Welcome to the newest feature here at Inside Pulse Sports – My Team is Better Than Yours. 2 fans face off on why their team is better than there opposition. Once they make their case, I’ll decide which one is more persuasive and declare the winner.
What better way to kick it off than going to 2 fans of the Super Bowl teams.
First up, IP Movies Danny Cox states his case for his New Orleans Saints:
The New Orleans Saints are in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history and I’m going to mention Hurricane Katrina one time and only one time. Here we go…that horrible natural disaster is NOT the reason the Saints are in the Super Bowl or will it be the reason they will win. My life was incredibly affected by it four and a half years ago, but it is not at all the reason the Saints are playing for the championship. Moving on.
The Saints are in the Super Bowl because Mickey Loomis has used his executive talent behind the scenes to build one of the most talented teams imaginable. The offense has been built and stacked since 2006 when the Saints made their first appearance in an NFC Championship game. It’s taken a couple years now, but the defense got a few missing pieces of the puzzle and while not perfect, it has been greatly improved. Darren Sharper, Will Smith, and Jonathan Vilma are the leaders of a defensive unit that was second during the season in takeaways. A squad that took down three perennial Hall of Fame quarterbacks this season in Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, and Brett Favre. Sure there were a lot of yards given up in the NFC Championships game against the Vikings but five turnovers…FIVE! People are saying that the Saints didn’t deserve to win because the Vikings gave it away? I call that crap because the Saints caused those turnovers and had enough mistakes of their own to not deserve to win…but they did win.
Drew Brees is more then reason enough though for this team to win. He is the leader of this entire team and I’m talking about both sides of the ball. If it were not for Brees then I will easily admit that this team would not be where they are right now. Maybe an 8-8 team with a slight possibility of 9-7, but that is about it. That is nowhere near good enough to make the playoffs in the NFC so from a Super Bowl participant to non-playoff team is where the Saints would be if not for Brees. I’m not saying that the offense isn’t talented, but Brees is the glue that brings all that talent to their best at all times. He knows what to do with the ball and he knows how to make sure that not a single teammate’s skill set is wasted.
Now, IP Sports Warren Paris counters with his team, the Indianapolis Colts:
AFC Champion Colts (16-2) began preparing to play the NFC Champion New Orleans Saints (15-3) in Super Bowl XLIV at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., on February 7.
There is no doubt who the MVP this year was, leading his team to basically a perfect season. In winning his fourth MVP award he returns once again to the Super bowl in Miami, where he and the Colts franchise have won 2/3 championship games.
Manning, who this season was named the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player for a record fourth time, against the Jets Sunday completed 26 of 39 passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. The performance came against not only the NFL’s top-ranked defence, but one that featured a variety of confusing blitzes and attacking schemes. You have 5 plays to stop Manning, that’s all the Jets did, two sacks in the first 5 then Manning created hell for them to play in. The Saints better be planning on getting 5 picks in the first 5 plays because after that it’s going to be a very long game for them. And unlike Brees and many of the Saints, the Colts leaders have experience winning the big game 3 years ago against the Bears, including the oldest player to ever play in the big game; Matt Stover, who will make a big difference seeing as how kickers are hitting 60% of their kicks, while Stover is 100%.
Then you look at their overall receiving core; who can you cover really? When you take out Wayne, the ball goes to Clark; take him out and we’re on to Collie and Garcon, both of whom played great games because they had single coverage against the Jets. The Saints pulled out a close one against the Vikes, but won’t have it as easy this time with Favre throwing basically the game ender.
Manning leads his team to around 365 yards a game with 300 of that in the air, and Addai/Brown running just to use the play action, and even though teams play pass first against the Colts rarely do you see a team stop them other than the rarity of Ed Reed.
Their defense on the other hand is the fifth best in the league and is looking to play as well as they have this postseason allowing 20 points to the very potent offenses and defenses of the Ravens and Jets. Led by Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis, this defense will shut down most offenses on a bad day. They do tend to fall behind a lot but that’s when they get you, most teams run the ball in the second half to limit Manning but only allowing 100 yards a game which is extremely good.
With the Colts having won the last two games vs the Saints including the 2007 season opener 41-10 that had Manning throw for three touchdowns and 31 straight second half points. So there is no question that the Colts aren’t great starters but they’ll find a way to win, including 7 this season.
They are going to have the minority of fans at the game with “America’s team” playing, but believe it or not through the first 15 weeks this season they won 7 games at home while only what… 7 on the road. It doesn’t matter where you play them; just get ready to lose, because out of the last 12 games, the NFC has only won 3. Sure it will be big for the Saints and Louisiana to get the win, but gamblers round the world would lose money, because there’s one thing you don’t do, go against the Colts.
After reading each side, I’m declaring Warren the winner. Manning will be hard to stop, and no matter how good Brees is, he won’t equal Manning. Points to Danny for (mostly) excluding Hurricane Katrina, as that has happened too long ago to make it a feel good story.
If anyone would like to defend their team against a fan of a rival, please e-mail me, post in the forum, or PM me in the forum (wolverine0712). Let me know your teams and which team’s fans you’d like to face off against.
