Super Week: Day 5

With my school class schedule done for the week, I can now officially concentrate 100 percent on this game as opposed to the 85 percent my brain was following it earlier in the week. Because of that, these special teams and coaching Big Game Breakdown’s are going to be better then anything you have ever read.


Often times when media members can’t figure out who will win a football game, they look at the special teams and try to draw a conclusion. And since this game looks like it will be tight one, evaluating the third phase is going to be key.

The Colts are far from weak in this area. Their return man, Terrence Wilkins, averaged almost 25 yards per kick return, ten yards per punt return and even brought one back for a score this year. Wilkins is a veteran player who won’t make any serious mistakes returning both kicks and punts. Punter Hunter Smith (Maybe the most red-necked name ever) is a solid player. His punting average was almost 45 yards and he knocked 14 kicks inside the opponents’ 20-yard line. And kicker Adam Vinatieri has a spot in Canton waiting for him five years after he hangs up the cleats. This season Vinatieri is 25 for 28 and in his four previous Super Bowls he has kicked game-winners in two of them. But the Colts do have a special teams weakness, and that is kick coverage. In the AFC Championship game versus the Patriots, New England return man Ellis Hobbes returned six kicks for an outstanding 220 yards, over 36 yard per kick return.

That is where the Bears have the biggest advantage in the entire game. Devin Hester AKA The Windy City Flyer, is the biggest game-breaker in the Super Bowl. The rookie returner, who set an NFL record this year with six touchdown returns in the league (three punts, two kickoffs and one field goal), is going to make Indianapolis pay if they again forget how to tackle. The rest of the Bears special teams isn’t too shabby either. Kicker Robbie Gould won the Seattle divisional round playoff game with a field goal and punter Brad Maynard deserves a lot of credit for winning the NFC Title game against the Saints by booting a punt inside the New Orleans five, which eventually resulted into the game-winning safety. On coverage, the Bears are very fast and have the NFC Pro Bowl flyer in Brendon Ayanbadejo.


Advantage: Bears
While the kickers and punters are essentially a draw, I think the Bears have a huge advantage in returns and coverage. Hester has been playing poor in the playoffs thus far, but I think a lot of that has to do with a wet football and horrible footing in Soldier Field. (Not to mention rookie playoff nerves). He will be more comfortable in his hometown of Miami and the field and ball will be dry. I expect him to make some big plays in the return game.


As for coaching, I think it’s pretty silly to debate this. Colts head man Tony Dungy and Bears leader Lovie Smith worked together in Tampa Bay when Dungy was in charge and Smith was the linebacker coach. They run the same defense, are both quiet, intelligent guys and each of them have a great amount of respect for the other.

Advantage: Colts
I’ll give this one to Indy because Dungy has been a coacher longer, he taught Smith most of what he knows and actually played in a Super Bowl as a player. But I really don’t think coaching is going to be what affects the outcome of this game.