The taboo of being labeled "Unbeatable"

This morning I listened to the first ten minutes of "The Herd" with host Colin Cowherd on ESPN Radio. His first topic was the stigma surrounding being labeled as "unbeatable" or "the greatest ever." This label has been given to Peyton Manning in recent weeks, and (according to Colin) may cost the Colts the Super Bowl. Cowherd claims that New Orleans will be extra motivated to win on Sunday thanks to the fact that many are already crowning Manning as unbeatable and the greatest quarterback of all-time.

At first, I found this claim to be somewhat absurd. It's the SUPER BOWL, and no team needs extra motivation to go leave everything on the field. But upon further review, history has shown that Colin may be on to something...

Super Bowl III - Jets vs. Colts

- The Colts were heavily favored to beat the miniscule American Football League Champions, and the talk leading up to the big game was that the Jets didn't have a chance. Obviously, the Jets heard the hype, and Broadway Joe's bunch shocked the world and upset the NFL champs.

Super Bowl XXXVI (36) - Rams vs. Patriots

- The Rams were "the greatest show on turf." The game was to be played inside the Louisiana Superdome, further cementing the fact that the Rams would win. They were 14 point favorites. No defense could contain Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk, Issac Bruce, and Tory Holt. Sure, the Rams had superstars on offense, but the two things they didn't have: Tom Brady and Adam Vinatieri.

Rose Bowl 2005 - Texas Longhorns vs. USC Trojans

- The Longhorns were the defending Rose Bowl champs, but mighty USC was considered one of the best teams of all-time. Reggie Bush, Matt Leinart, LenDale White, and Steve Smith headlined a stacked Trojan offense. Texas was #2, and heard all of the props being given to USC. So what did the 'Horns do about it? They gave the ball to Vince Young and emerged victorious in one of the most exciting National Championship games of all-time.

Super Bowl XLII (42) - Giants vs. Patriots

- The Patriots were in search of 19-0, and were also two-touchdown favorites. Tom Brady had thrown 50 touchdown passes in the regular season, and no one had been able to stop the freight train that was New England. The Giants heard the hype - they had no chance. But Michael Strahan and an inspired bunch of Giant defenders sacked and pressured Brady time and time again, and Eli Manning hit Plaxico Burress with :35 seconds left to secure the monumental upset.

So if these examples are any indication, the Saints have more than a decent chance of winning on Sunday. Drew Brees is probably fed up with all of the "Peyton Manning is the Zeus of football" talk, and can't wait to get on the field to show what HE can do. Will it be enough to win? That remains to be seen, but don't be so shocked if the Saints take home the Lombardi Trophy.

Super Bowl and a look ahead to March Madness

The Colts and Saints will square off in 9 days to determine who will become the 44th Super Bowl Champion. Each year, intriguing sub-plots are discussed constantly and beat to death leading up to the game. This year, there are two simple plot-lines in my mind:

Colts: This win would validate Peyton Manning as the best quarterback to ever grace a football field. I don't care what anyone says about Johnny U, Montana, Brady, or Favre, Manning is on a completely different planet than those guys. Think back to last summer - the Colts were dealing with a handful of questions, the biggest being how they would adjust to a new coach. Those days seem like lightyears ago, as Manning has groomed Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie into household names (does anyone remember Marvin Harrison or Anthony Gonzales??). Not only would a win give the Colts their third championship, it would validate Manning as the hands-down unquestioned greatest quarterback of all-time.

Saints: New Orleans is the sentimental favorite. No city in America has struggled through more hardship in the past five years than the Big Easy, and a Super Bowl victory would be a symbol of the city's return to prominence. A victory would also remove the "Dan Marino-esque" cloud from above Drew Brees, and remove his name from the "best quarterbacks to never win a Super Bowl" list.

Key to victory: Saints defense. A unit that thrives on takeaways will have to confuse Peyton Manning into making bad decisions. Good luck with that. But hey, stranger things have happened in the Super Bowl...

- The college basketball season is in full swing and three teams are vying for the #1 ranking in the nation - Kansas, Villanova, and Syracuse. Let me say that being a native of Syracuse, I am completely biased in favor of the Orange. Now that I've gotten that out of the way, let me tell you who I think has the best shot at making a deep run to the title in late March...

Kansas has two studs in Sharron Collins and Cole Aldrich. They will go as far as those two can take them, which I'm betting is at least the Elite Eight.

Villanova has an unquestioned leader in Scottie Reynolds. The Wildcats will go as far as he can carry them, which I'm betting is not past the second round of the tournament.

Syracuse has a go-to man in Wesley Johnson and a bigtime shot-maker in Andy Rautins. If their bigs can learn to make a couple free throws here and there, the Orange will make the Final Four.

- The first few times I heard the song "Shut it Down," I found it to be very cheesy and somewhat lame. However, it has grown on me, and this video only furthered that growth...

Bowl statements, and Leach reaction

The collegiate bowl season is nearly complete, and there have been a few performances that have stood out in my mind as major statements. Here are my top three:

1. Tim Tebow

- Tebow shined in his final collegiate game, torching the Big East Champion Cinncinati Bearcats for nearly 500 yards passing and had as many incompletions as he did touchdowns (4 total TD’s, 4 total incompletions). Tony Dungy said it best – “Winners win” – Tim Tebow is definitely a winner, and will undoubtedly make a splash next season in the NFL.

2. Bobby Bowden

- Bowden’s Seminoles were victorious over the legendary coach’s former team West Virginia in the Gator Bowl, and there was no cooler moment than when Bowden drove Chief Osceola’s flaming spear (or whatever that thing is called) into the turf prior to the coin toss. It was a fitting cap to a stellar career.

3. Ohio State, Terrelle Pryor, and Jim Tressell

- The Rose Bowl victory was a momentus one for Ohio State. The Buckeyes struggles in BCS games over the past number of years has been well documented, and both quarterback and coach helped changed that – Tressel expanded his playbook, and Prior made plays. Look out for the Buckeyes next fall.

- There has been no swifter fall from grace (with the exception of George O’Leary and his tenure at Notre Dame) than that of Mike Leach. The now former Texas Tech head coach is the centerpiece of what will surely be a long, drawn out legal battle over money. What exactly happened to wide receiver Adam James and how he apparently ended up in an electrical closet is in dispute, and Red Raider nation has split in half – those who support Leach, and those who support the administration/Adam James.

Because of the contradictory reports and enormous support for both sides, it is tough for me to take a stance on this issue/ongoing saga. I will say this – Mike Leach, although quirky, uniquely humorous, and downright strange, won football games and graduated players.

Here is Leach’s interview with ESPN. I admire the fact that he thinks he is a right, and is not going to back down or change his stance for anyone. And check out this link regarding an interesting spot where Leach could coach next…