My head said back the Colts. It issued stat after stat about Manning’s amazing career, multiple comeback games and his, near psychic, ability to read defenses. My heart said back the Saints. It pointed out the many horrors the citizens of New Orleans have faced and the rich history of the region. It also noted that this wasn’t a bad little team if you wanted to hang your hat on one. My ass said, STFU, sit down, grab a beer and just enjoy the game. After all, you have no money you can afford to lose and there is no clear cut choice. I now know that the next time someone calls me a smart ass I will take it as a compliment.

Somewhere between The Who finishing their collection of CSI theme songs and gratuitous shots of fans, I was settling in for a defensive struggle. Neither side had done much offensively and both teams seemed to have a good bead on what the other was thinking. Then, just as my tiny mind agreed to that concept, the Saints opened the second half with an on side kick. The first, non 4th quarter, one in the history of the Superbowl. Just like that it was, as Garth would say, GAME ON!

DAN POMPEII at the Tribune takes a look at the wild second half.

With 1 minute, 55 seconds left in the first half on fourth-and-a-little-over-1 on the goal line, the aggressive Saints coach went for seven in an attempt to tie the score.

Because Colts corner Kelvin Hayden stopped running back Mike Bell for a slight loss on the previous play, the Saints couldn’t run a straight-ahead plunge or a dive with much confidence. They tried a sweep left, and Colts middle linebacker Gary Brackett tackled Pierre Thomas for no gain.

Payton was fortunate his defense forced a three-and-out and the Saints got the ball back with 35 seconds left. Garrett Hartley saved him with a 44-yard field goal at the end of the half.

Hartley was gambler’s insurance. He had three field goals of more than 40 yards — the first time any kicker has done that in a Super Bowl.

Now Payton was on a roll. He started the second half with an onside kick. To understand just how out there this decision was, consider this: It was the first onside kick in a Super Bowl prior to the fourth quarter.

Hank Baskett had a chance to field it for the Colts, but he couldn’t hang on. After a pileup and scrum that seemed to last as long as the Who’s halftime performance, Chris Reis emerged from the crowd with the football for the Saints.

“We’ve (practiced) the onside kick all week and guys executed it well,” Payton said. “When you do something like that you just put it on the players, and they were able to execute. It turned out to be a big change of possession and ended with a score.”

Six plays later, Thomas, the kid from Thornton Fractional South, took a screen pass 16 yards for a touchdown and gave the Saints their first lead of the game at 13-10.

“It was definitely a gutsy call,” Hartley said of the onside kick. “As a player you have to enjoy playing for a coach who puts it in your hands.”

Payton couldn’t walk away from the table just yet though. After Jeremy Shockey caught a 2-yard pass to give the Saints a 22-17 lead, Payton held up two fingers. They were going for two. The call wasn’t as much of a gamble as it appeared though. The cheat sheet that every coach carries in his back pocket advised Payton to do exactly what he did.

The initial ruling was receiver Lance Moore dropped the pass from Most Valuable Player Drew Brees in the front corner of the end zone. But Payton’s decision to challenge the play — and risk losing a timeout — paid off when referee Scott Green ruled Moore crossed the plane of the end zone before dropping the ball and the initial call was overturned.

Even on the play that put away the Colts, Payton and his defensive coordinator Gregg Williams took a chance. After not blitzing Peyton Manning much through the game, the Saints sent the house after Manning on third-and-5.

Manning threw a short pass for Reggie Wayne. Saints corner Tracy Porter knew he didn’t have much help to make the tackle, so he jumped the route, went for the ball, made an interception and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown.

The team, it is often said, takes its personality from its coach. The Saints, then, dared to be great.

Colts players after the game were still stunned by the onside kick. It just isn’t done. I got the sense that, somehow, they felt that the Saints had displayed bad manners. Like drinking beer in church or something. But, the simple fact is that the play is allowed and the Saints ran it flawlessly.

Also, as a side note to the many irate bloggers I have seen this morning, you can not fumble in the end zone. Once the ball crosses the plane the score counts and the play is over. I’m sorry that you didn’t learn that when you were the water bearers at the Pop Warner level (maybe some of you still are), but that is the way it has always been.

Sean Payton refused to let his team give in. He forced them to take risk after risk and you could tell the team was loving it. There was no holding back. Whatever they had they were going to leave on the field. They were not afraid of the Manning mystique, they were not cowed by being the underdogs, they were not overwhelmed by the spectacle surrounding them. Of course, as to the last item, they are from New Orleans; the home of topless women, crawdads and hot sauce. It takes a LOT of spectacle to catch the attention of people from there.

At the end of the game, just because I can be a heartless bastard sometimes, I turned to a buddy of mine who is a die hard Bears’ fan and said, “Now. Just imagine Lovie coaching against either of those teams in a Superbowl.”

He actually cried.

Oh well, it was a heck of a game and no one can take that trophy away from the Saints. Nor should anyone want to. The home of riverboat gamblers finally gambled and won. They earned it.

CLICK HERE TO TELL US IF LOVIE COULD HAVE OUTCOACHED ANYONE YESTERDAY