As the hype and analysis of the Super-Bowl heats up speculation will begin about who will do what and how and why. Predictions will emerge and ideas will be thrown about, and while there are no guarantees in life much less the NFL, I am going to make a bold unprecedented prophecy: Defense will NOT win this championship. I am a believer more than most in: play tough defense, 3-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust offense, old school strategy. Maybe my memo to Sean Peyton and Jim Caldwell got lost in the shuffle somewhere. These teams best defense is their offense, period. Neither team finished in the top half of the NFL in total defense this year, neither managed to overwhelm opponents with sacks. If you dig, you will see that the colts were second in defensive 3rd down conversions and that the saints were 3rd in turnover margin. While I will never undermine the value of those statistics, the fact that they are not accompanied by other indicators of defensive prowess says to me that these defenses are specialized, not dominant, and good not super. Let me be clear (Damn you Obama for ruining that phrase for the rest of time), these defenses have playmakers and at some point their presence will be felt, but unlike Super-Bowl XLIII when the faltering of Pittsburgh’s defense came as a surprise, this year people will be surprised when the Defenses make a stop. Quote me fellow NFL devotees, the over/under currently stands at 56.5, I am breaking my piggy bank and mortgaging the…well I live in an apartment, but I am betting all I have on the over.
Total D PYPG RYPG Turnover rank Sacks 3rd down % PPG
Indy 18 14 24 t-13 16 2 8
NO 25 26 21 3 13 19 20
By: Aaron Tull & Matthew Walden
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