The Saints are going to beat the Colts in the Super Bowl

To clarify my position, I am rooting for the Saints to win and I think the Saints WILL win tomorrow's Super Bowl. However, I took this debate for fun and to see if my opponent could give me a challenge. He could not. Not only did he forfeit 1-2 rounds (bad conduct) but he hadn't addressed any of my contentions. Meanwhile, I have responded to all of his rebuttals. To re-cap what I've said and what has gone unaddressed in the debate, the Colts will win because: 1. Peyton Manning is arguably the best QB in the league, having the best season of his career. The guy's a machine. He doesn't make mistakes often, and he rarely makes the same mistake twice. He is without a doubt the backbone of the Colts team and will surely go down in history as an all-time great. It's because of him that rookie Wide Out Austin Collie and 2nd year player Pierre Garcon are having the success that they are this season (both went into this season with combined 4 career catches). Peyton Manning is smart and knows how to beat blitzes; he is also accurate and strong enough to hit small targets in big plays to create big opportunities. The guy's an all-star and provides great composure, leadership and discipline to the team. 2. The Colts defense is under-rated. Opponents have scored 20 points this postseason and have been shut out in six of eight quarters. Before the Colts rested their starters for the final two-plus games, they ranked second in fewest points allowed [1]. Also, as I've said, the Colts have a better pass rush defense, and don't forget that the Colts were the #1 rank scoring defense until week 15 of the regular season [2]. 3. Again, Manning has a number of receiving weapons (Clark, Garcon, Collie, Wayne...) and Manning's numbers this season prove that he knows how to cooperate with them to make big receiving plays. With the Saints defense expected to blitz Manning a lot (and with good reason), that will leave the Saints D vulnerable in case Manning avoids the blitz and hits a WR for a big play... which he will. 4. Experience plays a big factor in games like this. Peyton Manning and half of the Colts have been to a Super Bowl before and won (three years ago against the Bears). Meanwhile, only 4 players on the entire Saints roster have been to a Super Bowl before. The Colts know what to expect and what it takes to win; the Saints are banking on "karma" and hoping that the added pressure of playing for Katrina victims somehow gives them magical abilities on the field :p 5. Both Dwight Freeney and Raheem Brock (if Freeney can't play) have the ability to beat LT Jermon Bushrod - a weak link in the Saints offensive line. So does Colts end Robert Mathis. If the Colts D can stop Drew Brees, well, the Who Dat boys can't rely on Reggie Bush the entire time, can they? The Colts D will pick up on that and defend that too... just as they stepped up their rush defense 3 years ago to win the Super Bowl and dominated in that regard, not letting anyone run on them. Also, I mentioned how arguably the Colts have the better team with the greater poise as they could have potentially gone undefeated this season but pretty much chose not to (whereas the Saints did try and failed). Anyway with all that said, again, I hope the Saints DO win... but my opponent has offered absolutely nothing of substance in this debate, and has under-performed the negative on all levels. It was a good, fun debate anyway so thanks a lot, Pro. And I hope you're right about the outcome! [1] http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com... [2] http://www.cbssports.com...