My Take...
By: Wayne House
Issue date: 2/5/10 Section: Sports
Star Players? Oh, yeah.
Offensive powers? Check.
Hype? Plenty.
Sunday's Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints has all the makings for a great game. Both teams arrived to the biggest night in American television with fairly similar paths - each team dominated much of the regular season before falling slightly in the last few games only to rise once again with good play in the playoffs.
But what will happen on Sunday in Miami - who knows? Let's look at some key issues that will decide the game.
1. A similarity between the two teams is their offenses. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are both excellent passers, yet with any passing team, a two week lay-off can wreak havoc on the timing between the quarterbacks and their receivers.
However, with even offenses, the importance of special teams is suddenly much higher. And the advantage in that department is with the Colts.
Matt Stover, the Colts' kicker, has been in the NFL since 1991 - an incredibly impressive feat for a league that has no patience for missed field goals.
His counterpart is Garrett Hartley, who has only been in the NFL for two years. If the game comes down to the kicking game, the Colts will have an upper hand.
2. One issue not being discussed is the pressure on the two teams. The Saints carry the burden of the hopes and dreams of New Orleans and are still looked at as a bright spot for the city still hurting from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Meanwhile, the Colts are the team that sacrificed a date with destiny - an undefeated season - to play in the Super Bowl, effectively tanking several regular season games so that their best players would be ready for the post season.
Yet what does this mean? For the Colts, their whole season is centered on this game. Just being there is not good enough; a win is what's expected and a loss is a failure. This added pressure could cause the Colts to play tight, contributing to mistakes.
Offensive powers? Check.
Hype? Plenty.
Sunday's Super Bowl between the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints has all the makings for a great game. Both teams arrived to the biggest night in American television with fairly similar paths - each team dominated much of the regular season before falling slightly in the last few games only to rise once again with good play in the playoffs.
But what will happen on Sunday in Miami - who knows? Let's look at some key issues that will decide the game.
1. A similarity between the two teams is their offenses. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are both excellent passers, yet with any passing team, a two week lay-off can wreak havoc on the timing between the quarterbacks and their receivers.
However, with even offenses, the importance of special teams is suddenly much higher. And the advantage in that department is with the Colts.
Matt Stover, the Colts' kicker, has been in the NFL since 1991 - an incredibly impressive feat for a league that has no patience for missed field goals.
His counterpart is Garrett Hartley, who has only been in the NFL for two years. If the game comes down to the kicking game, the Colts will have an upper hand.
2. One issue not being discussed is the pressure on the two teams. The Saints carry the burden of the hopes and dreams of New Orleans and are still looked at as a bright spot for the city still hurting from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.
Meanwhile, the Colts are the team that sacrificed a date with destiny - an undefeated season - to play in the Super Bowl, effectively tanking several regular season games so that their best players would be ready for the post season.
Yet what does this mean? For the Colts, their whole season is centered on this game. Just being there is not good enough; a win is what's expected and a loss is a failure. This added pressure could cause the Colts to play tight, contributing to mistakes.