NFL GridIron Gab Daily Digest

Sod from the actual playing surface of Super Bowl XLIV will be made available to football fans as a game-used collectible for the first time ever in NFL history this year. The surface at newly renamed Sun Life Stadium will have painted end zones for the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints and the Super Bowl XLIV logo at mid-field. (Sun Life Stadium is also the site of this year's Pro Bowl and the home to the Miami Dolphins).

Under a licensing agreement with the National Football League, at the conclusion of the Super Bowl, Stadium Associates will cut up the sod into 3″ x 3″ squares, freeze-dry the squares to preserve them, and encase them in UV glass commemorative casing that will include a photo of the field and description of the game, along with the NFL and Super Bowl XLIV logos.

In addition to pieces of turf from the end zones and mid-field, which will sell for $99.99 each, plus shipping and handling, "Special Moments" from the game will be identified and sectioned off into 144 pieces each covering certain key plays in the game. These limited edition collectibles will be available while supplies last. First access will be made available to any fans and collectors who place an order for an end zone or mid-field piece prior to kickoff. Each Special Moment will sell for $134.99 plus S & H. $1 from each sale will go to designated Haitian relief charities.

Fans and collectors placing pre-game orders (up until kickoff) will be eligible for free shipping.

The freeze-drying and encasement process is expected to take 8 – 12 weeks after the game before the items ship.

Stadium Associates launched the concept of Licensed Team Sod with Major League Baseball and New York Yankees Sod in early 2009 and was featured as a Sunday, page one story in the New York Times on March 22, 2009. David Andres, President/CEO of the company, was interviewed on Fox Business Network live from Tuscaloosa, AL earlier this month.

In conjunction with The Collegiate Licensing Company, Stadium Associates had a similar arrangement for the turf at The Rose Bowl Stadium following this year's BCS National Championship Game The company is also Major League Baseball licensee for Authentic Team Sod and Game-Used Team Sod and recently worked with the Philadelphia Phillies to harvest the field at Citizens Bank Park at the conclusion of the 2009 World Series. Stadium Associates hopes to announce other NFL team deals during 2010.

As the dust settles after Kurt Warner's retirement, the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl media day the actual Super Bowl game is starting to come into focus.  In the last week and a half, Warner, Brett Favre, Tim Tebow and the commissioner's declaration that the uncapped year is a "virtual certainty", have dominated the headlines.  We're now four days away from the game and it's time to get back to business.

There seems to be a prevailing feeling that the Colts should win this game.  They are favored with the line at 6 points and most of the experts' picks that I have seen follow suit.  At a quick glance, it's easy to see why everybody is so high on the Colts.  The Colts are riding into the Super Bowl with an impressive pair of postseason wins.  The Saints come into the game after an emotionally draining and somewhat controversial overtime win against the Vikings, and a thorough thrashing of the overachieving Cardinals.  Peyton Manning delivered one of the best games of his career in the AFC Championship game while Drew Brees struggled with accuracy and played a pedestrian (by his lofty standards) game against the Vikings.  Let's put all of that aside and take a look at what each team needs to do to win.

New Orleans

Offense: The Saints need to accomplish two main goals on offense, limit turnovers and establish the run.  The Saints have been prone to turnovers and the Colts take advantage of turnovers better than any team in the league.  The Colts offense is too potent to give them additional possessions or a short field.  In addition, the Colts rarely turn the ball over so even one turnover by the Saints could be devastating.

Saying a team has to run the ball to win is a huge cliché, but it is very true in this game.  Yes, the Dolphins ran the ball all over the Colts earlier this year.  They held the ball for 40+ minutes and kept Manning on the sideline and the Colts still won.  Time of possession and keeping Manning off the field are byproducts of the running game, but not the most important ones.  The Colts defensive front seven are active, but undersized.  They excel by getting penetration and swarming to the football in the running game, and having a potent pass rush to get quarterbacks out of their comfort zone.  The Colts also play a lot of zone coverage, and when they blitz the secondary has a lot of ground to cover.  Nothing tires out a fast defense more than a power running game, as the defense tires they get slower and slower.  Once the Colts' speed is diminished, the Saints can be more aggressive on offense.

Defense: Gregg Williams has stated multiple times over the last two weeks that he wants to get pressure on Manning.  The Saints pummeled Kurt Warner and Brett Favre with great success, but they won't be able to do the same with Manning.  The Colts' offense is predicated on pre-snap reads.  Manning gets three plays called in the huddle and then checks to one of the three based on the defense.  The Colts also heavily utilize option routes.  The receiver reads how the defense is covering him and then runs a predetermined route for that coverage.  The Colts offense adjusts to the defense before the play and during the play, which makes it very difficult to blitz them.  Manning gets the ball out quickly as well, which limits the defensive lines' ability to get pressure on him.  Lastly, Manning is afraid of getting hit.  If he sees that he is going to get sacked he falls down like a possum playing dead.  The Saints need to forget about disrupting Manning with the pass rush and instead focus on disrupting the receivers.

The Colts do not have big receivers, and their passing game is more reliant on timing than any other offense in the league.  If the Saints get physical with the Colts undersized receivers, they can disrupt the timing, which forces Manning to hold the ball longer.  That's how the Saints get their pass rush.

Indianapolis

Offense: The Colts are well aware of the trail of broken quarterbacks the Saints have left in their wake, and I can only imagine they are licking their chops hoping for the same attacking defense.  As stated above, the Colts are the best-equipped offense in the league for countering blitzes.  If the Saints plan on blitzing Manning all day, the Colts will have huge opportunities to attack the secondary like they did against the Jets in the second half of the AFC Championship game.  If the Saints come out blitzing, the Colts should just keep throwing and they will eventually hit some big plays.  The real key on offense in that scenario is watching out for the Saints' ball-hawking defense looking to strip the ball or baiting Manning into a pick.  Darren Sharper is one of the best defensive backs in the league at reading an offense; he disguises his coverage and then jumps routes as well as Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu.  Interceptions are the single most devastating play in the playoffs and the Saints finished 3^rd in the league in interceptions.

If the Saints attack the Colts offense the way I suggested above, the Colts can counter them with the running game.  If the Colts can successfully run the ball, the Saints will have to bring eight men in the box to stop the run.  That will limit their ability to play their safeties over the top of the bump and run coverage and force them to play more man coverage.

Defense: The Colts will be without a healthy Dwight Freeney, who will mostly likely play, but be limited by his ankle injury.  The importance of this injury cannot be overstated as the Colts defense is built around him.  He is a disruptive force as a pass rusher, but his speed and pursuit make him a good run defender too.  The Colts will have to compensate by shuffling their line around and using him in obvious passing situations.

The Saints offense poses more challenges to defend because they are so well rounded.  The Saints have an explosive passing game, a power running game, and an effective jack-of-all trades player in Reggie Bush.  However, the key is Drew Brees.  Brees doesn't appear to be prone to turnovers with only 11 interceptions and six lost fumbles, but they come in bunches.  He had a four game stretch where he fumbled five times (losing three) and threw seven interceptions, while getting sacked nine times.  Brees tends to struggle when pressure comes up the middle.  He is only six feet tall, so he has a hard time seeing his receivers when his throwing lanes are congested.  He also has smaller hands, so he has a hard time holding the ball when he gets hit.

And the winner is…

I am taking the New Orleans Saints in the upset.  I think Gregg Williams knows the best way to beat Manning because of his years coaching against him in Tennessee.  I don't think Manning's ego will allow him to play second fiddle to the running game to counter the Saints' defense and the Saints will force some turnovers.  The Saints running game will help them wear down the Colts defense and the big plays will be open in the second half.  The Colts have been solid against the run in the playoffs, but they finished 24^th in run defense in the regular season and 16^th in yards per carry.  I'm going to go with a final score of New Orleans 34 Indianapolis 24.

Just in time for Super Bowl XLIV, it’s official: Gardein Classic Style Buffalo Wings are the best faux chicken wings in the land. But don’t take our word for it. Just ask Miami Dolphins star running back and longtime vegetarian Ricky Williams, who hosted a taste test yesterday at his Miami Beach eatery, Proof Restaurant and Lounge, and declared Gardein the winner out of a whole flock of delicious meatless chicken. Williams and PETA want football fans across the country to take a page from Williams’ playbook and give nutritious faux wings a try at their Super Bowl parties this year. As Williams knows, there’s no better way to tackle cruelty to animals than simply to stop eating them.

A video of the contest—featuring an exclusive interview with Williams—can be seen here: http://blog.peta.org/archives/2010/02/ricky_williams.php?c=pfrwws10. The interview was conducted by PETA director and sports buff Dan Shannon, and the food was expertly prepared by renowned vegan chef Lex Townes.

Last year's Super Bowl was arguably one of the best there has been, so it's going to be hard to follow that up. Drew Brees and Peyton Manning will do their best to put on a show but I don't see this game being the type of game we saw last year. I think the Colts are just too good.

There's a reason that Peyton Manning will soon be the highest paid player in the NFL after this season, before we even know the outcome of Sunday's game. He is one of the best, if not the best, to ever play the quarterback position. Manning has consistently shown he is one of the game's greatest, and America will get to witness that first hand come Sunday.

Looking at the Saints, you have to admit they are lucky to be int he position they are. It's not to say that they're not a good football team, but they got out played in the NFC Championship against the Vikings. If it wasn't for Brett Favre's cross-body throw late in the fourth quarter, the Saints would probably be watching the game from home.

These are two high powered offenses, fueled by great quarterbacks. Both Brees and Manning have nice targets throughout the years but have also made players shine that aren't big names just because of their abilities. They are both that good, and it should make for a very entertaining game on Sunday.

I'm not going to get into any in-depth analysis here, but my pick has to be with the Colts. You can't go wrong with Peyton Manning; the guy knows how to win ball games. If the game can come anywhere close to being as good as last years it will be remembered for a long time, and let's hope for some funny commercials this year as well. Enjoy the game!

This years Hall of Fame Class might meet the maxium allowed to get enshrined in one year, the number is seven under the Hall of Fame rules. I will put in Bold my prediction to get enshrined this year, which will be announced this weekend. It is always a special time in Canton, for the Hall of Fame weekend and this year isn’t going to be different with first-year eligibles Jerry Rice and Emmit Smith.

Tim Brown – Wide Receiver/Kick Returner – 1988-2003 Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders, 2004 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chris Carter – Wide Receiver – 1987-89 Philadelphia Eagles, 1990-2001 Minnesota Vikings, 2002 Miami Dolphins

Don Coryell – Coach – 1973-77 St. Louis Cardinals, 1978-1986 San Diego Chargers

Roger Craig – Running Back – 1983-1990 San Francisco 49ers, 1991 Los Angeles Raiders, 1992-93 Minnesota Vikings

Dermontti Dawson – Center – 1988-2000 Pittsburgh Steelers

Richard Dent – Defensive End – 1983-1993, 1995 Chicago Bears, 1994 San Francisco 49ers, 1996 Indianapolis Colts, 1997 Philadelphia Eagles

Russ Grimm – Guard – 1981-1991 Washington Redskins

Charles Haley – Defensive End/Linebacker – 1986-1991, 1999 San Francisco 49ers, 1992-96 Dallas Cowboys

Rickey Jackson – Linebacker – 1981-1993 New Orleans Saints, 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers

Cortez Kennedy – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Seattle Seahawks

Dick LeBeau* – Cornerback – 1959-1972 Detroit Lions

Floyd Little* – Running Back – 1967-1975 Denver Broncos

John Randle – Defensive Tackle – 1990-2000 Minnesota Vikings, 2001-03 Seattle Seahawks

Andre Reed – Wide Receiver – 1985-1999 Buffalo Bills, 2000 Washington Redskins

Jerry Rice – Wide Receiver – 1985-2000 San Francisco 49ers, 2001-04 Oakland Raiders, 2004 Seattle Seahawks

Shannon Sharpe – Tight End – 1990-99, 2002-03 Denver Broncos, 2000-01 Baltimore Ravens

Emmitt Smith – Running Back – 1990-2002 Dallas Cowboys, 2003-04 Arizona Cardinals