Who dat?!  Who dat?!  Who dat there gonna be them Saints?!?!

A week ago, Tony Dungy was dat, claiming the team he coached from 2002-2008, the Indianapolis Colts, would easily dispatch of New Orleans in Super Bowl  XLIV.  If you ask me, this is the prime example of an NFL coach/player that hasn’t yet displaced his ties to his former team after converting to a TV analyst position.  The comment, when reported by ESPN, almost came off as smug, which is far from what we have come to expect from Mr. Dungy, who is normally spot-on with his analysis during his Football Night in America segments.  Chalk it up to Dungy’s love for the Colts organization, or Peyton Manning himself, but it was a bad call by a guy who normally is very elaborate and concise in what he says.  It goes to show that in football, whenever you find yourself thinking “there’s no way (insert team name here) is going to lose this game,” there’s a good chance that’s exactly what will happen.

Bold decisions like the 2nd half-opening onside kick brought New Orleans their first ever Super Bowl and gave the city a much-needed reason to celebrate

Not to say this game was a monumental upset by any stretch of the imagination, but the story seems a little too surreal even now that it’s over.  Just a few years ago, New Orleans was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, people were without homes, food, and many even lost their lives.  After things started clearing up, the city began rallying around their sports teams (specifically the New Orleans Hornets, and obviously the Saints) to help rebuild not only the region in which they lived, but their faith and belief that better days were on the horizon.  As minuscule as sports may seem to be in the grand scheme of life and death, it truly is amazing to see a team like the Saints win a championship, and how much that win transcends into a community that deserves it more than any other.  Soak it in, New Orleans.  I’m sure Mardi Gras has started early this year, and probably won’t end until half the city is passed out in the street, face down, wondering “Who dat there gonna clean this mess?”

As for the game itself, as most TV personalities have pointed out already, it came down to which team wanted it more.  The Saints played that game as if their lives depended on it.  They were clearly trying to win the game by any means necessary, whereas the Colts chose to play their usual, overly conservative game plan.  It’s the same way the Colts scoffed at the notion of going undefeated throughout the entire season by pulling their starters during Week 16 in a game they were winning in the 3^rd quarter.  The excuse Colts coach Jim Caldwell gave was that the team’s primary goal was to win the Super Bowl, not go undefeated.  If that was the case, why hold on to such a risk-less game plan when it mattered most?  Why hand the ball off 3 times, go 3 and out, and give the Saints another chance at a field goal before the end of the 1^st half when they already missed one less than a minute earlier?  Peyton Manning is supposed to be your money maker out there, and with a limited amount of time on the clock in your opponent’s territory, the last thing a coach should be thinking about is playing conservative.  Sure, you’re up by 7 points, but just because you think playing conservative is the way to go doesn’t mean the opposing team is the same way.  New Orleans coach Sean Payton is about as liberal when it comes to play-calling as Lady Gaga is with her red carpet outfits.  Going for a TD on 4^th and goal on the 2 instead of taking the easy 3 points, and an onside kick to open the second half are two of the ballsiest plays you will EVER see a coach make in any sort of do-or-die sporting event.  If either of those plays go bad, Sean Payton is the goat of that game.  Turns out, he’s the hero.

And speaking of heroes, it’s high time I debut a new weekly portion of this column:  the “Who Let The Dogs Out” Awards, which is split into a Best of Week (or BOW) and Worst of Week (WOW).

This week’s BOW award goes to none other than the patron saint of New Orleans, the man who single handedly turned this once dead-in-the-water football franchise into a winner, and the man who has unapologetically been my favorite football player since 2005 … Drew “Cool” Brees.  This was a guy that the San Diego Chargers left for dead after he dislocated his shoulder in the last game of the season, and New Orleans was the only team willing to take a chance on him.  To say it paid off is an understatement, but lest not forget he had turned the San Diego Chargers into a contender as well before they felt handing the reigns over to Phillip Rivers was the way to go.  Call it what you will, but I believe if Brees were still a Charger, this week’s parade would be going down in San Diego.  He’s that good, folks, and the world has only caught a glimpse of what his lasting legacy will be.

This week’s WOW award, sadly, goes to Hank “Just Throw It In The” Baskett of the Indianapolis Colts.  Now, TMZ would lead you to believe Baskett’s mishandling of the Saints’ onside kick to open the 2^nd half was the sole reason Indy lost the game, but that notion is preposterous, and that should go without saying.  Nevertheless, Baskett is probably better known for being married to former Playboy playmate Kendra Wilkinson than for anything he’s done on a football field.  Knowing this is what should have driven old Hanky boy to pounce on that ball with a little more authority when it was kicked to him, considering he’s 4^th string and only plays during special teams.  Alas, the ball took an appropriate bounce off his face mask and right into the hands of the other team.  Meanwhile, Kim Kardashian was smiling somewhere while admiring her fingernail paint.

OK, time to address some non-Super Bowl related events that went down this weekend …

UFC 109

Look, I’m as big an MMA fan as the next guy, but this card on paper was not worth watching, let alone purchasing.  More power to anyone who did, but when the main event consists of 2 guys whose combined age equals 90, I have to pass.  I still managed to make some predictions that I did horrible on, but all in all, UFC either needs to start stepping up their lineups, or making these pay-per-views a little sparse.  The luster for these events has faded in the past few months because, A.) too many fighters have gotten injured before their big fights, thus having to pull out of the scheduled bout, or B.) no one is interested in main events that have no build-up or back story.  Feuds are what drive any sort of combat sport — it’s why heavyweight boxing hasn’t been relevant since Holyfield/Tyson; why pro-wrestling has writers to formulate rivalries; and why MMA fans are salivating at the mouth for Rashad Evans and Rampage Jackson to finally settle the score they built up during a post-fight trash talk session at UFC 96, roughly a year ago.  Thankfully, the next few UFC cards coming up look very promising, and I’ll get into more of that next week.

Tiger Woods

Word has it that Tiger has been released from sex rehab and may be considering a return to golf in the near future.  All I have to say is the sooner, the better.  The media has stockpiled as many elements to this story as possible, and in the end, Tiger’s wife Elin is still with him.  Clearly, if she’s willing to let all of this fall by the wayside, the rest of the free world needs to do the same.  I had enough of this story after the first week.  Now it’s like watching one of those gruesome death scenes in a Saw flick, where it’s been established the murder victim is already dead, but they continue to scream as more bones are being disfigured and blood is gushing every which direction possible.  The straight-laced, do-good persona of Tiger Woods is dead and gone.  Let him get back to what made him famous in the first place, because last time I checked, he wasn’t famous for claiming he was a devout husband or even celibate.  The man is the highest-paid athlete in the world … I think I’d be more surprised to find out he wasn’t a freak than the opposite.  Hell, who is not a freak these days?  Everyone goes through a promiscuous phase in their lifetime, and those who don’t either can’t get any, or do a damn good job of hiding it.  Michael Jackson said it best:  “When they ask why?  Why?  Tell them that it’s human nature.”

Now, a few random thoughts before I call it a wrap …

• I was originally excited when The Who was announced as the Super Bowl Halftime show, but as they came on, I realized I was the only fan of theirs at my girlfriend’s mom’s house, and one of only 3 people who even knew who they were.  On top of that, Roger Daltrey’s voice was shot the entire performance.  I think the NFL needs to get over the whole Janet Jackson wardrobe malfunction and get back to having up-to-date musical acts take the stage during the nation’s biggest sporting event.  Something tells me we won’t be seeing Taylor Swift’s nipple any time soon, and the league should take note of this.
• Peyton Manning left the field without shaking the hands of any Saints players, claiming he wanted to give them their time to celebrate and enjoy the moment.  I guess I believe him since he’s usually a class act, but it still looks bad no matter what the circumstances.  If you’re the star player of the losing team, you ALWAYS at least shake the hand of the opposing star player or coach.  Leaving without doing either of those just makes you look like a sore loser, and we all know Peyton isn’t that.  At least that’s what I’d like to believe…
• Only 11 fans showed up at the Indianapolis airport to welcome the Colts home.  11 fans?  Are you serious?  I know it’s snowing and cold out there, but come on, Indy fans!  What if they won? How many of you would have showed up then?  You guys are better than that!

Well, that does it for me this time around.  I’ll squeeze in another column before the NBA All-Star weekend where I’ll address the Lakers chances of winning this year with Kobe’s array of injuries, among other topics.  Until then, I’m going to try and stay as dry as possible in this L.A. stormy weather.  Brotha Ahmed signing out.

2