Super Bowl XLIV

Colts vs. Saints talk here...

Ran across this article on the most ridiculous prop bets available. Among them:

How long will it take Carrie Underwood to sing the National Anthem?

Bodog:Over 1m 42s: +130
Under 1m 42s: -160

I'm going with the Under.

Who will the Super Bowl MVP of the Game thank first?

God: -105
Family: +650
Teammates: +115
Coach: +1000
Does not thank anyone: +450

"Our team gave 110%. Couldn't have done it without them" - I'm going with the team. Or in an upset, he could thank the organization, particularly the owner.

What Color will the Gatorade be that is dumped on the Head Coach of the Winning Super Bowl Team? (Bodog)
Lime Green: +600
Yellow: -125
Orange: +550
Red: +1250
Blue: +1250
Clear/Water: +160

Orange.

How about the over/under on how many times they will show us shots of Archie Manning? - For Real.

I think they are also playing a football game.

Why was the Pro Bowl before the Super Bowl this year?

They are trying to get more people to watch it I guess, and it will be at the site of the Super Bowl each year instead of Hawaii too. Dallas next year then Indy for 2012.

They were showing scenes from South Beach this morning, interviewing local politicians, showing the bars, restaurants and hotels. If I could have hopped on a plane right this second, I would be there. It looked wonderful.

I hear ya, SB. The monotony of the below-freezing temperatures here in Chicago makes me wish I'm in South Beach right now.

Apparently the time and site change worked well. Viewership was up 40%, but the players preferred Hawaii. LN, I heard that the game goes back to Hawaii for the next two years. Was I hearing things?

Yep, unless they make a change.

I think it works because football isn't "over" yet like it was in the past when the Pro Bowl came on.

There is no betting on the prop that the winning QB will say the offensive line deserves all the credit because there is a 100% chance it will happen.

BTW I read someplace that Super Bowl Weekend has the biggest sales of avocadoes for the entire year ...something to do with guacamole dip.

Were there any player(s) who got hurt playing in the Pro bowl this weekend that caan't play on Sunday?

Players involved in the SuperBowl had to sit out of the Pro Bowl mandatorily.

But they did have to fly down to Miami early instead of with their teammates for media purposes.

Thanks guys.

I would have to say that this has been Peyton Manning's best season of his career. The stats might not be as good as some other years but just watching him this year has been amazing. Usually I can be pretty big on stats but this has helped me realize sometimes people transcend their numbers.

earlier today I saw Roger Goodell on ESPNews and he stated that the pro bowl will be in Hawaii the next 2 years

Collecting Our Lombardi Trophy Sunday

cant wait till tonight...will be rooting for the saints

I will enjoy your disappointment later. I love the tears of bitter Bears fans. And since I live an hour from downtown Chicago, I am surrounded by them.

GO SAINTS!!!

Some of you might recall my stating in the past that Drew Brees is an old high school teammate and friend of mine. As much fun as it's been watching him develop over the years, nothing will come close to the thrill of seeing him play on the game's biggest stage tonight in front of the entire world.

He's had a tough year, too. His step-mother, who he lived with much of his early life, died under mysterious circumstances during the offseason. And in addition to the severe torn shoulder he overcame before coming to New Orleans, he blew his knee out from a blatant cheap-shot he received during a playoff game our junior year in h.s.

He's really one of the game's ultimate all-time over achievers and win-or-lose tonight I'm quite proud to know him, as he's also one of the nicest and classiest guys in the league right along with someone like Peyton Manning.

hey guys just to inform you that abe vigoda will be in a commercial tonight (snickers bar i believe) with betty white

Man I hope the Saints win just too see you eat those words. That and because I absolutely hate the Colts always have always will.

Ice, how cool is that? Not only to see a friend achieve the dream of every football player, but knowing that he came all this way through all of those personal challenges is really rewarding! Hope they do well!

What a gutsy move with the 2nd half onside kick. A fun game to watch, especially after the half. Another Super Bowl where the favorite did not cover.

Cool story re: Brees, Ice. He's won me some nice $ in fantasy for two years running. Congrats to the city of New Orleans!

CONGRATS, SAINTS!!!!!!

The saints would like a word with you. Man when I saw Manning throw that interception, man I was dancing all over the place I spilled my beer. That was huge

Congrats to all who wanted the Saints to win. I really didn't care who won.

Longneck, you have my deepest sympathies.

Haha my Drew Brees story is that he was dating the captain of the dance team at the same time I was dating the future captain, so during our senior year we'd go watch the girls dance and then double-date afterward. He led our school to its first and only football state championship that year in addition to being a National Honor Student (as was most of the team) so we've all believed in that magic arm of his when others haven't.

And thanks for the nice words b/c he absolutely fits the bill of a role model and model citizen. Katie Couric did a touching interview with he and his wife about the immense philanthropic work the two have done for the city of New Orleans and the projection between the team and the city after Hurricane Katrina. It's almost inexplicable how much the Saints mean to that city and the entire Gulf Coast region. When 85% of the city was underwater I don't think anyone could have EVER foreseen that just a few years later New Orleans would have its first ever sports champion - and with Mardi Gras just a week away!

It was touching seeing him hold his baby after the game was over. I think I seen a tear in his eye. The city will be celebrating for a long time.

While I like both teams, I did find myself pulling for the underdog Saints. True Manning threw a crucial pick, but he should not be raked over the coals. It was a bad throw, but he is still an all-time great.

The Colts now have to be considered the Atlanta Braves of the NFL. Great runs over a long time but only a single ring.

Congrats to the Saints! I was rooting for them, but I also felt badly for Peyton Manning knowing that he'll get an unfair share of the blame for the loss (although he probably would have gotten an unfair share of the credit if the Colts won.)

Nice to see your friend win one, Ice. He seems like a very good guy.

Pretty good crop of commercials this year, I thought. "A milka-what??!!"

I have a different take:

Calculated Onside-kick Lifted The Saints

Super Bowl XLIV Becomes Most-Watched Program Of All Time
Posted on 08 February 2010 by Robert Seidman



Based on time-zone adjusted (but still preliminary) fast nationals, Super Bowl XLIV averaged over 106 million (106.5 million) and is set to overtake the 1983 series finale of M*A*S*H (105.97 million) to become the most-watched program of all time. Even more impressive as the MASH finale was only one hour and the Super Bowl averaged that many viewers for more than a 3 hour period.

FYI: per Nielsen 83.3 million TV homes in 1983 vs 114.9 million in 2010

With Super Bowls, it easily eclipsed the previous most-watched Super Bowl, last year’s Cardinals vs. Steelers game that averaged 98.7 million viewers.

Has anyone checked to see if LN is still alive?

That was probably the coldest (read: greatest) comment I've ever seen from you JL.

Payback from when he drives me nuts during Fantasy Football season.

HAHA I know...but he drives everyone nuts during Fantasy Football**

That's true.

My son, who is a massive Saints fan and an even bigger Drew Brees fan is quite ecstatic

The BBC had good coverage this year, with both Rod Woodson and San Fran QB Alex Smith involved

Hall of Famer Woodson I get, but Alex Smith? What, Tim Couch wasn't available?

But yeah congrats to The Saints for playing better, a better gameplan, and a not-so-conservative coach.

And remember, my Dolphins passed on Brees in favor of Dante Culpepper.

This is funny:

Colts Fans -- All 11 of Them -- Welcome Team at Airport

Alex Smith apparently because the 49ers play the Broncos in London in October this year so he he was here doing press junket type stuff!!

Peyton "Happy Feet" Manning joins hall of famers Brad Johnson and Trent Dilfer in having one Super Bowl win. I think Jonathan Vilma got into his head. If you noticed, Vilma would not comit himself defensively until after Manning called his last audible.

Manning walked off the field without shaking anyone's hand. What a class act.

Man those Londoners got hosed on that match-up. Better a game than none at all I suppose.

I wouldn't take anything away from Manning and the Colts. The Saints played a flawless game. You could say it was destiny because statistically Minnesota beat the shit out of them in the NFC Championship and the Saints came away winners. Hey, that's the way the ball bounces sometimes.

last time i checked minnesota didnt do nothing but gave the ball up...minnesota was the lucky ones

Come on out of hiding, Longneck. You're a good boy, but I want you to man-up and make a post.

Don't be like the overly political ninnies on this site, who disappear for months after their candidate or party loses. You're better than that. Much better.

They lost. Get over it. No one's comparing these Colts to the underachieving Bills, who lost 4 straight Super Bowls in the '90s. Jim Kelly couldn't shine Peyton Manning's cleats (but he could probably drink him under the table ).

I think the best comparison might not even be football. It's probably to the Atlanta Braves, who only won a single World Series during a run that included a mind blowing 14 straight division titles.

I was thinking the same thing, Pizza Boy. Although I didn't talk trash to the degree Longneck did, I did post the day after Florida demolished Ohio State in the BCS Game. Watching your favorite team lose sucks, but hey it is only a game.

I've been far too concerned with my wife being in the hospital to care about coming here to post about the colts

I'm sorry to hear that, LN. Is she okay?

Hope everything is OK LN.

My wife has been to the hospital a few times since Saturday, she has a large kidney stone that is impossible to pass on her own, they put in a stent, she got an infection and lots o pain. She ended up getting admitted for pain control and whatnot.

The hospital, which is horrible and I will go out of my way not to go there in the future, will not have the machine to break up the stone until Monday. She's on pain meds and antibiotics and a med for something else, to deal with her kidney. She is still in a lot of pain and is not able to lift or anything so I had to take leave from work, which I went to a meeting right before telling them this where they gave me a final warning for missing work (I'd missed saturday and monday).

Molly has had a fever the last 2 days and so I've been taking care of her too. Went to the doc today and they said it was viral and just said to give motrin and fluids.

They are both taking a nap now so now I can defend my team



QBs to win and lose a super bowl; john elway, brett favre, kurt warner, tom brady, bob greise, len dawson...and the best ever, peyton manning.

Happy Feet is the reason he hardly ever gets sacked. Our O-line is not that great outside of Saturday. They talked about this awhile back on TV analyzing how he steps once he takes a snap, it's good fundamentals.



Kind of hard to do with confetti flying and people rushing the field. Have you ever seen a super bowl loser do this or do you just hate Peyton Manning to an extent where you find any reason to bash him?

Here's a site you may enjoy: http://www.manningface.com Eli is on there too.

Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning Is Now an Enigma

By Steve Thompson, The Bleacher Report

There is no doubt Peyton Manning was the biggest loser of Super Bowl XLIV. Until he wins the Super Bowl more often, his rank on the all time list of quarterbacks is going to be devalued.

Having had mindless praise heaped on his head almost continually since he joined the Indianapolis Colts, many people are now going to have second thoughts about him after the favored Colts lost to the New Orleans Saints.

They are going to say when he had the chance to make plays, he didn't make them. Instead of the winning drive, there was the interception.

After Super Bowl XLIV, where does Peyton Manning rank on the all-time quarterback list in the NFL?

Clearly Manning ranks above the average quarterback, even above many of those who have hoisted the Vince Lombardi trophy, but until he wins the Super Bowl more often, he can't be mentioned on the same level with Montana, Bradshaw, Starr, Brady, Aikman, etc.

Instead Manning is on tier two, with Farve, Stabler, Elway, McMahon, and Staubach.

He's a cut above the group that includes Fran Tarkenton, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, and Dan Fouts. In that group, the label is "great, but couldn't win the big one". In Manning's group, the label is "great, but should have won more".

Great quarterbacks are said to live for the moment that Manning found himself in during the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl; the quarterback finding his team down, leads the offense down the field and scores the touchdown on that final drive that wins or ties the game.

In baseball, it is the equivalent of a starting pitcher appearing in the decisive game of the World Series, and saying, "Give me the ball."

Well the ball was placed in Manning's hands at the right moment, but he threw an interception that produced a two-score game. Instead of leading a Montana or Brady-like drive, he didn't even engineer a score that would have allowed the Colts to try an onside kick for a last-gasp desperation play.

Lots of credit has to go to the New Orleans defense and Sean Payton's strategy for defending Manning, but the Saint's defense won't go down as one of the greatest in Super Bowl history. The front four doesn't even have a nickname.

So what went wrong?

Perhaps a closer comparison with one of the other quarterbacks in Manning's peer group, John Elway might provide a clue.

Ever since he arrived in the NFL, the billing in Indianapolis has been "Peyton Manning and the Colts". But football is a team game. In team sports, it is the great team, not the great player that usually wins.

In hockey, Wayne Gretzky never won another Stanley Cup once he left Edmonton. Ernie Banks, Ted Williams, Harmon Killebrew, and countless other great players in baseball never won a World Series.

The Colts are built around Manning. They expect him to win the game. But so was John Elway in Denver.

Elway was on his way to becoming the biggest failure in Super Bowl history until Terrell Davis arrived. Then the Broncos found other ways to win games instead of relying exclusively on Elway. Once another weapon was added, Denver won two Super Bowls.

The Colts have had some great players to go along with Manning, and the defense was greatly improved this year under Jim Caldwell, but it's overdue to recognize that one player can't win a team game by himself.

Still, those last two drives hurt Manning's reputation. This was the time to be the difference, but he was the difference for the wrong team. It is now Drew Brees' chance to move into the territory that Manning has vacated.

So, where does he rank all time?

It really is an enigma.

People want to rank him higher because of the winning record that the Colts have amassed during regular season.

But, he doesn't compare well to perhaps the greatest quarterback ever to play football, Cleveland Browns star quarterback, Otto Graham in the 1940's and 1950's.

Nobody will ever know how great Graham was because Cleveland played in two leagues and statistics were not kept.

But, there is one statistic that does jump out: championship victories. In Graham's 10 year career with the Browns, Cleveland went to the championship every year, winning seven of them. Nobody else in the history of football is even close.

Graham's career record is 105-17-4. Compared to him, Manning is just a footnote.

It's not over for Peyton Manning, as long as he plays, there are still chances for him to start climbing up the quarterback ranks again.

He will probably needs help though. It doesn't have to be a running back—an outstanding defense made Terry Bradshaw a winner four times.

Now is the time for reevaluation, not condemnation. The Colts made great strides, particularly on defense this year.

If they keep moving in the right direction, Manning will be a champion again. But for now he is a puzzling enigma.

You forgot about a guy named Roger Staubach who went 2-2 in the Superbowl--both loses coming to Bradshaw's Steelers by a combined 8 points.

Beaten by the Steelers, a combined 8 points and a guy named Jackie Smith .

All I have to say about Peyton Manning is 0-4 versus Florida (and you can't say those Tennessee teams weren't any good, they won the title the year AFTER Manning left for the NFL!) When he threw that interception in the 4th quarter the other night it was like watching him face Bob Stoops' Gator defense all over again.

I'm sorry, but really; when the heat is on, when the season is at stake, or the team has to have a score in a big-time game, Manning gets all flustered and red in the face. I'm telling you, he's a choker....just like his DADDY was!!

And given who his daddy is, and all of the opportunities Peyton's had in his life to develop his skills through camps and preparatory schools and such, he should do more than just win regular season matchups every year against the weak AFC south.

His claim to fame thus far is that he beat Rex Grossman in the Super Bowl and in the process prevented Tom Brady from winning his 4th Superbowl, which would have constituted utter blasphemy to the football Gods!

But a damn fine actor - I thought those Mastercard commercials he did were some of the funniest I'd seen all year. Seriously lmao@!

LN, my husband had the same procedure for kidney stones. He had them broken down to smaller pieces and had the stent put it to make the pieces easier to pass. As bad as the procedure was, the time leading up to it was a million times worse. So sorry to hear this, and best wishes to your wife.

As for your little one, I hated the viral "motrin and fluids" diagnosis. Those seem to drag on forever.

Good luck to you, LN. Sorry about your team, but they gave you a wonderful season to be proud of.

My regards to your family also, LN.
And truth be told: I think a betting-man would be wise to pick your boys next yr!

LN, I hope your wife and baby girl feel better soon. Please keep us posted on how they are doing. Take care!!

I hope your wife and daughter are feeling better soon, LN.

I'm tired of the Peyton Manning bashing. He had another tremendous year. It will be remembered more for how it ended, which is unfortunate. He's a class act. The media, in the 2 weeks of hype leading up to the Super Bowl, were all debating about whether he was the greatest QB in NFL history. As soon as he threw that pick, most of the media turned on him. It's ridiculous how hypocritical they can be. I think the much bigger story is how the Colts as an organization have fallen short of expectations in all but one season.

Re: Manning walking off the field. This is something that is also completely overanalyzed by the media, particularly in the last 5 years. The only incident that was classless was Belichick refusing to shake another head coach's hand after losing a few years ago. LeBron walking off the court after losing to Orlando last year and Peyton Manning are both non-stories. We've reached a point where the media is consciously looking for any player who does not shake hands or do what the media believes should be done following a loss. What they are not reporting is how unbelievably competitive most of the athletes are. The athlete just lost an important game and have not even had time to process it. The athlete can be forgiven for wanting to get off the field/court ASAP.

Good luck and happy health to you and your family, LN.

I completely agree with goombah, here. The media finds an angle and beats it to death - is Peyton Manning the greatest ever? is his legacy tainted?

Not that I agree with any of these athletes walking off the field - good sportsmanship is part of sports, after all - but I wouldn't get on a high horse and bash them either. For the very logical reason given by goombah, you could understand where they may be coming from, especially when it's a moment out of character.

The minute the writers hold themselves up to the same standards that they expect the athletes to follow, then they can start throwing stones.

Peyton Manning would have to win 3 more Super Bowls just be tied with Montana and Bradshaw, who each have 4. I didn't hear anyone in the media last weekend ready to annoint Manning the greatest ever, and if they did.....uh, that's completely illogical considering two other active QB's in his own conference have more rings. Plus, by Peyton's own admission he's not as good his Colts predecessor, Johnny U, who played mostly in the pre-Superbowl era.

I agree, Goom. As far as a classless act to match Belichick's, I have to go way back to the Pistons in '91, when the Bulls finally got past them. Not only wouldn't they shake hands with Jordan, Pippen and company, they started to walk off the court while there was still time left on the clock.

The strange thing is that their coach, Chuck Daly, was one of the all-time class guys in the history of the NBA (a nifty dresser, too). But Isiah, Salley, Dumars, Laimbeer, Rodman, et al. displayed one of the single greatest showings of poor sportsmanship that I ever recall in a "Big Four" sporting event.

Frank Nitti, re: Johnny Unitas-Peyton Manning. Unitas is the biggest unsung hero in the history of the NFL, in that the formation of the modern day league (the latter half of the last century up until now) was built on his back. And Peyton Manning sure has a long way to go before being compared to him. But as far as Peyton saying that he's not as good as Unitas? He has to say that. A class guy won't knock the previous generations. And give Manning credit, he's consistently proven himself a class act (walking off the field Sunday not withstanding).

You know how many times the choker had comeback wins this season? 7 regular season and 1 in the playoffs. I believe he has the most all time in the NFL.

Montana and Bradshaw have 4 rings each, did either of them play in the salary cap era? How good were their teams without the QB? Try to say Bradshaw is a better QB than Manning and -- here's the tricky part -- keep a straight face.

The AFC south has had the best record in the NFL for awhile, look it up! It is consistently a very strong division.

I really believe that if Reggie Wayne was 100% there would have been no Tracy Porter INT. Wayne also would have made another catch he failed to pull in. And then there is the lack of a pass rush and just deciding not to cover people... and this is all on Peyton according to the media, and college football fans.


I did forget Staubach on my list, pretty good just from memory though...

I dunno why you still feel the need to 'defend yur team' after they lost and you've been GUARANTEEING their victory all season!

No offense, but I've noticed that when anyone made even the slightest attempt to debunk your "Colts gratest team evar, bitches!" theory this year, you've been prone to using hyperbole and childish name calling. You've chilled-out a bit now that they've had their asses handed to them, but really, your overzealous antics this season concerning what you perceived as your team's inevitable, inherent 'greatness' and championship just shows your lack of respect and knowledge of the game, as well as your ineptitude concerning the infinite variables that go into each game and each play.

You've forgotten (or failed to notice) that anyone can win on any given day. Let me say that again: ANYONE can win, on any given day. And quite frankly, you'll be lucky if 'yur team' gets one more ring, much less three.

And your logic is largely skewed on most of your other points, but in any case:
i.)statistics don't mean much in football, it's not like baseball where you can draw serious statistical inference through 182 games of repetition and routine. Football is all about who has the smartest, fastest, strongest players, with the best coaches, gameplanning, offseason preparation, and team management. It's not numbers that win games, it's your people.
ii.)any regular season heroic comebacks engineered by Manning do not negate his status as choker; it's what you do in the games where the season and your legacy are at stake that matters. He'll have more chances to prove himself a winner.
iii.) Bradshaw's Steelers were built to run, play defense, AND pass (unlike the pass-happy Colts) and that's why Bradshaw has 4 ring
iv.) the salary cap didn't prevent Brady & Pats from winning 3 out of 4 superbowls, where's Peyton's?
v.) the Colts are the only team in the AFC south who perennially have a winning record: the Texans (who almost beat Indy twice this season) and Titans are unproven and unreliable, and any good team would/should go undefeated in that sub-par conference.
vi.)Ya, I can see how you'd forget Staubach,it's pretty easy to forget a guy who went to 4 superbowls in 10 years and was 8 points away from being the greatest QB of the 70's, if not ever. ;p

To put it mildly there was a lot of bad blood between Detroit/Chicago and specifically between Thomas/Laimbeer and Jordan.

But let the record show that Dumars did indeed stay behind and shake Jordan's hand. Thomas shook McHale's hand despite years of similar bad blood between Detroit/Boston and Parish's vicious attack on Laimbeer. There was something about Thomas and Jordan that just rubbed the other guy the wrong way beyond the normal limits of sports decorum.

I am how I am, I talk trash about all my teams, be it my Indy Colts or my fantasy football team. I'd do it whether they were 16-0 or 0-16, it just wouldn't irritate people as much if my team wasn't so good.

1. Want to talk about a meaningless stat? Super Bowl rings. The most useless way to judge a one man on a 53 man roster, ever.

2. Put any average-above average QB on those Steelers teams, do they still win those Super Bowls?

3. Why would the Colts ever utilize their greatest strength? How silly..

4. You can absolutely make a better case for Tom Brady than Terry Bradshaw or just about anyone else. Brady is unquestionably top 5, just like Peyton Manning.

5. You didn't look it up, did you? The AFC south is a very strong conference, and it has been for awhile. Seriously, look it up.

6. Yeah it is pretty easy to forget those super bowls I wasn't around for.

No, no, see, that's where you're not making the connection. It's irritaing b/c all knowledgable fans of the game having been telling you Indy fans over the years that your defense and running game had problems, and that b/c of this, and the pressure put on the D from a pass-happy offense, the Colts were going to come up short just like they do each and every year. Your absolute insistence that the defense was in fact good enough to win a championship, and that statistically the Colts were still the best team in the league despite their obvious holes, is what 'irritated people.' We've now been vindicated (again) and you're all left with serious yolk in your face (again).

But now, what? You'll still insist they're the greatest team ever, and you've already begun jockeying for your chances in next year's Superbowl. Now that is irritating.

1. Dan Marino and Fran Tarkenton called. They want you to write their auto-biography: "How to become a winner by being a loser."

2. So you don't even know who Roger Staubach is, but you can pass judgment on his contemporay, Bradshaw? Riiight.

3. Refer to intro (above). You live by the pass and sooner or later you'll die by it. The Colts have died by it at the most inopportune moments. And you put tremendous pressure on your D if you go 3 and out with 3 incompletions and no time run off the clock. Gotta have some kind of running game to rely on in big moments of the game, i.e. the last minute of the Super Bowl's first half for Indy.

4. You admit you haven't been watching football for very long so stop using adjectives like unquestionably to qualify your statement about Brady and Manning's place in the top 5 among all time QB's. That's one of the most difficult 'best-of' lists to come up with in all of sports, and yet you, who just began watching football in the past 5 years, deem yourself qualified enough to make such an assertion simply b/c you hear a b-rate columnist annoint Manning an all time great in order to create buzz and sell tickets. (Bottom line: If Manning's in the top 5, then so is Favre, who still blows Manning out of the water, statistically, and then you're gonna have some real problems rounding out a top five list for a game that dates back over a century.)

5. Look what up? That they've all been .500 or below teams every year? I know who they have on their rosters and what they did in college.

6. Refer to # 4

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Did "Steve Thompson" just compare Jim McMahon to all of those guys?

Roger Staubach flew helicopters in the Vietnam War prior to taking the Cowboys to 4 Superbowls in 10 years, while Jim McMahon is one of the biggest punks of all-time who has one ring with the 85 Bears and probably wouldn't make my top 100.

mcmahon is no where near a great qb, but he was decent with being half blind and injury prone (doesnt help matters when a fat bastard from green bay bodyslams you to the ground).

Yeah. I shouldn't say that about McMahon given his blindness. I feel bad for the guy and I'm sure his ailment contributed to his less than civil behavior at times.

True dat. Dumars is class personified. He always has been. And truth be told, I've come to like John Salley a great deal in his second career as a sports talk tv guy.

But you'll NEVER get me onboard with Laimbeer. He was a thug and a second rate center. He couldn't carry Parish's jock. And I'm a Knicks fan. I LOATHE the Celtics!

And as far as Parish's "vicious attack" on Laimbeer? Are you forgetting game 4 of that series when Laimbeer had the audacity to clothesline Larry Bird? Parish just snapped in game 5. Okay, it was wrong, but it wasn't entirely unprovoked.

How did things ever get so far? It was so unfortunate. So unnecessary. Boston had a player clotheslined. We had a player beat down. We're quits. And if KC Jones agrees, I'm willing to let things go on the way they were before...

pistons were thugs back then, and wimps now lol

Big Ben was sacked 47 times in 2008 and 50 times in 2009. He was sacked plenty more times in other seasons. He was also in a near fatal vehicle accident in 2006 that resulted in plates inserted in his face. I think that all equates to something more than being bodyslammed. Yet he has two superbowl rings at age 26 within his first six seasons, and the youngest QB to win a Superbowl. He came off the bench as a rookie and won 13 games in a row, has had his team in the playoffs four of those seasons, and is not afraid to throw a block as he did in SB XL that led to a score. He is one of the most sought after NFL players for commercials and appearances, he is decent, gives good example, and most importantly, doesn't manifest bad example. That's what a QB should be and, for that matter, all NFL players.

KC Jones is a pimp. He never could've outcoached Chuck Daly .

But what I didn't know until this day..was that it was David Stern all along.

You "facts" and things you "know" are wrong.

I admitted to not watching football in the 70's so you claim I've been watching 5 years...

You refuse to look up actual facts about things instead choosing to rely solely on (wrong) assumptions and outdated opinions.

AFC South and Indy defense are prime examples of this, you assume the AFC South is a weak division because the Colts dominate it, when they usually have the best winning % of any division. The Indy Defense was a top 10 defense this year, and then injuries happened in the postseason, like our starting CB breaking his foot, our most important defensive player (yeah even more so than Fragile Bob Sanders) tearing a ligament in his ankle. Not to mention the absence of Bob Sanders and Marlin Jackson all year and Kelvin Hayden for a significant portion. But no, go ahead and listen to the TV announcers who still call the Colts a dome team and think we have the same defense as the 2004 Colts.

There is no way to actually debate anything with you because of these reasons, but I damn sure tried.

I know you're frustrated, LN, and I know Manning was frustrated greatly after the loss. He should have won atleast three rings by now, and instead, he only has one in two appearances, and it may very well be his last in the foreseeable future with the Patriots, Steelers, and Chargers all looking to get back in the AFC mix next year.

I'm not really debating the merits of those Colt teams b/c they're all pretty good teams in the all-time rankings, I guess what I'm wondering is: why your entire life is seemingly devoted to a pretty good american football team with an inconsistent but still sometimes great quarterback; so much so that you'll make callous and tactless remarks to other more self-effacing board members whose arguments (my own included) are not only logical, but in the majority?

I like pro-football as much as the next, but why anyone would define themselves and their personality by a professional football team is beyond me b/c it's not like you're 'defending' your college team and alma mater, we're talking about pro-football, here.

Are you saying we should all quit our jobs and become Colts fans, huh?

And are you even going to acknowledge once the Saints and their Championship season?

Or are you still *ahem* choked-up like yur boyfriend, Manning

Btw, I think that the quarterback position is the one position on the football field in which the generation the quarterback played in is mostly irrelevent when considering all time ranking. Guys may be bigger, stronger and sometimes faster in general among today's generation and that generally makes modern players supreme at most position, but size and speed really have no relevance with an athlete's ball skills.

I never saw Johnny Unitas play, but you don't have to be an NFL scout to look at those old tapes and realize why they called him the 'golden arm.' Hey, those old guys could chunk the ball just as good (if not better) than some of these testosterone-filled, hormonial imbalanced meatheads of the modern era.

I'm not sure what you think I should do to acknowledge the Saints win, should I drive to New Orleans and yell 'congratulations' from my car? Write a letter? What?

I think we had a great season, 14-0 and a super bowl... and if the Saints were against any other AFC team I would have rooted for them. I am a fan of Drew Brees from his Purdue days.

What disappoints me is people using this loss to try to knock Manning down and start the talk of being a choker again. It's just so illogical and fueled more by hatred than facts. Peyton Manning does not play college football anymore and he is not the same QB.

I love the NFL in general a whole lot, I am what you call a fanatic. I watch every game I can. I try to go to the Colts training camp each year since I can't afford going to a game.

I was never a Manning fan because he would always try to put everything on him and end up losing the game because of it, but he has matured as a QB, I would say about 2005 he learned to rely more on his team to help him.

I love my team, and if that's wrong, I don't wanna be right

Umm, as much as I enjoy talking about the Bulls-Pistons-Celtics rivalry, Peyton Manning's legacy and Ben Roethlisburger's face, ya think we can focus more on this year's Super Bowl MVP, Mista Mista Drew Breeeees!

Seriously, Brees-Mania is sweeping the nation:

Who?

Oh yeah, the pride of Austin, right?

Eh, a one hit wonder. Next year when he's 6 and 10 you'll be posting stories about when he embarrassed you by throwing up all over your girlfriend at the prom .

_Longneck_

@drewbrees I rooted for you at Purdue but after Super Bowl XLIV I am afraid we have become mortal enemies. P.S. Congratulations.

The fix was in for New Orleans.

Did someone just defrost you?