Super pick

Since 2001, there have only been two Super Bowls that I would consider 'boring'. The Bucs-Raiders game was a snoozer from the start, mainly because Tampa knew what Oakland was doing on offense and there was nothing competitive for the entire 60 minutes. And the Steelers-Seahawks game was a downer, mainly because the refs took too much control of the action. Other than that, the season's final game have ranged from good (Bears-Colts) to great (Patriots-Panthers) to all-time classic (Steelers-Cardinals).

That has me encouraged. I wrote two weeks ago that conference championship games are not as close as they should be. Super Bowls are the opposite. At one point, football was the afterthought to the commercials and hype. Now everybody knows that the game will be still close in the fourth quarter. Add in two explosive offenses, and this Sunday is everything a championship game is supposed to be.

Now there's no doubt the American public sides with the Saints. People love the underdog, and it's hard to find a better underdog than one that was practically drowned by its own government five years ago. To think about what took place during Hurricane Katrina and what the people of New Orleans had to endure, it truly was the lowest of the lows. So it's only fair to see them reach the highest of the highs. Drew Brees, Reggie Bush, Marques Colston, Jeremy Shockey, Pierre Thomas and the rest of the Saints offense can light up a scoreboard like few other groups in NFL history, and the N.O. defense has shown it's talented enough to force turnovers and make stops when needed.

That being said, I'm taking the Colts and not thinking twice about it. I made the mistake of picking Indy to lose both against the Ravens and Jets...how'd that turn out for me? Even if Dwight Freeney doesn't play, it's going to impossible for the Saints to contain Peyton Manning and Co. And while it's guaranteed that #18 will do something that will make jaws drop lower than the Bears' defensive coordinator standards, I see this game playing out a lot like Super Bowl XLI, when the Colts topped the Bears. The Saints defense, especially Darren Sharper, is going to try to limit the big plays. So watch for a lot of quick passes and draws, with Donald Brown taking the Domminic Rhodes role. It's too bad, because it would be cool to see New Orleans win one. But at least it should be a good game.

Colts 33, Saints 28