A lot of things had to go right for the Saints to win last night, and a lot did. They all started with coach Sean Payton and his determined playcalling. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
Drew Brees played a great – if not flawless – game on Sunday, completing his final 10 passes, and throwing only a handful of incompletions while completing a (tied for) Super Bowl record 32 passes. There is little doubt that he was integral to New Orleans’ victory and he definitely deserves his Super Bowl MVP trophy.
But, I think it has to be said that if coaches could be considered, Payton with an A would be in the running. Earlier this season I dropped a ‘play the game for real’ tag on Bill Belichick for his brazen, like he’s just playing Madden where punting/kicking/play calling is unnecesseary, I’ve got to commend Payton for doing the same – and for getting away with it.
Look at the end of the first half where Payton showed guts and belief in his team by going for a (failed) 4th down try for a touchdown to tie the game. The playcall was gutsy, and didn’t work out, but the clock management that followed – waiting for the 1st timeout which ensured the Colts didn’t have time to march down the field and would necessarily just try to run out the clock, which caused their 3 and out, and the resulting pre-half field goal was a thing of beauty. A lot of that was defensive execution and precision passing/clutch kicking, but give Payton and the staff credit for managing the sitaution – at least after the failed 4th down plunge – admirably… even the playcall after spending the last timeout to ensure the clock would run out on the 4th down field goal try was impressive – and it took Stones.
(Take note, there would later be a converted 4th and 2 around midfield that evoked the comment: Somewhere Bill Belichick is rolling in his 2009 football grave).
Then, following the momentum built on the last play of the half the Saints came out at halftime and converted a successful onside kick. Frankly, as much as Porter’s pick 6 or the impressive passing run Brees went on to close this game out, this is the play that won the game. We’re looking at an entirely different ball game if New Orleans throws it deep and Indianapolis marches the field and even knocks in a field goal (an all but foregone conclusion the way they were moving the ball early in this one). The gang at PFT and the players involved agree.
If that kick fails, there is probably public outcry… but, it didn’t. It took guts, and with guts come glory.