Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Super Bowl Sunday is a day filled with excitement for football fans all over the world. It is a day that we spend with family and friends watching the two remaining playoff teams trying to reach the pinnacle of their sport. It doesn’t happen every year, but this year we get to watch the two best teams in the NFL when the Peyton Manning led Indianapolis Colts face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

These two teams dominated the 2009 NFL season. The Colts started the season 14-0, and there is a good chance they would have gone undefeated this season had head coach Jim Caldwell not decided that it was more important to rest his stars in order to get ready for the playoffs rather than trying to top the Miami Dolphins’ 17-0 season of 1972. The Saints also had a very good start to the year, as they won their first 13 games of the season before stumbling against the Dallas Cowboys’ in Week 15. These teams were the No. 1 seeds in the AFC and NFC playoffs respectively. They both have explosive offenses and it should make for a very entertaining Super Bowl.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

As we stated in the above paragraph, the Indianapolis Colts had a real chance to go undefeated through the regular season had head coach Jim Caldwell not decided to rest some of his key starters in Weeks 16 and 17 in order to keep them fresh for the playoffs. There were a lot of people questioning Caldwell’s decision at the time, but with Indianapolis heading to the Super Bowl for the second time in four seasons, no one is really questioning him now. Although, there are many of us who believe that they could have played all their starters, gone undefeated in the regular season and still be heading to Miami with a chance to win the Super Bowl.

The Colts were dominant in the regular season as they outscored opponents 416 to 307 finishing with a 14-2 record. They have also been dominant in these playoffs, manhandling both the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets in their two playoff games. They won by scores of 20-3 and 30-17 respectively, which is impressive, but their most impressive feat might be the fact that their defense has not allowed a single point in the second half of the two playoff games.

As impressive as the defense has been in the second half of their playoff games, the success of this team begins and ends with the offense. The Colts employ a dominating offense that is led by quarterback Peyton Manning, who will go down as one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, especially if Indianapolis wins another Super Bowl title.

As great as Manning is, he has a very good group of skill players to work with on offense, not to mention a solid offensive line. He has some very good options in the passing game, most notably wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark. Wayne is a perennial All-Pro wide receiver, and he finished the year with 100 receptions for 1,264 yards with 10 touchdowns. He is a tough match-up for any defense and Manning will likely target him often against the Saints. Clark is a very athletic tight end who posts number like a WR2, and this year he posted the best numbers of his career. He finished 2009 with 100 receptions for 1,106 yards with 10 touchdowns. He may pose the biggest problem of all for New Orleans’ defense; he is too big to be covered by a defensive back and too fast to be covered by a linebacker.

Young wide receivers Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie have also stepped into big roles with the team this season. Not much was thought of either of them heading into their sophomore and rookie seasons respectively, but they have combined for 107 receptions with 11 touchdowns, and they will help keep Wayne and Clark from being double teamed.

At running back, the Colts are led by a rejuvenated Joseph Addai. Coming off a sub-par 2008 season, Addai rebounded this season with 219 carries for 828 yards with 10 touchdowns, while adding 51 receptions for 336 yards with three touchdowns. Not only has he posted very solid numbers this season, he has also been a crucial component as a blocker in the passing game, as he has been very good at picking up the blitz helping to protect Manning. Rookie running back Donald Brown has helped push Addai, but it is unlikely that he will see significant touches in this game.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Who dat going to their first ever Super Bowl? Dat would be the New Orleans Saints. Yes, the same Saints whose fans used to wear bags over their heads because they couldn’t stand to see their team lose another game. Boy, how things have changed in New Orleans!

As stated above, the Saints were the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, and they were a dominant football team during the regular season. They finished the year 13-3 as they led the NFL in scoring and outscored opponents 510 to 341. In the Divisional Round of the playoffs, they dominated the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals, beating them 45-14. Things did not go as well in the NFC Championship Game.  Sure they ended up beating the Minnesota Vikings 31-28, but they had to go to overtime to get the win, and if not for five turnovers from the Vikings, the Saints would likely be watching this game from the comforts of their own homes.

Offensively, New Orleans is also led by a dominant quarterback. Drew Brees has posted back-to-back excellent seasons. He followed up 2008, in which he passed for 5,069 yards and 34 touchdowns, with 4,388 yards and 34 touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who was believed to be too small to play quarterback in the NFL.

Brees has been great, but he obviously doesn’t do it on his own. He has plenty of help from an unspectacular yet effective wide receiving core. They are led by Marques Colston, who had 70 catches for 1,074 yards and nine touchdowns on the year. He is the team’s No. 1 receiving option, but not by a large margin. Six other Saints finished the season with 35 or more receptions, most notably wide receivers Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem. Henderson finished the year with 51 receptions for 804 yards with two touchdowns, while Meachem had 45 catches for 722 yards with nine touchdowns. Brees will continue to spread the ball around in this game as he has all season, and it will also include tight end Jeremy Shockey, who last time his team made it to the Super Bowl was a disgruntled member of the New York Giants, watching the game from a luxury suite. Shockey has 48 receptions for 569 yards with three touchdowns on the year, and you can be sure that he wants to have a big showing in this game.

New Orleans used a committee approach at running back most of the season. Pierre Thomas led the team in rushing yardage with 793 yards, while Mike Bell had the most carries with 172 and Reggie Bush and Thomas tied with eight combined rushing and receiving touchdowns. During the playoffs, though, Bell has been an afterthought, while Thomas and Bush have been sharing the backfield duties. Together they have a great combination of power and speed. Thomas will likely see the majority of the touches, but head coach Sean Peyton will find a way to get the ball in the hands of the elusive and dynamic Bush.

FINAL THOUGHT

This has the making of an exciting and high scoring Super Bowl. We finally have a game in which the two best teams from the regular season will face off for the Lombardi Trophy (which is awarded to the Super Bowl champs). It is a game that will feature two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL who will likely be throwing the ball early and often. Even though both teams possess solid defenses, this should be an offensive showdown.

It has been a great NFL and fantasy football season. Enjoy the Super Bowl everyone and keep checking in with the Bruno Boys throughout the off-season as we will continue to add content to our website on a weekly basis in order to start getting you prepared for the 2010 season because life without football just isn’t truly a life worth living.

Super Bowl Round Rankings:  QB  |  RB  |  WR  |  TE  |  K  |  DEF  (click to read)

Super Bowl Round Start & Sit:  START ‘EM  |  SIT ‘EM  (click to read)

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