Since the Colts and Saints appear to be so evenly matched, NESN.com asked a member of the New England Patriots to provide a Super Bowl breakdown, as the Pats played each team this season. Here's how that conversation went down.
What are your initial impressions of the game?
"I'm looking forward to Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. I'm looking forward to a great game and a track meet. But it's whoever's defense steps up that will be the key in that game, because both teams can put up points. One thing I'll be looking forward to is definitely the Manning-Brees matchup, but I'm really looking at both of the teams' defenses, to be honest with you, in that game. Both teams are just so hard to stop offensively, but [the defenses] have to limit their opportunities as much as they can."
Which defense is better?
"Oh, man, that's a tough one. They're both pretty good in their own right. New Orleans has a bend-but-don't-break mentality on defense. The Saints give up a lot of yards defensively here and there, but they capitalize on turnovers. They get a lot of turnovers, so that makes them a good defense in their own right. The Colts, they're just so fast on defense. They're not very big, but they're really fast. They held Baltimore to three points and the Jets to 17, so they've held both opponents to under 20 points in the playoffs. If you hold them under 20, you know Peyton Manning is going to put up 25-plus. It's hard to decipher which of the two is better."
The Saints have had a great turnover margin all year, so do they deserve credit for the six fumbles and two interceptions against the Vikings, or was that still a little fluky?
"I feel the Vikings were a little careless with the ball. They should have definitely had better ball protection, but you can't take anything away from the Saints because they were definitely punching at the ball, as well. They made the Vikings pay for it for their sloppy ball control. [Vikings wide receiver] Percy Harvin switched the ball from one hand to the other like a second before he made contact, and normally when you do that, you don't have as great of control of the ball. But you also saw the player hit at the ball to knock it out. I also saw Tracy Porter go for the ball and knock it out on Bernard Berrian, so the Saints were definitely taught well on that side of the ball. You can't take anything away from the Saints. They're one heck of a team when it comes to creating turnovers."
What has safety Darren Sharper done for the Saints' defense?
"Oh, man, just watching him in Green Bay for so many years, he's a ball hawk, like the old-school Ed Reed. When you see the ball, you can guarantee he's going to be there or not far from it. Darren Sharper has been doing that for multiple years. He helps out with that turnover ratio that they have, and he's definitely the leader in that category. He also brings veteran leadership. He's one of those guys who just plays. He doesn't seem like he does a lot of talking, but he lets his play speak for itself. Guys, especially younger guys, really follow that. He has definitely helped out significantly down in New Orleans."
How are you supposed to go about shutting down Peyton Manning?
"There's three philosophies on how you can go about it, I guess. You can sit back, load up the coverages and let him pick you apart that way. You can blitz him like the Jets tried and like Baltimore tried, but he can pick you apart that way. I don't know the numbers, but I think I heard he's the best in the league in passer rating against the blitz. Then, the third option is just to mix up the coverages, send guys here, load up the zone there. My option would be to mix it up on him. I guess, try to make him one-dimensional, but that's saying a lot because you know they don't run the ball at all. One-dimensional for them is inviting them to run the ball. You'd like them to run the ball so you don't let Peyton Manning get going, but that's easier said than done. Blitz early, but it's tough, man. I can't give you a thorough answer when it comes to stopping Peyton Manning because he's the MVP for a reason."
Can he still get rattled like he did earlier in the last decade, or is he beyond that at this point?
"Well, I guess he was still getting the right pieces of the puzzle [earlier in the last decade], especially defensively. Because in the past, they weren't as good as they are now on defense. The defense is now complementing Peyton Manning. He's a lot more confident. I guess he doesn't feel like everything is riding on his shoulders. He knows the defense goes out there to do its job, and I go out there to do my job. And that's what you're supposed to do. Everyone does their job. That's what a team does. Now, I just feel like he's definitely more confident in the team and doesn't put as much pressure on himself."
We know about Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne, but Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie had career games against the Jets. Can they do that again?
"Garcon kind of burnt us when we were down in Indianapolis on a couple of possessions. You just can't take Reggie Wayne out of the picture and expect Garcon and Collie not to beat you because they will, to be honest with you, especially with a quarterback like Peyton Manning throwing the ball to them. Collie, he can be a starter in the league for any other team. They just have a complete receiving corps from top to bottom."
What did you guys know going into the Saints game, and what didn't happen?
"We knew the Saints were, hands down, the best offensive team anyone has seen in the league for a long time. The goal coming in was definitely to make them run the ball, and it was kind of what we do with Peyton Manning — invite them to run the ball. But Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush and [Mike] Bell, those guys are definitely great backs. You have to try to limit Brees and that passing offense. You have to make them beat you somewhere. That's what that was. You look at that game, we had a lot of nickel packages and dime stuff, as well, and we still didn't get the job done. That's a testament to Drew Brees. I definitely think you have the two best QBs of this season playing head to-head, and it's going to be a terrific matchup."
Before the Patriots played the Saints, Bill Belichick said you'll see more offensive formations out of the Saints in one game than you'd see in the other 15 games combined. Was that an exaggeration or was that an accurate portrayal?
"Oh yeah, definitely, they do have multiple formations and personnel. They're just a tough matchup, especially with [Jeremy] Shockey healthy lining up at tight end. You couldn't double him because they have [Marques] Colston. [Robert] Meachem is a speedster. Devery Henderson is a speedster, so it's not like we could double-team anybody. All of them are tough matchups one-on-one, especially with Drew Brees throwing balls on the money with back-shoulder throws and things like that. They're definitely a tough matchup one-on-one, all of them, to be honest with you."
A lot of great defenses rely on confusion. Are the Saints like that with their offense?
"Yeah, I would definitely agree with that. They have a lot of formations and different personnel groupings, and you just really can't guess. Because you know a lot of times with the defensive coordinator and the offensive coordinator, it's a guessing game, but you definitely cannot guess what [the Saints] are going to be in or what they're going to do next — run, pass, how they're going to run it, how they're going to throw it. They're definitely a hard team to scout. They're hands down the toughest. The Colts are going to line up, and they're going to throw it. They have basically a couple personnel groups, but the Saints just have so many weapons. They could do almost any type of play out of any formation with any personnel. They were the hardest team we had to scout, I believe, during the season."
Do you want to make a prediction?
"Both teams are going to put up points. I just think the Saints are on this magical ride. The city of New Orleans definitely deserves it. It would be great for the city, for the people of New Orleans. I think it's just their year. It might be fate. I'm going to take New Orleans in a close one. Their defense will get enough turnovers to seal the deal. I think it's going to be a good one. I'm going to go with New Orleans, 31-28. Both teams are going to get around 30 points."
