Have the Saints Won the Super Bowl? They're Sure Acting Like It

Reggie Bush walked into the locker room on Monday after the NFC Championship win with a pair of shades and a grin. He told reporters that he'd hardly slept, claiming he got only two hours of sleep because of the celebration and partying going on in New Orleans.

Reggie was not the only one. Many Saints talked about how crazy and lively the city was and how exciting it was to have accomplished what no Saints team has ever accomplished before.  Following the victory over Minnesota, where the Saints got dominated in every statistical category except turnovers, the Saints celebrated as if it was already Mardi Gras and the season was over.  

While Reggie Bush and fellow Saints were out till the wee hours of the morning, the Colts were in bed, resting, sleeping, knowing that the journey is no where near the end. Indianapolis knows the season is far from over, they don't care about an AFC Championship Title—they want the Lombardi Trophy; what every NFL team sets out to win every season.

Peyton Manning is obsessed with history and appreciates this game as much as any player in the NFL. He knows for his legacy to be even greater, another Super Bowl win means the world.  There have only been 10 quarterbacks that have won multiple Super Bowls—and I don't think anyone would question that Manning deserves to be the 11th.  

The Saints are like high school kids at a college party.  There just thrilled to be there. They're the ones making a fool of themselves puking in the bathroom because they cant handle their alcohol, or stumbling all over the place struggling to walk after only a few beers.  For High School kids though, can you really blame them? They never expected to be there and now that they are they could care less what happens and are having the time of their life.  The Colts, on the other hand, are the ones throwing the party —they've been in this position before and are just treating this night as if it was just another Party.

That is the problem right there, the Saints have already won their Super Bowl; they've accomplished something New Orleans has never seen before.  On the other side of the football, you have the Indianapolis Colts who are more focused than ever.  The Colts players are still mad they didn't get a chance at 16-0, and are absolutely determined to win the Super Bowl to make up for it.  I hate to say it, but this game has disaster written all over it.  When you have a team just happy to be there, against a team that is extremely focused, you get a blow out in the Super Bowl.  Yes I said it, a blow out! 

Indianapolis finished the season 14-2, and is now 16-2 including both playoff victories. The real question though, have the Colts lost yet?  Yes, yes, their record is 14-2 but Peyton and his fellow starters didn't play the second half against the Jets in Week 16, and in Buffalo in Week 17 they played even less.

In Buffalo, the starters played one or two series then sat and watched Curtis Painter take the field as he looked like a little kid running around in the snow because he just heard school was canceled, rather than an NFL quarterback.  The Saints on the other hand, lost to the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (no, this is not a joke, they actually lost to Tampa Bay). They finished the season 13-3 (didn't mention the loss to the Panthers because Mark Burnell started, and well, its Mark Burnell, need I say more?) and then cruised to an easy victory over an overrated Arizona Cardinals team, followed by a streak of luck against Minnesota to limp into the Super Bowl.  

Peyton Manning is going to have a field day with the Saints who only can create pressure on opposing quarterbacks when they blitz five, six, sometimes even seven rushers.  New Orleans was 25th in the league in total defense this year and now have to face one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.  Peyton destroys teams that blitz. Against the Jets? They got him twice early on and thought they had the perfect strategy to stop him.  After the first quarter Peyton lit up the Jets for 30 points and 289 yards.

The Jets are the No. 1 ranked defense, imagine what he will do to the 25th.

On the other side of the ball, Drew Brees gets to deal with two of the elite pass rushers in the business Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis.  The Cowboys gave Brees fits with Demarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer, you can expect the same thing from Indianapolis. Many believe the Colts will struggle against the run, I don't see how they can think that!

Against the Jets and the Ravens, two excellent running teams, the Colts gave up an average of 86.5 yards a game and no touchdowns.  This defense is stepping up in the clutch, just like they did in 2007 when they last won the Super Bowl.  

Super Bowl XLIV just screams blow out.  The Saints already accomplished the unimaginable by getting this far and have given the city of New Orleans so many things to be proud of.  It’s a shame that their opponents are hungrier than ever and they can smell the prize at the end of the road.  

There is nothing that can get in the way of the Colts and Peyton Manning's will and determination. I feel bad for the Saints who really don't have a chance, and you can expect at least a two touchdown win from the Colts.