Superbowl Preview of the Saints

Saints Superbowl preview

THE COACHES
Saints coach Sean Paytonhas posted a record of
38-26 in the regular season and 3-1 in the postseason.
He is the lone head coach in club history to open a
season with 13 straight wins and post a 13-game win-
ning streak, and has the top all-time winning percent-
age (.594) for a Saints head coach. He also is the
club’s franchise leader in postseason victories. His 19-
13 (.594) road mark is the top winning percentage in
club history. Payton has recorded a 29-19 (.604) mark
vs. NFC opponents. In 2006, he took the Saints to the
NFC Championship and was named the NFL Coach of
the Year by most major media outlets. Payton is is only
the second NFL coach to lead his team two two con-
ference Championship games since 2006. Payton was
hired as New Orleans’ 14th head coach on January 18,
2006, after serving on the Dallas Cowboys coaching
staff from 2003-2005. He has successfully overtaken a
rebuilding project by reshaping the majority of the
team’s roster. Prior to joining the Cowboys, Payton
served on the New York Giants staff from 1999-2002,
including the final three seasons as offensive coordi-
nator. His tenure was highlighted by a Super Bowl
berth in his first full season in New York as offensive
coordinator. Payton’s prior NFL coaching experience
came as quarterbacks coach for the Philadelphia
Eagles from 1997-98.

Indianapolis head coach Jim Caldwell is in his first
year as head coach of the Colts after serving on their
staff from 2002-08, first as quarterbacks coach, even-
tually adding assistant head coach and associate head
coach titles. He is in his ninth season as a coach in the
NFL. He led the Colts to a 14-2 record and Super Bowl
berth in his first season. Caldwell came to the Colts in
2002 from Tampa Bay, where he served one season
as quarterbacks coach after a 20-year collegiate
coaching career, including, where he enjoyed a seven-
year stint as head coach at Wake Forest.

SERIES HISTORY
The two clubs first played in New Orleans’ inau-
gural season in 1967, when the Colts were still based
in Baltimore. The last seven contests between the
two clubs have taken place since the Colts relocated
to Indianapolis. Of the ten contests between the two
clubs, four have been decided by six points or less,
with New Orleans winning three of those. Of the last
five meetings, two have been settled by a touchdown
or less. The Saints’ longest and sole winning streak
was a five-game stretch from 1986-2001.

Date Result Site Att.
12/10/67 L, 10-30 Memorial Stadium60,238
10/19/69 L, 10-30 Tulane Stadium 80,636
9/30/73 L, 10-14 Memorial Stadium52,293
10/12/86 W, 17-14 Hoosier Dome 53,512
12/24/89 W, 41-6 Superdome 49,009
11/12/95 W, 17-14 Superdome 44,122
9/27/98 W, 19-13ot RCA Dome 48,480
11/18/01 W, 34-20 Superdome 70,020
9/28/03 L, 21-55 Superdome 70,020
9/6/07 L, 10-41 RCA Dome 57,361

SUPERLATIVES
A look at the top individual performances for
Saints players against the Colts in the previous ten
regular season meetings between the two clubs.

RUSHING YARDAGE (100+yards)
• RBLamar Smith – 157 yards on 31 carries, @
RCA Dome, Sept. 27, 1998.
• RBRicky Williams– 120 yards on 28 carries,
one TD, @ the Superdome, Nov. 18, 2001.
• RB Rueben Mayes– 108 yards on 22 carries,
@ Hoosier Dome, Oct. 12, 1986.
• RB Deuce McAllister– 101 yards on 17 car-
ries, one TD, @ the Superdome, Sept. 28, 2003.
PASSING YARDAGE (250+yards)
• QBJohn Fourcade– 21 of 28 for 291 yards,
two TD passes, @ the Superdome, Dec. 24, 1989.
• QBArchie Manning– 18 of 33 for 257 yards,
one TD pass, @ Tulane Stadium, Sept. 30, 1973.
RECEIVING YARDAGE (100+yards)
• WRJoe Horn– Eight receptions for 148 yards,
@ The Superdome, Nov. 18, 2001.
• WR Danny Abramowicz– Nine receptions for
115 yards, @ Tulane Stadium, Oct. 19, 1969.

CONNECTIONS
Colts QB Peyton Manning is a New Orleans native
who prepped at Newman HS and is the son of former
Saints QB Archie Manning...CB Tracy Porter played
at Indiana from 2004-07...Head coach Sean Payton
served on the coaching staff at Indiana State from
1990-91... Asst. head coach/linebackers Joe Vitt
entered the NFL coaching ranks with the Baltimore
Colts as their asst. strength/quality control coach from
1979-81. Vitt and Colts senior off. line coach Howard
Mudd served together on the same defensive staff in
Seattle in 1982. Vitt and Indianapolis special asst. to
the defense Rod Perry served together on the same
defensive staff with the Los Angeles Rams from 1992-
94. Def. coordinator Gregg Williams and Perry served
on the same staff with the Houston Oilers from 1995-
96...WR Courtney Roby prepped at North Central
(Indianapolis) HS and closed out his career with the
Hoosiers’ all-time receiving leader with 170 receptions
for 2,524 yards...QB Drew Brees enjoyed an honor
filled career at Purdue from 1997-2000, including
being a Heisman Trophy finalist in 1999 and 2000.
Brees won the Maxwell Award as the nation’s out-
standing player in 2000 and left the Boilermakers as
the Big Ten and school’s all-time leader in passing
yards (11,792), TD passes (90), total yards (12,693),
completion percentage (.611), completions (1,026) and
attempts (1,678)...Kicking consultant John Carney
was a three-year starter played at Notre Dame from
1983-86...Indianapolis senior off. coord. Tom Moore
served as running backs coach with the Saints in
1997...Indianapolis WR Reggie Wayne is a New
Orleans native who prepped at John Ehret HS. Wayne
was tutored in college by Saints wide receivers coach
Curtis Johnson at the University of Miami. TE
Jeremy Shockey and Vilma played with Wayne at
Miami...CB Randall Gay, WR Devery Henderson
and Colts RB Joseph Addai were college teammates
at LSU from 2002-03 and key members of the Tigers
2003 National Championship squad. Colts K Adam
Vinatieri and Gay were teammates in New England
from 2004-05...Off. line/running game coach Aaron
Kromer and Indianapolis defensive coordinator Larry
Coyer served on the same staff in Tampa Bay in
2007...Special teams coord. Greg McMahon played
DB for Colts defensive line coach John Teerlnick
when he coordinated the defense at Eastern Illinois
from 1978-79...Asst. special teams coach Mike
Mallory coached at Indiana from 1986-87, where his
father, Bill Mallory, served as head coach...Colts DT
Keyunta Dawson prepped at Evangel Christian
(Shreveport) HS...RB Pierre Thomas, Indianapolis
DB Kelvin Hayden and WR Aaron Moorehead were
college teammates at Illinois...T Zach Strief and Colts
DL John GIll were teammates at Northwestern.

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