The time has come for the weekend leading up to the Super Bowl.  I really haven't had too much time to sit back and process any thoughts on what that means to me.  Yes, I am excited about the fact that my Colts are in the big game for the second time in the last four years, but I'm not nervous about it at all.  I wasn't nervous when the Colts played the Bears in Miami.  I was more nervous with the AFC Championship game that season, when they played the Patriots.  This year, I didn't have that nervousness...not even a little bit.

When the Colts were down in the first half to the Jets, Kelper sent me a text saying "game over" and I was sort of shocked that people had already given up on the game.  With a score of 17-3, a whole half of football, and Peyton Manning at the helm, you want to give up?  Maybe I'm too optimistic with my teams or maybe people are just too doubtful of this team. 

I heard people trash the Colts all season talking about how "they aren't doing very much on offense" and how "The Colts really miss Marvin Harrison."  Really?  Did you watch the same games as me?  The defense was excellent this season.  The emergence of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie was exciting and somewhat unexpected from a lot of different angles.

I even took money from my brother this season, because he bet me that the Colts would lose three of their last seven games.  I told him he was nuts for making a dumb bet like that and the Colts would lose two games at the most and that was IF they sat their starters to get rested for the Super Bowl run.  Let's see, two losses, starters rested, Super Bowl run, $50 in my pocket...ya, that's what I thought.

Now that the game is almost here, I just want to be able to sit and watch in the comfort of my home and bask in the thrill of seeing our machine of a quarterback lead the blue and white up and down the field in what should be an epic Super Bowl matchup. 

I don't doubt the skills the Saints have and I think Drew Brees is the second best QB in the league, but I don't feel that it is their time to win.  Losing really isn't an option for Peyton Manning at this point in his career. 

It seems that the bar of QB greatness is set a lot higher for Manning than most of his peers and those that have played before him.  It seems his accomplishments aren't quite good enough for many.  Let's just say Manning leads the Colts to victory this Sunday and then another one before his career is over.  The arguments against him then will be what?  He should've won 4? 5? 6? 7?  You can't measure a quarterback on Super Bowl rings alone, or guys like Trent Dilfer and Mark Rypien would go down in the Hall of Fame as some of the greatest players ever, which isn't the case.

The Saints have been dubbed as the new "America's Team."  When did that ballot get sent out?  I seem to remember a WHOLE lot of people jumping off the Saints' bandwagon after they followed up their 10-6 2006 season with 7-9 and 8-8 campaigns.  It wasn't until this season that people started talking about the Saints and that wasn't even until they got to 5-0 to start the season.  I always thought America rooted for a winner, but I guess we can settle for .500 some of the time!  I'm just sayin'

Touching back on my point of Drew Brees being the second best QB in the league.  I really believe that.  He has done as much for his career in the time he has been a Saint as he has for their community.  But, you don't get into the record books or playoffs by being the nice guy all of the time.  Brees has just the right amount of nasty that you want on the football field.  He is a fighter and I can see it when he is out there leading his team.  I can really respect that from a player in any sport. 

It should be a wonderful Super Bowl this season and I will obviously be pulling for my Colts, but I'd really love to see Manning and Brees just unleashing fire from their arms all night long.  Let's light up the sky in Miami and let it rain BLUE!