The year of the Underdog is back

"Who dat, who dat, who dat say gonna beat dem Saints?" said Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints when he was holding the Lombardi Trophy. Many football fans were pulling for the Saints, but did not believe they would actually win against the might Indianapolis Colts with their four-time MVP Quarterback, Peyton Manning leading the way. My mom was rooting for the Saints because she thought Saints quarterback Dree Brees is really handsome and has a beautiful family (I thought it was funny too, but he really does).
The Saints once again showed their grit, determination and resiliency to win this game. They overcame a deficit of at least seven points for the third consecutive game, this time they were down 10-0 after the first quarter. The Saints offense wasn't in rhythm in their first two possessions, but once they were down by 10, they started the engine and outscored the Colts 31-7 in the last three quarters of the match.
Despite the Colts' abysmal rushing offense, which is ranked 32nd in the NFL, their running game was surprising efficient (99 yards on 19 rushes). There were many times that they Colts were going to score a touchdown, but came out short due to big tips by the Saints defense, drops by the Colts receivers and bad passes. It did look like they had all of the momentum when the score was 10-3 and the defense made a goal line stop at the 3 yard line, but it did not last. The Colts went 3-and-out and the Saints scored a field goal on the ensuing drive to end the first half.
Then "The Who" played a splendid show at half time. After the amazing lights display and the authentic "The Who" performance, the Saints responded by a ballsy onside kick and recovered. No one saw it coming. It then led to a 16-yard touchdown reception by Saints running back, Pierre Thomas. The Colts took the lead with a touchdown run by running back Joseph Addai, but never recovered after.
There were two plays of the game that made the Saints a better football team. One of them was after the Jeremy Shockey touchdown reception, making it 22-17, they went for the two-point conversion. Brees throws a pass to wide receiver, Lance Moore, which he caught and then dropped it, making it an incompletion. Payton challenged the play and it was overturned, making it a one touchdown game, 24-17. The Colts were on the move again, but the drive was killed by Manning throwing an interception to Saints corner back, Tracy Porter, which he returned it 74 yards for the touchdown, making it 31-17 after the extra point, icing the game. After that, it was party time. After the win, it shows Brees engaging a relationship with his newborn son. Then he goes up to the podium to be named the Super Bowl MVP. Manning may have been the regular season MVP, but Brees was the Super Bowl MVP, which is way better.
If the Colts won, it would preserve Manning as the greatest quarterback of all time. All he needed was another Super Bowl win and he would be the best, but that title will be put on hold for a little while longer. He has just as many Super Bowl rings as Brett Farve, Drew Brees, Trent Dilfer, Brad Johnson, Doug Williams and several other Q.B.'s in history that have just one ring. Manning is behind Terry Bradshaw (4), Joe Montana (4), Tom Brady (3), Troy Aikman (3) Steve Young (3, one as a starter) and Earl Morrall (3, all as a back-up) in Super Bowl wins and has a long ways to go to catch any of them. You may have the numbers Manning, but just not enough rings. Better luck next year ole' chap.
When it comes to the Saints, I am extremely happy that they won. Not only were they an excellent football team, they gave the state of Louisiana a reason to cheer about. New Orleans hasn't had anything good going for them since the Saints loss to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship in 2007. It took a long time for them to be relevant again. I thought this team had guts, but this game brought this franchise to another level. Although, three of the last four years, the teams the reached the Super Bowl, at least one of them did not make the playoffs the year after, most recently last year's Super Bowl champs, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Can the Saints make it to the playoffs and do it again? We shall see.