Nathan Stacken

Well that is it. The Super Bowl is over and the New Orleans Saints are champions. Their first trip to the Super Bowl in the franchise’s 43 years was a good one, as they beat the Indianapolis Colts 31-17, as I’m sure most everyone knows by now. Before we move on to different sports and different topics in the weeks to come, here are a few lasting impressions from the Super Bowl:

The onside kick in the second half completely swung momentum in the Saints’ favor.The Colts never saw it coming. Expecting to get the ball to start the second half, the Colts were fooled by Saints place kicker Thomas Morstead’s on-side kick. The Saints recovered and scored a touchdown on the following possession to take a 13-10 lead. The Colts scored to regain the lead, but I think most people watching sensed that the momentum shifted to the Saints when they recovered that kick. And according to Sports Illustrated’s Peter King, Morstead had never tried an on-side kick before in a game in his life and only just started practicing it twelve days ago. Talk about a miracle.

The Colts never were in rhythm after the first quarter.The Colts were up 10-0 at the end of the first quarter and the game looked like it was going to be a runaway. Both drives were 11 plays long and they seemed in control. But running only six plays in the entire second quarter hurt the Colts and when they fell behind 24-17 late in the fourth. Peyton Manning forced a pass to Reggie Wayne that was intercepted by Saints cornerback Tracy Porter who returned it for a the final score to put the Saints ahead 31-17. It just didn’t look like the same Colts offense we were so accustomed to seeing this season and in previous seasons? and it ended up costing them.

Drew Brees’ performance was truly MVP worthy.He started off slowly in the first quarter like the rest of his team, but from the second quarter on, quarterback Drew Brees completed 29 of 32 passes. Truly astonishing. He was patient and threw with tremendous accuracy to his receivers. Brees ended up throwing for 288 yards and two touchdowns, and also completed the pass on the successful two-point conversion. Some people may say that Porter should have won MVP, and I certainly understand that, reasoning that Porter returning an interception for a touchdown put the game out of reach. However, not only does Brees’ performance go down as one of the best performances by a quarterback in the Super Bowl in my opinion, but also he has put himself into the discussion as the best quarterback currently playing in the NFL. Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Colts quarterback Peyton Manning would seem to be at the top of everyone’s list, but Brees now has a strong case having won the Super Bowl and leading one of the best offenses in football.

Wouldn’t you love to be in New Orleans?The party started Sunday night in New Orleans with the Saints Super Bowl victory and it will carry on right through Mardi Gras. Immediately after the game, Bourbon Street was packed with thousands of Saints fans celebrating their team’s victory. With all that has happened in New Orleans with Hurricane Katrina, this is a great time for the Saints, the city, and its fans. They have embraced this team since they first came into the league, and there will be a huge party and parade for the team and the week that follows with Mardi Gras. What a great time to be in New Orleans.

Final thoughts ?The commercials were O.K. The better ones were the E-Trade commercials with the babies. Doritos had some good ones, and Bud Light always comes through with some solid entertainment. It was a great game and an overall great football season, and I, like so many other people, look forward to next season.