The Sports Monitor

Random thoughts from Super Bowl XLIV: Give Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams some credit. He was masterful with his adjustments. After giving up 10 first-quarter points, the Saints outscored the Colts 31-7. Drew Brees is a logical choice for MVP. I couldn't argue with Tracy Porter being picked, too, after his game-clinching interception. Heck, coach Sean Payton deserved consideration if a coach could get the award. What about Thomas Morstead? He's the kicker who had the best onside kick ever. It doesn't get much better than that. My memory's fuzzy, but I recall Santonio Holmes having a touchdown overturned in last year's AFC Championship Game against the Ravens. He fumbled after diving into the end zone after getting two feet down to make the catch. I'm still not sure how that was ruled incomplete and the Saints' Lance Moore got credited for a catch on the 2-point conversion. That said, Payton made a great call to challenge the catch.  Porter ...

Peyton Manning had a chance to cement his legacy Sunday night. The Colts were trailing the Saints 24-17 with less than 6 minutes left in Super Bowl XLIV. The Colts needed a touchdown. Manning needed to lead his team. Neither happened. Manning's pass was intercepted by Tracy Porter and returned 74 yards for a touchdown. It wasn't James Harrison rumbling 100 yards for a score, but it was the nail in the coffin for the Colts. Game over. A year ago, a quarterback with something to prove needed to lead his team down the field at the end of the game to win the Super Bowl. Ben Roethlisberger did it. Manning didn't. Manning can have the statistics and MVP awards. Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl rings to Manning's one. I'll take the titles. Whatever he does the rest of his career, Manning will never be able to join Joe Montana or Terry Bradshaw as having a perfect record in the big game. Roethisberger still has that chance. And Manning still had a lit...

I received a flier in the mail today that Pittsburgh Pirates game tickets go on sale Saturday morning. My question: Is it really worth it to buy tickets that far in advance?

We knew it a year ago when it happened, but ESPN confirmed it today: James Harrison's 100-yard interception return for a touchdown is the greatest play in Super Bowl history. I guess when ESPN says it, it must be true. Check out ESPN's page on the play, Inside a Moment in Time . It's a pretty cool page. There are quotes from players involved and a photo gallery of Harrison's game-changing play.

Random thoughts from Sunday's championship games: The New Orleans Saints have faced two Hall of Fame quarterbacks in back-to-back rounds and still won. They beat up, battered and bruised Brett Favre and the Vikings in the NFC title game and did the same to Kurt Warner and the Cardinals. It's looking more and more likely that the Saints sent both Warner and Favre into retirement. Up next, another Hall of Fame QB, Peyton Manning. I don't think that'll be his last game. The Jets still had a chance to win the AFC title game until Reggie Wayne recovered his own fumble in the fourth quarter. Had the ball bounced the other way, the Jets could be making travel plans for Miami. The Vikings got too cute at the end of regulation trying to confuse the Saints and got burned. The 12-men-on-the-field penalty cost them the game. Well, Favre's interception didn't help either. Vikings RB Adrian Peterson looked like former Steelers RB Tim Worley carrying the football. If I...

Brett Favre just loves to gamble. With a trip to the Super Bowl, a shot at redemption and a chance to rub it in the faces of Green Bay Packers fans, Brett Favre couldn't help himself and be Brett Favre. He tried to make a play with the game tied at 28 in the NFC championship game. The grizzled veteran who was supposed to lead the Minnesota Vikings to the Super Bowl instead made a rookie mistake. Favre threw the football back across the field and the New Orleans Saints' Tracy Porter picked it off. So much for a chance to win the game at the end. Favre could have thrown it away, leaving a long 56-yard field goal. He should have run the ball, which would have picked up at least 5 yards, maybe more. Nope. Favre wanted to be the hero. Now, he's the goat. In a game marred by turnovers, Favre's was the costliest. But we shouldn't be surprised. If Favre throws enough, he'll get burned. Just like he did Sunday night. He should have known better than...

I'm a Kurt Warner fan. I've been since he took the NFL by storm after rising from the AFL's Iowa Barnstormers and stocking shelves to make ends meet. So it should be no surprise that I'd like to see him return for another season. Warner still can play. The Cardinals have one heck of an offense. And, if I were a die-hard Arizona fan, I wouldn't want to see Matt Leinart taking snaps next season either. When the Steelers played the Cardinals in the Super Bowl last year, it was one time where I wouldn't have been upset with the opposing  team winning. The Cardinals have lots to like, led by Warner, and followed by Larry Fitzgerald and Ken Whisenhunt, to name a few. Usually, I'd rather see an athlete retire a year too early, rather than a year too late. And too often, they hang on too long. With Warner, it would be at least two years too early. Hopefully, we can see at least one more.