Published On:Wednesday, February 03, 2010

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Staff Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

FINALLY, the Super bowl is here.

SUPERBOWL 44 in Miami features a matchup of the two best teams in the National Football League this season- the Indianapolis Colts and the New Orleans Saints.

Both teams finished the season with identical records, 16 wins and two losses and feature two of the best quarterbacks in the league- and maybe all time. On one side you have more of a household name in quarterback Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts, a four time league MVP, a perennial pro bowler and future hall of famer who seeks to cement his legacy as one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game by securing a second championship ring on Sunday.

Manning and the Colts have been here before, in 2006 actually, when the Super Bowl was in- you

guessed it- Miami. Interestingly, that year the highly motivated Saints lost to the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game. The Bears went on to lose to the Colts in the Super Bowl. So, depending on how you look at it, this is the Super Bowl that should have been.

For the New Orleans Saints you have at quarterback Drew Brees. If you're not a big football fan you may have never heard of the guy- yet statistically he is one of the top quarterbacks in the league on a team

that has been awful for so long it was referred to as the "Aints". Here's a guy who coming off a shoulder injury went to the "Big Easy," in 2006 and completely turned the dismal Saints team into a really

competitive franchise. You may also recall that New Orleans at that time was still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and what a feel good story the Saints were that 2006 season- falling short just one game of the Super Bowl.

The Saints however have helped to turn the city around and lift the spirits of many so it's no surprise that most people are rooting for them.

The main reason I'm mentioning the two quarter backs first is because this is shaping up to be a game of offense and the offense goes mainly through the quarterbacks. On paper, this has the making of being a

"shootout" because both teams love to throw the ball around although statistically the Saints do run the ball much better.

But hey, this is the NFL and games don't always play out the way they are expected.

Sometimes when you expect a shootout you end up with one team getting totally dominated game or a low scoring nail biting finish but we'll have to see.

Like I said, the Colts have been here before, literally the same city and half of the starters on the team now, so they may have an advantage there. The Colts have a relatively different young receiving core as do

the Saints, who have perhaps the most depth at the position of any team in the league.

Manning and the boys look to take down his father's old team. The surprising and formidable Saints look to win their first Super Bowl in the franchise's 43- year history. It's going to be a great game.