Super Bowl XLIV: Who Dat? or Who Da Man(ning)?

In a few hours, the biggest sports and entertainment extravaganza in America is about to take place. Millions of people will be watching the spectacle that is the Superbowl... the epic matchup between the Indianapolis Colts of the AFC against the New Orleans Saints of the NFC.

This is a battle between two high profile offenses, who know how to put points on the board. The Saints is the league's #1 offense this year, while the Colts have Peyton Manning, who will be in the discussion as far as the "Greatest of All Time" when all is said and done. Both Manning and Brees (QB of the Saints) know how to make the best of the receiving talent that is put in front of them, making them legitimate threats when they were previously in nobody's radar (who's heard of Pierre Garcon or Lance Moore before these 2 QBs had them).

As far as weaknesses are concerned, many people have been quick to point out the weak secondary of the Saints (even my terrible Washington Redskins shredded them when they played them early December). As far as the Colts, they don't have a great running game, mainly because Manning does the majority of the offensive management and doesn't really play a lot of "ball control" offense.

So based on all of this, this game is expected to be a high octane offensive game, where most of the points are going to be scored in the air. But, I noticed over the years, when much hype is made of a particular matchup or a particular detail of either team, that hype usually doesn't live up. So although people are expecting a lot of points to be scored, I don't think it's going to be as much as it's going to be. In fact, don't be surprised if you see a score or two in defense.

As far as who I'm picking... if I was a gambling man, I would probably pick the Colts, since overall, they probably are the more well-rounded, and more talented team overall. Not to mention, they have arguably the best player in the game right now in Peyton Manning. But, luckily for the Saints, I'm not a gambler. I'm rooting for the Saints because the city of New Orleans and the state of Louisiana has been through a lot with Hurricane Katrina a few years ago, and a Superbowl win can definitely help lift up some spirits in that area, and could help the economy a little bit, since it will gain a little bit of interest in that area. Therefore, since I am rooting for the Saints, and my heart is saying New Orleans... I will be picking them for the upset. Like I said, don't be surprised if we see an unexpected wild card that can possibly steal this game for the Saints, and I think there's a good possibility in that. And since I said that this might not be as huge as far as score as everybody's predicting (over-under 57.5), here's my prediction...

Saints 27 Colts 24

MVP: Drew Brees

Who dat?