Super Bowl Diary: Colts-Saints First Half

The older I get, the better I get at avoiding Super Hype. Sure, I've thought about the game, worked out different scenarios for my gambling pick, and made sure that my schedule was clear to give the game my usual too much attention. But the television did not go on until 6:15pm EST, and the Lemur got a World Wide Miss from me this year. As it should. The simple fact of the matter is that I don't give a fig about how this is a national holiday now, or how Troops Watch It, or how much the national anthem singer and a children's choir loves America. I'm here to watch football, be continually amazed and appalled by the American advertising industry, and see how the season ends. I'd watch it with any two teams, any circumstance, for the rest of my life. The rest, you can have, including and especially the flyover by jets. I'm loads of fun at parties.

I'm a big fan of the special coin, aren't you? Let's buy that thing. And kudos to Emmit Smith for being the first man to fail tossing a coin. The NFC wins the toss, as always, and lives are ruined in the wagering. Saints KR Courtney Roby takes it to the 23 as the cameras follow Colts DE Dwight Freeny on to the field - shocking! A dive by RB Pierre Thomas for two is followed by a flat route to him for another five as Brees wiggles for time. Third and two is a long ball to WR Robert Mecham that sails high; notable as well is that Freeney was on the sidelines for it. The punt by Thomas Morstead goes to the Colt 27 with no return, as the gunner makes the play.

The crowd is clearly behind the Saints as the Colts take the field. Manning from the gun Does Not Care, and he hits TE Dallas Clark for 15. A give to RB Joseph Addai gets a couple. From the gun on second, Manning has time and hits Addai in stride, by CB Roman Harper nails him for just a four yard gain. With the ball just past midfield on third, Manning from the gun hits Clark for a quick first and seven yards, and Surgery Has Begun.. but the defense shows signs of life on first, getting pressure and a hand on a ball to Clark for an incomplete. On second against a corner blitz, Garcon can get just three on a bubble screen. Third down is a field goal down, and from the gun, Manning finds third WR Austin Collie despite backpedaling, and the ball is Perfect Yet Again. Big play.

From the Saints 25 now, Addai goes for three. The first flag is a false start, pushing it back to 2nd and 12. From the gun, the Saints bring just three again, and Manning settles for Addai for seven. From no huddle on third, Manning adjusts at the line and hits Garcon on the hand on a slant, but the WR can't bring it in. Colts PK Matt Stover connects from 38, and take a 3-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. The Colts QB looks unconscionably sharp, really.

Roby puts it on the ground but gets bailed out by special teams player Chris Rees, and the Saints start at their own 27. The replay shows no fumble. On first, the Colt coverage knocks down a short one to RB Thomas, then wraps up WR Marques Colston on a slant for four. On third, Brees finds Bush on a well executed screen, as the QB threads the needle and the RB moves it all the way out to the Saint 46. The USC product takes it again on first for three, and then Colston makes a huge mistake on an open throw past the sticks. Ouch. The Colts break up a third down pass to Colston as well, and that drop is now worth three points in my estimation. Roby downs a great Morstead punt at the Colt 4.

Manning gets room to operate immediately on a first down screen to RB Donald Brown, who goes for 11. He tries Brown again on first as the protection starts to break down, but the RB can't make the catch. On second, Manning checks down to Addai, who finds a big hole and moves the sticks to the Colt 31. On pressure on first, Manning throws it away. On second, the adjustment is again to Addai on a draw, and the RB gets 12 and the first as WR Reggie Wayne makes a big block near the end of the run. Manning rewards the WR with a quick out for 5, and the Colts now have over 100 yards in offense. A run gets four, and third and one is a give to Addai where the Saint defense whiffs all over; a nifty run by the RB, but S Darren Sharper is supposed to be better than that. It goes for 26.

First down is the first off throw of the day for Manning, who misses an out. Brown rumbles for four, and the hurry up on third and six from the gun is a perfect throw to Garcon in the end zone for the touchdown. The WR got instant clearance, and Manning hits him in stride to cap the 96-yard drive. Wow. Colts 10, Saints 0, and we're in Bad Game Territory soon, since 10 points is the largest Super deficit that has ever been overcome...

Roby takes it back past the 20, but a hold backs them up, RB Mike Bell for four before the gun, and that's the end of the first quarter. On second, Colston starts to make amends with a nice catch into very tight coverage for the first. Bush with a good hole and burst for eight, then gets a yard and a late hit flag to move the sticks; bit of a ticky tack call, since it's not like the RB isn't trying to reach forward and get extra yards. RB Thomas breaks two tackles on a flat route to get nine, then breaks a tackle in the backfield to get the first. Saints with a pulse here, and not a minute too soon. From the gun, it's Brees to Colston in the zone for a first as Freeney looks tolerable. RB Thomas to the left gets a yard. On second, Brees ducks DE Robert Mathis to find WR Devery Henderson short for six yards. Third and three is a big deal, and Brees from the gun is met with violence by Freeney, who destroys the tackle and arm whips Brees for the sack. Saints PK Garrett Hartley nails the 46 yard field goal with distance to spare, and it's a 10-3 game.

Colts KR Chad Simpson gets it back to the Colts 23. The Saints defense should be fresh and motivated now, but Manning Does Not Care, and takes Addai for nin on a screen. On second, Addai is devoured by LB Jonathan Vilma for a three yard loss, and that's the first time the Colts OL looked bad. On third and four, Manning stands in against pressure to hit Garcon on the hands, but the WR drops a big throw, as he had room to run. Bush fields a 44-yard punt on a fair catch, and it's not for nothing that Garcon has come up small on two third-down throws tonight. The QB has been flawless, but the WRs have not.

From the 28, Brees misses TE Jeremey Shockey high, and Colts DB Antoine Bethea nearly has the pick. Brees has time but no one deep that he wants, and takes RB Thomas for seven on a nifty little curl into double coverage. On third, Brees goes to Colston for 13, as the tall WR makes a nice play. Bush gets a yard on first, then Brees leads Shockey a lttle too much to allow for RAC, but he gets seven to set up a short third down. Nearing field goal range, it's an easy conversion to WR Lance Moore, who picks up 21 on blown coverage and making the first man miss. Saints in field goal range.

An end-around to Henderson is a bad call that's badly executed, and a seven yard loss on a nice play by Bethea. Blown coverage again leaves Colston open in the middle, and the WR nearly gets in afer a spin. Big answer here by NO, and from the three, it's Moore in the flat for no gain as the Saints shy away from a power formation. On second, the Saints make things harder on themselves with a false start. A give to RB Thomas works well, and he's stopped just shy of the end zone. On third and goal from the one, the two minute warning sounds. Bell falls on a run to the right for a yard loss, and the Colts call time with 1:55 let. Something of a big play, that. On fourth and goal from the two now, Saints coach Sean Payton goes full balls out and goes for it, and Thomas is stopped cold by LB Gary Brackett for a massive, massive play. I hope you didn't get the over. Wow.

With 1:49 left from his own 1, the Colts give to Hart for four, and I wonder if the field position will keep the Colts conservative. Addai gets it to the 11 as the clock goes under a minute, and the Colts seem happy to let it run. The Saints call time with 51 seconds left and a third and one, then the Saints stop Hart on a FB dive, and I question the Colt play-calling there. The Saints call time with 46 seconds left, leaving him with one timeout left. Colt P Pat McAfee's punt is low, but Bush's return doesn't go far. With 35 seconds left, the Saints need 20 yards to get their figgie back.

Fromt he gun, Brees hits Henderson for 20 down the middle, then spike it fast with 20 seconds left and the timeout still in pocket. Brees good all over on that. From the gun again, Brees hits Henderson, but the WR can't get out of bounds, and that's the final Saint timeout. Oddly, the Saints go for it on third and four, and it winds up taking six seconds and one yard to Bush. Could have easily been a holding call there on the offense. Hartley hits from 44, and that's the half; a tale of two very different quarters. Colts 10, Saints 6, and Indy will get the ball to start the second half.