The co-founders of The Sports Union are at it again, and this time it is all about the Super Bowl.   The guys will preview the match-up for the big game on Sunday and will give you their picks at who wins the Lombardi Trophy (and gets bombarded with all that annoying ticker tape).  Today, Kevin Patra will talk about the Colts defense, while J.David will breakdown the Saints offense.

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Kevin Patra: Colts Defense

The biggest question surrounding the Indianapolis Colts’ defense is the status of All-Pro rusher Dwight Freeney. Initial reports regarding the sack machines availability for the Super Bowl looked bleak, Freeney said he has felt better the past few days and is hopeful of playing Sunday. Freeney has racked up 13.5 sacks this season–his second highest total behind his 16 in 2004. If he is unable to go backup Raheem Brock will take most of the snaps. Brock compiled just 3.5 sacks this season, but has more total tackles than Freeney–32 to 24.

The ability to get to Saints quarterback Drew Brees is key to disrupting New Orleans’ potent offense. When the defense is able to put consistent pressure on the quarterback it has been able to get the Saints offense out of sync (see: Cowboys, Dallas). If Brees is allowed to stand in the pocket and move through his progressions it makes it near impossible for any defense to contain the “Who Dat” scoring machine–do I have to pay the NFL for using “Who Dat” in a post?

The Colts ranked 18th in the regular season in total defense, giving up 339 yds/g. They had their most trouble against the rush this season ranking 24th and giving up 127 yds/g. In the playoffs that rush defense has been more stout, allowing just 87 yards rushing to Baltimore and holding the Jets’ No.1 ranked rush offense to just 86 yards. The Saints offense could use their combination of size with Pierre Thomas and speed with Reggie Bush to exploit a Colts defense that will be focused on the passing attack. However, less Freeney might actually be a boon in this department as Brock won’t get up field as quickly and could be able to disrupt the draws and edge rushing attack of the Saints.

A bigger concern for the Colts defense will be containing the Saints’ passing attack. They gave up 213 yds/g through the air this season and all but shut down the Ravens air game allowing just 183 yards in the second round of the playoffs. However, they gave up a whopping 302 yards in the AFC championship game to the Jets–257 yards from rookie Mark Sanchez and a 45 yard trickeration bomb from Brad Smith. The Saints ain’t no Ravens or Jets and if the Colts can’t get pressure on Brees it could make it a long day for the cornerbacks, regardless if rookie Jerraud Powers is healthy or not.

The Colts have never had to be a defensive force to win games. Their strength lies in the ability to disrupt the backfield with Robert Mathis and Freeney, while playing a bend-but-don’t-break style defense. One key to winning the Super Bowl is winning the turnover battle, and especially forcing them at important junctures. The Colts defense has enough play makers to turn the ball over, and have faith that even if they give up points their offense can score on anyone. So even if they give up 600 yards they will still be in a high scoring dogfight [no Michael Vick reference intended].

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