NFL Late Hits: Super Bowl Edition

I knew it would probably come down to one big defensive play, but I will admit I thought it'd be by the Colts, not the Saints.

Much less Tracy Porter.

Of course, the bigger play opened the second half and caught me by surprise as well...when Saints coach Sean Payton called an onside kick. And it worked.

Bold decisions. We talked a lot about those this year—everything from Bill Belichick's fourth-down attempt against the Colts to the Colts' decision to sit their starters.

Payton made several bold decisions last night: The onside kick. The two-point conversion attempt. The attempt to go for it on fourth down on the one-yard line in the first half.

I didn't like the called play, but I did like that the Saints went for it. If they lost, there was never going to be a question as to whether they left it all out on the field. They did.

Same with the onside kick. I actually yelped in surprise when I saw it, I was so taken aback. You can "what if" that call as much as you want, but it worked and set the tone for the second half.

That tone sounded a lot like a jazz band on Bourbon Street.

This game will take a long time to digest as many big things happened—most notably to the superstar quarterbacks involved.

It was a game where Drew Brees may have begun his own Hall of Fame discussion, while Peyton Manning may have ended the discussion as to whether he should be the greatest quarterback of all time.

Manning's interception—followed very shortly thereafter by another bad throw, which should have been picked off in the end zone—shouldn't really kill his overall legacy. He's too good for that.

I think it's hard to argue him as the greatest quarterback ever after those two throws, though.

His career isn't over yet, but consider this is a bit of a step back.

In the end, you have to feel good for New Orleans and the Saints (yes, even Colts fans, though granted they can do so begrudgingly).

It's a city that is still rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Until last night, it was a city which had never won a Super Bowl. It's a city where people make bold moves every day.

Last night, their team made a few bold moves of their own, and it paid off in spades.

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