Jackson Free Press

Enough with the "signs of the apocalypse" rhetoric. The New Orleans Saints have been the best team in the NFL this season. This play on Dec. 7, 2009, encapsulates their season: Washington Redskins safety Kareem Moore snagged an interception and made an ill-advised return before the end of the second half. Charging Moore from behind, third-year wide receiver Robert Meachem, a disappointing first-round pick, ripped the ball from his hands, double-clutched it to his stomach and streaked for a touchdown.

There are at least a dozen more plays this season just as representative. No team has wanted it more and played with as much tenacity, focus and discipline. Period.

Through the playoffs, the Saints have had the toughest draws in recent memory. Sean Payton's team has played the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals and the league's treasured paper champions, Brett Favre's Minnesota Vikings. Now they play a team constructed by the brilliant Colts President Bill Polian. Polian's Colts are as talented and deep as any team in the last decade. Of course, it is also a team led by the league's only four-time NFL MVP, Peyton Manning.

After ending the careers of two Hall of Fame quarterbacks, the Saints face off against relatively spry quarterback Manning. In a historic playoff run, the schemes of Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams brutalized Kurt Warner (of the Cardinals) and Brett Favre (of the Vikings). Both Warner and Favre have quick releases and usually handle pressure well, but the Saints forced downright skittish performances from both of them. Despite bringing all that pressure, the defense has managed to give up few big plays. Referees repeatedly flagged Williams' defense, though, for pass interference against the Vikings.

Williams described his game plan to radio station WGFX: "The big thing is (Manning) throws the ball so early that we are going to have to do a good job of finding ways to get to him. When we do get to (Manning), we are going to make sure to have a couple of remember-me shots on him when we get there." If Williams' defense matches their previous intensity and pressure this weekend, the Saints will win a Lombardi Trophy.

With the exception of cornerback Randall Gay (two Super Bowl appearances, one ring), fullback Kyle Eckel, long snapper Jason Kyle, and safety Darren Sharper (one Super Bowl appearance each), the Saints have no experience with the Super Bowl environment. The Colts know how to handle the media circus, as well as the literal circus: The pre-game festivities for Super Bowl XLI featured a psychedelic Cirque du Soleil act.

In Peyton Manning's Super Bowl victory over the Chicago Bears, Manning had a mediocre game. He hit a wide-open Reggie Wayne for a touchdown in the first quarter, but also threw an interception during the first drive. Manning's own great rushing performance (190 yards), Rex Grossman's two interceptions, two Bears fumbles and a stifling defense helped bail him out. Since then, the Colts have aged on the defensive line; they've watched as their commitment to the running game eroded, and they've lost former Defensive MVP Bob Sanders. The Saints are a much more balanced and explosive team than the Colts played in the Super Bowl run in 2007 or during these playoffs.

Nevertheless, entering this game I have concerns about Drew Brees' shoulder. After being driven into the turf in the fourth quarter, Brees was not the great quarterback we've grown accustomed to. He has had multiple surgeries on the right shoulder (after the 2005 season and after the 2006 Pro Bowl), and in reviewing the tape, it looked like he lost some velocity and accuracy on three passes in overtime. It's possible he simply rushed those throws and that nothing medically is wrong with the shoulder. If there is, the Saints enter the Super Bowl with their best player in a weakened condition.

If Brees is limited physically and the defense takes penalties in key situations (as they did in the NFC Championship), the Colts can secure a second Super Bowl win in four years. Manning becomes the best quarterback of his generation. Jim Caldwell looks like a blank-faced, humdrum savant and, incidentally, a brilliant hire. The team also looks poised for at least another championship in the next three to four years.

If the Saints offense is not held back by an injury to Brees, and the Colts struggle in the passing game, New Orleans will reach the pinnacle of American sports. In fact, the Super Bowl is probably the largest stage for entertainment in the country. And a win for New Orleans—considering the last five years—will be nationally significant and historically unprecedented, more than any sports event in national history. It will be more important than the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" and more important than the 1947 "Shot Heard Round the World."

But, frankly, the victory has little to do with football or sports. The region, which has long closely identified with the Saints, has invested itself spiritually into this team. At a moment when optimism is dampened, against impossible odds, the fans of New Orleans have gone "all in" for this team.

This Sunday, the eminent victory over the Colts will be a triumph of a city, a region and a people.

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