Super Bowl Live Blog!

Random in-game thoughts from our resident 12-year-old football analyst:

Saints win the the toss. Now they have to punt.

It's hard to root against Peyton Manning, but it's also hard to root against the Saints. So I'm not sure.

It appears Dwight Freeney is playing, which is good, because now people won't talk about it anymore.

Dallas Clark makes a 15-yard catch for an Indy first down.

So the Colts got a field goal, and the Saints defense looked very bad. They have a lot of work to do if they want to stop the Colts' offense.

Saints fumble on the kickoff, but recover, and since there's a commercial break I think that's the end of this update.

The Saints had to punt, and their defense is once again being completely and totally inept, this time in stopping the running game. Also, I just did some drumming. I'm hoping that the Colts will be held to a field goal so that New Orleans has a chance to win the game.

Well, Pierre Garçon catches a touchdown pass, and I'm worried the Saints are going to be too demoralized to win.

Confirming my suspicions that the Saints would have trouble winning: apparently the largest comeback in Super Bowl history is ten points.

As the Saints get a field goal, I note that the motivation for Dwight Freeney's probably came from what Gregg Williams said about giving Peyton Manning some "remember me" hits. Freeney just applied it to Drew Brees.

It looks like the Saints are going to get points on this drive, which is good for their sake. That was a great pass downfield by Drew Brees... but the reverse afterward was a huge loss, so they are going to have to get their momentum back if they want a touchdown.

And so the Saints get a deep pass inside the five yard line. But a pass for no gain on first and goal and a false start call kill their momentum.

And since the Saints have been stopped on fourth down, they give Peyton Manning the ball with two minutes left, which is never a good idea, as has been evidenced by other drives earlier in the playoffs.

It looks like the Saints are going to narrow their deficit to four, which will help their morale going into the half.

Halftime. The Colts were superior at the beginning; New Orleans started to overtake them, but that fourth and goal derailed a pretty good drive.

SECOND HALF

[The onside kick] was a nice move, and the Indianapolis kickoff team just didn't know what they were doing. So the Saints have good field position.

Pierre Thomas continues to have a big impact on the game, and New Orleans scores. I actually saw a thing on ESPN this morning comparing who would have the better game, Pierre Thomas or Pierre Garçon, and so far they've both scored touchdowns, and they've been among the top performers for their respective teams.

I missed the last Indianapolis touchdown, but it'll definitely help their cause to finally have an offensive explosion.

The Saints can't let the Colts keep the ball for much longer. If they score a touchdown, that makes the situation much more difficult. If they get a field goal, that's fine, but still not good.

Indianapolis went for it on fourth down and succeeded, but Matt Stover missed the field goal, so the Saints get the ball with lots of time.

The Saints got a great touchdown drive, but they just barely missed the two-point conversion, which is very advantageous for the Colts.

Seeing the replay, it really looks like it's in the end zone. AND IT'S REVERSED!

I had no idea that interception was coming, but it looks like that's the end of the game for the Colts.

I think the MVP of the Super Bowl is going to be Drew Brees. He should complete one more pass so he can get the record.

The Colts have a very slim chance, but for some reason I doubt they're going to be able to recover the onside kick -- if they score a touchdown, that is.

And Manning throws an incompletion on fourth down.

It's great that the Saints finally got a Super Bowl win, although you have to feel bad for Peyton.

I voted for Drew Brees to be the MVP.

* * *

TREMENDOUS GAME!

Folks, this concludes our final football blog of the season -- and what a great season it was. We may check in on the NFL draft in April. But until then, for the last time in the 2009 season, here comes the part where Hen gets to type whatever he wants.

This is going to be a great offseason. There are a lot of big-name free agents and rookies.

NFL Interview - It's a Ridiculous Week for the Pro Bowl Edition

Folks, we took a few weeks off there, but really not much has changed. We thought it was going to be a Colts-Saints Super Bowl, and so it is. The Jets' brief Cinderella run? The "can the Cards do it again" talk? The flurry of "Favrvrvrvre returns to the Big Game" hype? All mere digressions on the way to the inevitable.

Which brings me to the first question for our very-soon-to-be-12-year-old football analyst.

How much more interesting would this Super Bowl be if it were, as it looked to be several weeks back, a battle of undefeateds?

Much more interesting. Nonetheless, the matchup is physically the same as it was when both teams were undefeated.

Do you think the Colts erred by resting their starters in the fateful Jets game?

Yeah. Then the Jets would never have gotten into the playoffs at all, and the Texans would have been creamed by the Bengals.

The Jets, the Cowboys, the Vikings... all heavily hyped teams who proved to be flashes in the pan. Which of these teams will be a genuine threat next season?

The Jets have a lot of potential. They and Dallas are both teams on the rise. As for Minnesota, they will, but only if Brett Favre is the starter at quarterback.

Could any team that missed the playoffs have given the Colts or Saints a run for their money? If so, who?

Hmm...not many of them. Perhaps the Steelers.

Which players and coaches impressed you the most during the playoffs?

Darrelle Revis, definitely. He made an amazing pick against San Diego. And another Jet, Rex Ryan. Gotta love that personality. As for the NFC, Reggie Bush proved that he isn't a bust.

Which players were the most shocking tank jobs? Which coaches the biggest dopes?

Chad Ochocinco did absolutely nothing for Cincinnati. Honestly, there were many more good performances than bad ones.

Once again, Favrvrvrvre's "career" "ends" with a devastating interception in a playoff game. Do you think that vacillating, jeans-pimpin' yahoo is finally gone for good?

With Favre, there's no way to know.

If so, what of the Minnesota quarterback situation? Will it be Tarvaris (shudder)?

Him or Rosenfels (double shudder).

Which other teams need to think about new QBs next season?

Rams, Seahawks and perhaps the Bills, although I'm sure many other teams will take quarterbacks in the first few rounds.

Any predictions for the early rounds of the NFL draft?

Well, the first three picks will involve some combination of Ndamukong Suh, Jimmy Clausen, Gerald McCoy, Sam Bradford, Russell Okung and Eric Berry. It's kind of up in the air.

I wanna get your take on Tim Tebow Tim Tebow. Who's gonna get him, and will they let him play quarterback?

If the Jaguars or Redskins get him, he will play quarterback. Others will give him a chance. The rest will make him an H-back.

What do you think of your Raiders' decision to retain Tom Cable as coach?

Well, although he may be a criminal, and the fact that the Raiders could definitely do better, he might be able to help them turn things around.

How do you feel about the shift of the Pro Bowl to the week before the Super Bowl (and your birthday)?

Well, now I can't watch it.

...

No one else seems to like it either, and in 2011 and 2012, it's headed back to Honolulu.

Did you vote for the Pro Bowl? Care to share any of your selections?

A while ago. I can't remember much, but I can tell you that I didn't even vote for every position. Anyway, my picks were fairly normal. I voted for Jairus Byrd, one of my new favorite players. (He was a second-round draft choice and led the AFC in interceptions. He was tied with three others for the league lead.) Unfortunately, he had to drop out due to injury.

Okay, here it comes. Predict the final score of the Super Bowl.

Colts 31, Saints 28. Peyton Manning throws a touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon with thirty seconds left; Drew Brees' pass is batted down by Jacob Lacey on fourth down.

We'll do a final post-S.B. wrap-up blog in two weeks. Until then, here comes the part where Hen gets to type whatever he wants.

Well, actually, I may write on Monday about the Senior Bowl and the Pro Bowl.

But anyway...

Almost every quarterback who was initially invited to the Pro Bowl isn't playing.