Who Dat!

[Chaos]

[quote name='Gavin'][SIZE=1]One of these days I must really sit down and watch a full game of American football, all the stopping makes it damn near impossible to get into after years of rugby.
[/SIZE][/QUOTE]


Seeing a game live is so much better. On TV it's fun, but there are too many shots of players on the sideline and other extraneous crap. The cameras are positioned so you get the most...cinematic view of the field, which I personally hate, because the camera always follows the ball. As a player, watching, you tend to follow the line of scrimmage and then to the skill players. TV has us focus far too much on the ball. Sure, keep it in the frame, but I wanna see the routes and downfield blocks.

Playing it firsthand is awesome. Not as fast-paced as rugby, but at times, more intense. Most people who have never played see a dive play up the A-gap and see all these guys hugging for a few seconds before the refs blow the play dead don't realize that in those few seconds you are exerting every last ounce of strength just to stand upright.

The strategy that goes behind it is phenomenal, too. It is so much more than just "run this way and catch the ball." Gav, if you ever get the chance to play, do it. An unregulated game, or even something on a varsity level, is much faster than what is presented on TV. You'd love it. ...Just no spearing.


[quote name='Magus'][size=1][color=darkred]Anyway, I didn't watch the game (honestly, I'm more of a NBA fan over NFL), and I was rooting for both teams actually since I like Peyton Manning, but I do think New Orleans definately deserved it more. (Besides, they got the best colors in the NFL :)) [/size][/color][/QUOTE]

Yes they did, and yes, they do. The home uniform is my favorite. Blacked out except the helmet. There was talk of a black helmet a couple years back, but it never came out. =/

[quote name='Magus'][size=1][color=darkred] They been through a lot and last I recall they haven't won much of anything. (While the Hornets are doing pretty decent, I don't think they're as nearly as good as last season)

But yeah, congrats Saints.[/size][/color][/QUOTE]

Yeah, '06 they were the NFC South Champs, and then it was an 8-8 season and then last year was a 7-9er. This one made up for 'em. :D

Chris Paul is out for like two months with his knee injury. :( Plus no Byron Scott = trouble in the long haul. Stupidest thing I've heard of from that team.


[quote name='Magus'][size=1][color=darkred]Everytime I see that word it seems like marine corp talk. (I think the sayin I'm thinking of, though, is "ooh-rah")[/size][/color][/QUOTE]

Yeah, Ooh-Rah is the Marines, and Hoo-Ah is the Army. (Hoo-Yah is for the badass SEALs.)



[quote name='Allamorph'][FONT=Calibri]Probably would have rooted for the Colts except I can't stand how they half-*** the entire first half of the regular season and then go OH RIGHT PLAYOFFS and start playing at their actual ability level. Great team, arguably the best in the league, but I just can't stand the mindset they seem to have.[/FONT][/QUOTE]

Didn't the Colts win fourteen games in a row this season, including divisional rivals and New England, who, at the time, was pretty rollin'? How is that half-assed? :D

I'd agree that they would be the best team in the AFC, but, in all seriousness and with no bravado, I think New Orleans is the best team in the nation. Sure, they lost three straight at the end of the regular season (although the Carolina game was a gimme) but I think it all started with Jabari Greer getting hurt. Miles Austin torched Malcolm Jenkins on the strong side all night, and when they put Mike McKenzie, he couldn't do too well, either. Greer, however, is a former NCAA track star and routinely locked down receivers, such as Calvin Johnson, Jr., T.O., and Roddy White.

And Jermon Bushrod standing up and stopping his feet against DeMarcus Ware was probably the worst thing I've ever seen a left tackle do...ever.

Then go to the Tampa Bay game in the Dome. Pierre Thomas got that rib injury and Sean Payton said that was it. He called off the dogs; he didn't want any other impact players getting hurt for a somewhat meaningless game. Sure, the number one seed was still up in the air, but the Sunday night game with Chicago and Minnesota ironed that out. If Minnesota won, Carolina would have been a different story. Once the number one seed was locked up, didn't the Colts do the same thing?

And, top-down, I think New Orleans has better personnel. The quarterback position is a toss-up. Peyton has the numbers, but I think given enough time, Drew Brees will surpass Peyton. (Remember, since his arrival in New Orleans, no starting quarterback has had more yards, touchdowns, completions, or a better completion percentage as Drew Brees.) At running back, the Saints have better depth and distance runners. They were, after all, the number sixth ranked rushing offense during the regular season. Receivers, well...Reggie Wayne DID drop a clutch touchdown pass IN the endzone...without contact. Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem are better than Pierre Garçon and Austin Collie. The numbers show it, and so does their play.

At tight end, Dallas Clark will be a Hall of Famer, with Dave Casper and Kellen Winslow (LA Rams, not the douchebag in Tampa), but Jeremy Shockey has the numbers to be in as well...and now that he has a ring to go with it, we'll see. And Shockey DID catch a touchdown reception. Dallas Clark DIDN'T...in TWO Super Bowls.

Linemen is split. The Saints did give up one sack...though it was against the backup Jermon Bushrod, the same guy who was supposed to be slaughtered all night. Hmmm. I'll go with the Saints. This line gave Drew Brees time to throw to the tune of 272.2 yards per game (10 less than Peyton and the Colts) and run blocked to an average of 131.6 yards per game (compare to 80.9 for the Colts).

The defensive line is comparable again, with the edge on the end rushers for Indy...even though Dwight Freeney on got a half-sack more than Will Smith. ;)

Linebackers, I'd call for New Orleans, for the simple fact that Jonathan Vilma had the same amount of interceptions as all of the Colt's starters...they had more tackles and sacks, too.

Defensive backs, well...New Orleans was number three in interceptions with 26 against #15 Indy with 16. New Orleans was also number two overall for takeaways and turnover margin.

Special teams is to New Orleans, with Courtney Roby making plays all over, Garrett Hartley setting Super Bowl records for percentage at distance, Thomas Morstead played well all night, and excellent execution gave New Orleans an advantage in field position for nearly every game of the year.

The Colts are a fantastic team. They have wonderful and skilled players. They deserve to have made it to the Super Bowl. But the Saints are for real. The Saints DESERVE to be Champions. Even now people are still calling them Cinderellas. Even now people are saying it was more stutter than skill. Never mind that they went 13-3, lead the league in yards, points, and yards per play. Never mind that, with all healthy starters, their defense was ranked number five in the nation, that they lead for more than ten weeks in the takeaway column.

Never mind that they overcame a 21-point deficit and later won by 12 against a very hot Miami team in week six. Never mind the decimation they unleashed on New England, when the Patriots were SEVEN POINT favorites. Most games are called at a three-point difference, and the Saints overcame the spread and won by 21.

Never mind the utter destruction they left the Cardinals in, beating them by, again, 21 (by the way, that was the same Cardinals that dropped 51 points on the number two overall defense, the Packers). Never mind that the Vikings ran up and down the field, but were held off by the "sieve" of a defense.

Never mind the 31-17 Super Bowl victory in which the never-been Saints trounced the Colts after dropping 25 points on an Indy team that had not given up a touchdown in the second half of a postseason game. That's the same game were the Colts were favored by 5.5 points, by the way, and lost by two touchdowns.

Allamorph, I have no beef with you, and don't mean any disrespect. But the reason for this long-*** rant is because I am tired of the New Orleans Saints being the punching bag of the NFL. In no way did you say or imply that New Orleans shouldn't've won, but the fact that you said you think Indianapolis is the best team in the nation after they lost the way they did made me voice my [i]opinion.[/i]

The fact of the matter is that the sports world, by and large, still thinks the Saints are a fluke. Time will tell if they are or not, but mark my words, if they keep the majority of their players (since about half the team's contracts expired this morning), they will be the number one threat to make it to the postseason, perennially.

And please, again, don't think this is an attack of any kind. It's my opinion, using the [url=www.nfl.com]recorded facts[/url] that have been accumulated, voiced the the world, for anyone to see. You just happened to be the one to say something I disagreed with. =)

[Kei]

[quote name='Chaos'] I am tired of the [strike]New Orleans Saints[/strike] Cincinnati Bengals being the punching bag of the NFL.[/QUOTE]

[color=darkblue][size=1]There we go.

Anyway, I watched this game from beginning to end and I have to say that the Saints really played their hearts out. I'm so glad they won in the end.

Congrats, New Orleans. Revel in it like I know you will.[/color][/size]

[CaNz]

I am just happy teams skill levels are getting closer, whatever the salary cap system actually does, it works in the most important way.

I remember not to long ago knowing the teams that were going the superbowl by week six. now its a rat-race till the end and for the last few years the team that deserved it won it. (by deserved i don't mean average level of skill, i mean heart) Teams really have to play to win, and the best team can still lose if they get too confident or they crumble under pressure. plus if the statistical best team always won... no one would watch?

[Chaos]

[quote name='Kei'][color=darkblue][size=1]There we go.

Anyway, I watched this game from beginning to end and I have to say that the Saints really played their hearts out. I'm so glad they won in the end.

Congrats, New Orleans. Revel in it like I know you will.[/color][/size][/QUOTE]


=/

Sadly you're right. I love the Bengals, they have so much personality, so many talented players. They went through Hell this year with Vikki Zimmer's death, and then Chris Henry dying, and made it to the postseason and...just fell apart. San Diego was my pick for Super Bowl contention on the AFC side since the beginning of this year, but Cincy was my "cross-your-fingers" team.

Here's hoping they can recover from their woes. Cedric Benson looks to have righted his ship, and if Carson Palmer can not repeat what he did those final four games of '09, they very well may be a playoff contender.

Here's hoping.

[Nerdsy]

[color=deeppink]Does anyone else find it disheartening that companies are making commercials promoting their superbowl commercials?[/color]

[Gavin]

[quote name='Nerdsy'][COLOR=deeppink]Does anyone else find it disheartening that companies are making commercials promoting their superbowl commercials?[/COLOR][/quote]

[SIZE=1]Wait what ?[/SIZE]

[Rachmaninoff]

[FONT="Trebuchet MS"]I didn't watch the game but congrats to the winners. [/FONT]