NFL merger. That eclipsed the mark held by the 1985 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears.

 

The team would face a bump in the road to close the season when they proceeded to lose their final three games of the season to the Cowboys in Week 15 at home 24-17; in Week 16 at home to the cellar dweller Buccaneers in overtime 20-17 and at the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 23-10.

 

The team would finish the season 13-3, setting the franchise record for victories. Brees was sensational again with 4,388 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions.

 

The question now was how would a team that finished with the No. 1 seed in the NFC bounce back after a rough conclusion to a season that began so well.

 

In the Divisional Playoff Game versus the Arizona Cardinals, the team got back to their old selves. After giving up a 70-yard touchdown run to running back Tim Hightower, the Saints defense held the Cardinals who scored 51 points in their Wild Card game versus the Green Bay Packers a week ago, only managed just seven points the rest of the way in a 45-14 victory.

 

Brees was magnificent in going 23 for 32 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. Bush was very good himself with 84 yards rushing and a touchdown while also running back a punt 83 yards for a touchdown.

 

The Saints defense in holding Arizona to just seven points in the final three quarters forced two turnovers and held the Saints to 1-8 on third down conversions. Cards QB Kurt Warner who was stellar a week ago with five touchdown passes and just four incomplete passes was just 17 for 26 for 205 and an interceptions.

 

The defense came up even larger in the NFC Championship Game versus the Minnesota Vikings. While they surrendered 310 yards of total offense, 165 of which came on the ground and surrendering 28 points, they forced five turnovers.

 

Brees while gaining just 197 yards passing on 17 for 31 did throw three touchdowns.

 

In a back and fourth game that went to overtime, the Saints managed put themselves in a position to win the game when the took the lone possession of the extra stanza 10 plays gaining 39 yards, it set up second-year place kicker Garret Hartley who banged in a 40-yard field goal that gave the Saints a 31-28 win over the Vikings and a the team’s first NFC crown in franchise history.

 

For both of these teams, they have taken different roads to get to Super Sunday. In just 24 hours, one of these teams will have their dream become reality on Sunday.

 

If the Colts win, it will be their second title in the last four seasons. Peyton Manning will have won his second Super Bowl to go along with his four MVP trophies. Coach Caldwell will become the third African American head coach in NFL history to lead his team to a Super Bowl joining his former boss Tony Dungy and Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

 

If the Saints are victorious on Super Sunday, it will be the team’s first title, but more than anything, it also be an end to a journey that has taken 43 long and sometimes very difficult years for the organization and the fans who have supported the team through a lot of trying times.

 

Information and statistics are courtesy of www.espn.go.com, en.wikipedia.org, www.nfl.com and www.pro-football-reference.com

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