Dream Super Bowl

Since the day Drew Brees went to New Orleans, the possibility of a Brees vs. Manning Super Bowl has had me salivating. The thought of my two favorite football players of all time squaring off for the Championship in the sport the consumes my life gives me a funny feeling deep down inside.

This game has the makings to be one of the best football games that any of us have ever seen in our lives. Just a few of the excellent match-ups we get to look forward to, dream about, and pick apart for the next two weeks:

• Brees vs. Manning: I would argue that these are the top two quarterbacks in the NFL at this point in time. I know some would try to throw Tom Brady into that conversation, but I just can't do that as a Purdue and Colts fan. There is going to be a lot a chucking the ol' pigskin in this one, and both of these guys will look to carry his team to glory.
  
• Freeney and Mathis vs. New Orleans' Pro Bowl O-Line: Mathis and Freeney have both looked excellent this year, and are considered one of the best defensive end duos in the league (obviously I'm biased and would consider them THE best). They will be lining up across from an offensive line that had two players voted into the Pro Bowl, and another added as an injury replacement. The group has only allowed Breesus to be sacked once all postseason, and neither Freeney nor Mathis have recorded a sack in a postseason game. It will be interesting to see if the Saints big uglies can continue to slow down the Colts explosive rush.
  
• Colts Receivers vs. New Orleans Secondary: This might be my favorite match-up of all. Reggie Wayne, Austin Collie, Pierre Garçon, Dallas Clark, and Marvi... I mean Antho.. Ok just those four. But just those four have been more than enough for this incredible ride that we are on. I MUST give special mention of what Pierre Garçon did last week against what was supposed to be an excellent Jets secondary. The guy simply made big play after big play and carried the Colts (with a little help from Peyton) to victory. They will be up against one of the best playmaking secondaries in the NFL. Three players returned interceptions for scores, and Darren Sharper was quite possibly the best defensive player in the NFL this year. Both sides will have to give it their all on every play, and this could be the matchup that decides the game.

I will continue to dream about what this game means to those of us in Boilermaker and Colt territories, and as I dream I will continue to post some tidbits for your viewing pleasure. In the meantime, be sure to check out Super Bowl central at ESPN for all of the latest news and information about the big game.

NFL Conference Championship Games

Tomorrow 's championship games feature three teams that everybody expected to be there from the get go, and one that came on late (thanks to a little help from the Colts and Bengals coaching staffs) to seal a playoff spot, and has stuck to their game plan to carry them through the playoffs.

As a Colts fan, I would have loved the opportunity for them to play the Chargers or Patriots in the AFC Championship, because a victory would be that much sweeter. Also, as a Purdue Boilermaker at heart, I love seeing Drew Brees continue to grow into one of the best quarterbacks in the league. With that said, my predictions for tomorrow's games:

AFC: Jets @ Colts, 3 PM, CBS
I have never been one to go into a game feeling overconfident. If there is one lesson I learned from coaching football this past fall, it's that anything can happen on any given day. The J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets have been the perfect example of that all throughout this year's playoff's. If you had told me that Nate Kaeding, after missing only three field goals all season, was going to miss three field goals in one game, I would have bet my entire collection of Colts memorabilia on it. Good thing I didn't because the Jets have had things going there way the last two weeks. With some good hard running, taking care of the ball, and stepping it up on defense they have played their way into the title game, and they certainly can't be taken lightly.

HOWEVER, this is the Indianapolis Colts, winners of 15 straight meaningful games, and 23 of their last 24 games that actually mattered, with the one loss to a Chargers team in an overtime in which the Colts did not get an offensive possession. This team knows how to win games with offense, defense, and special teams. Peyton Manning is quite possibly playing the best football of his career, as are Dallas Clark, and Reggie Wayne. We will also be watching a defense that has been very solid all season, executing the bend but don't break better than any team in the history of the game. Antoine Bethea, Gary Brackett, Kelvin Hayden, and Robert Mathis are four of the most underrated defensive players in the game.

Look for the Colts to stack the box early to slow down (there's no shutting down) the Jets running game. Offensively, Peyton will look to throw early and often to build a quick lead. If the Colts get up by more than 10, the Jets will have to lean on Mark Sanchez, and without a truly reliable weapon beyond his tight end Dustin Keller (Boiler Up!), I can't be convinced that this would turn out pretty for the Jets. FINAL SCORE: Colts 31 Jets 10

NFC: Vikings @ Saints, 6:30 PM, FOX
I'll keep this simple. This will be the best game that any of us have seen in the NFL ALL SEASON LONG. Two very solid offenses that love to score points in bunches go up against two defenses that love two make big plays.

This game will be all about Drew Brees making plays two everybody on the roster. It seems like they could line up Garrett Hartley (the kicker) at wide receiver and Brees would find a way to get him the ball. If the Saints can get anything from the running game combination of Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, and Mike Bell they will have a slight advantage in this game. Defensively, the Saints need to make Adrain Peterson beat them, because he has been very quiet as of late, and as a result we have seen Brett Favre and Sidney Rice chewing up secondaries and spitting them out.

Offensively for the Vikings, they need to get Peterson going early so that things will open up for Favre, and he can take some shots deep to Sidney Rice. Rice has emerged this season as one of the best deep threats in the NFL. The Vikings defense is predictable in what they are going to do, but they are one of the absolute best at doing it. Jared Allen and Ray Edwards (Boilers represented well this weekend) need to get pressure on Drew Brees, and the secondary will have to play its best game of the season.

I'm thinking we are going to see this game decided on the final play. FINAL SCORE: Saints 38 Vikings 35.

Enjoy a day of exciting football, and check back on Monday for my thoughts on how the games went.