Saints v. Colts - Super Bowl XLIV will be won by Colts

Super Bowl XLIV pitting the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints v. The AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts will be a game filled with passes and trick plays. It will be one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. The Super Bow game features the NFL's 9th best offense (2nd in the NFL in passing for the season) in the Colts against the league's 25th-ranked Saints defense. That's the key matchup. Sports observers can write about imagined challenges between specific Colts receivers certain Saints defensive backs, but the reality is one-on-one pairings are rare because of the variety of coverages used; the Saints will try to keep everything in front of them with a zone coverage system and work to prevent the Colts from hitting the home run ball. But the Colts will mix short passes and runs; the Saints will move away from the zone, crowd the line-of-scrimage, and blitz. And that's where the Colts big play will come from, absent a blown coverage, which the Saints haven't done much this year. The Saints NFL number one-ranked offense will be a variety show featuring shifts, man-in-motion, and a lot of play action. Look for not just one, but two flea flickers; what will stop them is the Colts defensive speed (which was augmented by more blitzing in the postseason, making it better than its 18th-ranking during 2009). The Saints will call a number of "wheel route" passes trying to match the fleet Reggie Bush against the Colts' linebackers. But the Colts will blitz more often this game, and add to their already hard-charging pass-rush. That effort will be led by Dwight Freeney, who's played a week-long game of media possum, but is ready to turn his effort up to a super human level. The other difference will be on special teams. This is where the Saints have a slight speed edge and the Colts will have to play carefully to stop the long kick return. With all of this, the Colts offense will be too much for the Saints. The Colts win Super Bowl XLIV, 34 to 20. Colts v. Saints on SFGate.com | Colts v. Saints on Twitter | Colts v. Saints on NFL Business Blog

Super Bowl time: Warren Sapp arrested; hot high car spotted

Miami, South Beach, Florida - Super Bowl time: Warren Sapp arrested; hot high car spotted (video above). It's Super Bowl time! This Super Bowl update is a mix of good and bad news. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders defensive star and NFL Network Analyst Warren Sapp was arrested after allegedly committing some form of domestic violence against his girl friend Saturday morning in Miami.

 According to TMZ.com, Warren Sapp's explanation doesn't read any better than what his girlfriend told Miami Beach Police:

According to the Miami Beach Police Department, Sapp is accused of attacking his girlfriend of two years at around 5:00 AM Saturday at the Shore Club Hotel. According to the arrest report, the alleged victim had "a swollen right knee and bruises on the back of her neck." She claims Sapp allowed her to sleep in his hotel room -- then came into the room early in the morning and pulled her out of bed. The alleged victim says they began arguing about guys she was hanging out with earlier Friday night. Sapp's girlfriend told cops that during the argument Sapp "grabbed her and began to choke her." He eventually threw her out of the room, she claims. When cops spoke to Sapp, he told them he had allowed the woman to stay in his room -- but later on decided he wanted her to leave because "he was expecting company." He told police he was trying to help her and she fell.

Sapp "..decided he wanted her to leave because "he was expecting company." is a doozy. This blogger's a big fan of Warren Sapp as an NFL Legend, an NFL Network Analyst, and a TV star (he's a spokesperson for National Rent-A-Car), but Sapp should realize he's got a higher profile now and should not even be in a situation like that, regardless of the truth. Moreover, Sapp must measure his words. What Sapp said, if its true, implies that he had another woman coming over and wanted to get rid of her. Geez. On a much happier note, the Super Bowl in Miami draws all kinds of interesting sights and sounds, including interesting cars, like the one in the video above. It's a converted Chevy Impala with oversized wheels and a whole new drive train and suspension system. It was cruising down Collins Avenue in South Beach at about 10 PM and stopped traffic on the opposite side of the street. The driver was by himself and enjoying the Mardi Gras-like street party. When asked who he was rooting for, Saints or Colts, he said "I'll go with Who-Dat". Stay tuned. And follow me on Twitter!

Super Bowl time: Warren Sapp arrested; hot high car spotted

Miami, South Beach, Florida - Super Bowl time: Warren Sapp arrested; hot high car spotted (video above). It's Super Bowl time! This Super Bowl update is a mix of good and bad news. Former Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders defensive star and NFL Network Analyst Warren Sapp was arrested after allegedly committing some form of domestic violence against his girl friend Saturday morning in Miami.

 According to TMZ.com, Warren Sapp's explanation doesn't read any better than what his girlfriend told Miami Beach Police:

According to the Miami Beach Police Department, Sapp is accused of attacking his girlfriend of two years at around 5:00 AM Saturday at the Shore Club Hotel. According to the arrest report, the alleged victim had "a swollen right knee and bruises on the back of her neck." She claims Sapp allowed her to sleep in his hotel room -- then came into the room early in the morning and pulled her out of bed. The alleged victim says they began arguing about guys she was hanging out with earlier Friday night. Sapp's girlfriend told cops that during the argument Sapp "grabbed her and began to choke her." He eventually threw her out of the room, she claims. When cops spoke to Sapp, he told them he had allowed the woman to stay in his room -- but later on decided he wanted her to leave because "he was expecting company." He told police he was trying to help her and she fell.

Sapp "..decided he wanted her to leave because "he was expecting company." is a doozy. This blogger's a big fan of Warren Sapp as an NFL Legend, an NFL Network Analyst, and a TV star (he's a spokesperson for National Rent-A-Car), but Sapp should realize he's got a higher profile now and should not even be in a situation like that, regardless of the truth. Moreover, Sapp must measure his words. What Sapp said, if its true, implies that he had another woman coming over and wanted to get rid of her. Geez. On a much happier note, the Super Bowl in Miami draws all kinds of interesting sights and sounds, including interesting cars, like the one in the video above. It's a converted Chevy Impala with oversized wheels and a whole new drive train and suspension system. It was cruising down Collins Avenue in South Beach at about 10 PM and stopped traffic on the opposite side of the street. The driver was by himself and enjoying the Mardi Gras-like street party. When asked who he was rooting for, Saints or Colts, he said "I'll go with Who-Dat". Stay tuned. And follow me on Twitter!

Colts 30 Jets 17: Colts AFC Champions, wait for Saints, Vikings

Colts 30 Jets 17. The Indianapolis Colts (15-2) are AFC Champions, having beat the New York Jets and now wait for the winner of the Saints - Vikings game as their challengers in Super Bowl XLIV in Miami. The way the Colts earned their second trip to the Super Bowl in three years was with a strong defense to go with their quick-strike offense, as they marched back from 11 points down in the first half of the game. The Colts held the NY Jets , the NFL rushing leader, to an average of under three yards per carry. But it was a story of Quarterback Peyton Manning. After solving the riddle of the Jets overload blitz by using "three-and-one formations" and taking advantage of key Jets defensive losses, the Colts' Manning threw for 377 yards, and was 26 for 39 and three touchdowns for a passer rating of 123.55. The key was his rookie receivers: Pierre Garcon and Austin Colley. They combined for 274 yards receiving and two touchdowns. As successful as the Colts were, it didn't start out well. The NY Jets came out to a 17-6 lead with a mix of power running and play-action passing. Mark Sanchez didn't look like the rookie he was here at the 2009 NFL Draft: His success is a tribute not just to his New York Jets coaches, but to former-USC Coach Pete Carroll and his staff where Sanchez was signal-caller in college. Sanchez was well-prepared for the systems and speed of the NFL. Sanchez' advance to the AFC Championship game as a rookie will not be the rare happening it has been in the past. But that will come in the future. Today is the Colts day. More on how the Colts did it later.