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Well, it may come as a surprise to some of you ( the one's I never encountered in chat) but I am a New Orleans native. It should go without saying who I expect to win. What I wanna know is, what are your picks CoN?

Football nuts, casual fans, uninitiated masses, come one, come all and give me your picks.

My prediction: A close game, showcasing the offensive fire power of both teams. An opportunistic Saints defense manages to force 3 turnovers while A solid offensive effort keeps it close. The balanced attack of run and shoot will leave the Colts off balance, and barring any trick plays, the number one offense in football drops 38 on the speedy Colts D.

Final: Saints 38, Colts 35

Complaints? Counters? Criticism? Leave it all here as we wait for the big game in Miami.

WHO DAT?!?

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

Anyone who's in chat will tell you that I tend not to care about professional football, but I have watched a few playoff games this year. That said, I'm rooting for New Orleans - as a casual fan of pro football, at best, I don't really care. However, I'm always a fan of a team that's never actually won anything in their entire existence, so I'd like to see the Saints take it.

However, I don't think they're going to. The Colts just seem like a more consistently brilliant team, and it looks from the outside like there's much less that can slow them down, particularly on defense. Colts 34, Saints 27.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Everyone seems to be pulling for the Saints these days, for good reason. But despite the talks about how much they deserve it, how good they are, or how the city needs it, I just can't get myself to root for them solidly. They are a great and exciting team and there isn't much not to like... but every time I watch them play I can never really sense the energy and determination from them. For me, they always feel like a faceless team without the guts to win a Superbowl.

So I'll throw my hand in for Peyton and the Colts, if not only because they give me the grit and expertise that I like to see in a team fighting for the top spot.

No disrespect to the Saints and the studly Drew Brees. I care about as much about this game as last year's Super Bowl, so I'm generally content with either team winning. Except the Steelers were kind of weenies.

Let's give it... 31-24 to the Colts.

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I find your lack of faith disturbing...

I'll admit freely that there is a fair bit of homerism going on here, for me at least. But if you are from the Gulf Coast region, it is pretty much ingrained in you from the womb to be a Saints fan. No other team in the league is supported by the taxes of an entire state. That should be enough to show how dedicated the area is.

This should be a good game, as the teams are almost mirror images of each other. And as far as not seeing the drive, well, I see it in the way they scrap for every yard, the way that Brees looks and curses when he throws an incompletion, the way the team flies to the ball defensively. These guys want this, bad, the real question is, how much are they willing to sacrifice to get it.

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

Go black-hole.

I've gotta admit, I hardly payed all that much attention to what was going on in the NFL this season, even with the teams I'm behind. So, long after those guys have all been out, there's really nothing for me to care about. I'll definitely still watch the Superbowl, but I have disdain for both the Colts (as it seems that the Mannings share a Highlander-esque bond in that if one plays well that season, the other must play terribly, as there CAN ONLY BE ONE.) and the Saints (for no reason other than I hated that silly Green Day/U2 song and anything I associate with Bono, I loathe.)

I'm at least hoping for a good game, as there have been quite a few really unimpressive Superbowls in recent years.

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Okay, but there was a goat!

As a Titans fan, I would love nothing more than to see a Saints win here. It'd be exciting and it'd be cool to see New Orleans win it.

But the problem is, Peyton Manning is amazing, and the Colts defence is playing really good right now. The Colts are the favorites to win.

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Praise Be To Helix!

I think the Colts will win it and I don't think it will be all that close. The Saints are playing well, but their defense won't be enough to contain the Colts at this point - they carved up both the Ravens and the Jets who made it there by the strength of their defenses. Brees just hasn't looked right in the postseason so far, and Manning is deadly whether he's playing with a lead or from behind. 35-17.

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Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

Don't know what you're talking about, Nyte. The Green Bay Packers are funded entirely by the city of Green Bay, and are a non-profit organization.

The Colts will win. That's just how it's going to be. What the Saints have done this year is incredible, but look at their struggles against the Vikings. Aside from the fumbles, the Vikings carved them up. The Colts have an underrated defense that has definitely stepped up in the post-season.

Peyton Manning is the best quarterback to ever play the game of football, period. He is smarter than any defense he has ever faced, and he proved it against the number one ranked defense in the league. The Jets didn't stop blitz, Manning made them stop; his hard count, audibles, and play-action. The Jets secondary is much more intimidating than New Orleans'.

Colts - 34
New Orleans - 17.

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And have you found your joy, in this near dead world of ours?

I think one of the commentators mentioned this, but it was a very good question. When WAS the last time Peyton Manning started a game and was the underdog? I'm guessing it had to be New England a few years ago, either 2007 (amazing Pats season, but both games were played in Indy) or 2006 (again, another great Pats season, this time in Foxboro).

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Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me

Quote (Gabe @ 28th January 2010 00:27)

Don't know what you're talking about, Nyte.  The Green Bay Packers are funded entirely by the city of Green Bay, and are a non-profit organization.

The Colts will win.  That's just how it's going to be.  What the Saints have done this year is incredible, but look at their struggles against the Vikings.  Aside from the fumbles, the Vikings carved them up.  The Colts have an underrated defense that has definitely stepped up in the post-season.

Peyton Manning is the best quarterback to ever play the game of football, period.  He is smarter than any defense he has ever faced, and he proved it against the number one ranked defense in the league.  The Jets didn't stop blitz, Manning made them stop; his hard count, audibles, and play-action.  The Jets secondary is much more intimidating than New Orleans'.

Colts - 34
New Orleans - 17.

I'll give you the fact that the Vikings did run the ball well against the Saints, but to undermine the secondary like that, well I have to disagree. Okay, so the Jest have Revis, big whoop. The Saints are #2 in forced turnovers, have one of the premier safeties in the league in Darren Sharper, have the #2 sack leader in the NFC in Will Smith and have the #2 Red zone defense in the league. Aside from injuries during the mid point of the season, they are still a very potent defense, and at one point were ranked in the top ten. They are also 3rd in the NFL this season for interceptions and allow on average 21.6 points per game this season. Don't let the fact that they are ranked 25th fool you, there isn't much difference between teams statistically as far a s rankings go, in some cases the difference only being a few yards.

Offensively they are ranked first in the pass, and 4th in the rush. Indy's rush defense is anemic at best, and while they may have stopped the run against teams that focused only on it (Baltimore, New York) they will leave gaps to be exploited by the leagues passing leader. The line allowed only 20 sacks this season, which is a damn good number considering how much faster the defensive line is compared to the offense line across the NFL. The Colts may rely on speed, but so did the Cards, and they ended up getting shredded 45-14. The offense is ranked 1st in Points per game with 31, 6th ion touchdown percentage in the red zone, 6th in 3rd down conversion and 3rd in first down plays.

This game will be close, you can bet on it.

This post has been edited by Nytecrawla on 28th January 2010 18:36

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

... Are you serious? Can you take off your fan glasses for one minute? The Jets don't have "just Revis." They had the #1 defense throughout the entire season. The least amount of yards allowed, least points allowed, highest scoring defense, least amount of yards per play... I could keep going on. Football is rarely about one individual. It was the entire Jets defense that helped them make it to the conference finals. A #1 ranked defense that Peyton Manning and his supporting cast had no problem destroying.

Not only did the Vikings run the ball well, Brett Favre threw for 310 yards. They really aren't showing much pride in that secondary. And Indianapolis' defensive statistics have skyrocketed since the postseason. Addai had almost as many yards against the #1 ranked rushing offense as Thomas Jones and Shonn Greene combined. The Colts have been in the playoffs, they know how to accelerate their game. They have also allowed fewer PPG than the New Orleans Saints.

In the regular season, the Colts allowed the fewest number of sacks, with 13. I don't believe Will Smith will be a problem considering some of the other defensive studs they've faced this year.

The Colts and Cardinals play an entirely different game. Yes, speed is important, but Warner doesn't prey on weaknesses like Manning does. After Strickland left the game with an injury last week, he went right after Lito Shephard, giving the Colts a first and goal. He is smarter than Warner, and as I've said before, knows in advance what most defenses are going to bring.

The M.O. of the Saints this postseason has been a lot of pressure to the QB. but in the Cardinals and Vikings game, those hits turned into dirty plays, and the Saints have been lucky to get away with most of them. However, Gregg Williams had to open his mouth -- you better believe me that the referees will be watching that defense like a hawk.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/...injure-manning/

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And have you found your joy, in this near dead world of ours?

It's not fan glasses when I report the stats bro. As far as dirty hits, I didn't see any, unless you refer to the low hit on Favre, which was incidental. If QB's can't take hits, they shouldn't play football.

As far as Manning exploiting weaknesses, that is the point, the Saints econdary is amazing. Jabari Greer, Sharper, and Harper are studs. The only real weak spot is Gay, and he plays on mostly nickel sets. You can believe the Saints will operate out of a base 4-3 set the majority of the game, and with the league leader in Interceptions prowling the secondary, Manning will be forced to throw at Greer and Harper, both shutdown defenders in their own right.

But ya know what, we can sit here and compare brainpans and stats all week, we'll just have to see come game time.

And the Jest have just Revis. Did you forget the Saints ended their perfect season way back in week 4? This game will come down to offense, not D, and the I gotta go with Drew in this fight, especially when he outperformed Manning in every single stat this season.

Edit

Here's the kicker, the Saints are the underdogs, and that means they have nothing to lose. You can bet they will leave EVERYTHING on the field, and sometimes, just sometimes, that can make all the difference.

Edit

Ugh, that article was completely misconstrued, as he clearly stated 'What you HOPE for me to say is if it happens it happens and we hope he doesn;t play again.'

That's sarcasm and the journalist used it as an excuse to bait people with so called 'inflammatory' remarks. Bad writing at it's finest, the likes of which I'd see in the Sun or some other grocery store tripe.

This post has been edited by Nytecrawla on 28th January 2010 20:54

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

Quote (Nytecrawla @ 28th January 2010 16:48)

Wall of lol.

No. Just, no.

Moderator Edit

Come on, Jav, don't trash up the thread, please; counterpoint or let it go and let the game decide it, but don't just post. -R51

This post has been edited by Rangers51 on 28th January 2010 22:24

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Okay, but there was a goat!

I want the Saints to win, because New Orleans pro teams basically never win anything, but I think that Indy is more likely to win. I'm definitely looking forward to this game, though. Myself and at least five or six others are going to get together for it, and one of the guys who's a professional chef will be laying out the spread, with our donations.

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Go Saints.
I just really like Drew Brees. It should be a good Superbowl regardless of who wins.

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"Have you ever seen a baby do that before?"

I haven't watched football with any regularity any time during this century. That said, I'm willing to take a shot in the dark and call it:

Colts: 28
Saints: 17

I don't see how the Saints can win against a team that is as solid and smooth as the Colts, especially after watching their game against the Vikings. The Vikings looked as if they wanted the Saints to win more than the Saints did! That aside, I think I'll just concur with the 35-17 final score that has been posted here already.

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Currently Playing : Final Fantasy V
Most Recently Beat : Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
Favorite Game : Final Fantasy X

The newest CoNcast is up! Have a listen!

EA says the Saints pull it out: http://kotaku.com/5463243/madden-predicts-...super-bowl-xliv

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Quote (Death Penalty @ 2nd February 2010 22:30)

I don't see how the Saints can win against a team that is as solid and smooth as the Colts, especially after watching their game against the Vikings. The Vikings looked as if they wanted the Saints to win more than the Saints did! That aside, I think I'll just concur with the 35-17 final score that has been posted here already.

Well, they could just pull it off, especially with Dwight Freeney injured.

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Praise Be To Helix!

So, I just got my Best Games of 09 DVD (Saints edition) and decided to watch the Patriots game over again. I had forgotten what the Saints did to Brady and the Pats.

It's wasn't just the blitz. The majority of the game was played using a 3 to 5 man rush, while the rest of the D dropped back into prevent style coverage. They locked down Welker and Moss, and allowed a few big run plays, but shut down the pass enough that the run became the only option, and once the 2nd half started, that wasn't even much of an option.

That is when it occurred to me that Gregg Williams spent the last few years in the AFC, as the Jag's D coach,Bills head coach and Titans D coach, frequently playing against- you guessed it- the Colts, Pats, Ravens and what have you. Then I decided to look at the Saints statistically vs AFC teams. Whoo boy.

Fewer points allowed, more turnovers, higher scores and more sacks. Then I decided to look at Williams vs the Colts. Last year he split the difference, winning one and losing one, so I dug deeper, back to 2003, when Manning was starting to find his stride. I found that he lost that game, by 3. The total margin of victory in these games is 12. 12 points have decided the three games I looked up. The I looked at the 21 point curbstomping that was given to the Pats this year, the come back win at Miami and all the other AFC wins. The Saints outscored AFC opponents 126-68.

I'm starting to think that Gregg Williams and the Saints have the AFC's number.

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

Wow they're showing this live on the BBC. Because of my odd sleep pattern I can actually watch this. And with no adverts thank god.

I'm going to throw my weight behind the Saints purely because they want it more and their half-back is a beast. I just made that up but why not.

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Scepticism, that dry rot of the intellect, had not left one entire idea in his mind.

Me on the Starcraft.

Well, not as high scoring as predicted, but I can say I am pleased with the results. Especially the fact that the game was won by the defense. Maybe now the critics will learn what we have known all season, that the Saints are the best team in football. Who dat!?

Geaux Saints.

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

I was pleasantly surprised by this one, especially the Porter interception to seal the victory. That was just a thing of beauty.

I had a lot of fun this Super Bowl, but I was the only person at my party that wanted the Saints to win, wearing my ancient Geaux Saints shirt that I bought in New Orleans in 2004. I also ate at least a full rack of ribs and a quarter of an ice cream cake. Go America.

Here's the game-ending play, except the Tecmo version

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this is a blog mostly about comics and videogames
END SPOILER

Quote (laszlow @ 9th February 2010 23:55)

I had a lot of fun this Super Bowl, but I was the only person at my party that wanted the Saints to win, wearing my ancient Geaux Saints shirt that I bought in New Orleans in 2004. I also ate at least a full rack of ribs and a quarter of an ice cream cake. Go America.

Here's the game-ending play, except the Tecmo version

I was pulling for them too, but I was because I am a Titans fan, and hope that Peyton Manning retires or is traded next year, lol.

Quote

Well, not as high scoring as predicted

Never listen to the predictions. They're at least 50% wrong all the time. Normally, Superbowls are low-scoring in the first half, normally. But it was not completely low scoring. I'm amazed that the Colts were held to one second half touchdown, but the Saints have a great defense.

The play of the game for me wasn't the int. Well, it was, but the most exciting was the onside kick. That was amazing, and shocking, a complete game-changer.

It was cool to see New Orleans win it though, I wish I was down in Bourbon Street!

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Praise Be To Helix!

One thing this year's Superbowl proved? It doesn't matter who or how many people have the odds against you if you have the other team's quarterback on your side.

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My Final Fantasy VII Plot Analysis

"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing" — Edmund Burke

Quote (Squall of SeeD @ 12th February 2010 08:08)

One thing this year's Superbowl proved? It doesn't matter who or how many people have the odds against you if you have the other team's quarterback on your side.

Yeah, but that's another problem. Everybody was acting like they were the underdogs, when they were the #1 seed in the NFC!

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Praise Be To Helix!

Quote (BlitzSage @ 12th February 2010 11:20)

Yeah, but that's another problem. Everybody was acting like they were the underdogs, when they were the #1 seed in the NFC!

Um, they WERE the underdogs. Every bookmaker on the planet had them as the underdogs. That's the very definition of an underdog, is it not?

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

I'm tired of everybody saying the Colts threw it away. Can't we just say the Saints were the better team? Is it really that hard to admit? As far as the whole 'Manning is from New Orleans so he let them win' give it a rest! The Colts got outplayed, and we have a whole off season to figure out how and why.

Plus, there is no Colts dynasty, so let that die too. Man, people really don't know anything about sports anymore.

Edit

These opinions were not expressed on CoN, but they are being expressed all over NFL and ESPN.com in the comment and chat sections. Just a little clarification before people start going 'No U!'

This post has been edited by Nytecrawla on 12th February 2010 19:06

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This is a webcomic and gaming blog where I rant about nonsense. Enjoy.

I was a soldier, now I just play one in video games.

Quote (Nytecrawla @ 12th February 2010 15:06)

I'm tired of everybody saying the Colts threw it away. Can't we just say the Saints were the better team? Is it really that hard to admit? As far as the whole 'Manning is from New Orleans so he let them win' give it a rest! The Colts got outplayed, and we have a whole off season to figure out how and why.

Plus, there is no Colts dynasty, so let that die too. Man, people really don't know anything about sports anymore.

Agree on all points. The Saints were clearly the better team - they regrouped when the Colts had an early lead and were able to apply the pressure that no other team had been able to do to the Colts' full squad.

The dynasty thing is really funny. After Bama won the college national championship, Sports Illustrated put them on the cover under the headline, "DYNASTY." Yay, one in a row!

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Hey, put the cellphone down for a while
In the night there is something wild
Can you hear it breathing?
And hey, put the laptop down for a while
In the night there is something wild
I feel it, it's leaving me