Saints Fan Diary Vol. 6 - A Little Bit of Controversy!

The first bit of real Super Bowl hype has officially come! Whew, and you thought we were actually going to have to be resigned to analyzing the Semi-Pro Bowl. Thankfully, 10 days before the game, Saints coordinator Gregg Williams has given the starving media something interesting to dissect, analyze, and go bonkers over. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported, here is what Williams had to say that was either part nutty, part offensive, part stupid, or part brilliant... depending on your outlook on life.

About pressuring Manning...

"The big thing is that he throws the ball so early that we're going to have to do a good job of finding ways to get to him and when we do get to him we're going to have to make sure he gets a couple 'remember me' shots when we get there."

About punishing Manning and perhaps drawing penalties...

"When you put too much of that type of worry on a warrior's mind, he doesn't play all out," Williams said. "If it happens, it happens. And the only thing you'd like for me to say is that if it happens you hope he doesn't get back up and play again."

Mike Florio is scared to death that the Saints will try and take Manning out of the Super Bowl by playing dirty and delivering late hits on purpose... please. Other pundits believe Williams is just plain ignorant in thinking that his defense has a chance to get to Manning at all. Others laugh and say that the Saints D will remember Manning torching them for 350 yards and 4 TDs. Some say this quote is good bulletin board material for the Colts. If you listen to the actual quote in context, the last bit was more of a light-hearted remark, not a threat to Manning's career.

While it's easy to hyperventilate over a defensive coordinator speaking with an open mind, here's 5 doses of reality...

1) We are still 10 days from the Super Bowl and anything relevant said during this time will be taken out of context.

2) Should Gregg Williams say that his team has no chance to sack Manning and will concede 40 points?

3) Would you rather face Peyton Manning in the biggest game of your life or Curtis Painter?

4) Defenses... are supposed... to try and hit... the quarterback.

5) Williams' comments mean about 0.01 % of the grand Super Bowl Scheme, the Saints punishment of Kurt Warner and Brett Favre means much more.

The real story is the transformation of the Saints defense into a physical unit that can punish the best QBs in the game. Granted, the remark about knocking Manning out of the game might be too much candor. But, it's taking the comments out of context to say that there is a bounty on Manning's head. Behind Williams' comments though is an underlying attitude and nastiness that can help the Saints D. They said Kurt Warner would kill the blitz of the Saints - all New Orleans did was usher him into retirement.

Then in the NFC Championship Game, the Saints punished Brett Favre for 60 minutes, thinking that their hits would pay off and Favre would make a mistake in the end. Favre showed unreal toughness, but did make the mistake that the Saints were anticipating. The Saints beat up Favre like few QB's ever have without actually getting sacked. The physical and emotional toll was evident for #4 after the game.

Now, the Saints defense faces its toughest test. There is no other way to beat Peyton Manning than to punish him and put him on the ground. Pittsburgh, San Diego, and New England have shown the blueprint to beating Peyton Manning is to get in his face, make him uncomfortable, and hit him. The Saints have absolutely zero hope of winning if they want to sit back in a zone all night and let Manning go to town as The Sheriff (sorry, had to make fun of Jon Gruden's nicknames at some point).

The culture of QBs in bubble wrap has led to a surprised reaction by most at Williams' comments, but this is the old-school attitude that has taken the Saints to where they are. Peyton Manning might complain to get calls, the league and its puppets will want to protect its stars, and folks can pretend that this is flag football. Should it be expected that the Saints play nice with Manning so he can look good for his next "Cut That Meat" commercial? Or for his next dress up act?

When Super Sunday comes, it'll be the players on the field that win the game and not Gregg Williams' mouth, overprotective referees, or offended talking heads. As a Saints fan, it is refreshing to hear the team admit that they are coming into this game to win and play with the same fire and physical nature that has taken them to the team's first Super Bowl appearance. The NFC Championship was nice, but now it's time to win a world championship. Sure, they might not get to Manning, and he might throw for 400 yards in a blowout win. Or, the Saints might be able to punish Manning like Favre and Warner before him and lift the Lombardi Trophy. Whatever the outcome is, it's not going to be dependent on innocuous comments by a defensive coordinator 10 days before the game.

Hot off the Grill - NFL Week 7 Preview

It was another busy Saturday for Y1 and myself as we were at our alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University, to broadcast more D3 athletics. So, once again, here's a late, and very abrupt NFL Preview, but it's still hot off the grill!

Big Kielbasa's Game Of the Week - Arizona (3-2) @ New York Giants (5-1)

Kurt Warner will look to exercise some demons at the Meadowlands as his Cardinals visit the Giants. This is an extremely important game for both teams. The Cardinals have to prove they can beat a quality opponent East of the Mississippi (and no, the Jags don't count). The Giants have to put last week's embarrassment by the Saints behind them and reassert their themselves as contenders in the NFC. Here's betting the Giants pass rush returns from their one-week vacation to dominate once again on Sunday Night PICK-Giants

Beer Brat's Spotlight Game Of the Week - Chicago (3-2) at Cincinnati (4-2)

The so-called Benson Bowl is our spotlight game of the week between the Bears and the Bengals. The above image is certainly something Bears fans aren't used to, Cedric Benson running hard through a defense. Due to a myriad of factors (a long contract holdout, Benson's poor attitude towards everyone, his immaturity, his lack of respect from teammates, multiple run-ins with the law, and his overall lack of desire) Benson was a bust for the Bears as the 4th overall pick. But, he's been a boon for the Bengals, who picked him off the scrap heap to be one of the league's leading rushers. As much as Benson will relish the opportunity to get back at Chicago, the Bears defense will enjoy hitting Benson as fair game. The real difference will be Jay Cutler, and the season-ending injury to Bengals DE Antwan Odom. Both teams need the win, but the Bears are the more desperate team. PICK-Bears

Chorizo's Upset Of the Week - Green Bay (3-2) at Cleveland (1-5)

-Hey, what do you know? We finally hit an upset this past week with the winless Chiefs at the might as well be winless Redskins. So, which really bad team can you count on this week?This is a complete flier, but why not the Browns at home to the Packers? The Packers won't come in with their A game, heck, I know I wouldn't if I were playing the Browns. Cleveland is also on a roll offensively, they actually scored touchdowns against the Steelers last week. If Derek Anderson completes more than 10 passes, he might change his number to 60 and be the next Otto Graham! PICK-Browns

Andouille's UTR Game - New England (4-2) @ London Buccaneers (0-6)

-You'll notice we didn't pick the Bucs as are upset of the week. First, they may be the worst of all the bad teams in the league, which is saying a lot. Second, they have to travel all the way across the pond to get whipped by New England. Unfortunately for the London fans, they really haven't gotten a good regular season game yet. This is the equivalent of Everton and Hull City traveling over to play a game in New York...yeah, not too many American fans would care for that one. If Wembley's even half full by the end of this stinker, I'll be shocked. PICK-Pats

Hot Dog Of The Week - Colts QB Peyton Manning

-Well, this week's Hot Dog of the Week was an easy call, even as the sleep deprivation sets in early on Sunday Morning. Peyton Manning, fighting for another MVP trophy, going against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Can you say, fantasy mismatch? Sure, I knew you could. Manning may sit out the fourth quarter, and still be able to rack up 350 yards and 3 TDs...just hope you aren't playing against him this week in your fantasy matchup. Rams fans have already chalked this one up as a loss, too.

Extra Toppings -

-Back to the London game for a second...did anyone actually know there was a game in London this week? Did the networks collude not to promote this thing? So much for that London franchise, Commish.

-The stupidest controversy of the week had to be Titans HC Jeff Fisher donning a Colts jersey for his friend Tony Dungy during a charity event. Much like with the 24/7 sports media, the talk radio style fan has to relax. Football is not a game of life and death. I know you're upset the Titans are 0-for the season, but look past football for one second. If a man wants to support his friend's cause, and get a few laughs in the process, I'm all for it. After all, football isn't all there is to life...right?

-The one thing I'm most thankful for this week...the Broncos are on bye. My respite from Kyle Orton for MVP and Josh McDaniels for Coach of the Year lasts one more day.

-The other big game of the week we failed to mention sees Minnesota take their unbeaten record to Pittsburgh. This is the type of game Big Ben and D coordinator Dick LeBeau relish. If anyone can finally get to the Old Man, it will be the Steelers this week.

-Can somebody please, please send out an APB for the Seahawks offensive line. Last week against the Cards, Matt Hasslebeck looked like he was running away from Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar on the set of The View.

-Oh, that's Tim Hasslebeck that's married to the blonde on The View...eh, the joke still applies.

-If there's one post-game handshake that could get physical, look no further than Jets @ Raiders. Tom Cable just got exonerated for punching an assistant, while Rex Ryan's dad did punch one...on national tv! Take that Tom!

-Also...isn't this like the 53rd time in the last 12 years the Jets have played in Oakland? These two teams might as well realign and start a new Heidi Bowl Division...and if you don't get that reference, you're either not a football fan, or you're under the age of 12. Of course, you're still welcome here at RSS!

Randall's Got His Eye On You... Redskins Play Caller-Sherm Lewis

I've heard of the outhouse to the penthouse, but this is ridiculous. Not more than a month ago, Sherm Lewis is calling out bingo numbers, now he'll be calling plays for the Redskins this Monday night against the Eagles. At least Sherm can't do much worse than his predecessor, Jim Zorn. One helpful piece of advice, don't call the HB pass inside the 10 yard line. Still, this absurd scene perfectly illustrates the mess that is the Washington Redskins. How are they still getting free agents to sign with them? Oh yeah, the $100 million contracts. Well, I guess as long as Daniel Snyder is willing to pay, free agents will continue to take the easy way out and earn as much money as possible. How long until Barack Obama bails out the Redskins? (oh, rimshot!) At this point, I think fans might settle for a foreign oil tycoon...at least maybe he would know not to hire a playcaller from the local Senior Center.

That concludes our Hot off the Grill Preview. We'll be back this week with more of our Decade Series (we promise this time), as well as a complete weekend wrap up. As always, feel free to let us know what you think with your comments. Until then, it's bye for now!

Athletes of the Decade-#4 Tom Brady/Peyton Manning

Our greatest athlete countdown reveals an RSS Decade Series first, ladies and gentlemen, a tie! For our #4 athlete, there was no way to separate these two quarterbacks. For the past decade, they've been the unquestioned face of the NFL. When you think of one, you think of the other...Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, or is it Peyton Manning and Tom Brady?

Tom Brady's Resume

-3-time Super Bowl Champion (36, 38, 39)

-2-time Super Bowl MVP (36, 38)

-4-time Pro Bowl selection

-2007 NFL MVP

Peyton Manning's Resume

-1-time Super Bowl Champion (41)

-1-time Super Bowl MVP (41)

-9-time Pro Bowl Selection

-3-time NFL MVP

The Facts

-In 2004, Manning set an NFL record by throwing for 49 TDs. The record was broken by Brady in 2007 with 50 TDs.

-Brady holds the record for most completions in a single Super Bowl and most career completions in the Super Bowl.

-Manning currently sits 4th on the career TD list and 6th on the career passing yards list.

-Manning has made the playoffs every year this decade except 2001, while Brady has made the postseason 6 times this decade.

-Brady holds the advantage head-to-head over Manning 7-3.

-Both have hosted episodes of Saturday Night Live.

Why They're Here

Clearly, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady belong on this list because they have been the two greatest athletes in the most important professional league in the country, the NFL. They truly are the Magic Johnson and Larry Bird of this generation. Throughout history, they will be linked as the two greatest quarterbacks of this, or perhaps any generation. Perhaps the greatest irony is the difference between the two's path to the NFL. Peyton Manning was born to be a professional quarterback. As the son of Saints great Archie Manning, Peyton was always pushed towards greatness. After attending Tennessee, Peyton was drafted first overall by the Colts in the 1998 Draft.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady had to compete for playing time at Michigan with future baseball flameout Drew Henson and future journeyman Brian Griese. In the 2000 NFL Draft, Brady would be drafted 199th overall, behind such great quarterbacks as Giovanni Carmazzi (0 career passing yards), Tee Martin (69 career passing yards), and Spergon Wynn (589 career passing yards). Both would also take different paths to the top of the NFL. Manning was the prototype for the perfect quarterback who could never win the big game until he finally won his Super Bowl. Brady was the cinderella champion who came from nowhere to become one of the winningest quarterbacks of all-time.

Lasting Impact

Interestingly enough, their lasting impact on the sports culture may find Brady switching his humble roots with Manning's pedigree. These days, it's Brady who finds himself as tabloid material on a daily basis. With his supermodel wife, Brady has gone from sixth-round draft pick to the glamour boy of the NFL.

Manning on the other hand feels like the everyman's quarterback, methodical and hard-working. His down-home blue-collar charm appeals to the masses, which might be why Manning's face is all over products from Gatorade to MasterCard. Who can forget this favorite?

So, both are proven winners in the biggest sport in the country at the single most important position in American sports, quarterback. Battles between these two in the past, and in the future, will go down in NFL lore among the very best rivalries in the game's history. By the end of Brady's career, he could have more Super Bowl victories than any other quarterback. By the end of Manning's career, he could hold nearly every important passing record there is. That's why it's impossible to separate the two. Which one is truly better than the other, you be the judge. For now, they both share the stage in our Athletes of the Decade countdown.

Only three more athletes to go! Who will claim the final podium positions on our Athletes of the Decade countdown? Remember, we at RSS want to know what you think, so feel free to leave your comments below. Also, don't forget to vote up our stories on BallHype, I'm sure we can pay you back someday. Until next time, it's bye for now!