Colts Win SB XLI In Disguise
You never know what's going to happen in a big game. Look at Florida throttling Ohio State in the BCS Championship last month. Sure, the Colts beat the Bears to the surprise of just about no one except this blog. The most stunning aspect of Super Bowl XLI was the shocking role-reversal of the two participants.
The Colts thoroughly bullied the badass Bears all game long. They ran the ball like a championship team should--forced game-breaking turnovers--and most amazingly won the game with their big-name superstar quarterback shunning the glory by cooly handing the ball off to Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes. Peyton Manning literally lulled the Bears to a long post-season hibernation with the most prolific time of possession difference in Super Bowl history.
The Colts didn't need Marvin Harrison. Used Reggie Wayne for one important touchdown strike and beat the Bears to the point that their big game kicker, Adam Vinatieri, wasn't needed to pull his team into the win column with three seconds left as he did three times for New England.
In the lead up to the game, one important statistics was overlooked, at least by me, that this was the fourth Super Bowl that a former underling faced his mentor. In the previous three occasions the assistant failed to win. Dungy's win over former lieutenant Lovie Smith was nearly as comprehensive as Tampa's Jon Gruden's thrashing of the Raiders and Bill Callahan in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The Colts are Super Bowl champions for the first time in Indianapolis and the first time for the franchise in 36 years. Can we stopped talking about Manning's ringless fingers in relation to the unnaturally tanned Dan Marino and move onto the next deserving guy. Whomever he is?
The Colts thoroughly bullied the badass Bears all game long. They ran the ball like a championship team should--forced game-breaking turnovers--and most amazingly won the game with their big-name superstar quarterback shunning the glory by cooly handing the ball off to Joseph Addai and Dominic Rhodes. Peyton Manning literally lulled the Bears to a long post-season hibernation with the most prolific time of possession difference in Super Bowl history.
The Colts didn't need Marvin Harrison. Used Reggie Wayne for one important touchdown strike and beat the Bears to the point that their big game kicker, Adam Vinatieri, wasn't needed to pull his team into the win column with three seconds left as he did three times for New England.
In the lead up to the game, one important statistics was overlooked, at least by me, that this was the fourth Super Bowl that a former underling faced his mentor. In the previous three occasions the assistant failed to win. Dungy's win over former lieutenant Lovie Smith was nearly as comprehensive as Tampa's Jon Gruden's thrashing of the Raiders and Bill Callahan in Super Bowl XXXVII.
The Colts are Super Bowl champions for the first time in Indianapolis and the first time for the franchise in 36 years. Can we stopped talking about Manning's ringless fingers in relation to the unnaturally tanned Dan Marino and move onto the next deserving guy. Whomever he is?
Labels: Bears, Colts, Peyton Manning, Super Bowl XLI
