Neither team in this year's Super Bowl is a villain who is easy to root against.
Though I don't personally loathe them, one of last year's Super Bowl participants - the Pittsburgh Steelers - seems to have a number of haters, perhaps because it has won the most Super Bowls of any NFL team. They also have been rated a very popular team and, as a fan of the Dallas Cowboys who have been known - fortunately or unfortunately - as "America's Team," I can tell you that when a team has a lot of fans, it also has a bunch of detractors.
Two years ago, the New England Patriots - everyone's favorite villain - were playing the upstart New York Giants in the Super Bowl. The Patriots had won three Super Bowls in the decade and were going for an undefeated record on the season. Plus, their coach, Bill Belichick, seemed like a generally unpleasant person and their quarterback, Tom Brady, was and still is generally regarded as a pretty boy and a "soft" quarterback. They have been easy to hate for several years now.
It certainly wouldn't be crazy for me to predict that a lot of people across America will be rooting for the New Orleans Saints Sunday. How couldn't you? They are the essence of the underdog in sports - not just in Sunday's game. The team was terrible for a very long time until a run to the NFC title game at the end of the 2006 regular season, when they lost to the Chicago Bears. Only a year before, the lowly Saints recorded a 3-13 record.
And, of course, what the city of New Orleans experienced with Hurricane Katrina makes the Saints the ultimate comeback story. The way the city has rallied around the Saints during the past few years has captured the hearts of Americans everywhere.
I, too, will be pulling for the Saints come Sunday, even though all I really want to see is a good game. The Indianapolis Colts, however, are not an easy team to dislike. Despite all of their recent success - including a Super Bowl victory three years ago - they go about their business very quietly and don't really step on any toes. They don't do much trash-talking and instead let their games do the talking. After defeating the Jets in the AFC title game Jan. 24, Colts quarterback Peyton Manning said something to the effect of, "We kept our mouths shut and took care of our business." Manning was referring to some of the smack-talk in which Jets coach Rex Ryan engaged during the week before the game. The Colts always are in the playoffs and winning games, but I have a hard time rooting against them.
Manning, apart from just seeming like a stand-up guy, is a terrific quarterback - perhaps the best ever - and he put up some great stats this year with some relative unknowns at receiver, including players like Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie. These sorts of players who come out of nowhere to find success on the big stage are often easy to root for. Garcon is from Haiti, and so he has been an easy player for fans to embrace during the playoffs.
If you needed another reason not to root against the Colts, former Virginia tight end Tom Santi is listed on the Indianapolis roster. Santi caught eight passes for 107 yards this season. So although it is certainly easy to root for the Saints, I find it hard to boo the Colts.
Just because I can't cheer against a team Sunday doesn't mean I'm not looking forward to the Super Bowl. Actually, I'm expecting the game to be a fun-to-watch, high-scoring affair. Assuming the Saints have a good defensive game plan - something Manning hasn't seen recently - I expect New Orleans to take an early lead. The Saints will need to score early and often, though, as Manning is sure to figure out their defense before too long, just as he eventually figured out the Jet defense during the AFC title game.
So I expect the Colts to be either in the lead or knocking on the door at the beginning of the fourth quarter, setting up an epic showdown between Manning and Saints quarterback Drew Brees. The Saints, unlike the Jets, have a high-powered offense I expect will be able to hang with the Colts even when Manning begins to hit his stride. Keep in mind, however, that the Colts held the Jets to zero second-half points. The Saints are a whole different animal, and I don't expect the Colts to completely shut them down during the second half, but I think holding the Saints to only a couple of scores during the final 30 minutes could give the Colts some breathing room as the Super Bowl reaches its final few minutes. Of course, a major wild card in all of this is the status of Colt defensive end Dwight Freeney. It appears that if he is able to play, it won't be at full strength. The rush that he provides off the edge for the Colts is a big part of their defensive success. Should he be severely limited, more stress will be on the other Colts' defensive players to step up and make some plays. Otherwise, Indianapolis could find it harder to come-from-behind should New Orleans build a sizeable lead.
But I'm pulling for an epic showdown because who wouldn't want to see two of the game's best quarterbacks air it out in a shootout as time winds down in the biggest game of the year? Final prediction: Colts 38, Saints 31.
And if I'm wrong and the Super Bowl ends up being a dud, hopefully we will be treated to some novel and comical Bud Light "Too Light, Too Heavy" commercials.
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