A GREEN SUPER BOWL!

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH
The best way to describe Super Bowl XLV is by the numbers and believe me, they tell the story.

• There were 111 million viewers that watched the Green Bay Packers defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25, the largest watched program in USA Television, surpassing last years Super Bowl total of 106.5 by the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts in Miami.
• The Packers won their 13th Championship, the most in NFL history and fourth Super Bowl against a franchise that has won six Super Bowls of it's own. Green Bay did it by scoring 21 points off of three Pittsburgh turnovers and the Steelers committed costly penalties on kickoff returns. This is Green Bay's first title since 1996. The Packers became the second sixth seed to win a Championship and they had to win three road and one neutral site game to capture this title.
• Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will no longer have to worry about Brett Favre comparisons as he was 24-39, 304 yards and three touchdowns. His numbers would have been even better if six other passes were not dropped for over 100 yards. He is the first Packer to win the MVP since Bart Starr.
• The biggest fumble occurred before the game started as Christina Aguilera sang her own version of the National Anthem. Unfortunately, her version has now become the laughingstock all over the media and the world. She is probably the most unpopular person on YouTube for all the wrong reasons. I know an amateur named Jacque' Palmer, stage name NeoPopsicle, who would have done much better!
• The Packers were able to win the Super Bowl despite having 16 players on injured reserve. Star players Charles Woodson and Donald Driver were knocked out in the first half of the Super Bowl. Woodson suffered a broken collarbone and was in a sling while Driver sustained an ankle injury and was wearing a protective boot on the sideline.
• Coach Mike McCarthy gave the boldest pre-game motivation speech by having his team sized for their Super Bowl Rings the night before. Now that's confidence!
  
  As I watched the contest at Hooters in Boca Raton, it was neat to get a unique perspective from the fans.

Travis Kidwell, 34, Boca Raton "I was pulling for the Packers because I wanted to see Rodgers win the Super Bowl and make a name for himself by pulling out of Favre's shadow in an excellent game. He did it in convincing fashion as the Steelers will have to wait for their seventh Super Bowl win and the Vince Lombardi trophy is returning home to "Titletown" back in Wisconsin."
Katie Strassburg, 18, Tampa, FAU Cheerleader "I am rooting for the Green Bay Packers because I am a Denver Broncos fan and the Steelers are in the AFC with the Broncos, therefore, they need to lose. I also wanted to support the Black Eyed Peas along with Usher's Comeback during the half-time show."
Mike Deson, 19, Tampa, FAU Student "I'm just here for the Super Bowl. I'm not rooting for either team and just came to join in on the spirit of a Great American Tradition."
Gladys Echevarria, 46, Pembroke Pines "It seems things were going right for the Green Bay Packers from the coin toss. Since I am a history buff, I loved the presentation of the Hall of Famers. That was a proud moment not only for myself but for anyone who appreciates great accomplishments."
Finally, my good friend Bob Schultz, whom I've known for 28 years, was naturally disappointed when his Chicago Bears lost to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game 21-14 two weeks ago in The Windy City.
Schultz, 48, resides in the Dallas suburb of Hurst, Texas and his hatred towards the Packers was quite evident as he pulled for the Steelers.
"I HATE THE PACKERS and think by far are one of the most overrated teams to perform in the game," Schultz said. "If it wasn't for lucky calls by the refs getting the bounces of the ball their way, I guess you need some luck from time to time. What the PECKERS got this year was unbelievable! The condition of the field at the so called DEATH STAR (Cowboys Stadium) to me it looks like a cockroach because it was so poor, very slippery and many seams and just plain poor."
Schultz thought that Steelers signal caller Ben Roethlisberger's off the field legal troubles with women caught up with him in this contest.
"After a game like this, I think that the NFL is rigged. No matter if you think Roethlisberger was guilty or not, I think the fix was in for him not to win."
If the NFL doesn't reach a new labor agreement soon, it looks like this Super Bowl will last longer than most, much to the dismay of next year's host, Indianapolis, Indiana.
Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at http://www.scottsports33.com/.

Saints March To History

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

MIAMI GARDENS----Going into Super Bowl XLIV, this writer did predict that the New Orleans Saints would score 31 points. The problem is he also thought the Colts would win by a 38-31 margin.

Oh well, I'm not alone because there were many others who expected Colts quarterback Peyton Manning to walk away with his second Super Bowl Championship.

But destiny is the key word as to what transpired Sunday Night at Joe Robbie Stadium.

The New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts 31-17 and despite the fact that there were two small market teams playing, that didn't matter as far as TV Ratings were concerned.
According to the Nielsen Ratings, this was the most watched program in US Television History as 106.5 million tuned in.

We had the hometown boy in Manning facing a city that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Is there any doubt that the Saints have become America's adopted team? As I spent time at the Media Center talking to radio show hosts along with other national media members from around the world at Radio Row, there were plenty of these people who were hoping that the Saints would come marching out of Miami with the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

As it turns out they did. The celebration has shifted from South Beach to Bourbon St. But while this victory does bring joy to New Orleans, even when I was there two years ago, the devastation of the storm was still quite evident. That's what many of us in the media talked about at the various functions throughout the week especially throughout Sunday's game.

This was more than a football game, it was a human interest story in every way possible. That's what made it such a thrill to be a part of. There could be no better hype leading up to this game then listening to the players, coaches, media, commissioner, etc., talking about the significance about what a win would mean to New Orleans.

Despite being 13-3 and being the No. 1 seed in the NFC, the Saints were still underdogs to the No. 1 seeded Colts who were 14-2.

Last year in Tampa, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the underdog Arizona Cardinals 27-23 but needed an eight play, 78-yard drive capped by a six yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Santonio Holmes to earn the win. Pittsburgh also had a Super Bowl record 100-yard interception return from James Harrison at the end of the first half.

There were a lot of critical plays in this contest. But the only interception Manning threw resulted in a 74-yard touchdown return by Tracy Porter that gave New Orleans the 14 point lead. But Manning did throw for 333 yards while New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees has folks in San Diego scratching their heads by letting him leave as a free agent as he threw for 288 yards and two touchdowns.

Nevertheless, this was history at its best and to be part of a crowd of 74,059 yards was a tremendous experience watching the Saints win their first ever Super Bowl Championship.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsportss3.com.

Super Bowl XLIV Preview

BY SCOTT MORGANROTH

As we prepare for Super Bowl XLIV in Miami, here are the reasons why the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints should win on February 7.

In the last three Super Bowls I've covered, each quarterback has won multiple titles and padded their Hall of Fame credentials.

In Super Bowl XXXIII here in Miami, Denver Broncos signal caller John Elway retired a two-time champion with a 34-19 win over the Atlanta Falcons, who were piloted by his old coach Dan Reeves. This gave Coach Mike Shanahan his second championship.

Super Bowl XXXIX in Jacksonville saw former Michigan Wolverines QB Tom Brady and Coach Bill Bellichick capture their third titles together with a 24-21 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Finally, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, who struggled to win Super Bowl XL in Detroit by tossing for only 123 yards passing, redeemed himself with a one touchdown and a 256 yard performance to emerge with a 27-23 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa.

Roethlisberger's game winning six-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds was one of the greatest games ever, and gave him his second championship, and the Steelers recorded the franchise's sixth crown.

Here are the reasons why the Colts should win:

Indianapolis is the beneficiary of the Rooney Rule which requires teams to seriously interview a minority candidate for head coaching and executive positions. Former Coach Tony Dungy became the first African American Coach to win a Super Bowl by knocking off the Chicago Bears 29-17 in Super Bowl XLI in a battle of black coaches defeating his former assistant Lovie Smith.

Now Dungy's African American successor Jim Caldwell has a chance to win on the same Joe Robbie Stadium turf.

This is my third Super Bowl where I've seen a team reach the title game for the first time. The Falcons and Cardinals have both lost and Indianapolis is under extreme pressure to win because the Colts bypassed a historical opportunity to go 16-0 by resting their starters in season ending losses to the NY Jets & Buffalo Bills.

The AFC is 3-0 in Super Bowls that I've covered as Denver, New England and Pittsburgh have won the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

Here are the reasons why New Orleans should win:

Quarterback Drew Brees is on a mission to make the San Diego Chargers regret that they kept Philip Rivers instead of him.

If Brees leads the Saints to a victory in their first appearance in the Super Bowl, they'll join division rival Tampa Bay with victories in it's initial appearance. The Buccaneers blasted the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII as Coach Jon Gruden defeated his former boss Al Davis.

New Orleans defeated the Miami Dolphins 46-34 at Joe Robbie Stadium on Oct 25, 2009. The Saints would like nothing better than to extend their celebration from South Beach to Bourbon Street giving the city its first major championship against New Orleans native Peyton Manning, the son of legendary Saints QB Archie.

New Orleans spoiled the homecoming of former Saints fan Brett Favre with a 31-28 OT win in the NFC Championship Game. New Orleans would like to continue this against Manning.

For the Saints to defeat future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner of the Cardinals who retired Friday, Favre, who could likely retire this year with his final game like Warner's being played in the Superdome, and Manning; this would be a championship well earned. Warner is 1-2 in Super Bowls and has played in three classics.

Finally, if there is a sentimental choice to root for a team, this would be it. The city of New Orleans has already said it will throw a parade whether the team wins or loses. To see the Saints win a title after the region was battered by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 would be

unbelievable!

Here is my prediction on who will win Super Bowl XLIV based on this formula.

Denver defeated Atlanta by 15 points, New England edged Philadelphia by three while Pittsburgh came from behind to defeat Arizona by four points. The total point differential for all three games is 22 and if you divide it by three games, this equals 7.3.

Therefore, in a shootout of two franchises which have won important games at Joe Robbie Stadium, Indianapolis (14-2) defeats New Orleans (13-3) by a 38-31 score in the Super Bowl everyone wanted to see in the battle of No.1 seeds.

The win allows Manning to join Elway, Brady and Roethlisberger as multiple Super Bowl winners.

Since Shanahan and Bellichick won back to back multiple titles when I attended those games, it's time for a repeat of African American titles. Caldwell would become the third African American to win a championship with last year's Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin being the second.

Scott Morganroth can be reached at Scottsports33@aol.com and his blog can be seen at www.scottsports33.com.