Historical perspective
Aiming for the winning trifecta
Peyton Manning has a chance to do what only five other quarterbacks have done: Win the league MVP, the Super Bowl and the Super Bowl MVP all in the same season.
Twenty one players have won a league MVP and played in the Super Bowl that season. But only 11 have even walked away victorious in the ultimate game. And, in a bad trend for Manning, the last four league MVPs have lost the Super Bowl.
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When Manning’s Colts won the Super Bowl after the 2006 season, he was named the game’s MVP. However, San Diego’s LaDainian Tomlinson was the league MVP that season.
The only players to accomplish the trifecta? Green Bay’s Bart Starr (1966), Pittsburgh’s Terry Bradshaw (1978), San Francisco’s Joe Montana (1989), San Francisco’s Steve Young (1994) and St. Louis’ Kurt Warner (1999).
Given the state of the Colts’ rushing attack, and with end Dwight Freeney hobbled by a badly sprained ankle, Manning’s arm will be the reason Indianapolis wins. That is, if they win.
Expert’s take: Defenses
“If you show pressure, you better show it til the ball is snapped and then be athletic enough to get back to your responsibility. The key is the pre-snap disguise. Don’t get nervous or panic and start moving around. Peyton can read how your feet are positioned and how you’re leaning in your stance.”
– Former Redskins safety Matt Bowen
Position battle
Saints’ pass offense vs. Colts’ pass defense
Perhaps the most interesting battle will occur between Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning and Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.
With Manning, it’s about his audibles — fake and real. With Williams, it’s all about disguising intentions. Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell said he expects Williams to play more conservatively than anticipated, simply to protect his corners. But he’ll also have to try and keep Manning guessing.
Manning and Williams will play chicken with the play clock. Manning must get in and out of the huddle fast, change the snap count often and use a lot of hard counts.
“He’ll mix it up to make them show their [coverages] early,” Campbell said.
The Saints must know how much time the ball is typically snapped after Manning puts his hands under center. If, for example, it’s usually six seconds, the players will count down in their heads until around one second and then get to where they’re supposed to be.
Did you know?
New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is known for his aggressive defenses. But, as Redskins fans can attest, that does not always result in turnovers. It has this season as New Orleans was second in creating turnovers with 41, including a league-best 26 interceptions. However, in four seasons with Washington, his defenses averaged 22 1/2 turnovers. During his three seasons as the head coach in Buffalo, his defenses averaged 24 turnovers. And, last season with Jacksonville, his defense caused 24. Part of the difference is that he’s even more aggressive with this defense because they don’t stop teams if they don’t cause turnovers.
