The Saints Come Marching In! by Omar Tyree . . .

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints and the Crescent City! They won the SuperBowl last night EXACTLY how I thought they would need to win in. That is, by keeping the game close and ugly without getting into a scoring contest with the Colts. In fact, it was much safer to have the Colts ahead in the game instead of having a lead yourself. Why? Because if the Saints had gotten out to an early lead like they usually do, the Colts would have been juiced up and focused to score on every single possession. But as long as the Colts were in the lead, they would play a more conservative game and the Saints could run out more of the clock then win it in a last-minute SHOCKER! And WAH-LAH! IT HAPPENED!

Let me break it down for you. When the Saints had an opportunity to tie the game up at 10-10 right before halftime, and the Colts stopped them. That was actually a GOOD THING for the Saints! Why? Because if Peyton Manning and his Colts had gotten the ball back after a kick-off with 1:40 left on the clock, they were definitely going to drive down the field and score and steal the momentum back. That’s what they do! However, when the Colts stopped the Saints on the 1-yard like and got the ball back with a 10-3 lead and less than 2 minutes before halftime, there was no way ion HELL they were gonna try and do something STUPID to turn the ball over.

So what happened? The Colts got conservative, they went 3 plays and out on offense, and they punted the ball back to the Saints, who were able to get 3 points out of it for a 10-6 score instead of a tie. And again, that was a GOOD THING for the Saints, because it stopped the Colts from going into attack mode before halftime. Which they ALWAYS do!

Now, at the first kick-off in the 3rd quarter, everyone in the WORLD knows that Peyton Manning and his Colts were ready to get the ball and drive it straight down the field for a 17-6 lead. That’s what they do! But the New Orleans Saints coach, Sean Payton, had a different idea in mind. He already knew what Manning and his Colts were preparing to do, so he attempted and succeeded with a very COURAGEOUS on-side kick to surprise the Colts and get the ball back.

WOW! You talk about a BALLS ON THE FLOOR MOVE! That was it! So the Saints drive down field and jump out to their first 13-10 lead. BUT UHHT OH! As excited as the New Orleans Saints were to finally be in a lead, that 13-10 lead was NOT A GOOD THING! Why? Because now the Colts are now HUNGRY AGAIN! And what happens? The Colts drive straight back down the field, like a Hurricane Katrina, and jump right back out in the lead at 17-13.

I told you! Do NOT play a scoring game with Peyton Manning and the COLTS! You will LOSE THAT GAME! So the Saints get the ball back, and instead of taking the lead this time, they get another field goal for a 17-16 score. That was another GOOD THING for the Saints! Now the Colts are still satisfied with a lead. So instead of Peyton Manning driving back down the field for another touchdown, he eases up on the gas a bit, and the Colts attempt a 51-yard field goal. At that point, I was thinking NOOOOOO! You need to score another TOUCHDOWN! Or at least get a closer field goal. Why? Because that’s a long-ass KICK, and the Saints can SCORE! This isn’t the JETS or the RAVENS! You have to keep the pressure on this team with more POINTS!


So what happened? The Colts, playing conservative again with a 1-point lead, miss a 51-yarder that they would have NEVER KICKED had they been behind in the game. But since they still had a 1-point lead, they were able to make that conservative, Tony Dungy-type decision. And oh, I know, Tony Dungy is no longer the coach in Indy. Nevertheless, his disciple, Jim Caldwell, utilizes the same conservative style of leadership. And that’s EXACTLY why the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS didn’t attempt to go 19-0 this year! Not saying that being structured and safe is all BAD, but it WAS a recipe for DISASTER against a New Orleans Saints team that believed in their DESTINY. It was also why the Tampa Bay Buccaneers decided to FIRE Dungy. They wanted to WIN the SuperBowl. Not just have a excellent team,

Now don’t get me wrong here. I happen to LOVE COACH DUNGY and MOST of what he stands for. I just don’t agree with playing CONSERVATIVE FOOTBALL. I would played a safer than sorry approach and attempted to blow the Saints out. But it was TOO LATE now. So I took a look at the clock. And it’s now the 4th quarter. The Saints have the ball. And there’s about 8 minutes left in the ball game. And I’m thinking, “Okay, this is EXACTLY how the Cots can LOSE this thing.”

Again, the SAINTS are not the JETS or the RAVENS. They can actually SCORE! So now I’m nervous for the first time in the ball game. And I’m still rooting for the Colts because I love what Coach Dungy has done with the team, and the organization there. But I do sympathize with the city or New Orleans. I get the reason why the people there would NEED a SUPERBOWL. I even wrote a book about the city called Leslie, which we are now working hard to produce as my first feature film from a book adaptation. In fact, I LOVE the city of New Orleans. It’s one of my favorite cities in the U.S., right behind my hometown of Philadelphia, and a place called Harlem in New York. But at the same time, I’m also a loyalist. So I’m still down with Dungy, Caldwell and the Colts to win it.

Nevertheless, I’m nervous now. Why? Because a late, come-from-behind win in the 4th quarter was the EXACT SCRIPT that I had discussed with friends and family members as the ONLY WAY that the SAINTS will beat the COLTS in the SuperBowl. The SAINTS will not win a shoot out! But if they can hang around and be close enough in the 4th quarter, they can score and get a lucky turnover to win it without enough time for the Colts to come back. And I PROMISE YOU GUYS --- these were my EXACT WORDS all week LONG before the game!

So what happens? The Saints drive back down the field and score, just like I KNEW they could, for a 22-17 lead. But instead of being conservative and counting on his defense with a 23-17 lead after an extra point, Coach Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints KNOWS that the Colts are gonna come back again. So they go for a 2-point conversion to make it 24-17, anticipating the comeback. And boy was that 2-point conversion CLOSE! But the officials made the RIGHT CALL! They guy DID have possession of the ball over the end zone line. And Coach Payton had made the right call AGAIN to GO FOR IT! THIS IS THE SUPERBOWL! It’s a ONE GAME DEAL!

Now, at the point, guys, I have to be bluntly honest with you. When the Saints took a 24-17 lead with less than 6 minute left in the game, I told myself nice and quietly, “They messed around and did it. They done beat the Colts for the SuperBowl.” They didn’t even NEED a turnover anymore. I figured the Colts would drive down the field with those 5+ minutes left on the clock and tie the game at 24-24, but then the Saints would get the ball back with 3 minutes left, and just enough time to kick a field goal with less then a minute left in the game. And instead of Dungy’s disciple Caldwell trying his own on-side kick to get the ball back to play to WIN, he was going to rely on his defense to win the game with a late stop.

But I didn’t believe the Colts could stop the Saints anymore. It was the right recipe to win. It was the same recipe the San Diego Chargers have used against the Colts in recent years. You play an ugly game with the Colts and hang around long enough to JUMP THEM IN THE END. You don’t play a shoot out game with them, like the Patriots do and LOSE, you play a mud ball game with the Colts, and you make your big plays in the end once they get stuck in the mud.

So what happens next? Peyton Manning reverts back to his days as a rookie quarterback and starts forcing several passes to Reggie Wayne. And I’m thinking, “Go back deep to Pierre Garcon! I know the he dropped a big pass earlier, but give him another chance to be a hero for him people in Haiti! They ALL dropped a pass tonight.” But instead, Manning forces a long, sideline pass to Wayne that is nearly intercepted. At that point I’m shaking my head and thinking about the bone-head throw that Brett Favre made against the Saints at the end of the NFC title game when all he had to do was RUN and save the win.

And yup, you guessed it! Peyton Manning forces another throw toward Reggie Wayne, while not even LOOKING at his other receivers, and just like I used to do and STILL do when I play football right NOW at age 40, if you show me where I THINK you’re going with that ball, I’m not knocking it down, I’m taking it to the HOUSE. And that’s what happened. A 77-yard interception return, the late-game turnover that I FEARED!

But you know what? I didn’t even FLINCH at the point. I KNEW IT was coming. I had mapped out the entire ingredients for the Saints to win the game, and they executed the plan like CLOCKWORK! A late-game WIN was what did it, just like I had SAID! And I REPEAT, if the Saints had jumped out with an early lead and played a TOP THIS GAME with the COLTS . . . THEY WOULD HAVE LOST!

However, it all doesn’t matter now. The Saints didn’t jump out to an early lead and bleed in the water for the shark called the COLTS to hunt them down and eat them. The Saints kept the shark nice and fed with a conservative lead for the majority of the game, and then they SLAUGHTERED THE SHARKS WITH A SPEAR, crowning the NEW ORLEANS SAINTS as the 2009-2010 NFL CHAMPIONS!

Now . . . when the next season starts in 7 months, and the Colts end up going 14-0 again, will they go for the PERFECT SEASON this time, or will the shut it down again and act as if that automatically gives them a win in the SuperBowl? I guess we’ll all have to wait and see. We’ll also see if the Saints can make it back again and defend their title. Because once you win or lose the SuperBowl, the NFL makes certain your next season is STACKED with plenty of new PREDATORS set take you down and skin you like an ALIEN! And that’s why I LOVE FOOTBALL! There is no safe script to win. So either you go ALL OUT . . . or you LOSE!

Omar Tyree, a New York Times best-selling author, a 2001 NAACP Image Award recipient for Outstanding Literature in Fiction, and a 2006 Phillis Wheatley Literary Award winner for Body of Work in Urban Fiction, has been cited in 2009 by the City Council of Philadelphia for his work in Urban Literacy, and has published 19 books with 2 million copies sold worldwide. With a degree in Print Journalism from Howard University in 1991, Tyree has been recognized as one of the most renown contemporary writers in the African-American community. He is also an informed and passionate speaker on various community-related and intellectual topics. Now entering the world of business seminars, urban children’s books, feature films and songwriting, Tyree is a tireless creator and visionary of few limitations. For more information on his work and titles, please view his web site @ (www.OmarTyree.com).