Go Colts!...........(?)

Despite the six hour time difference and the fact that it didn't finish until three am, I stayed up last night to watch my Indianapolis Colts beat the living stink out of Drew Brees and the 'Aints.

Except it didn't quite work out like that.

In the space of one quarter Peyton Manning and the Colts effectively managed to stamp their mark on a clearly inferior and more nervous team. They passed the ball at will, ran Joseph Addai up the middle for some huge gains - including his longest run of the season, and put up a first quarter lead of ten points - something that had only ever once been surmounted once before in Superbowl history.

And then they went to Disneyland.

For the next three quarters they were run ragged by the Saints in all sections of the game. The Saints had the better quarterback, the better running back, the better defence and the better coach. Sean Payton played a much better game tactically than Jim Caldwell and his team executed much better. The onside kick to start the second half was a prime example of a tactic which caught the Colts unaware and which they turned into points.

And just when you thought Manning and his team were going to engineer their eighth come-from-behind win of the season the Saints come away with an interception returned for a touchdown.

In reality the game was much closer than the final score suggested. As with a lot of games between two good teams the difference came down to two or three plays. The onside kick was one. The interception was another. A number of third down conversions for the Colts were negated by drops when they were needed and overall the Saints deserved to win this and the Colts didn't

I'm not too concerned, though. Even thought Colts are my team I am also a Purdue fan and Brees - who I watched when he QB'd the Boilermakers back in the day - was a worthy winner of MVP and the first New Orleans Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.

It bodes well for next season.