The Saints are Aints no more New Orleans win the Super Bowl

Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees 32 completions were all things of beauty

Say it loud and say it proud the New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champions.

The Aints tag is gone forever, after the Saints scored 25 second half points against the favoured Indianapolis Colts.

Yes this is Louisiana’s time, and for owner Tom Benson it is a dream that has come true.

I loved Drew Brees coolness after going 10 points down in the first period, and I loved Tracey Porter’s pick six, but Sean Payton’s decision to go for that onside kick showed bigger balls than a man with a broken leg doing the Pamplona Bull Run.

Now Drew Brees will get the headlines but to me there was one guy who the New Orleans Saints owe a game ball to, special teams dynamo Chris Reis #39.

Reis recovered an early Courtney Roby kick return fumble and then was at the bottom of the Super Bowl’s biggest ever pile to recover that third quarter onside kick. He also got at least one special teams tackle that I can remember.

Chris Reis take a bow my friend you are a Super Bowl champion and you will soon be fitted for a ring with a Saints logo and probably the phrase ‘ Who dat’.

For the Saints the ‘Who dat’ tag is now gone forever – they are champions.

Time for bed for me here in England as it has just gone 3.00am.

PS – I did predict a Saints win and Brees to be MVP !!!

Super Bowl half time update

Well it’s half-time and the Colts are just about leading the Saints 10-6.

Big incidents so far:

• Gary Brackett’s goal line tackle
• Dwight Freeney’s momentum killing sack
• The lone td from Manning to Garcon – picking on Usama Young
• The fact the Colts owned Q1 and the Saints owned Q2
• Garrett Hartley has been money on his 2 field goals – he has been ice cold
• Matt Stover becoming the oldest man ever to play and score in a Super Bowl

Boy do The Who suck – I have them on mute as I type. Just because Janet showed a bit of nipple we now have all these old bastards.

Lets hope the game gets some more points in the second half.

Still all to play for………………….

NFL FAN IN ENGLAND Super Bowl predictions – Saints by a heartbeat

This is a pick from the heart not the head.

Super Bowl Sunday – no feeling like it.

It’s history, it’s drama, it’s the personification of the American dream, and above all it’s only hours away.

I had predicted a Ravens v Eagles Super Bowl, and an Eagles win. I did predict the Colts making the final four, but then again I also predicted the Falcons to be playing in the NFC Championship too.

Now we have the most offensive Super Bowl in history, completely smashing into tiny pieces the old adage that ‘offense wins games and defense wins championships’.

The Indianapolis Colts are back in the Super Bowl just three years after they beat Da Bearz, complete with the NFL MVP at quarterback, and around half of the current team boasting a giant ring with a big blue horseshoe on it.

The New Orleans Saints are at the big dance for the first time in their history, having suffered many years of futility, embarrassment and playoff heartache.

Despite the recent history and the post season experiences of both teams this is not a David v Goliath battle, it is a match-up of the two highest octane offenses in the NFL.

Just about the only thing that may slow down the Colts and the Saints from scoring 50 points on each other is the fact the game is being played outside in grass, and not on the speedy artificial surface that the two finalists are accustomed to.

Both teams are equally capable of falling behind by 14 points and then scoring two touchdowns in under three minutes to tie it back up, without even breaking into a sweat.

Both Drew Brees and Peyton Manning can win this game, and both can be ruthlessly efficient. Both have big arms, big hearts and their internal computers are faster than the ones in that room Matthew Broderick broke into in ‘War Games’.

Peyton has a ring and knows what it takes. I don’t think I can recall a Super Bowl with this many game breaking wideouts on both teams (deep breath) Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, Lance Moore, Robert Meachem (Saints) and Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garcon (Colts). We then move onto TEs, and this is where Dallas Clark does outdo Jeremy Shockey.

Joseph Addai was a rookie in 2007 and he was part of a two-headed rushing monster (with Dominic Rhodes) that won the Colts the Superbowl. Addai has not stepped up much further, but that is because he is not asked to do any more than be part of the offense, not the focus.

His support act is rookie Donald Brown, who could surprise today. The Saints have a troop of backs that are built for every situation. Reggie Bush has the hands and the speed, Mike Bell has the nose for a first down, Lynell Hamilton could be a fantasy td thief and we cannot forget Pierre Thomas, who when given bigger responsibility is nothing but business like.

Its gonna be a fun game for sure, and it comes down to two key factors – which defense will cause the most turnovers and who can get a running game to step up and keep the clock running on long drives.

My head says the Colts, but my heart says the Saints. I just have a feeling that the Saints defense will play the game of their lives, with Jonathan Vilma all over the field and Darren Sharper showing his true talent.

My Super Bowl prediction is Saints 33-28 Colts – MVP Drew Brees 3 td passes and 311 yards passing.

Super Bowl Sunday is a Grimm day

It's gonna be hog day here in Birmingham - Congratulations Russ

Seeing the joy on the faces of the Colts and Saints fans two weeks ago made being a Redskins fan even harder.

I was forced to cast my mind back to the 1980s when the Redskins were good, and led by a bunch of men who were affectionately known as ‘The Hogs’.

Some hardcore fans called ‘The Hogettes’ still turn up to Fed Ex Field every season, donning dresses and pig noses, paying respect to this legendary offensive line.

Whilst the Redskins are light years away from a return to glory it is fantastic news that Superbowl Sunday 2010 is going to have a small part of the festivities devoted to Russ Grimm, one of ‘The Hogs’.

Grimm was drafted in the 3rd round of the 1981 draft, and by the end of his career he had played in four Super Bowls, winning three.

Well done Mr Grimm – you deserve your bust in Canton very close to Art Monk’s.

NFL FAN IN ENGLAND’s Super Bowl XLIV Most Valuable Player prediction

Pierre Garcon could shock the world with an MVP Super Bowl performance

It’s one of those inevitabilities that if a quarterback has a good game and is on the winning side, the likelihood is that they will get the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award at the Super Bowl.

Out of the 43 Super Bowl MVP awards given, 22 have been awarded to qbs. In many cases they have been deserved (Joe Montana, Tom Brady, Doug Williams).

Sometimes the QBs winning the MVP award have not been deserved, and won instead as the result of being ‘the most popular’ or ‘as a reward for their outstanding season’ (Eli Manning, Mark Rypien, Bart Starr’s 2nd Super Bowl).

The QB MVP monopoly has been broken up over the past six seasons by one other position only – wide receiver.

Deion Branch (Patriots), Hines Ward and Santonio Homes (both Steelers) have shown that another position outside QB can be a game breaker. Unsurprisingly the last defensive player to win the MVP award in the big game was Dexter Jackson the Buccaneers safety (2003).

So this lead me neatly to my MVP prediction. As a betting man I have hedged my bets (literally) and put a small amount of cash on the following four Super Bowl XLIV participants to scoop  MVP award;

• Reggie Bush – Saints running back/returner (Odds I got at Bet Fred 16-1)

Why Reggie? Well he is without doubt the most exciting player to take the field in Miami on Sunday. He can run, catch and return punts. He has raised his game intensity level in the playoffs to an unprecedented level, and has the speed, hips and vision to score from anywhere. If he gets to touch the ball over 20 times he should score twice and the rest could be history.

• Darren Sharper – Saints safety (Odds I got from Bet Fred 40-1)

Why Darren? Sharper has had one of those once in a career seasons, kind of like Ed Reed has done in the past, by being in the right place at the right time pretty much every game. Sharper is the defensive leader of the Saints, along with Jonathan Vilma, and remarkably this will be his second Super Bowl, having been to the big dance with the Packers (as a rookie).  Sharper gets two game changing interceptions before the 4th quarter and he could be da man in Florida.

• Pierre Garcon – Colts wide receiver (Odds I got from Bet Fred 22-1)

• Austin Collie – Colts wide receiver (odds I got from Bet Fred 28-1)

Why Pierre or Austin? With three out of the last five MVP awards going to wide receivers there seems to be a movement to rewarding the speed demons. The growing trend of teams using a ‘running back by committee’ approach has removed running backs from MVP consideration, with the last RB MVP being Terrell Davis (Broncos) in 1998. Under this philosophy Reggie Wayne looks to be the ideal MVP candidate, as he is the #1 WR. Thing is Wayne has had a relatively quiet post-season, and in his place both Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon have stepped up and Peyton Manning has the pair looking like All-Pro starters. Both or one out of Collie and Garcon could easily go over 100 yards and 2 touchdowns before the Super Bowl is over. 9 or 10 catches by either (depending on the coverage they get) could make them MVP winners. With NFL MVP Peyton Manning tossing the pigskin anything is possible.

If I had to go for just one player I’d pick Pierre Garcon. With his Haitian roots and worldwide support, this could be the biggest and best fairytale ending ever (better than Elway and Jerome Bettis’s fabled stories put together).

Cant wait for the game, likelihood is that I wont win a bean, but hey you have to be in it to win it!

What is YOUR Super Bowl routine or traditions?

Part of my Super Bowl tradition - some M & M's

Here in England most of the people I work with will see Sunday night as the last opportunity to catch some sleep before the inevitable grind that is Monday morning’s commute.

I however will be as excited as a six-year-old on Christmas day by the time it gets to 11pm on Sunday.

Since my first ever experience watching a Super Bowl live on tv (1987 Giants v Broncos) I have had a little routine.

Here goes with what I do….

1) BETTING

Place bets on who will score the first touchdown and who will be the Most Valuable Player. Sometimes I also bet on the scoring margin, but only if I think its going to be an ass kicking. Before I was legally old enough I persuaded my mum to go and put the bets on for me!

2) FOOD and DRINK

I have the following items lined up in front of me on a small table:

• Can of Pepsi (regular) even though its the only can of Pepsi I have all year (I normally drink Pepsi Max)
• A regular Snickers bar that I cut into small slices like a loaf of bread (don’t ask !)
• Some toffee popcorn served from an awesome Redskins helmet that doubles as a chips and dips server
• Doritos (two varieties, usually Sizzling Hot, Ranch or Hint of Lime) with low-fat dips and an extra sour cream dip
• A big bag of Peanut M&Ms that I sort into colour groups on a tray

3) HOME SETUP

I move the sofa directly in front of the tv, so close that my retinas probably want to do a 180 degree roll so they are more comfortable staring at my brain. I make sure I book the Monday off work (as does my wife). Talking of my wife she has a tradition of falling asleep on the sofa before the end of the second quarter. I also like to get in the Super Bowl mood by watching one or two sports movies during the day, something like Friday Night Lights, Any Given Sunday or Invincible.

What do you all do as a Super Bowl tradition?

Herschel Walker grounds and pounds – What next Barry Sanders to take on Manny Pacquiao

Gotta admit I am getting sucked in to watching some UFC now and then, and with the NFL season drawing to a close it’s time to latch on a sport until the 2010 NFL draft is near enough to smell.

Listening to the Around the Horn and P.T.I. podcasts I didn’t believe my ears when the likes of Wilbon and Reali stated talking about former Dallas Cowboy and Minnesota Viking running back Herschel Walker becoming the latest sporting name to come into the ever-growing world of mixed martial arts.

Walker has the body of an NFL rookie linebacker, and whilst he does not look as fresh-faced as when he terrorised opposing NFL defenses in the 1980s, he did look fit as a fiddle.

Walker was the Heisman Trophy winner in 1982. Just take a minute to say it out loud…..1982. It is now 2010 and he made a winning debut in the UFC.

Whatever next? Here are a few scenarios that came to mind regarding former NFL running backs…..

• Barry Sanders takes up boxing and gets in the ring with Manny Pacquiao
• Jerome Bettis gets down to his undergarments and takes up sumo wrestling in Japan
• Mike Alstott keeps pumping his legs, but now on a bicycle as he takes part in the Tour de France

NFL FAN IN ENGLAND predicts the first TD scorer in Superbowl XLIV

Odds on this will be a high scoring Superbowl

I do have to admit that I love a little flutter during Superbowl week.

Betting on who will win the Superbowl or what the winning margin will be is not much fun as the odds are so short.

Instead I like to spend some of my hard-earned cash on two different bets – ‘First touchdown scorer’ and ‘Most Valuable Player’.

The obvious MVP bet is always the quarterbacks, and Manning and Brees will likely be around 3-1 or even 2-1 once the odds get pushed out by UK bookmakers.

I tend to go for wide receivers for MVP as you can normally get 10-1 up to 30-1 depending if you pick a Pro Bowl wideout or a slot man who might just blow up in Miami. I last won big  a few years ago when I predicted WR Deion Branch to be the MVP for the Patriots. I won over £100 and sensibly spent the winnings on a pair of bedside clothes cabinets.

Regarding the first TD scorer, the last time I got it right and won some money was when L.J. Smith the Eagles TE opened the scoring against the Patriots connecting on the end of a Donovan McNabb pass.

So…what are my predictions for fist touchdown scorer for the 2010 Superbowl? Well I always hedge my bets and pick four different potential paydirt magnets. For Superbowl XLIV (44) I bet at Ladbrokes and went for the following:

• Drew Brees Saints QB (rushing td) – Odds 50-1 – Big odds but he could always go for a surprise 1 yard plunge
• Lynell Hamilton Saints RB (rushing or receiving td) – Odds 25-1 – The guy is used as a goal-line back go figure!
• Jeremy Shockey Saints TE (receiving td) Odds 16-1 – Shockey would like nothing more than setting the tone.
• Donald Brown Colts RB (rushing or receiving td) – Odds 25-1 – Its a toss-up with the Indy running game, I like this rookie however and see him doing something great in this game, so why not the first 6 point score!

I know only one can possibly payout, and there is no science to it at all, but it sure makes the opening few possessions a whole load of fun.

The MVP odds have not been worked out by some UK bookies so I will have to wait until the weekend to place a small wager.

If any of you do decide to match my betting and you win I want 10%! If you lose then I have no idea what on earth you are talking about – what blog post?

NFL FAN IN ENGLAND’s Key matchup (1) to look out for in Superbowl 44

Colts and Saints - two #1 seeds and two potent offenses

Superbowl XLIV has all the makings of a classic match, and kind of reminds me of the titanic Steelers Cowboys Superbowls from the 1970s.

Only difference being this is two high-octane offenses against two overachieving defenses.

There are going to be intriguing battles all over the field next Sunday in Miami, here are five of those chess matches that I think will determine if Peyton Manning or Drew Brees will hold the Vince Lombardi trophy above their head and shout to the skies ‘By the power of Greyskull……..I have the power!”

Saints RB Pierre Thomas v Colts defensive tackles Daniel Muir and Antonio Johnson – The sexual chocolate that is New Orleans RB Reggie Bush has shown that once and for all his talent does not lie by getting 4 to 5 yards a pop up the gut, so that job of moving the chains in the traditional method is left to Pierre Thomas.

Thomas has had a quiet season, with only one one hundred plus yard ground game (Week 3 v Buffalo) but he did finish the regular season with an impressive 5.4 a carry. Thomas has only had 33 touches in two playoff games so far so this could be the time he is unleashed as part of a ball control gameplan by Sean Payton, the former Leicester Panthers quarterback.

Going against Thomas will be the rather unknown pairing of Muir (312 lb) and Johnson (310lb). Seen by some as a weakness these two pillars have nullified both Ray Rice and Thomas Jones in the postseason, and they have the intestinal fortitude to do it one more time.

The Colts have given up 20 points overall in their last two games, and Rice and Jones (two dominant rushers) combined for just 109 yards on the ground.

Neither had the opportunity to pound the rock twenty times or more because their teams were required to come back from deficits using the passing game, but the combo of Muir and Johnson have become unsung heroes on a team that if full of no name defenders, with the exception of pass rushing defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.

Advantage – Saints – Thomas has not been asked to carry the ball 25 times a game so he will be fresh. With Mike Bell there to pick up some short yardage runs Thomas could be an MVP candidate but only if the gameplan flows the way of the ground game.

NFL FAN IN ENGLAND predicts NFC and AFC Championships 2009-2010

Well it’s that time of year, when we get two stunning contests between the cream of the NFL. God I love the conference championship games, and this season we have two intriguing contest between four very different teams.

AP has been quiet in January but next will be his crowning glory against the Saints

The Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints have shone throughout the season and are the #1 seeds respectively, with the Minnesota Vikings looking good all round and the New York Jets acting out a Disney sports movie script.

I have done a TO and got the popcorn ready, as well as some alcoholic ginger beer (lovely) and some chips and dips. Ok I’ll look like death warmed up in the morning but lets hope its gonna be worth it.

My predicting skills have been pretty average in the playoffs as I have got 5 out of 8 correct so far.

Here goes with my conference championships predictions;

NFC CHAMPIONSHIP – Vikings @ Saints

This game is not exactly your traditional NFC championship, where defense dominates and the score finishes 13-10.

Minnesota and New Orleans are explosive high-powered offensive led teams with lots of talent across the field.

Both play in a Dome, both rely on young studs with speed, agility and soft hands, and both have quarterbacks that are grizzled veterans who both deserve to be playing in the Superbowl for what they have done this season.

This game has all the makings of a wild west shootout, with Brett Favre looking to take the Vikings to a place they haven’t been since Fran Tarkenen and the Purple People Eaters reached four Superbowls in the 1970s (losing all four).

Favre has shown that he can both play disciplined football and also air it our when he needs to, and he has turned Sidney Rice into a megastar, in a way that I suspect Sage Rosenfels or Tavaris Jackson would not have been able to in 2009.

Adrian Peterson has been strangely quiet in the second half of the season and has quite remarkably gone a little under the radar. This I think will all change in the NFC Championship as Peterson will show some of those jaw dropping skills that made him the most exciting rookie since Barry Sanders.

The Saints will simply be unable to bottle up Peterson for 60 minutes, and that my friends will be the difference in the game.

Defensively the Vikings are a remarkable unit up front, with Jared Allen, Kevin Williams and Pat Williams in the middle and the on-fire Ray Edwards at the other end.  This is a front four that should have helped a team to reach a Superbowl by now, and they will have to be tackling for their lives against the eel like Reggie Bush, and the the powerful and speedy Pierre Thomas.

The Saints D is led by veteran safety Darren Sharper, who has had an Ed Reed type season, picking off passes and being in the right place at the right time far too many times for it just to be luck or coincidence. Former Jet LB Jonathan Vilma is playing the best football of his life, and underrated pro’s such as Will Allen and linebackers Scott Fujita and Scott Shanle deserve to win today for their consistent effort on a team that has not always been this good.

X-Factors = The obvious x-factors in this game are Reggie Bush for the Saints and Percy Harvin the electric rookie WR for the Vikings.

Thing is I don’t like obvious, and I will instead look at some lesser known players that could be the difference between a trip home and a trip to Miami….

Saints TE David Thomas – With Jeremy Shockey not 100% Martin could be asked to catch 5 or more passes, and this could include in the redzone

Vikings RB Chester Taylor – Taylor has been a passenger in the Viking sailboat that has plundered and pillaged the NFL this season, leaving him fresh for this game. He is the best pass catching back on the team and could break a catch in the backfield and turn it into six huge points.

Prediction – Vikings 33-30 Saints – MVP Adrian Peterson 131 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP – Jets @ Colts

Everyone loves an underdog and the New York Jets , who snuck into the playoffs on the back of the Colts decision to rest their starters in Week 17, are going to have a lot of neutral fans rooting for them. Only problem is Rex Ryan and the Jets don’t consider themselves underdogs, and that positive mentality has willed the Big Apple warriors to the AFC Championship game.

The Colts on the other hand are doing what they always do, winning 12 or more regular season games with relative ease, and without a mind-blowing running game. The last time the Colts won a Superbowl they did it with a precision passing game and a combination of Joesph Addai and Dominic Rhodes in the backfield (sometimes both on the field at the same time). Not much has changed, Addai still has a partner, but this time he is the veteran and Donald Brown is the rookie who knows no better.

Peyton Manning does not need much of a description here, just look in a dictionary for the definition of an All Pro QB and Manning’s face will be there.

Marvin Harrison is gone at WR, but in his place are Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon, who have both stepped up when needed and have helped catapult the Colts to a championship game.

The Jets have won games the way they used to be won, with a big nasty offensive line and a running game that gives opposition DCs nightmares. The combination of ‘the most underrated RB in NFL history’ Thomas Jones, and rookie rocket pack Shonn Greene, is pretty much perfect, and FB Tony Richardson is one of the best in his position in the past 30 years.

New York will go into this game with a rookie under center, and unfortunately this will be the game that brings Mark Sanchez crashing down to earth. It’s not that Sanchez can’t move the ball or pass accurately, its just that Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney will be more pumped up than the world’d biggest hot air balloon.

We all know that Darelle Revis the Jets CB should have been voted NFL Defensive MVP this season, and we also know that he will do an outstanding job tracking whoever will dare to matchup with him. It’s the rest of the Jets corners that I have bigger issues with.

X-Factors =This comes down to the Jets offense being able to move the ball and the Colts defense showing that their game last week was no fluke.

Colts – Defensive tackles Antonio Johnson and Daniel Muir are pretty much unknown outside of Indy, but they hold the key to this game. If they can hold the Jets running game it could be a long night for Sanchez.

Jets – WR Braylon Edwards. Yes Edwards has had a lot of stick recently for dropping passes, but he has the talent, the speed and the desire to show why he was an early first round pick by the Cleveland Browns. Edwards, if he is given the opportunity by the play calling, could surprise all NFL fans with a monster game.

Prediction – Colts 26-16 Jets – MVP Peyton Manning 289 yards and 2 touchdowns.