NFL Superbowl XLIV

-Gotta love the story of these Saints. Four and half years have past since Hurricane Katrina struck the Louisiana coast and the Superdome became a safe haven for the storm's refugees, but you got the feeling that most of America was embracing the New Orleans story and pulling for the Saints on Sunday.

The Saints had to do it the hard way, coming back from 10-0 down to beat the Colts. They relied on some patient and scrappy D, some explosive offense at times, and an incredibly timely turnover.

Credit Drew Brees who snapped back from a slow start to play a mistake free game (He completed 29 of 32 passes after the Saints first two possessions), and the New Orleans D which didn't stop blitzing Peyton Manning all night, never allowing him to settle into a rhythm.

Oh, and don't forget Tracy Porter, the cornerback who was born in Louisiana, who has been a Saints fan his whole life, and who gave himself a ridiculous hairdo just because he was so excited to be playing in the Superbowl with his favorite team.

Porter read exactly what Manning and receiver Reggie Wayne were trying to do as the Colts drove to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. He jumped the route, got in front of Wayne, picked off Manning's pass and took it back 74 yards to the house. Game over. Go wild Bourbon Street.

-The game might not have been the most entertaining or explosive (only 5 offensive plays over 20 yards all night), but it was a victory for gutsy coaching. Sean Payton and Jim Caldwell's coaching philosophy could not be more different, and Payton's risky style was the clear winner on the day. He may have failed on 4^th-and-goal from the one yard line in the first half, but his decision to go for the onside kick at the start of the second half was inspired and a real turning point in the game.

On the other side of the ball, whereas the Saints kept coming with the blitz until the very end, no matter how many passes Manning completed, the Colts backed off and played soft D for most of the game. This meant Brees got in a rhythm completing short passes and didn't have to deal with much pressure.

The Superbowl is not the time to play it safe with your game calling, Mr. Caldwell. A valuable lesson for the rookie coach.

-You just wonder what impact this loss might have on Peyton Manning's legacy. In the week leading up to the game, people were beginning to talk about him as the greatest quarterback of all time, what with his four MVPs and potential two Superbowl rings. But now he's 1-1 on the biggest stage of all, and he made a huge mistake with the game on the line.

Bad news for Peyton (who is by far the best player in the league and has been for a while) but people will remember that Porter pick for a long time. Legends are made and destroyed on Superbowl Sunday, my friend...just ask Joe Montana

-In a postseason that's been awful for kickers (see Graham, Shayne and Kaeding, Nate), give Garrett Hartley some props. First kicker in Superbowl history to hit three field goals of 40+ yards. He kept the Saints in it when they couldn't score touchdowns. 9 crucial points.

-Dwight Freeney may not have had a huge impact on the game, but that was one monstrous sack of Drew Brees in the first half. On the play, Freeney bull-rushed Jarrod Bushrod and pushed him back into Brees. He reached out, latched onto the Saints quarterback's jersey somewhere around the shoulder, and with literally only one arm pulled Brees down, slamming him into the ground. Violently.

Turned out to be the only sack of the game. Not bad for the man working with only one peg for most of the past two weeks.

That being said, the Colts hardly got any pressure on Brees the rest of the way.

-Superbowl Halftime Show: The Who, 6/10. I'm sure I'm going to offend some people with my comments here, so if you're a diehard Daltrey and Townshend fan, look away now.

The band looked washed up. Their voices weren't great, their outfits were horrible, and can someone please tell Pete Townshend that kids these days aren't impressed by the windmill anymore?? (I know it's your signature move, dude, but try something else. Or at least tone it down a little.)

“Teenage Wastelands” is an epic song, and the stage lighting looked pretty cool, but I was bored as soon as “Who are you” came to an end.

-Superbowl Top Five Commercials:

1. Google: Call me a sentimental fool, but that was a cute ad. Creative too, telling a entire story through Internet searches.

2. Snickers: Love watching Bette White getting tackled. In any context. And hearing her say: “That's not what your girlfriend said last night,”of course.

3. Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret Popcorn: Something very funny about people flapping around like dolphins and jumping out of a show pool to get some salty Emerald treats.

4. Bud Light: Can't pick one out of the package of ads in particular, but they ranged from solid to very funny.

5. Dodge: Just one of the multitude of downtrodden men ads we saw on Sunday, but this one was the best.

Side Note (Just because I'm too lazy to make a worst five): Does anybody get those GoDaddy.com commercials? Like at all? They're both not funny and lame. The idea that their commercial has gotten me so hot that I'll have to instantly rush over to my computer just to see if Danica Patrick gets naked (she doesn't) is just laughable.

-Final Postseason Record: 4-7

Did not see this one coming, I have to say. I didn't think the Colts offense could be slowed down the way the Saints managed to. Shout out to my fellow Eugene apartment dweller Madison B. who bounced back from an 0-4 wild-card weekend to best me today by picking the Saints.