Danny Cox

Super Bowl XLIV has now come and gone, but the night will forever live on in the memories of the New Orleans Saints and their fans.

For the first time in history, the city of New Orleans has a professional sports' championship. It was a great night that showcased a fantastic game and one of the better Super Bowls I've ever seen. No, that is not speaking from a biased standpoint, but just honest truth.

For everything that went right though, there were a few things that ended up going wrong en route to becoming world champions. There were a few things that could have been altered or tweaked a bit in order to have a perfect game, but it wasn't needed to bring home a victory. Let's take a look at what went right down in Miami and also what happened to go wrong. Might as well start with what didn't go according to plan for the Saints because those are few and far between.

What Went Wrong:

* The First Quarter - Anything and everything about it was just horrid. It began with that miserable looking opening drive that ended with a three and out. The Saints ended up with only 32 yards of total offense while the Colts had 149. Not to mention a 10-0 lead.
* Usama Young - I like Young and think he could end up being a great cornerback in the NFL, but he was not prepared. Jabari Greer got shaken up and Peyton Manning immediately exposed the back-up Young as he threw over the top for touchdown to Pierre Garcon. Don't forget that Garcon juked Young out of his cleats as well.
* Saints' rush defense in the First Quarter - The Saints were just gashed by Joseph Addai and company right off the bat. 71 yards on the ground given up in the first fifteen minutes to the 32nd ranked rushing offense was just ridiculous.
* Anthony Hargrove's personal foul - It truly had no effect on anything in the long run, but it was still a stupid penalty and didn't need to happen.


Not really that bad honestly because that's about all I could find that went wrong in the victory by the Saints. Focusing on what went right is a lot more fun and a much longer list.

What Went Right:

* Drew Brees in the final three quarters - After completing only 3 of 7 passes to begin the game, Brees completed 29 of his final 32 attempts and that includes a spike to kill the clock. He also threw his final ten passes on target for the second longest streak in Super Bowl history. Brees got into a rhythm and knew that the quick passes were the way to go and go they did. He had pinpoint accuracy in coming awfully damn close to perfection yet again.
* Darren Sharper's Play - Didn't hear much from him did you? You didn't have to. Sharper played the safety position exactly like he needed to and it didn't allow Peyton Manning and the Colts to go downfield like they normally would. Sharper actually played fifteen, twenty, and even twenty-five yards off the line of scrimmage at times making sure no-one got behind him.
* Jermon Bushrod's Stance - Dwight Freeney may have been injured, but he did turn in the game's only sack period and he was in there for a great number of defensive plays. It was up to Bushrod to keep him off of Brees and except for the one bullrush leading the to sack, the kid did a fine job.
* Jonathan Stinchcomb's Stance - Didn't hear much from Colts' defensive end Robert Mathis did you? That's because Stinchcomb held the veteran without a sack, tackle, or even an assisted tackle.
* Garrett Hartley's Leg - After much questioning as to whether the youngster would be the kicker the Saints have been looking for, he certainly proved that he was. Three field goals over 40 yards (a Super Bowl record) in a perfect kicking performance. Well done.
* The Onside Kick - I didn't see it coming, did you? For Coach Sean Payton to come out to start the second half, only down by four, and onside kick it took a lot of ummm...masculinity. Thomas Morstead executed it perfectly and it was Chris Reis clawing and fighting to hold onto that ball. Yes, Jonathan Casillas was credited with the recovery, but Reis did actually come out the pile with it.
* Tracy Porter - Porter was lined up on Wayne throughout the game and held the star wide receiver to 5 catches for 46 yards. That right there is a beautiful accomplishment in itself, but then he picked off his second straight Hall of Fame quarterback in consecutive games.
* Turnovers - Of which there were none.
* Penalties - Only three the entire game for a total of nineteen yards. Coming from a Saints' team that has been known to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties; that is huge.


In a complete opposite version of the Dallas Cowboys' game in which the Saints saw their undefeated streak end; this time there was much more on the line. That game back in December saw the Saints play horribly for the first three quarters and then turn back into themselves for the fourth. Super Bowl XLIV watched the Saints play one awful quarter and three fantastic quarters on the way to victory.

The black and gold almost came back against the Cowboys but eventually lost by only seven. Had the Saints played for even one more bad quarter against the Colts then I'm not entirely sure they could have made the trek on the comeback trail. They opened it up and dominated the second quarter watching that potent Colts' offense only have six plays total (not counting punts) while just losing all the momentum.

New Orleans knew what they had to do, but they simply had to get past the big game jitters and show that the 13-0 start was no fluke. The Saints had to prove that it meant nothing that they lost the last three games of the season. Drew Brees had to prove (not to Saints' fans) that he deserves to be mentioned among the names Manning and Brady when speaking of the league's elite quarterbacks.

The Saints proved that they are no longer the doormat of the NFL, cellar dwellers, a big joke, underachievers, or even a big joke. They are world champions. And why is that? Because they followed a simple formula and did more things right then they did wrong.

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