New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, center top, reacts after the NFL Super Bowl XLIV football game against the Indianapolis Colts in Miami, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010. The Saints beat the Colts 31-17.
(AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
After watching the Super Bowl and letting the excitement of it sink in, I think about what the New Orleans Saints and their amazing championship run could do for the 49ers. The Saints obviously have a lot more talent than the San Francisco 49ers, but it was just amazing to see them put together such an amazing game.
The mastermind of the Saints is head coach Sean Payton. With the Saints down 10-0 early in the game, Payton threw up a new aggressive approach to keep the Colts off-balanced.
The 4th down call at the goal line and the onside kick to start the second half has to be two of the gutsiest calls in Super Bowl history. Payton's gambles were all apart of the attitude that elevated the Saints to the championship.
49ers head coach Mike Singletary has shown flashes of such aggressive playcalling. A few times in this past season we have seen the 49ers attempt to convert 4th downs for scores. There have been some success in those instances. And if the 49ers went for an onside kick to start the second half of a game, I wouldn't be too surprise.
The difference between the Saints and the 49ers in these situations is that the Saints have that killer instinct for it. The 49ers seem to have tasted it; but just have not yet embraced it.
For the Saints, they run on high-octane all the time with Payton in the driver seat. There wasn't a conservative approach in the Saints' effort to overcome their early deficit. What we saw was a team that was ran towards the finish line without slowing down. And if the offense were to stumble, there is a tremendous amount of confidence in the defense to pick up the slack.
If the 49ers could find that sort of approach, they will be a better team. This past season, it took a while before the team found an identity in the offense. And in games in which the team trailed early, the 49ers playcalling at times were way too conservative. We weren't sure as to what kind of attack the 49ers would bring out every game.
I'm not saying the 49ers are one attitude change away from being world champions. The 49ers are a long ways away from anything close to that. They still need to find consistency, continuity and the right players to make it happen.
But what we've learned from the Saints is simple: Don't be afraid to be aggressive and seize the win.
If the 49ers could grab a little bit more of that for next season, in time they can make huge waves in the playoffs. And with the right players, it could happen sooner than later. That's what I saw in the Super Bowl and that's what I hope for the 49ers.
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Some other thoughts on the Super Bowl:
- The 2-point conversion should have been ruled incomplete. According to NFL rules, if a player makes a second effort to secure the ball, he must maintain possession all the way until his body stops moving. In the case for Lance Moore, his body was still sliding on the grass when the ball was knocked out of his hands. I initially thought that the play should have been ruled as a completed pass. But if this play by Louis Murphy is an incomplete, then the NFL has to maintain consistency on their calls.
- The NFC has now won 13 straight opening coin tosses. And with the win, the Saints become the sixth straight team wearing white jerseys to win the Super Bowl.
- Jim Nantz is not an announcer I enjoy much. Most announcers will mention ball placements on the field immediately after plays and giving the audience the amount of yards gained per play. Nantz rarely did any of that.
- I love The Who. They are one of my favorite bands. The stage looked awesome and the songs they chose were great. However, I wished that they could have added more excitement to the show.
- The only commercials that stood out to me was the young boy protecting his Doritos from his mom's new boyfriend. And I did enjoy the Mr. Burns Coca-Cola spot. Other that, commercials were not all that interesting this year.
- Three years ago when the Colts won the Super Bowl in Miami, the Saints were one win away from meeting the Colts in the Super Bowl. The Saints lost to the Bears in the NFC Championship game.
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