Just so glad to be home in time for the game that I am going to live blog the game:
6:30: Just in time. Had to go to way outside of Montreal to pick up my daughter. She was at the house of one of her classmates to film a school project--French Revolution. They needed a house that was epic enough, and one of her classmates had one. Oh my.
Got stuck on the side of an unpaved road, and needed a tow truck to get me out. Ug.
6:40
Brees goes deep on the first drive on shird and short--questionable choice.
6:50
Colts end up with FG because they miss one 3rd down pass. Saints D looks mighty vulnerable.
6:55
Saints cannot drop passes. Colts score too much for Saints to get off the field due to stupid mistakes.
6:58
Running now. Saints are in deep doo-doo. The only way they can win is if they can keep Colts to FGs.
7:01
So much for holding them to FGs.....
7:02
First new commercial--Alice in Wonderland. The rest have been old Canadian crappy ones.
Reminds me how wonderful Helena Bonham-Carter is as Bellatrix LeStrange in the HP movies.
And then back to crappy CA commercials.
7:05
Returning from the endzone--getting to the 20 is a draw--but getting called for a penalty is a significant risk. BUT if Manning can go 96 years, cannot Brees go 90? Where are about to see.
Hyundai seems to have bought heaps of slots up here--and their ads are boring.
Americans, let me know which ads are worth seeking out and watching online tomorrow.
What I can learn from Canadian ads are that the Winter Olympics are starting soon. Good to know.
7:11
Colston makes a catch. That should not be news. Apparently, no easy throws, just hard ones.
7:13
I wonder what the odds were that the first penalty would be off-sides.
7:14
Pierre number 2 heard from.
7:15
Rushing outside is not going to work--Colts way too fast.
7:17
Freney is not that hurt. But FG is not going to do it.
7:22
Commercial blight continues. Good thing we have time for many more lousy ones.
And I prefer the Colts Cheerleaders without chaps, thank you.
7:25
I do want the Saints to win, but I admire the Colts for using the run to teach the Saints the costs of playing against the pass only.
And the chances of Garcon winning MVP dive with a drop.
7:27
First good commercial, teaching probabilities with an ostrich! "100% now!"
7:29
Saints just need to get some more of these shorter passes to get some rhythm.
7:32
Colts are too fast for reverses. But Colston makes up for his earlier drop.
7:36
They are smart to take time off the clock, but Manning may still have too much time.
7:39
Finally a clydesdale ad. But a pretty lousy one. Longhorn cattle are not attractive.
7:42
Gutsy call, but Colts are too fast. Not even close. With fast players, you need to fake, fake something.
7:46
Likely prop bests lost: Manning throwing TD in second quarter (never bet with Cousin Sal of BS Report), the over on the first half (10-3), etc.
7:48
Teams should be ready to fake the spike and try to sneak in a free play.
And the Colts are just doing a great job of tackling.
7:50
Saints gamble and make it work--the second field goal and getting all the time off the clock. A bit lucky but also well done.
8:05
The Who can still rock, but I do think some good music has happened since the 1970s. I wonder what hte demographic CBS is aiming for.....
I do prefer the light show and stage over the herds of youths running around with flags or whatever.
How many CSI theme songs did we cover? Two or three?
And I missed a Leno/Letterman/Oprah commercial?!
8:20
My guess is the Colts win--Saints need TDs and didn't get them.
8:24
Onside kick!!! Best scrum ever!!! And a very gutsy call. And Hank Basket drops it--just shows that marrying a p$rn star does not help the football concentration.
Saints are now in rhythm, so all bets are not off but in play!!
The game just got much more exciting with a great screen play!!! Great blocking and great run at the end by Thomas. Just a great series from surprising onside kick (hey have a good percentage when they come out of nowhere).--better now than later.
8:33
Saints need to miss fewer tackles.
8:35
Manning is just so accurate. Hard to defend against passes like that and some earlier darts.
Maybe the Saints can win by forcing the Colts to score FGs. Oh yeah, I said that in the first half and they hit a TD.
Oh, and missing tackles = TD.
8:45
I wonder if anyone bet that there would be more running TDs than passing.
Another drop, by Bush, after a nice run on the previous one.
Henderson, on the other hand, is really reliable.
Nice stats since first quarter for Brees.
Scoring FGs better than not, but still a victory for the Colts.
8:52
ten yard return? Not pretty at all. But Manning has already moved it further than 90 yards.
Got a chance to see the Leno/Letterman/Oprah ad. Given that it was for Letterman's show, which Leno will be competing against again, does this not make Leno Letterman's, ahem, bitch?
8:56
Fast game--4th quarter already. Or just seems fast since I am so distracted by facebook, twitter and my blog.
So, the game will almost certainly hit the under, not the over (57ish points, unless 27 points are scored in the next 15 football minutes). If I had to bet, I would bet on four scores but at least one of them being yet one more FG. Which would put us under. If the Saints can get just one stop (which I doubt), they would be in great shape.
9:00
No turnovers yet, although the onside kick could count.
Finally a nice stop of the Colts running game.
4th and 2 play, very Patriots. Just like the onside kick. And, of course, they make it.
Nice D by Saints-with the LB in better position than the receiver.
9:05
FG attempt here is making me look good. That is, the prediction of a FG attempt, but I guessed wrong about it working out. Where is Vinateri when you need him? Hurt. Big, big stop here. And good field position to start a very key drive--but they need a TD. A FG will just not do it this time.
9:10
Will they score fast enough so that they have time after Manning scores again?
Nicely done. Even if I don't like Shockey.
I think the two point play might be reviewable
9:18
Nice to know I saw it right!!
And this means what? That those who bet on the Colts covering have to hope for overtime! Otherwise, likely to be Saints to win, Colts by a point or three.
Will the Colts or the Saints be the last one's with the ball? That is the question!
9:24
Great effort--not really catchable but an interception would have been huge.
Twitter is having some problems with volume tonight.
Big down here 3rd and 5, but Colts should get the first and move on. Things will get tighter in the red zone.
9:28
If Colts score (or when), if Hartley gets another FG for the game, does that mean he is the MVP?
Never mind. Saints win with TD Interception. Well, not yet, but that is the game. One turnover does it.
Aaron Schatz of Football Outsiders said on the BS report (Bill Simmons podcast) said that Manning was good against the blitz but not the big blitz.
3 minutes for two touchdowns? Not likely, not even with Manning.
Simms is right--Saints did it right--gutsy calls: going for it, the onside kick, big blitz and trusting the cornerbacks. A couple of previous blitzes had lead to some shaky throws.
Playing conservative was not going to do it.
Saints need to make this drive last a bit longer. Otherwise, things get too interesting.
Now is not the time for a dumb penalty to stop the clock.
9:40
Nice pass interference penalty--saved an interception.
This is taking lots of time off the clock.... Excellent.
And that is the game--finally a big defense stop. They let them have the entire field, but then played great defense in the red zone.
The drop by Wayne does not matter. It would have been mighty hard to score in 30 seconds after an onside kick with poor odds.
A very good game by both teams, but the Saints got the one break they needed and had a better coached game--the onside kick was a huge turning point.
Fun game to watch. Glad I made it from the unpaved road with a deceptively nasty ditch on the side.
Hopefully, I did not clutter the followers of this blog with too many alerts.
One last thought--if it isn't Brees as MVP, it could be Porter with his pick-6.
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