The Dignity Bowl – Superbowl

It’s taken two weeks of hype, ignoring a Pro Bowl that no one cares about, and way too much worrying about Dwight Freeney’s ankle. It’s finally here, the Dignity Bowl finale. Oh yeah, it’s also the Superbowl.

Every angle has been dissected, every fan is having a nervous breakdown (myself included) and the party food has been prepared.

So who’s going to win? We’ve got a variety of opinions

The Line:  New Orleans @ Indianapolis -4.5

Ryan’s Perspective

The Saints have the most balanced, well-designed offense the Colts have played all year. The passing offense is better than the Patriots aerial attack that moved the ball on the Colts all game. The Saints running offense is the most efficient in the league. The Saints will move the ball, and the Colts will do their best to limit big plays with safety coverage over the top. The Saints play action is the biggest threat.

Freeney will play, he’s a gamer. If the Colts are smart, they’ll put him in only on 3rd and long in order to limit his exposure on run plays.

If the Colts gave up 17 points to the Jets, then the Saints could score 34 easily.

On the other side of the ball, I can’t believe how many analysts are talking about Gregg Williams’ defensive gameplanning like it’s the solution to every NFL offense. For starters, the Vikings scored 28 points and racked up 31 first downs despite having 5 turnovers. The turnovers were dumb, not necessarily great plays by the defense.

The Colts put up 30 points on the Jets defense, which was the best in the league, by a mile. Peyton Manning is better than Brett Favre and the Colts receivers are better than the Vikes group. The Saints will likely put Greer on Garcon and double Reggie Wayne with a corner and a safety. That leaves a lot of room for Austin Collie and Dallas Clark to operate over the middle and Manning will find them.

The Saints defence is also susceptible to the run, especially up the middle. The Colts on the other hand, are not a great running team, but their strength is up the middle. This could provide Manning with a great play-changing option at the line when the Saints are in a deep zone.

The Colts could score 40 if the offense continues to roll the way it has throughout the playoffs.

Overall, I think the Saints are easily the toughest matchup all year for the Colts because Brees and the Saints offense will force Manning to be perfect in order to keep pace. That said, Peyton is playing for a spot in history and has looked as unstoppable as any player in recent memory. Momentum matters.

I’ll take the Colts despite giving up 4.5 points. In case of a tiebreaker, my prediction for total points is 60.

Pete’s Perspective

Well, here we are. I have the Dignity Bowl all wrapped up. I knew I would be in this position when we started. I knew I would easily handle my end of the bargain while the other SO contributors would struggle to keep up with their mothers. Yes, their own mothers!

While I will be cheering on my pick in the Super Bowl, I will be cheering even more loudly for Marty and Ryan to lose.

As for my selection, I predict that Peyton will lift the Lombardi trophy for the second time in his illustrious career. On Super Bowl Sunday, we will watch Peyton ruthlessly dissect the Saints’ defense while controlling the clock and keeping Brees and his four receiver sets off the field.

The last time Peyton won the Super Bowl, they had a great passing attack, a good running game and a suspect defense. It was this defense that led many experts to write off the Colts. This year, the Colts are once again led by a great passing attack and a more balancing running game. This time around, the one glaring difference is that despite missing some key players to injuries; the Colts defense looks much more complex and solid. The Saints will find it hard to run against the Colts and the Saints will have to rely on the pass.

We know the Colts will score on the Saints. What remains to be seen is how the Colts defensive backs will fair against the speedy receivers and the strong arm of Brees and the Saints. I believe Peyton eating up the clock will minimize the amount of possessions that Brees, Bush & Colston will get.

The game could be lower scoring than many believe. This is why I feel that the 4.5-point spread is a little bit too large however I feel that if the Colts can score early, the spread can be covered.

Sorry New Orleans. I know you took a beating and many will be cheering for you for all that hurricane Katrina put you through however the reality is, Peyton is the best quarterback of a generation.

I will take the Colts and give up 4.5 points to the sentimental favorite Saints.

More importantly, I look forward to be crowned Dignity Bowl Champion for 2010.

Marty’s Perspective

Here is what it comes down to: I am really cheering for New Orleans. I will be wearing my Brees jersey, and cheering hard. But the fact is that Peyton Manning is playing at the top of his game, and has been carving up defences like nobody’s business. The only way the Saints really take this one handily is if Curtis Painter has to make an unscheduled appearance.

Go Saints, But I will take the Colts -4.5

The Mom’s Perspective

Kim – I really like the city of New Orelans and where are the Colts from again? Oh yeah, Indianapolis, I don’t like it there. I want to pick the opposite of Ryan, so I’ll take New Orleans. (after much mumbling of numbers and addition) And I’ll take 55 points total.

Maria – You know the Colts are going to win right? So I’ll take the Saints. I’ve supported the Colts all along but I know the rest of you are going to pick the Colts, so I’ll take the Saints.

Norma

Norma: I will take the Colts -4.5. I am very confident in this pick.
Marty: ‘What are you taking for the tiebreaker?’
Norma: ‘Tiebreaker?’
Marty: ‘Yeah....total point...I am taking 50.’
Norma: ‘What does that mean?’
Marty: ‘Really? It’s the total of both teams points put together.’
Norma: ‘........’
Marty: ‘So I said it’s going to be 50. I think the final score will be something like 27-23. 27 + 23 = 50.’

Norma: ‘oh...ok...I get it...I think. I will take.....45...?’

Marty: ‘ok.

Final Words

Here is a summary of our picks.

Enjoy the game, enjoy the commercials, eat your face off and hopefully we’ll be toasting another Colts Superbowl by late Sunday night.

Many of the stats in this article are derived from the publicly available and premium database statistics at FootballOutsiders.com, NFL.com and ColdHardFootballFacts.com