Ah, it’s time for the Super Bowl once again. If only there weren’t two weeks of agony involved beforehand. I would just like to thank the media for providing the most overdone, exaggerated pieces of the year.
In this particular year, the teams happened to be more professional and focused, rather than outspoken and confident; thus, the media have nothing to talk about. But don’t worry – they are still ready to pounce on any player’s quote that can be made into a story, even if it wasn’t intended to have negative connotations. Perhaps a good topic would be debating the possible strategy involved in the coaches’ decision for when the teams should arrive in Miami. Wait a minute.
Here’s what really matters: both teams in the Super Bowl use a multiple running back system rather than a one back system. In fact, all four teams in the conference championships used multiple running backs to a large degree in order to take advantage of the different talents of the backs and to keep the players fresh.
Even more ironic is that the last four teams standing all drafted a running back in the first round of the NFL draft either this year or the year before. Those include Reggie Bush drafted by the Saints, Laurence Maroney drafted by the Patriots and Joseph Addai drafted by the Colts in the 2006 draft and Cedric Benson drafted by the Bears in the 2005 draft. My point is that by getting more personnel involved in the offense, teams provide themselves with a few more options and create mismatches by utilizing the skills of each player.
The Bears’ running attack will be the key to their success in the Super Bowl. You see, although the Bears can get plays from the passes, particularly the deep pass, they must run the ball to set up the throwing. This is because although the Bears have receivers with speed, the Colts’ defense is built for speed. Thus, the Colts will not surrender big plays against the pass unless they are playing closer to the line of scrimmage to stop the run.
As for the Colts, the key element, believe it or not, is their offensive line. Peyton Manning can throw all over the field to his group of talented receivers if the line can stop the blitz. And blitz the Bears will. My guess is the Colts running game will benefit later in the game because the Bears will be focused on stopping Peyton Manning and his “laser rocket arm.” The Bears must blitz to attempt to stop Manning because their secondary is not talented enough to cover guys like Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison for very long. It would be an even better game if the Bears had Pro Bowl defensive lineman Tommie Harris and safety Mike Brown who are both out with injuries, because they add so much to the defense when healthy.
I think some lesser-known players will have big impacts in this game, especially guys like Ben Utecht, the second tight end for the Colts. The Bears will cover the Colts’ first tight end Dallas Clark fairly well because they have possibly the most talented trio of linebackers out there, and they will probably key on Clark, the Colts’ useful threat over the middle. That leaves Utecht, a former Minnesota Golden Gopher coached by our very own Baker University defensive coordinator Jason Thoren, probably less focused on and able to make an impact because of his decent speed and great height.
The key to the Super Bowl is enjoying it. Obviously that depends on the quality of the experience, which includes the food, commercials, fellow viewers and the halftime show. Not to mention the final score.
