Welcome to Miami.

The stage is officially set for Super Bowl XLIV. We crowned the Colts AFC Champs for the second time in four years and the New Orleans Saints marched their way to their very first NFC Championship and Super Bowl birth. Here's a shake down of Sunday's Games.

The Cinderella New York Jets played one heckuva game. Their rookie Quarterback Mark Sanchez really has the potential for a great NFL career. But Peyton Manning and the Colts did what they do best. Peyton took a couple of sacks in the first half which was to be expected with the Jets having the best defense in the game. But Peyton unlocked their secrets and he and his offensive line adjusted in the second half to score 21 unanswered points. The amazing thing about the Colts in this game is that wide receiver Reggie Wayne and tight end Dallas Clark, who both had 100 catch seasons were pretty much a non-factor. Clark had a fourth quarter touchdown to all but cement their win... but it was newbies Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie who made their mark on the AFC Championship. What amazes me is that the Colts have been able to have one of their best seasons ever with an essentially "green" team (this includes head coach Jim Caldwell who is only the fourth ever to take a team to the Super Bowl during their first year as head coach). This team doesn't play like new talent team, and I am sure that has A LOT to do with the grade-A veterans at the helm. Reggie Wayne has been molding the newbies into quality, dependable receivers.



It never ceases to amaze me at how smart of a player Peyton Manning is. Sports Illustrated called him the league's most "cerebral quarterback"... and for good reason. It took him less than two quarters to figure out the Jets "highly complex, blitz-happy defense", something even Bill Belichick and Tom Brady couldn't do. He is quite possibly the smartest player in the NFL. Thought the Jets fought the valiant fight... it's hard to beat the best quarterback in the game today.

N o w... how about that other game! I would first like to say... Brett Favre, I owe you an apology. I know that I have given you a lot of crap over the last two years (who hasn't really?), but you clearly stil l had some gas left in the tank and managed to play the best football of your career at age 40. You got hammered by the New Orleans defense, and I don't just mean for an old guy... you r eally got the S@!* kicked out of you. But you never gave up, you got back up every time and did everything that you could do to try and get your team to Miami.






With that being said... if you look at the numbers, the Vikings should have won that game. Except if you look a little bit closer at the numbers there is one stat that says otherwise... turnovers. Not only did they fumble the ball and unbelievable six times... but Favre threw for two interceptions. One of those interceptions happened with 12 seconds left in the game... and honestly never should have happened. All they needed to do was rush for just a handful of yards and put themselves into field goal territory. From there they could have sent it through the uprights and packed their suitcase for Florida.

As happy as I was for the Saints and the city of New Orleans on making it to the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history (and they have been around for 43 years...), I must say it would have been a pretty awesome sight to see Brett Favre against Peyton Manning. That game easily might have ranked as one of the greatest quarterback match-ups of all time. Favre holds a lot of records that Peyton Manning is on pace to break. It would have been a passing of the torch so to speak.

But alas... that is not the case. But if you look at the way both the Saints and the Colts started their season (13-0 and 14-0 respectively) then the game is the way it should be. This is the first time since 1993 that both #1 seeds will be playing in the Championship game. As to who is going to win? Well that is a tough call. I think a lot of it depends on which Saints team shows up. If it is the well oiled machine that thoroughly embarrassed the Patriots in week 13... then I think the Saints have a pretty good shot of winning. But if the lackluster and dare I say "lucky" Saints who managed to have fate (and at times the referees) on their side then I think it will be a Colts ball game. With that being said... of course my ultimate pick is going to be the Colts. Drew Brees is great but Peyton Manning is better. In the words of Walter Cronkite... "And that's the way it is."