The world’s biggest party is upon us. The time when no matter where people are from, their religious background, race, creed, or genitalia size, they can all gather around a television one Sunday a year and watch the biggest sporting event of the year. It’s a day for everyone to gamble, for everyone to eat wings, and for everyone to watch large men bash each other for 60 minutes–and some decent commercials along with way.

Everyone has their opinion about Super Bowl XLIV. Karma believers will root for the city of New Orleans who deserves every bit of luck after struggling to regain their homes and lives in the wake of Katrina. Who Dat nation has expanded beyond Louisiana, and has the team to represent them. The Indianapolis Colts are the model of consistency the past decade, led by the brainiest of NFL players Peyton Manning.

Will this Super Bowl be a dud like so many others? Or will two high powered offenses pick on their weaker defensive counterparts in an explosively entertaining match?

J.David’s Pick

It is time for my picks for the Super Bowl and I am going to make this easy.  The Colts will win in 7 games because they are the better team!  Wait, what? It is only a one game series?  Then, the Saints will win the 44^th Super Bowl because they are a team of destiny. And you can’t stop destiny!

If that isn’t enough for you, then let me give you three reasons why New Orleans will be rockin’ on Sunday.

1.     Because it is New Orleans

2.     Because it is New Orleans

3.     Because they really don’t need a reason to party!

But here is why the Saints will win:

The Saints Offense is BETTER than the Colts.

I know Patra will hide behind his favorite “Peyton being Peyton” argument, but the Saints have their Payton also.  He calls the plays for the Saints and unlike his counterpart Payton; he knows what the run is.

The Saints will run the ball.  More than that … they will be successful at the run.  They will continue to run the ball on the left side of the line and pick up chunks of yards running where Dwight Freeney is not – because it would be dumb to run the ball out of bounds!   Pierre Thomas will gain 100-yards and more importantly, he will slow the rush of the front four of the Colts which will keep Drew Brees upright and clean.

Brees will have time for all his progressions and will outshine the other Peyton who is the media darling.

Defense Wins Championships – and hurts people!

Don’t you think this defense has a chip on their shoulder?  For two weeks, they have heard about how great this Manning guy is and how he is solidifying himself as the greatest quarterback to ever play the game.  More over, the only thing that would complete this fairy tale is if he was able to play for his father’s old team, the Saints.

Well, this hungry defense is a little bit through hearing about Manning.

They will have the same game plan as they did with Kurt Warner and Brett Favre: “Let’s knock him into retirement!”

I know that Manning has looked at all the game film at least two times, and that he will not be surprised at anything – well, almost anything.  The surprise to Manning will be how hard and how often the Saints defense lays the wood on him.

The Saints will key on Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark and absolutely ignore the rookie, Pierre Garcon.  In return, Garcon will play like a rookie drawing the ire of the great one, Peyton Manning.

The running game of Joseph Addai will be non-existent especially after an early fumble.  Manning will stop calling running plays and shoulder the burden and in the end, he will look more like Eli (the brother or the movie, take your pick because both were awful).

Finally, three is my magic number for the defense.  Nope, not how many turnovers they will force because they rarely force turnovers – it is generally Favre that “forces turnovers.”  Three is the number of unsportsmanlike penalties they will pick up on cheap shots to Manning.

Scorecard:  Saints 42 – Colts 28

Patra’s Pick

[clap, clap, clap]

Congratulations J.David. You could have saved us all the time and just said: The Saints will play the perfect game.

The Saints will run for a hundred yards, shut down the Colts running game, knock Manning around and throw the ball against Indy without Brees getting banged around.

Wow, you should be a coach. I can hear it now “Alright men, we are going to go out there and play the most perfect game the world has ever seen! Who’s with me!”

Set down the crack pipe now before you end up blowing some dude in bathroom of the Body Shop just to get a fix.

Have you forgotten that every team that has played the Colts this season has had the same game plan? Have you forgotten for the last 12 years people have tried to get in Manning’s head and few have succeeded? Have you forgotten that this team is undefeated when they play for 60 minutes?

If the Saints were to go out there against a Pop-Warner team, maybe they could play the perfect game. But in the Super Bowl, against Manning, et al. they will be overcome [eiditors note: we felt saying they will be "drowned" was disrespectful to the men and women who suffered during Hurricane Katrina.]

Oh I will concede that the Saints’ defense will get its licks in on Manning and they might be able to shut down the run. They will be able to score points against the Colts secondary and will be buoyed by not having to face a healthy Dwight Freeney.

But what I will not concede is that they will be able to hold down the Colts offense long enough to win this game. Manning has already had seven fourth-quarter comebacks this season. You can keep him down, but he is never out.

Also, on the biggest stage in American sports the Colts have the huge advantage of being here before. They know the intensity of the game, the pressure of the crowd and at-home viewing audience. The Saints do not.

Also if we are going to play the karma game, I give you Pierre Garcon. How fitting that a man with a Haitian background will hold up the Lombardi Trophy and give hope to all his people in such a devastated country.

Scorecard: Colts 34 – Saints 31

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• Betting on the Super Bowl | The Sports Union
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• Super Bowl Preview: Colts Defense v. Saints Offense | The Sports Union