It's 2010 Super Bowl XLIV (44) mania, and every angle of every corner of every angle will be covered in the next couple of weeks by the real media. So what can we do in the blogging community? Make up more angles!
How about this: What if we somehow tried to predict who would win the Super Bowl based on the NBA counterparts in their respective cities? Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
If Super Bowl XLIV were to be played by the NBA versions of the NFL teams participating in Miami, the Indianapolis Colts would be substituted for the Indiana Pacers while the New Orleans Saints would be replaced by the New Orleans Hornets. Still with us?
While the Hornets are probably (definitely) the better basketball team, how would the teams fare on the football field? Let's take a look at some of the key players on the rosters and match them up with their counterparts.
Indianapolis Colts/Pacers
QB Peyton Manning = SF Danny Granger
The unquestioned centerpiece of the team, providing a mostly offensive attack. Good enough to build a team around with the potential to be great.
RB Joseph Addai = PG T.J. Ford
Players who showed great promise and have since slowed down. The Pacers can't wait to unload T.J. Ford, and you might be surprised at how much the Colts may share that sentiment about Addai.
WR Reggie Wayne = SF Mike Dunleavy
Good players and often underappreciated. Dunleavy has had injury issues so it is difficult to really compare, but when these two are healthy they must be accounted for. Neither will mind carrying the load or playing second fiddle and helping teammates.
TE Dallas Clark = PF Troy Murphy
Tough competitors who put up way better numbers than you would expect them to. Murphy has been one of the more underrated forwards in the game for years while Dallas Clark is just now getting the attention he deserves after the departure of Marvin Harrison.
DE Dwight Freeney = C Roy Hibbert
This one is a stretch, considering Hibbert is still growing and Freeney is a veteran leader at this point--but Hibbert has that potential. He showed in college how much he could impact the game, and opposing offenses know that that's all Freeney does.
LB Gary Brackett = C Jeff Foster
Nothing flashy out of either player, but mainstays in their team's lineup for a reason. Consistently solid players.
New Orleans Saints/Hornets
QB Drew Brees = PG Chris Paul
Okay, this one is too easy. The similarities between quarterbacks and point guards are clear, but you'd be hard pressed to find a better match than this in the league. Both Brees and Paul are fundamentally sound but at the same time flashy, and their play dictates largely, if not nearly entirely, the success of their respective clubs.
FS Darren Sharper = C Emeka Okafor
The two big off-season acquisitions in Nawlins have paid dividends this season, both on the defensive side of the ball. While Emeka might actually be a defensive downgrade from Tyson Chandler (who they traded away to acquire Okafor), the presence of the former Husky can't be denied. Obviously, neither can that of Pro Bowl safety Sharper, acquired through Free Agency from the Vikings.
WR Marques Colston = PG Darren Collison
Both young players taken relatively late in the draft and expected to do little, who have burst onto the scene and played huge roles in their team's success.
RB Reggie Bush = SF Peja Stojakovic
Considering the achievements both have been able to garner in the past, you expect more from them. Bush was dominant at USC, and while he's having a good playoffs, it's impossible to say he's lived up to his hype. Just a couple of years ago Peja was carrying the Hornets to one of the top seeds in the Western Conference Playoffs. Now, his play has dropped off along with his teams. Both teams need these guys to perform to be really great.
LB Jonathan Vilma = PF David West
Remarkably great fits on their teams, as West goes together beautifully with Chris Paul and Vilma is the exact perfect fit for the Saints defense.
TE Jeremy Shockey = SF Jamesy Posey
Overpaid, overrated recent free agent acquisitions who show just enough productivity to keep you hoping that they will live up to their billing. Still, it's hard to argue with them, as they have both been winners throughout their careers.
So there's that. Amidst all the rehashed stories of Super Bowl week(s), this is our attempt to create a new story. At least we tried.
And for the record, we'll take the Hornets.
