STOLEN
Yes I know. Weird way to start a sports blog right? Super Bowl 64? Really? Kinda old news, right? Well let me connect the dots. First of all I’m a Colts fan…
Okay now that you’ve stopped laughing I’ll continue.
While the 2011 season was a rough one and I’ll be the first to admit that, I’m not a fan of the Indianapolis Colts because of Jim Irsay or the upper level management that so epically failed in the ‘11 season. I’m not a fan necessarily of the Polian brothers, and while I value what they brought to the team and what happened while they existed within the franchise, I can honestly say that a fresh start in 2012 without them and with a new front office is going to be a lot of fun to watch.
So why am I a fan of what some may consider the most laughable team of 2011 (*cough cough* minus the Jets)? Well that’s far too much to try and post in this story and I will leave that question unanswered for the moment and instead go back to my original point which begins with the picture here posted of Drew Brees holding the Vince Lombardi Trophy after his Super Bowl victory against my Indianapolis Colts. But wait…maybe it goes back further…the overtime victory against the Minnesota Vikings? The crushing blow given to the Arizona Cardinals? Gregg Williams and his explosive even perhaps violent defense? Oh yes…now the dots are starting to come together.
It is now 2012. If you have even the slightest knowledge of current sports you’ll understand exactly where I’m going with this. Greg Williams, now current defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams used to be DF for the New Orleans Saints. He was when they played the Colts in Super Bowl 64 as well as during the entire ‘09 season. Except now Williams is now sitting in the hot seat of the NFL, under the microscope as it were of not only the NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, but of the entire NFL community for his involvement may we even say instigation of the currently “alleged” Saint’s bounty program.
This program which was run and apparently primarily funded and instigated by Williams, was in short a reward system by which defensive players could earn money for hitting, sacking, “taking out”, and especially injuring players during the course of the game. Rewards where given out in simple cash, however by putting it back into the pot the defensive team could be looking at figures of up to 10000 or more dollars by the post season for injuring and removing a key player from the game. These along with a multitude of other facts which Goodell currently has to sift through in order to determine the repercussions which are bound to happen to Williams as well the Saint’s franchise in general, are the same facts which I believe point a glaring finger towards a cheated and a now somewhat dismal Super Bowl 64.
Let me be perfectly clear in admitting two things: 1) Peyton Manning did not play his best in the 31-17 loss against the Saints in the Super Bowl. He did not play terribly putting up better numbers the Brees and controlling the offense as he always does, but he certainly did not play his best throwing the forever memorable interception in the last three minutes of the game. 2) Drew Brees is not only an incredible quarterback, but also someone who I respect and someone that even I, a die hard Colts fan, can not say a negative words towards simple because of his total dedication towards his team, his fans, and New Orleans during a time when they needed a hero more than anything. He is a man who I respect and acknowledge as being one of the best athletes and best NFL players of my day and age and this post is meant in no way to sully his name or his reputation in anyway.
However…hind-site is always 20/20 and if this looking back has taught us anything this time, it is not to trust the defensive coordinator or the defensive team staring you down as you start your snap count. The Indianapolis Colts lost to the Saints in 2009 and I’m not going to be shy about throwing it out there; I think it was a cheap and a stolen victory. A victory that started down the line with a season and attitude focused on doing things the wrong way. The illegal way. The cheating way. As of today we do not currently know when Williams enacted his illegal bounty programs, but if the rumors are true and he was conducting the same type of program during his time with Washington, than it can only be a natural assumption that he started such a program as soon as he walked in the doors of the Saints franchise. If this is true than the entire ‘09 season was tainted by such a program and the entire season should be looked upon with some skepticism. But that’s right, a defense doesn’t always make a team, and true the Saints still had one of the best quarterbacks in the league. But what I would like to argue is that without this bounty program in place Super Bowl 64 could have looked very much different.
Immediately throw away the the NFC title game against the Cardinals. Brees and Bush pummeled the pathetic 10-6 team in a game that was not even close and warrants little discussion. Bad offense, worse defense, Arizona was going to loose and they did, badly. There is one interesting note though, Bobby McCray defensive end for the Saints blindsided the Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner leaving him stunned and sitting out part of the game in what appeared to be a simple block forcing an interception. Weird though that Brett Farve took a very similar hit also by McCray combined with defensive tackle Remi Ayodele that left him with a bad left leg injury and battling the rest of the game throwing another interception and struggling to recover a critical fumbled ball that turned the game in favor of the Saints in the fourth quarter. This is Brett Farve we’re talking about here. 7 interceptions all season, over 4000 passing yards and a QB rating higher than any other year in his career with 107.2. And the Saints barely beat him, injured leg and all in an overtime victory 31-28. Farve wasn’t himself after that hit, anyone could tell that. How can a quarterback control his team and play on such a high level of perfection while limping around on one leg? The man did his best and while history cannot be unwritten I would wager that this game would have been vastly different had his leg been uninjured and he had been performing fully functional.
So who’s to say that the Colts could have beaten the Vikings in the Super Bowl if that’s the way the cards had fallen? Well obviously nobody but that’s not the point. At least they would have gotten there fairly. At least every Colts fan in 2012 wouldn’t be looking back to the Super Bowl 64 loss and wonder how much the Saint’s bounty program affected them being in that game. In getting to the playoffs. In going 13-3 and injuring not just one, but two quarterbacks in their search to make history. I have no problem with talent. I have no problem saying my team got beat. But beat us fair and square. Beat us and be able to down the road hold your head high. Because until now Saints, I could respect you as team. So could other Colts fans. You beat us and you beat us soundly. But now nobody respects you. Colts fans don’t respect you, your own fans don’t respect you, and the NFL community doesn’t respect you. So you have a Super Bowl victory, multiple victories. Join the ranks. We got there honestly and with hard work. You got there through an illegal program with the full intent to hurt others, you did hurt others, for money, to win. There is not honor in that. Your victories over us are meaningless now and I would venture to guess a lot of other teams feel the same way. Cheated by your total lack of respect for the nature of the game. It’s a violent game, not a cruel one.
There is no honor in a stolen victory.
ME
My New Sports Blog
