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SUPERBOWL SUNDAY RULES THEM ALL!
At last we come to it. The 17 week NFL season, the 3 weeks of playoffs and the 1 Superbowl off week all lead up to what we’ve been waiting for – ONE GAME TO RULE THEM ALL. As usual, many questions face this year’s Superbowl XLI. Will Peyton Manning and Tony Dungy finally win the biggest game of their lives shortly after they finally won the big game in downing New England? Will the Colt’s defense continue to play aggressively? Is Rex Grossman good enough to win the Superbowl or does he belong in the “Stupidbowl?†Finally, the most important question of all coming into this game…Does defense really win championships and if so, can the Bears prove that fact by stopping the high powered Colts and do something that not many (IF ANY) can do? Let’s get it on! The Superbowl is right around the corner. Here are my thoughts on this year’s game of games…
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THE INTANGIBLES
First of all, a much deserved congratulations go out to both head coaches responsible for making this an all African American coached Superbowl for the first time in history. Both coaches are more then deserving to be there and both are class acts.Â
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The loss of Tony Dungy’s son last season makes me automatically root for the Colts in this one. Maybe it’s forgotten now and you wouldn’t know it’s on Dungy’s mind at all the way his composure is but a loss like that doesn’t exactly just leave you. Winning the Superbowl is something this man definitely deserves and would be a sweet feeling for him. That’s exactly what I am hoping for. Dungy isn’t a show anyone up type of coach. He is simply a quiet, classy person who noticeably gets the job done. For years it’s been regular season dominance but playoff disaster for the Colts. Finally they have reached the promised land and Dungy deserves much of the credit. When you consider Dungy’s past, the makeup of this Colts team is very interesting. Known as one of the masterminds behind the Tampa Bay Bucs cover two defensive scheme that worked so well for years, Dungy brought that knowledge with him to Indy. Much of the attention hasn’t been on the Colts’ defense in the past, but more so the offense and rightfully so. When you have players like Manning, Wayne and Harrison, it’s pretty obvious why. But defensively the Colts haven’t gotten the job done in the past and too often have been the loser of scoring marathons where they just couldn’t stop anyone. This year though, it’s a different playoff defense in front of Dungy. All of a sudden this Colt D is playing much more aggressively and when you have the kind of scoring offense that Indy does, you don’t have to stop teams all the time. You just have to be respectable. Well the Colts certainly have been. Sunday could come down to the success of the Colt D more so then what the offense does. That’s odd considering the offense gets much of the attention, yet what’s not odd is that when you consider the defensive background that Dungy has, it’s the play of his Colt D that will probably determine the game.
Chicago Bears Head Coach – Lovie Smith continues to defend his QB and his decision to continue starting him in the first place. The pressure facing youngster, Rex Grossman in this game is absolutely enormous. People have tried to downplay it but come on now… I wasn’t born yesterday. When an entire city gets down on you, starts booing during the regular season and all but completely loses it’s faith due to poor performances and QB ratings, most of the time it’s as good an opportunity as any to change your QB. Smith decided to stay with Grossman and the Bears continue to win with him behind center, despite below average numbers out of him. This Bears squad is certainly one team that doesn’t depend on strong QB play. In fact, they’ve NEVER been built that way. Instead, defense and special teams is often the story in Chicago as it has been this season. Forcing turnovers and scoring non-offensive touchdowns has been successful for the Bears however, will that happen in the Superbowl? If it doesn’t, much of the focus is going to be put on Grossman. I am not taking anything away from Grossman’s ability. I think he might eventually get there but he certainly isn’t there yet and the QB issues in Chicago continue to surround this organization as it has for years. The best comparison that can be made to Grossman is Trent Dilfer back in 2000 when he and the Baltimore Ravens won the Superbowl. People thought it couldn’t be done but Dilfer looked as good as he ever has. If you’re a QB, this is THE GAME. If you haven’t been spectacular in your career but yet you play well in this game…you’ll always be remembered for that game. People always remember the winners, never the losers. Will Grossman step up and perform when he has to the most? We get the answer…Sunday.
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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM CHICAGO
The Bears aren’t fancy. They won’t try to do what Manning and the Colts do because they aren’t made that way. Instead, smash mouth football is the key. Bears’ RB – Thomas Jones had 123 yards rushing vs. New Orlean’s and he must get over 100 yards (at least) again. Youngster – Cedric Benson will also see some carries but in my opinion, this game comes down to Thomas Jones because he’s the proven player of the two and with Jones goes the Bears offense. In this way, the Bears will try to keep Manning and the Colts off the field by controlling the clock, time of posession and the field position battle. As mentioned, there is a lot of pressure on QB – Rex Grossman so for Chicago to be successful offensively, they must run the football and take pressure off the kid. If they can’t run the football the Bears will ask Grossman to win the game for them and that doesn’t usually spell success for Chicago and likely won’t in a game of this magnitude. Grossman can be effective if the run is working because it will open things up more on the pass and Chicago can pick and choose when to try to hurt you with the big ball to WR – Bernard Berrian or keep defenses honest with WR – Muhsin Muhammed. Either way, for the Bears it’s simple…run effectively and control the line of scrimmage with solid blocking in the trenches. Â
Defensively Chicago is solid and then some. This unit is clearly one of the keys to the game. How well CB’s – Nate Vasher and Charles Tillman defend the pass against Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison is crucial for Chicago. That also being said, LB’s – Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs must guard Dallas Clark like flies to you know what. Clark is more then capable of burning you if you forget about him but Chicago’s linebacking core runs side to side about as well as anyone and they can also defend the short pass rather well. The key for this unit is turnovers. They’ve forced turnovers all year long and that’s what they’re going to have to do in this one. If the Bears can stop the Colts on the run they’re chances of picking off a couple increase. For a lot of teams, turnovers are a rare commodity. For the Bears, it’s an everyday thing.Â
Special teams are also worth mentioning here simply because Bear’s kick returner – Devon Hester is the best in the business. That combined with the Colts ranking near the bottom of the NFL in return yardage given up and you have what could possibly be disaster for Indy. As mentioned, Hester may just be the most important player on the field on Sunday because of the control the clock mentality of the Bears. If Hester sets them up in good field position, they could have a field day with strong field position.Â
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WHAT TO EXPECT FROM INDY
Front to back, this is probably the best offense in the NFL led by prolific QB – Peyton Manning. That being said, Manning has been a bit of a choker for years. Having finally gotten over the hump this season, he has now made the Superbowl but will he make the most of it? This is the game that QB’s are remembered for. It’s what secures a QB’s legacy. Will it secure Manning’s? We’ll see. Indy’s WR’s – Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne are as good a twosome as there is in the NFL and when you add in talented TE – Dallas Clark your looking at many fine offensive weapons that can beat you in so many ways. The running game is nothing to laugh at either. Although RB’s Dominic Rhodes and youngster – Joseph Addai aren’t the greatest twosome out there, they more then get the job done if they get the opportunities to do so. Since they are the second option in the Colt’s offense, they will be depended on to have a big game to open up Manning and the pass.
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The Colt D is another big key to the game. As mentioned earlier, they seem to have new life. Ever since injured Safety – Bob Sanders returned, the Colts seem to be more aggressive and energized in a big way on defense. Sanders added jump and the rest of the Colts followed. Now it’s up to DE’s – Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney to get to Rex Grossman and shake him up to the point of no return. They are certainly capable. The bottom line though is the Colts must stop Thomas Jones and the Bears rushing attack. Sanders must jump into running holes, make tackles and force Grossman to throw in the areas of Cato June and Marlon Jackson to try and do what the Bears do – FORCE TURNOVERS.Â
KEYS TO WINNING – CHICAGO
1. Run the football effectively
2. Keep Manning off the field
3. Force turnovers
4. Get an early lead and don’t fall behind
5. The Devin Hestor factor
1. If Thomas Jones runs on the Colts like he did to the Saints, Chicago will probably win. Cedric Benson is also capable but this game is more important for Jones who will be a free agent next season so the time is now for him to show the world what he is.
2. I don’t care how good your defense is. The best, most reliable defense out there is keeping the opposition offense off the field but as talented and dangerous as the Colts are, it’s imperative that Chicago does that in this game.
3. The Bears have capitalized on opponent turnovers all season long. Due to there being no guarantee that their offense can click on all cylinders, it would be a big plus for the Bears to get some turnovers on Sunday.
4. If the game plan is to take pressure off of Grossman then Rex playing with a lead is much safer then him trying to bring the Bears back in the biggest game of his life.
5. With Hestor’s success comes better field position. With better field position comes more opportunities to run safely and keep the Bears into the style of offensive play that they are most comfortable with – RUN, RUN, RUN!
KEYS TO WINNING – INDY
1. Stop the Bears rushing attack
2. Get to Grossman
3. Stay turnover free/Protect the football
4. Let Manning be Manning
5. Better tackling on kick returns
1. Since I believe this is the biggest single key of this game…Its Jones and Benson vs. the Colts. TAKE YOUR PICK.
2. Grossman can be rattled so get to him early and often and keep him out of any short pass rhythm if you can help it.
3. This offense is as effective a unit as you’ll find anywhere. People have stated in the past that the only way they lose is to beat themselves. That might be true so they’ll be put to the test on Sunday to protect the football and stay turnover free against a team that thrives on causing them.
4. This is Peyton Manning’s game. It’s that simple. The Superbowl is the game where prolific passers and top notch QB’s either shine or fail. It’s make or break for Manning who can really make an all time statement in this one. If he’s to truly be remembered as one of the best ever and up there with Montana, Elway, Namath, etc; a Superbowl ring has GOT TO arrive on his doorstep soon. Sunday is his big chance.
5. It’s no big secret. As mentioned the Colts are not a strong team when it comes to special teams tackling. They’ll need to be on Sunday. They can’t afford to let Devin Hestor be the difference.
PREDICTION
In my opinion this game all comes down to one thing. Actually, it all comes down to one man. Peyton Manning is truly one of the best in the league (if not the best) and one of the best all time to never win a Superbowl ring. If he loses this game this time, he may not ever get a chance again. This game will answer the longtime question that the Baltimore Ravens also attempted (and succeeded in their case) to answer 6 some years ago which is – “Does a good defense truly beat a good offense� That being said, can the Bears heralded D stop the high and mighty Colts? I think for some of the time, they will. That’s going to put pressure on the Colts to also do just enough defensively on their end. I believe they also will. Grossman could be the key but I think Chicago can do enough to make average play out of him a non-factor in this one provided he doesn’t throw interceptions. I believe Thomas Jones will run well but might not be enough either. Thus, Manning is the story. Again, to reiterate, it’s his time, it’s his game, it’s his Superbowl. Win it or lose it, Peyton. It’s on your ass now. In my opinion (and no disrespect to the Bears fine defense), Manning finds a way. This game should be a close one until the end. Keep in mind, should it need to be decided, Colts’ kicker – Adam Vinatieri is hailed by some as the greatest clutch kicker EVER. That being said I don’t think it will come down to Vinatieri. Peyton and the boys will light it up in the end when they need it the most.
BIG D’S SUPERBOWL XLI PREDICTION
Indianapolis – 30 / Chicago – 23
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