Inside the Numbers: Super Bowl Edition

Inside the numbers is a new feature that I will be trying to implement come baseball season, but all the stops need to be pulled out for the Super Bowl. I’ll start with 10 and work my way to 1, noting why each number is significant as it pertains to yesterday’s gridiron showdown.

10 – The number of points New Orleans scored in the third quarter, thanks in large part to a balls-to-the-wall decision by Sean Payton to “kick off” the second half (<— see what I did there??) with a surprise onsides kick. Hank Baskett looked more like Kendra Wilkinson on the play, staring in disbelief as the kick approached him and then did some kind of alligator-arm attempt at catching it, only to have it spring right off his chest and into the vicinity of a couple Saints players, who immediately swarmed. Whether or not Indy had control of the ball at some point was irrelevant because they didn’t hold onto it long enough. This was without question the turning point in the game.

9 -The number of Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees. Whatever your criteria is for Super Bowl MVP is, Drew Brees exceeded it last night. Brees completed a staggering 32/39 passes, and he could have easily gone 35/39 when you factor in the dropped balls. On the other hand, he also avoided a couple of interceptions very narrowly, playing with fire on 2-3 passes during the game. However, Brees made the big plays when he needed to. His team successfully surprised the Colts and gave him the ball with excellent field position at the start of the second half, and Brees responded by leading his team down the field for an important score. Later in the game, he needed a two point conversion, and although he needed some assistance in the form of a replay challenge, he got that as well. But perhaps above all, Brees led an entire city to a championship.

8 -The number of yards New Orleans gained on the opening drive of the game. Who Dat nation surely never gave up hope during this game, but I would venture to say that after the opening drive of the game, they were a bit concerned. Sean Payton began the aggressive play calling early on, going for a deep pass on 3rd and 2, and surrendering the ball to the Colts after an opening drive that elapsed 1 minute and 29 seconds. On the ensuing possession, the Colts would draw first blood, and viewers everywhere began to wonder whether or not this would be a foreshadowing of what was to come. A we know now, it certainly was not.

7 – The number of points the Colts scored in the second half. Leading up to Super Sunday, much of the focus was on the two prolific offenses that would be put on display. But as we all know, defense is necessary to win championships. And that is exactly what New Orleans provided in the second half by taking a page out of the Colts very own playbook. Their “bend but don’t break” mentality allowed the Colts to remain in the game thanks to a Joseph Addai touchdown, but from that point on it was All Saints Day (<— again, do you see??). When they really needed a big play on defense, Tracy Porter delivered with the most important interception in New Orleans Saints history. And when they had an opportunity to end the game and prevent Peyton Manning and the Colts from having the possibility of something amazing happening, they answered the bell yet again. They stifled one of the best offenses of the last decade and never took their eyes off the prize.

6 -The number of rushing first downs that the Indianapolis Colts had. For a team that is universally known for its lethal passing game, the Colts can sure pull out a running game when they need to. Joseph Addai, much like the last time he played in the Super Bowl, was terrific, rushing for 77 yards on just 13 carries. Time and time again he was moving the chains when the Colts needed him to, and aside from a big stop by the Saints at the very end of the game on a 3rd and 5, he came up big each time he was handed the ball.

Congratualions to Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints, and the Who Dat nation.

5 – The number of carries by Saints RB Reggie Bush. Many people, myself included, thought that Reggie Bush was going to be one of the key players in this game. His versatility on the field gave the Saints a secret weapon, and one that could create mismatches by lining up in the backfield or in the slot. However, the Colts did a nice job of keying in on Bush and not letting him take over the game. His five carries for 25 yards were certainly serviceable, but the Colts fast defense was able to stop him from getting to the second level, and his long was only 12 yards. Then, of course, there was the possibility of Bush doing some damage in the punt return game, but his lone return only yielded 4 yards. Of course, Reggie also added 38 yards through the air, and a couple of those receptions were for some nice chunks of yardage. In the end, he was certainly a factor, but credit the Colts defense for keeping him in check, for the most part.

4 – The number of quarters both teams played. Let’s face the facts here — this game was much closer than the 14 point differential indicates. And just about every fan watching this game believed that Peyton Manning was going to lead his team downfield for a game-tying score in the 4th quarter just before the pick. Everyone got their money’s worth last night, as these two teams laid it all out and lived up to the hype.

3 – The number of field goals converted by the Saints. Which brings me to a much larger discussion; special teams. Brandon was correct when he wrote that special teams would play a pivotal part in this game. For the most part, both teams played well in this facet, but the Saints were more consistent on the returns. More importantly, rookie kicker Garrett Hartley had ice running through his veins, hitting from 46, 44, and 47 yards, respectively. As we saw throughout the playoffs, teams that leave points on the board in the big games usually find that those points come back to bite them. Fortunately for “Who Dat” nation, their kicker, as inexperienced as he was, came up big when he had to.

2 -The number of giant balls that Sean Payton owns. I mentioned this already, but this needed it’s own number. As I said to Brandon today, Peyton Manning is almost too good for his own good. Opposing teams need to pull out all the stops and coach the game as if they were playing Madden just to take him out of his comfort zone. That being said, Sean Payton is, in his own right, one of the biggest risk takers in the NFL. This combination would eventually be the downfall of the Indianapolis Colts.

1 – Number of interceptions in this game, and, subsequently, the number of championships the New Orleans Saints now boast. That fateful throw by Peyton Manning will haunt him for the entire offseason. And let’s be honest, it was not pretty. It’s not like a ball got tipped or that a Saints defender made a great play. Manning simply jumped the shark on a throw and the opportunistic Tracy Porter cashed it in for 6 humongous points.

In the end, it capped a Cinderella story, the likes of which the NFL has never seen before. And MVP Drew Brees summed it up nicely when he tried to put it all into words after the game:

“Just to think of the road we’ve all traveled, the adversity we’ve all faced. It’s unbelievable. I mean, are you kidding me? Four years ago, whoever thought this would be happening? Eighty-five percent of the city was under water. Most people left not knowing if New Orleans would ever come back, or if the organization would ever come back.

“We just all looked at one another and said, ‘We’re going to rebuild together. We are going to lean on each other.’ That’s what we’ve done the last four years and this is the culmination in all that belief.” (via ESPN)

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints on a well deserved NFL Championship.

-SJ