Going on the Offensive

Photo courtesy of Reuters.

So the Super Bowl is set. It's the Indianapolis Colts vs. the New Orleans Saints in what is sure to be a showcase of two of the league's best offenses. Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and Saints QB Drew Brees (shown above) are statistically ranked 6th and 1st, respectively, amongst quarterbacks this season (passer rating). Receivers Marques Colston of the Saints and Reggie Wayne of the Colts are two of the best receivers in the game.

Defensively, both teams aren't known for their D. While they both have star defensive players (Dwight Freeney of the Colts, Darren Sharper of the Saints), the defenses as a whole can break down and give up the big score.


Photo courtesy of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

This Super Bowl has more character than people are giving it credit. First, the Colts are a likable team with one of the best players of this era in P. Manning. Many of the players from the Tony Dungy era (I consider Dungy to be the best coach of the modern era) are still there. Colts fans are some of the most passionate in the NFL. Yet, they won a Super Bowl in 2006, so the taste of a championship victory is still fresh.

As for the Saints, there's a reason why their nickname for the longest time was the 'Aints. Fans would be so distraught over the team's on-field performance they would wear paper bags over their head. Decades of disappointment for New Orleans went by as the Saints were consistent cellar-dwellers. Then, Hurricane Katrina happened, leaving the city battered and broken. Then, a new coach came in (Sean Payton), a new quarterback (Brees), a new running back (Reggie Bush), and a host of personnel changes have turned the Saints into a competitive team since Katrina. Simply put, this is uncharted territory for the Saints who are going to the first Super Bowl in franchise history (the franchise was established in 1967).


Photo courtesy of Michael Conroy/AP and NJ.com.

This Super Bowl, like last year's, pits a classic franchise against a perennial underdog. However, this year's should be a high-scoring shootout between the offenses. On paper, I think Indy has the better shot at winning, but it's hard not to root for N'Awlins, especially in light of Katrina. Either way, it should be a great game.

Vick is an Eagle

Photo courtesy of the New York Daily News.

On Friday, Michael Vick was officially introduced as the newest member of the Philadelphia Eagles. His contract is a two-year deal. The first year, Vick will be paid $1.6 million and the second year is worth $5.4 million. Also, his contract has $3 million in incentives. All told, he could receive as much as $10 million.

Does Michael Vick deserve to be in the NFL? It ultimately depends on your view of forgiveness. One can say, "He doesn't deserve the privilege of playing in the NFL for the awful things he did." True, he did some despicable acts of murder, but how long can one hold that against him? It's the same question posed against kids in juvenile hall, the unfaithful wife or husband, or any other case where someone or something is wronged. My family owns two cats and has owned dogs. I despise what Michael Vick did to the dogs he had, but I also know that I can forgive a man for his deeds. To quote Ephesians 4:32, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you."


Photo courtesy of OregonLive.com/Associated Press.

In terms of football, this is a peculiar move by the Eagles. Why take on the risk of having Vick on your team? It certainly took guts to sign him in spite of the public outrage over his past deeds. Why sign him when you have a franchise quarterback in Donovan McNabb? When I first heard of the signing, I thought, "Poor McNabb." When Philly drafted him in 1999, he was booed by Eagles fans for not being Ricky Williams, a star running back from Texas that eventually turned out to be a bust. There have been moments where the fan base loves Donovan, than weeks later, calls for him to be traded. Philadelphia sports fans in general tend to be among the most mercurial in the country, especially regarding Eagles football. How will they react to Vick? I sense that this may be the last season McNabb wears an Eagles uniform, or Vick will be traded next year. No way will those two be on the same team with the other offensive playmakers they have.


Photo courtesy of NJ.com

I'm glad Michael Vick has Tony Dungy, in the above photo, far right, as a mentor. Dungy was known as a coach that commanded his players respect in a far nicer way than other famous coaches like Bill Parcells or the New York Giants' Tom Coughlin. Dungy invested time into not only his players' skills on the field, but also their lives as a whole. Were it not for Dungy, I'd have serious doubts about Vick returning and succeeding in starting a new chapter of his life.