I?d like to thank my 5th grade teacher, Mrs. Gloria Oravec of South Street Elementary in Vermilion, OH, for drilling Roman numerals into my skull so deeply that I?ll never forget them. It has always enhanced my Super Bowl enjoyment. Without giving away my picks (unless you happened to listen a couple of my radio spots last week!), here are 44 thoughts to chew on for Super Bowl week. Some are pertinent, some are random, some are very loosely Super Bowl-related... I--I think it?s not coincidental that the line moved from Colts -3 to Colts -2 with the news of Dwight Freeney?s torn ankle ligament. II--This matchup sort of shoots down my theory that teams need to play hard and build momentum heading into the playoffs; the Colts dropped their final two and the Saints entered the playoffs on a three-game bender. III--This is the first Super Bowl since the Colts beat the Bears that both teams employ a base 4-3 defense. The last one before that was the Buccaneers/Raiders game. IV--If the Colts win they will be the first winner since the Ravens won a decade ago to not have an Ohio State Buckeye on the active roster. Last year?s Steelers were the first team in almost 25 years to win without a Miami Hurricane, as Ben Roethlisberger went to the ?other? Miami. V--I love the impending chess match between Peyton Manning and Darren Sharper, two of the very best at disguising what they are going to do from play to play. VI--The name of the venue has changed twice since the Colts played here in the Super Bowl four years ago, even though it?s the same stadium. It was Dolphin Stadium back then, followed by Landshark Stadium and now Sun Life Stadium. VII--If the Saints win, Reggie Bush would be the first Heisman-winning RB to win a Super Bowl since Marcus Allen. Mike Garrett is the only other member of that group--give yourself a high five if you know with what team he accomplished that! VIII--If using playoffs and Super Bowl performances is the real measuring stick for quarterbacks, why on earth are people so down on Kurt Warner and so high on Dan Marino? IX--Shame on Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey for continuing to perform as The Who! When John Entwhistle joined Keith Moon in the great beyond, that moniker should have been buried too. X--I support Tim Tebow?s right to use his fame to draw attention to a cause he believes in. Without getting too political, I just wonder why so many pro-choice people get so angry when someone chooses life...I?m eagerly anticipating the advertisement. XI--The Saints secondary is as healthy as they?ve been since September, and they?ll need all hands on deck to contain the Colts passing attack. XII--This is the first time since the NFL went to four divisions in each conference that two teams from the South divisions have played in the Super Bowl. XIII--I did not watch one second of the Pro Bowl. I get the advantages of moving the game to the weekend before the Super Bowl and changing the venue to the Super Bowl locale, but I steadfastly refuse to watch a watered-down exhibition that none of the players care about. For what it?s worth I never watch the All-Star games of any other sport either and strongly encourage you to do the same. XIV--There is talk about the Colts being the ?Team of the Decade? if they win. I?m not buying it; New England won three titles and played in a 4th Super Bowl, two more than the Colts made. Take out the year the Colts won and their playoff record was 3-7 in the 00?s, while the Patriots went 14-4. That?s no contest, folks... XV--Teams making their first-ever Super Bowl appearance are just 4-15 when facing a team that has been there before. This is New Orleans? first trip to the big game. XVI--Preseason oddsmakers had the Colts between 8-1 and 12-1 to win the Super Bowl, while the Saints were anywhere from 20-1 to 40-1. To just make the Super Bowl, the Colts typically went off at 5-1 or 6-1, the Saints 15-1 to 25-1. XVII--My favorite Super Bowl ad of all-time is the debut of the Budweiser frogs, followed by the Bird/MJ game of horse. I still maintain that the female frog in those Bud ads looks a great deal like Michelle Pfeiffer. XVIII--In case you?re wondering, the backup QBs are Curtis Painter and Mark Brunell. Painter is a rookie from Purdue that essentially gave the Jets a playoff berth. Brunell is 39-years-old (we share the same birthday of Sept. 17, as does Rasheed Wallace) and made three Pro Bowls back in the 90s. Distinct advantage to the Saints if something happens to the starting QBs. XIX--The first Super Bowl I can remember watching was the Cowboys beating the Broncos in Super Bowl XII following the 1977 season. I watched it at a party at my grandparents? home, and it?s also the first time I recall being aware of people being intoxicated. I was five and I rooted for the Cowboys because I liked Tom Landry?s hat. XX--I have very real concerns with the Colts secondary, which was prone to critical errors in both playoff games. Baltimore and New York weren?t good enough in the passing offense to take advantage, but the Saints sure are. XXI--For the life of me I don?t understand why the NFL doesn?t move the Super Bowl to Saturday night. Countless more people would be able to stay up later, and it would allow an even bigger party in the winning city if so many people didn?t have to worry about work the next day. XXII--The two punters in this game are both rookies. Pat McAfee and Tom Morstead were the two kickers in the 2009 Senior Bowl, and both were markedly better than any of the kickers in Mobile this year. XXIII--I?m not big on all the prop bets, but two this year catch my fancy. I?ll take $25 on Drew Brees? first pass being complete, and $50 on The Who playing 'My Generation' as their first song at halftime. XXIV--If the Colts win, it absolutely cements Peyton Manning as the best QB of my lifetime. Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw, and Joe Montana might have more rings, but Manning has never had the supporting cast any of them ever had. Yet, he must win at least one more to validate my opinion. XXV--Every year it seems some player does something idiotic, be it Eugene Robinson getting busted with a hooker or Barrett Robbins flipping out or someone providing good bulletin board material. My money for this year?s provider is Saints TE Jeremy Shockey, which would surprise absolutely no one, including Shockey himself. XXVI--I think it?s pretty cool that two players of Haitian descent are so prominent in this year?s Super Bowl, in light of the recent humanitarian tragedy in that country. Jonathan Vilma of the Saints and Pierre Gar?on of the Colts are great reminders of what can blossom from even the poorest of places, and that even the poorest lives are worth saving. Now can someone please teach me how to put the little curly thingy on the bottom of the ?c? in Gar?on?s name? XXVII--The end of football season brings forth a major void in many lives, perhaps none more so than my own. I suggest using Sundays for learning a new skill, like gourmet cooking or ice skating or video editing. Better yet, use the newfound free time to catch up on DVDs of TV shows. I recommend Arrested Development and Soap, the two funniest shows ever. XXVIII--I?m very interested in the battle between the Colts league-worst rushing offense and the Saints generally weak run defense. This is one matchup where one side or the other is really going to step up and shock the world. XXIX--Shame on any company that has taken one dime of public money to spend $2.9M for 30 seconds of advertising during the game. And shame on the NFL and the broadcast network for taking that money. XXX--One of the cool things about being in Mobile last week was soaking in the bliss of long-suffering Saints fans along the Gulf Coast. I dare say that no game has ever meant more to a city than this game does for the Saints and New Orleans. Normally that would put some serious pressure on a team, but I think these Saints embrace it with a professionalism and grace that merits the pride of the city. XXXI--Remember how the networks used to always endlessly hype a new show making a grand debut immediately following the Super Bowl? Pop quiz--what network is showing the Super Bowl this year, and what show comes on after the telecast? Don?t worry, I have no idea either. XXXII--If you?re like me, you abhor all the mindless sports radio interviews ?live from radio row?. I couldn?t care less about all the little sound bites and redundant Q & A, or all the pundits trying to be cute or devious. Even though I do love the Super Bowl, the media build-up drives me crazy. XXXIII--I?m stunned that Jim Caldwell didn?t get more run for Coach of the Year. He succeeded a living legend (albeit a horribly overrated one) in Tony Dungy and his Colts won every game they tried to win. His subtle modifications to the defense and further empowerment of Peyton Manning were needed tweaks, and Caldwell deserves more credit than he?s getting for the masterful job he?s done. It?s easier to take over a team near the bottom and show improvement that take over a perennial contender and show improvement, and Caldwell did just that. XXXIV--This is the first time the #1 seeds in each conference made it to the Super Bowl since the Cowboys beat the Bills. That factoid genuinely surprises me. XXXV--It appears Scott Green will be the referee (the official announcement will be made later this week). Green doesn?t get as much notoriety as Ed Hochuli or Mike Carey, but he?s noted for allowing the defense more liberty in attacking the QB and also for faster-paced games. Both of those make me smile. XXXVI--The Saints are just the 7th team to make the Super Bowl that allows more points on opening drives than they scored themselves. Strangely, the prior teams went 4-2 in Super Bowls, though the most recent two (the Cards last year and the Bears in ?06) both lost. XXXVII--Here?s hoping that some more light is shined on the great Saints teams of the late 80s and early 90s. That group is woefully underappreciated in NFL lore, including the best group of linebackers to play together. Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, Vaughn Johnson and Sam Mills formed an exceptional 3-4 linebacking corps, playing behind a pair of criminally underrated ends in Jim Wilks and Bruce Clark. I loved watching those teams, which had very strong ties to the USFL. XXXVIII--You want further proof that the most important statistic in football is yards gained per first down snap? The Saints ranked #1, the Colts ranked #4--and two playoff losers (Minnesota and Dallas) ranked #2 and #3. Last year?s combatants, the Steelers and Cardinals, both ranked in the top-8 in that category. In fact, no Super Bowl winner has ranked lower than 9th in that stat since the Ravens? championship team, which defied all logic and ranked 30th. XXXIX--One of my concerns with the Saints is their ability to handle Dallas Clark. Darren Sharper is great playing centerfield at safety, but he?ll be forced to pay extra attention to Clark. That takes away a real advantage the Saints have held throughout the playoffs, where they have not had to face a great tight end. Sorry Mr. Shiancoe, but your only about the 5th-best weapon in the Favre arsenal in Minnesota. It will be real interesting to see how they handle a tight end that is a primary option in the passing game. XL--Every year there seems to be a hidden star that plays a major role in the outcome. My top candidates from each team: Indy?s Austin Collie and the Saints? Scott Fujita. XLI--For those who like to pick at my favoritism when I make picks, something you should know: I moved to Indianapolis within one month of the Colts moving there and relished being a newcomer with the new team, but I have been known to wear a #16 Saints jersey out to sports bars even though my main allegiance is with the Detroit Lions. XLII--Some guesses on some prop bets: first TD will be a Dallas Clark 17-yard TD reception, the halftime score will be 21-20, the longest run will be a Joseph Addai 31-yard scamper, and the longest play will be a Robert Meacham 68-yard TD catch. The final points will be a Garrett Hartley 36-yard field goal, and the final pass of the game will be incomplete. XLIII--Unlike most people, I?ll be watching the game from the quiet comfort of my own home with just my immediate family. I have two children under age five, it?s a Sunday night before a school day, and I?m strangely becoming increasingly uncomfortable in crowds, especially when alcohol is involved. XLIV-- If you?re one of those people that likes to play the ?Team A beat Team B by X amount, and Team C beat Team B by Y amount?, you really like New Orleans in this game. Against common opponents the Saints were +78 in point differential, while the Colts were +12. I?m not a real believer in that funky math, but that?s an awfully big number to ignore. Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com