Check out the new sports stories online at www.thebutlercollegian.com.
There is great coverage of men's and women's basektball, Rob Mullett's sub-4-minute mile run, and Team USA hockey's win over Canada.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Super Bowl gives fans talent, cities boosts
-Aaron Cummins, Contributing Writer
(acummins@butler.edu)
Both of the teams playing in Super Bowl XLIV are talented, but the game's impact on New Orleans and Indianapolis tends to be overlooked.
But first, let's review the two teams' recent games.
After a 14-2 season, the Indianapolis Colts are headed to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, thanks to a win over the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game.
The Colts were down 17-6 with two minutes left in the first half before quarterback Peyton Manning connected with rookie wide receiver Austin Collie on three consecutive plays for a touchdown.
In the second half, Manning did not waste any time throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to another young wide receiver, Pierre Garcon.
The rest of the game followed accordingly.
Collie had a season-high 123 receiving yards, while Garcon broke an AFC Championship game record with 11 receptions.
Manning ended the game with 377 yards, 3 touchdowns and a passer rating of 123.9, a rare number for a playoff game.
In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints' victory over Brett Favre and the Vikings send them to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
The Saints went 13-3 in the regular season and won their two home playoff games. The 45-14 win over the Cardinals placed them in the game against the Vikings.
In a game that may have ended with a Vikings field goal had it not been for an interception thrown by Favre, the Saints won in overtime, 31-28, with a 40-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees finished the game with 197 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Both Super Bowl quarterbacks are samples of excellent on-the-field leaders.
Brees, by the numbers, is the best quarterback of the 2009-10 season. He threw for 4,388 yards and 34 touchdowns, and the former Purdue quarterback ended the season with a passer rating of 109.6.
Brees also knows how to spred the ball, allowing an astonishing 19 teammates to score this past season.
Manning's numbers in the regular season were not far behind: 4,500 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and a passer rating of 99.9. Manning is consistently in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks and knows how to manage a game.
Beyong the numbers, the Super Bowl is going to have a tremendous impact on each team's city.
For New Orleans, that impact is achieving a sense of normalcy, which may have temporarily disappeared in the suffering city since Hurricane Katrina. The passion that the people of New Orleans are famous for has followed their football team this season. The city has overcome tremendous obstacles to get to where they are today and their fans show a great deal of gratitude for that.
New Orleans' fan base displayed their passion as they cheered their team to victory over the Vikings in what was an emotional game.
There is no doubt that the city of New Orleans will be impacted greatly by Super Bowl XLIV, but the city of Indianapolis will also be impacted positively.
Indianapolis is an up-and-coming football town. This is not to say that Indianapolis does not pay its respects to the Indiana Pacers, the Butler Bulldogs or the Indianapolis Indians, but nonetheless, football has recently become where the city's passion lies.
The Colts won the Super Bowl in the 2006-07 season, and three years later, Indianapolis has a sense of deja vu.
This season, the Colts went 14-0 before pulling their starters and subsequently losing to the Jets. At 14-0, perfection seems a mere stone's throw away, and some Colts fans were stung by the loss.
The team, however, insisted, as they had three years earlier, that the ultimate goal was a Super Bowl victory.
Super Bowl XLIV is going to have a representative sample of two of the most passionate fan bases in the country.
Saints fans have a revived passion for their team and city, while Colts fans have a dedicated mentality with a passion to rival any team.
(acummins@butler.edu)
Both of the teams playing in Super Bowl XLIV are talented, but the game's impact on New Orleans and Indianapolis tends to be overlooked.
But first, let's review the two teams' recent games.
After a 14-2 season, the Indianapolis Colts are headed to the Super Bowl for the second time in four years, thanks to a win over the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game.
The Colts were down 17-6 with two minutes left in the first half before quarterback Peyton Manning connected with rookie wide receiver Austin Collie on three consecutive plays for a touchdown.
In the second half, Manning did not waste any time throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to another young wide receiver, Pierre Garcon.
The rest of the game followed accordingly.
Collie had a season-high 123 receiving yards, while Garcon broke an AFC Championship game record with 11 receptions.
Manning ended the game with 377 yards, 3 touchdowns and a passer rating of 123.9, a rare number for a playoff game.
In the NFC, the New Orleans Saints' victory over Brett Favre and the Vikings send them to their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
The Saints went 13-3 in the regular season and won their two home playoff games. The 45-14 win over the Cardinals placed them in the game against the Vikings.
In a game that may have ended with a Vikings field goal had it not been for an interception thrown by Favre, the Saints won in overtime, 31-28, with a 40-yard field goal by Garrett Hartley.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees finished the game with 197 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Both Super Bowl quarterbacks are samples of excellent on-the-field leaders.
Brees, by the numbers, is the best quarterback of the 2009-10 season. He threw for 4,388 yards and 34 touchdowns, and the former Purdue quarterback ended the season with a passer rating of 109.6.
Brees also knows how to spred the ball, allowing an astonishing 19 teammates to score this past season.
Manning's numbers in the regular season were not far behind: 4,500 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and a passer rating of 99.9. Manning is consistently in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks and knows how to manage a game.
Beyong the numbers, the Super Bowl is going to have a tremendous impact on each team's city.
For New Orleans, that impact is achieving a sense of normalcy, which may have temporarily disappeared in the suffering city since Hurricane Katrina. The passion that the people of New Orleans are famous for has followed their football team this season. The city has overcome tremendous obstacles to get to where they are today and their fans show a great deal of gratitude for that.
New Orleans' fan base displayed their passion as they cheered their team to victory over the Vikings in what was an emotional game.
There is no doubt that the city of New Orleans will be impacted greatly by Super Bowl XLIV, but the city of Indianapolis will also be impacted positively.
Indianapolis is an up-and-coming football town. This is not to say that Indianapolis does not pay its respects to the Indiana Pacers, the Butler Bulldogs or the Indianapolis Indians, but nonetheless, football has recently become where the city's passion lies.
The Colts won the Super Bowl in the 2006-07 season, and three years later, Indianapolis has a sense of deja vu.
This season, the Colts went 14-0 before pulling their starters and subsequently losing to the Jets. At 14-0, perfection seems a mere stone's throw away, and some Colts fans were stung by the loss.
The team, however, insisted, as they had three years earlier, that the ultimate goal was a Super Bowl victory.
Super Bowl XLIV is going to have a representative sample of two of the most passionate fan bases in the country.
Saints fans have a revived passion for their team and city, while Colts fans have a dedicated mentality with a passion to rival any team.
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