WHO DAT with the Lombardi Trophy?!

Congratulations to the Super Bowl XLIV Champs, the New Orleans Saints and MVP, Drew Brees!


That was an exciting game!  While it was not the offensive shootout that I was expecting, it was one of guts and persistence.  It was a battle that kept me interested the entire game.


We all know that Drew had a stellar game.  He completed 32 of his 39 passes and had two touchdowns.  He entered the second half of the game with composure as if the first half did not matter.  It is also easy to notice that the defense truly stepped up.  Maybe they were feeling neglected by all of the talk about the strength of the offense, but they demonstrated that they are a factor on the team.  Just look at Tracy Porter's interception in the 4th quarter that really ended the game.


So, I want to highlight the Saints' Special Teams.  You know I believe that this unit can make or break a team.  I had a feeling that one of the Special Teams would make their team and fans feel very special.  That is exactly what the Saints' Special Teams did.  Coach Payton made a courageous (and shocking) move when he called for an onside kick to start the second half.  Thomas Morstead executed with the poise that he is known for.  The rookie kicked 12 yards and the Saints recovered.  This was the real game changer.


The Saints now had momentum and confidence.  The offense boldly came onto the field and started the drive that ended with their first touchdown of the game.  This set the tone for the remainder of the game.  As always, half of it is what you do and the other half is how you think.  The Saints had the skill set, but they were not assertive until the second half.  That change in mindset started with Special Teams, so I had to give this unit some special attention.  The New Orleans Saints' Special Teams receives the Heels & Helmets first Super Bowl REAL GAME CHANGER AWARD.   Congratulations!   




Ciao! 
Heels & Helmets

Super Bowl XLIV: Saints On Defense

The New Orleans Saints is not a defensive powerhouse.  They have an aggressive style, but it has not translated to big success.  They ranked in the bottom 8 this season.  Even worse, they were 26 in total passing yards allowed.  This is not good for a defense that has to play Peyton Manning who passes all day long.  Especially, considering he was tested during the playoffs.  He beat the #3 defense (Baltimore Ravens) and came from behind and won against the best defense this season (New York Jets) in the AFC Championship game.  The pressure is on the Saints to put some pressure on Peyton.

When going against a team with a good passing game, it is important to have strong Cornerbacks and Safeties. The good thing for the Saints is that they have a Free Safety that is a threat to the best quarterbacks, Darren Sharper.  He is an All Pro Free Safety.  He can catch, run and tackle.  He tied for first in the NFL for interceptions with 9 and three of those were returned for touchdowns.

Here are all of the players that will most likely start or play a major role on Sunday.  Go back to Defense Wins Championships! to review the responsibilities of each position.

Tackles and Ends 

Remi Ayodele (#92) - Defensive Tackle 

Sedrick Ellis (#98) - Defensive Tackle.  Missed a lot this season with knee injury.

Bobby McCray (#93) - Defensive End

Will Smith (#91) - Defensive End.  Best pass rusher on the team. Second in sacks in the NFC with 13 sacks.  

Linebackers

Scott Fujita (#55) - Missed 5 games because of knee injury, but still had 75 tackles. 

Jonathan Vilma (#51) -  Decent season with 130 tackles, 3 interceptions and 2 sacks. Also had an interception in the NFC title game. 

Scott Shanle (#58) - Third on the team in tackles.  

Cornerbacks

Jabari Greer (#32) - Started the season strong with 2 interceptions and a touchdown, but missed almost half of the season with a sports hernia.

Tracy Porter (#22) - He is a big reason the Saints made it to the Super Bowl.  He intercepted Favre in overtime which set up the Saints to score.  During the regular season he had 4 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles and 69 tackles.

Safeties

Roman Harper (#41) - Strong Safety. Second on team with 127 tackles.

Darren Sharper (#42) - Free Safety.  He'll be ready for Dallas Clark or Reggie Wayne.  He Set the NFL record with 376 yards on interception runbacks and one was for 99 yards!  Peyton needs to be careful throwing to his side.

The Saints' Defense needs to stop Peyton from throwing the ball.  To be successful, the line needs to step up and the linebackers and cornerbacks need to blitz.  All of this is much easier said than done!

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets

Super Bowl XLIV: When the Saints are On Offense

Super Bowl XLIV is going to be all about offense. The Saints offense is a scoring machine! Our NFC Champs can pass the ball, run the ball and score touchdowns. Let me show you just how well they do it.

There are 32 teams in the NFL. After the regular season, the New Orleans Saints were #2 in passing yards (number of yards gained from throwing the ball), #7 in receiving yards (yards gained by the receiver running after catching the ball), #6 in rushing yards (number of yards gained from running the ball) and #1 in touchdowns. They were the #1 Offense in the NFL this season.

The Saints offense is led by Quarterback, Drew Brees. He can throw the ball and he has a couple of threats to pass the ball to. He has led the Saints to two NFC Championships games, but this is his first Super Bowl. So, he is hungry for a title!

Here is a look at all of the players that will most likely start on the Saints Offense next Sunday. (Go Back to our article on Offense Controls the Game to review the roles of each player.)

Quarterback

Drew Brees (#9) - Coming off of a strong playoff performance without any interceptions. (I show him a little love because he comes from the Big 10.)

Center

Jonathan Goodwin (#76) - Strong veteran and Michigan Man. (Go Blue!)

Guards and Tackles - They block well! Drew has time to pass and the Running Backs have space to run.

Carl Nicks (#77) - Left Guard

Jahri Evans (#73)- Right Guard

Jermon Bushrod (#74) - Left Tackle

Jon Stinchcomb (#78) - Right Tackle

Wide Receivers

Marques Colston (#12) - The guy to watch. He catches all over the field and led the Saints in catches and yards.

Devery Henderson (#19) - Catches long passes, but has a reputation of being inconsistent.

Robert Meachem (#17) - Great catcher, but has a sprained ankle.

Running Backs

Reggie Bush (#25) - Very fast and avoids tackles, but has not been consistent since his knee injury.

Pierre Thomas (#23)- Led Saints in rushing yards.

(Reggie should start, but if he is not playing well this week, Pierre will start.)

Tight End

Jeremy Shockey (#88) - Injury left him out of the Giants' Super Bowl, so he wants to make an impact. Not sure if he will because he didn't do much during the playoffs because of sore right knee.

Tomorrow we will look at the men that will attempt to stop this scoring machine - The Colts' Defense.

Ciao!

Heels & Helmets