About halfway down, he writes about all the prep for the onside kick.
The kicker was "scared to death", when Payton told him to do it.
Payton even warned the refs it might be coming, so they would be prepared to make call.
He also names Manning the goat, for the interception.
Unfair comment for one bad pass.
About halfway down, he writes about all the prep for the onside kick.
The kicker was "scared to death", when Payton told him to do it.
Payton even warned the refs it might be coming, so they would be prepared to make call.
He also names Manning the goat, for the interception.
Unfair comment for one bad pass.
From: Driveforshow (OUIMET67) [#3] 8 Feb 13:07 To: Brian (BRIAN11767) [#1] 8 Feb 13:08
"He also names Manning the goat, for the interception.
Unfair comment for one bad pass."
I think it is a fair comment. Manning was tempting fate all game, throwing passes that often were in very crowded quarters. You can't do that with a defense of a top pro team and get away with it all night. Plus, when you're down to the last quarter, driving for the tying touchdown, the QB has to do whatever he has to do to avoid an interception. There wasn't going to be another chance.
Yes, Manning turned out to be the goat. That pass never should have been thrown.
From: Nut (SCGOLFNUT) [#5] 8 Feb 13:19 To: Brian (BRIAN11767) [#1] 8 Feb 13:19
If I'm not mistaken the Saints had the most int's returned for TD's this season. In other words they are very good at making those plays and a QB that is as prepared as Manning is should have known that. He also has to be aware that all game he had been narrowly escaping int's ... he tried one too many tight throws into coverage it cost them any chance of coming back. The odds are that the Saints likely would have moved the ball well enough to get a field goal attempt had Indy tied it ... which would have given us the first kicker to be MVP of the Super Bowl.
Now this part of the story just amazes me ... first never having tried one in a game and the coach telling him close to a half an hour before the play would happen.
"Ambush,'' Payton said cavalierly, almost diffidently, as he walked by kickoff man Thomas Morstead in the Saints locker room at halftime Sunday night.
Perfect. Ambush. That's the name of the Saints' onside kick, the one that continued the Colts' downfall in Super Bowl 44. The reason it's so perfect is that it's right for Payton, and right for this derring-do team with the cocky defensive coordinator and the only slightly less cocky head coach and players and fans who have yearned for so long to deserve to be cocky. In this case, Ambush was so mind-blowing because:
a. Morstead never attempted an onside kick in a game before Sunday night in his life.
b. Morstead never practiced onside-kicking until 12 days ago.
c. Morstead can be a bundle of nerves.
And so Payton walked by Morstead's locker and dropped that little bomb on him, and he told the rest of the special-teams leaders, and 25 minutes still were left before the start of the second half. Morstead sat at his locker, looked straight ahead and tried to keep his heart from pounding out of his chest.
"I wasn't worried,'' Morstead said later. "I was terrified. He dropped it on me near the start of halftime, not near the end, and it's such a long halftime. All I could think of was how stupid I'd look if the kick doesn't go 10 yards, or if I blow it.''
From: BRENTW4 [#6] 8 Feb 13:23 To: Anser (ANSERMAN) [#4] 8 Feb 13:38
"Isn't it possible the db just made a good play?"
I think that was the story of game in general. For three out of four quarters, the Saints just played better. And that'll generally win you a football game.
From: Nut (SCGOLFNUT) [#7] 8 Feb 13:38 To: Anser (ANSERMAN) [#4] 8 Feb 13:38
I don't see Manning as the goat per se, but I do think he was playing a bit of russian roulette with his throws - I understand he makes those throws a lot. Sometimes though you have to understand just how good your opponent is and not tempt fate. The Saints were third in the league with 26 int's 5 of those returned for TDs. The DB did make a great play.
From: Driveforshow (OUIMET67) [#8] 8 Feb 13:42 To: Anser (ANSERMAN) [#4] 8 Feb 13:47
"Isn't it possible the db just made a good play?"
Well he did make a good play. But he wouldn't have if Manning had not thrown that pass. Given the game situation, the time left on the clock, it being the superbowl, all that adds up to Manning being the goat of the game. No shame in that, as someone else wrote Manning himself would probably agree. A QB at his high level to allow that particular interception .. the goat of the game.
It would be comparable to a top-10 PGA golfer screwing up the 18th hole to lose a US Open. I know that has never happened, but if someone like Mickelson ever did that many would accuse him of being the goat of the tournament.
quote: Brian (BRIAN11767)About halfway down, he writes about all the prep for the onside kick.
The kicker was "scared to death", when Payton told him to do it.
Payton even warned the refs it might be coming, so they would be prepared to make call.
He also names Manning the goat, for the interception.
Unfair comment for one bad pass.
"He also names Manning the goat, for the interception.
Unfair comment for one bad pass."
I think it is a fair comment. Manning was tempting fate all game, throwing passes that often were in very crowded quarters. You can't do that with a defense of a top pro team and get away with it all night. Plus, when you're down to the last quarter, driving for the tying touchdown, the QB has to do whatever he has to do to avoid an interception. There wasn't going to be another chance.
Yes, Manning turned out to be the goat. That pass never should have been thrown.
Those Favre and Manning INTs in the last minutes of the game are two of the most boneheaded passes I've seen in football. Hope they made a lot in Vegas!
From: PYK64 [#15] 8 Feb 14:30 To: Softdraw [#13] 8 Feb 16:07
I heard an analysis from Rodney Harrison this morning that echoed the same thing. He said that Wayne ran a poor route and give the Dbacker an easy read if you studied the Colts tendencies. Bottom line is that the Dbacker read it perfectly and took a gamble which paid off.
From: CaryK (CARY) [#16] 8 Feb 14:30 To: Nut (SCGOLFNUT) [#7] 8 Feb 15:06
I wonder if anyone else noticed that after Manning threw that interception and Tracy Porter was running it back, it looked like one of the Saints (#81?) blocked Manning in the back as Porter was running by. I watched it a few times and it sure looked like that was pretty darn close to being a penalty. Maybe the refs just missed it.
Look at around the 7 second mark in this clip. It looks like #81 for NO shoves Manning in the back ...
Here's another view of it. Again watch it at the 21 second mark ...
From: CaryK (CARY) [#18] 8 Feb 14:39 To: Anser (ANSERMAN) [#17] 8 Feb 16:31
Not sure if it would have mattered either. But, if it was called and the Saints were denied a touchdown AND they had to start further back, maybe the Colts stop them and NO has to punt. Then Manning is only faced with a 7 point deficit to make up in the last few minutes instead of 14 points.
Might have made for an interesting ending to the game. Could have resulted in OT and then anything could have happened. Not saying that the Saints didn't deserved to win, just saying that penalty could have lead to a different outcome. Just surprised the refs missed a call as obvious as that one seemed.