Peyton Manning could walk off the Joe Robbie Stadium field (Yea, I'm old school. I still call it Joe Robbie) the greatest quarterback of all-time.

Where did the season go? The NFL season is all but over,  and I’m not especially happy about it. It feels like yesterday I was gearing up for Week 1, but here we are at Super Bowl week with the top two seeds in each conference. The New Orleans Saints survived the Minnesota Vikings treating the football as if there were a case of crabs on the ball in the NFC Championship. The Indianapolis Colts had the good fortune of having Peyton Manning on their team as they outlasted the Cinderella New York Jets. The last drive of the 1st half, which Manning led to cut the Jets lead to 17-13, was like playing Tecmo Super Bowl with the Montana and Rice- led 49ers. The pass to Austin Collie was one of the best passes you will ever see. It was at that point, that I knew the Jets were done. I am disappointed that the Vikings pissed away their opportunity to face the Colts. Could you imagine those ratings? The Saints vs Vikings game was the highest rated non-SuperBowl since the “Seinfeld” finale. Favre vs Manning would have been great theater, but Brees vs Manning is not a bad alternative. It won’t be as painful as looking at Drew Brees haircut and Saints owner Tom Benson’s dancing skills. I made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t watch the over-hyped coverage this week, and judging by what I have heard, I made the right decision. As informative as it would be to know about Dwight Freeney walking in sand to strengthen his ankle, constant Archie Manning talk and interviews, (Drew Brees is a better Saints quarterback by the way) a press conference with The Who, The Ochocinco News Network, Deion Sanders butchering the English language, and ESPN reporting what time Peyton Manning wakes up in the morning…. No thanks, I’m good. Super Bowl pre-game hype is as annoying as the fat friend of a hot girl that you meet at a bar. You know the one….the girl you get stuck listening to because your buddy is already swinging and missing with the hot one. She won’t shut up, she thinks your interested, just because, and when she finally takes the hint, she forces the hot friend to leave the bar because she isn’t having a guy fall  all over her. Bad times all around.  If you say you haven’t been in this situation, then you’re lying. It’s unfortunate that there is the two week break between games because Sunday at 5:30 can’t get here soon enough. This game has many subplots, but the biggest story is the legacy of Peyton Manning. I won’t bother you with all the BS, but simply put, if Manning wins this game he could very easily be considered the greatest quarterback of all-time. Manning has a sense of history, and I feel he is on a different level than everyone else in this game. He is playing for history– almost as if he knows his legacy will be sealed with a win on Sunday. Coming from Joe Montana’s biggest fan, it would be tough to deny where Manning would rate if the Colts win their 2nd title in the last 4 years. To think that Manning has another 6-7 prime years left in him is a scary thought. He may own every passing record by the time he’s finished, leaving every other quarterback a distant second to The Sheriff.

Reggie Bush and Pierre Garcon have both had outstanding Playoff games so far this year. Garcon in the underdog pick for SuperBowl MVP. Bush? Don't bet on it.

The New Orleans Saints got lucky in the NFC Championship Game. There’s no other way around it. The Vikings out- played the Saints in every facet of the game.  Except for the little issue of turnovers, and the fact that Brad Childress might have coached the game drunk, the Vikings blew their best shot with Brett Favre. Somewhere Brandon Walsh is still in depression from the Vikings latest choke job in a Championship Game. It doesn’t mean the Saints can’t win this game or that they aren’t deserving conference champs. The thing  that is bothering me is the notion that the Saints are somehow saving New Orleans. It’s such a lazy and tired thought that I can’t even put it into words. Are the Saints helping civic pride in New Orleans? Sure. Are they somehow helping the still struggling population there? Hell, no. Are they helping tourism to the area? That’s even funnier. If the Saints win this game, they will be World Champions, not miracle workers. A good portion of New Orleans is still in bad shape, and a team winning a football game doesn’t change that. I wish people would stop with the “It would be good for the city” garbage that seems to be the prevailing thought. Let’s just leave it that the Saints are having a great year, and if they win, it will forever shed their “Aints” label. This seems like a business trip for the Colts, while the Saints are treating this week like the Bills did in ’91 before they played the Giants. The Bills were out all week just happy to be there, while the Giants remembered that they were there to win the game. The Saints are like a married guy at a bachelor party or the married guy out with his single friends when the wife is out of town.

Now then, let’s get the Super Bowl preview, capeesh?!

SuperBowl XLIV

New Orleans Saints vs Indianapolis Colts

Line: Colts by 5

Drew Brees was average in the NFC Championship Game. The Saints better be prepared to score 30 plus points if they want to hoist the Lombardi Trophy on Sunday.

Biggest Storyline: Peyton Manning- Colts. As I covered above, Manning’s legacy can be cemented with a victory on Sunday. Manning has been unbelievable ever since the 4th and 2 game vs the Patriots earlier this year. If it was just the Boo-Yaa network talking about Manning being the greatest quarterback ever, I’d attribute it to them just over hyping shit like they always do. This is unique, however. The hype is real when it comes to Manning, and the cool part is that he accepts the pressure that comes with all of the “greatest ever” talk and doesn’t let it bother him. He doesn’t seek it, but he knows how great he is and he will play like it on Sunday. Drew Brees may not be the equal of Manning, but he is damn sure capable of winning this game for the Saints. Brees wasn’t spectacular against Minnesota, but he didn’t have to be thanks to Adrian Peterson doing his best Earnest Byner impression. Brees and the Saints offense can go into funks where they look like they are playing stoned on some of Snoop Dogg’s weed. It is  still possible they could explode like they did vs the Cardinals in the Divisional Playoff. The Dwight Freeney injury is the Saints’ biggest reason for optimism in this game. Freeney is the 3rd best player in this game, and his status puts this game in doubt as evidenced by the 5 point spread. Which leads me to……

The only thing being talked about more than Dwight Freeney's ankle injury is Kim Kardashian's ass.

Biggest Impact Player: Dwight Freeney- Colts. Freeney won’t be near 100% in this game with torn ankle ligaments, and that has Drew Brees smiling more than Jay Leno this week. Freeney and his counterpart, Robert Mathis, would have had a field day against the Saints tackle tandem of Jermon Bushrod and Jonathan Stinchcomb. But with Freeney ailing , the Saints have to like their chances in the passing game. Brees has been sacked one time in these Playoffs, and Raheem Brock sure as shit isn’t the player Freeney is. Brock replacing Freeney is like the 2nd version of The Ultimate Warrior- not nearly as intimidating or as roided up. Freeney is a speed rusher, and, if he’s not healthy Brees could get into a rhythm. That is the Saints best hope. That and someone poisoning Manning’s breakfast Sunday Morning.

Side Note: What in the hell did Bryant McKinnie try and pull at the Pro-Bowl last weekend?! If he didn’t want to play, do what the other 64 guys did and not go. McKinnie skipped practices and got kicked off the team. Who gets kicked off a f*cking Pro-Bowl team?! My head hurts from these idiotic athletes. I’m sure the intense practice schedule was too much for Mt. McKinnie to handle.

Player Most Likely To Pull A Leon Lett, Neil O’Donnell, Scott Norwood, Thurman Thomas, Rex Grossman or Jackie Smith: 3-way tie—–Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey, and The Who. Is it too early to determine who I’m picking in this game? No? Good. Of all the possibilities for a player to become infamous, I’m going with these 3. First, let’s get The Who out of the way. Does anyone give a damn who performs the halftime show anymore? Honestly?! When was the last good one? Michael Jackson in Pasadena at SuperBowl XXVII in January of ’93? It damn sure wasn’t Tom Petty. The whole nipple gate thing was cool, if you saw it. The Super Bowl halftime is useful for only the following reasons: to step outside of the party you’re at to get away from the pain in the ass who won’t shut up and has targeted you as the only person he feels like talking to, to have a smoke, to get away from your significant other, or make a secret “we need more beer” run. If you are tuning in to watch the halftime show, then there is strong chance that I won’t be hanging out with you again anytime soon. As for the game, there aren’t two bigger candidates for this award than Bush and Shockey. Reggie Kardashian has been out at the club this week preparing for the biggest game of his life, and Shockey is always one pass not going his way from tuning out. Bush tried to hand  the game to the Vikings with his fumbled punt towards the end of the 1st half.  And, it seems, Bush will never be more than he is (a lot of hype with no real substance or talent. Think Coke II, Harold Miner, any new club in Chicago, theme parks, or Avatar). I’ll put it this way, there is a reason the prop bet on his rushing yard total for this game is 30 yards. Bush is the celebrity of the week in Miami and it’s not because he’s a great player. People care more about whether or not he’s going to marry Kim Kardashian when this whole thing is over. I just don’t like Bush’s prospects of having a good game.

Would you be surprised if Reggie Bush pulled a Thurman Thomas this Sunday? Bush could pull a SuperBowl XXV Thurman performance or more likely a SuperBowl XXVI Thurman no-show act.

Side Note: Back to the guy who won’t shut up at the party. There is always one of these clowns at a Super Bowl party. He is the guy who watches football once a year, tries to be the guy who knows what’s going on, makes his nonsensical points to try and impress the girls when they, absolutely, know more football than him, is drinking straight Vodka, brought the yuppie snack that nobody is eating, can’t wait to tell everyone about his big work week, and befriends guys like me because he doesn’t have any friends other than his girlfriend who pushes him around constantly. If you’re at a big enough party Sunday you will meet one of these guys. Stay away. That’s the best advice I can give you. Otherwise you will have a terrible “Situation” on your hands.

The Pick: Colts 35 Saints 24

The Freeney injury is huge, but I am not in love with the Saints defense despite their ability to force takeaways. If Manning can put up 30 on the NFL’s number 1 defense, what can he do against this unit? The Saints front 7 is weak, and despite their strong secondary, I can’t see them slowing down the Colts. They have hit Kurt Warner and Brett Favre harder than Bobby hit Whitney, but I don’t see them getting to Peyton quick enough. The Saints defense finished the regular season ranked 25th in total defense and 26th in pass defense. That’s free candy for Manning and Co. Jabari Greer is a solid player, and Darren Sharper will have a good game, but sooner or later, Wayne, Clark, Addai, or Garcon will get them. The adjustments the surgeon makes during a game are crazy. It’s almost like Manning stared down Rex Ryan two weeks ago after the 1st quarter and said “Ha, that’s it? That’s all you got ,Tubby?” Manning dissected the Jets, and will do the same this week. If that does, indeed, happen and the Colts win, the discussion can be had. Is Peyton Manning the greatest quarterback of all-time? Is he better than Montana? The same talk applied to Tom Brady going into Super Bowl XLII vs the Giants. If the Patriots won, Brady would be Montana’s equal with 4 rings. That’s just how it works with great quarterbacks and Super Bowls. It’s why we remember Doug Williams. It’s why a a guy with more career interceptions than touchdowns in Joe Namath is in the Hall-of-Fame. It’s defined Troy Aikman, Steve Young, and Kurt Warner as immortal greats.  It’s why Dan Marino isn’t considered a top 5 guy, and it’s why John Elway wasn’t in that group until he won his title in ’97. It could definitely be argued Manning is the greatest ever if he wins this game, although the rules nowadays allow for more offense and less grabbing of receivers. If the Saints win? Well, then you will hear the garbage about how important it is for the city of New Orleans. When in reality, it will be about the Saints becoming legitimized forever. What else will you hear if the Saints win? You will hear that Joe Montana is still the greatest quarterback of all-time. See, it forever and always comes back to the Dean of Super Bowls Joe Montana.

Regular Season: 71-62-5

Playoffs: 3-7

Disclaimer: Not only did I pick both conference winners two weeks ago, I also nailed the Jets and Vikings point totals and still went 0-2. Reason number 537 why I don’t gamble. Happy Super Bowl weekend everyone!