The Saints have signed 27-year old fullback Zak Keasey to a 1-year deal.  Keasey did not play last season.  He last played in 2008 with the 49ers.  Keasey has played in 19 games in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc).  Keasey has also caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg) in his NFL career.  He also has 19 career tackles in his NFL career as he is a solid special teams player.  Keasey will have a uphill battle in trying to make the Saints’ roster in 2010 but his special teams ability will help his cause.

This is a big question that the Saints need to ponder.  Bush is only 24 years old and I think he played the best football of his career in 2009.  With that in mind I think they should bring him back as long as he doesn’t want to break the bank.  After all, he isn’t a every down back.  Bush played in 14 games for the Saints last season and he carried the ball 70 times for 390 yards (5.6 ypc) with 5 TD runs.  Bush also caught 47 passes for 335 yards (7.1 avg) with 3 TD grabs and he also returned 27 punts for 130 yards (4.8 avg).  Bush has now played in 52 games for the Saints in his career and he has carried the ball 488 times for 1,940 yards (4.0 ypc) with 17 TD runs.  He also has caught 260 passes for 1,934 yards (7.4 avg) with 11 TD grabs.  Bush has helped out on special teams too as he has returned 78 punts for 628 yards (8.1 avg) with 4 TD returns.  As long as Bush’s contract demands aren’t too ridiculous the Saints should bring him back in 2010 and beyond.

Drew Brees is going to Disneyland as he won the MVP of the Super Bowl.  He earned it by completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (114.5 QB Rating).  Brees deserved the award without a doubt as he led his team down the field time after time in the second half to lead his team to victory.  Two other players stood out to me in this game for the Saints.  One was cornerback Tracy Porter who drove the final nail in the coffin for the Saints when he picked off a Peyton Manning pass in the 4th quarter which he returned 74 yards for a TD to put them up 14 points.  Kicker Garrett Hartley also had a huge game as he put 11 points on the board for the Saints.  He connected on 44, 46 and 47 yard field goals for the Saints.  Still, Drew Brees deserved this award for the Saints but he didn’t do it alone.

The New Orleans Saints fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter and they trailed 10-6 at the half.  But Coach Payton made a lot of changes in the gameplan in the second half and it paid off big time.  It all started with a onside kick on the first play of the second half and the Saints had the momentum the rest of the way.  Drew Brees was outstanding yesterday completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (114.5 QB Rating).  Pierre Thomas was pretty effective in this game as he carried the ball 9 times for 30 yards (3.3 ypc) and he also caught 6 passes for 55 yards (9.2 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Reggie Bush pitched in with 5 carries for 25 yards (5.0 ypc) and he also caught 4 passes for 38 yards (9.5  avg).  Marques Colston (7 rec, 83 yards), Devery Henderson (7 rec, 63 yards) and Jeremy Shockey (3 rec, 13 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Saints yesterday.  The Saints finished up with 332 total yards on offense (51 rushing, 281 passing) in this game.

The Saints gave up a lot of yards on defense but they made big plays when they had to keeping the Colts off the scoreboard.  Safety Roman Harper led the way for the Saints on D with 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  Linebacker Jonathan Vilma also had a solid game with 7 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss and 1 pass defensed.  CB Tracy Porter made the biggest impact for the Saints on D as he picked off a Peyton Manning pass late in the 4th quarter that he returned 74 yards for a TD to put the Saints up 14 points.  The Colts finished up with 432 total yards on defense (99 rushing, 333 passing) but it didn’t matter in the end as the SAINTS ARE SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS!

The Saints play the most important game in team history tomorrow night in Miami, Florida.  The Saints got here by playing solid football but the offense carries this team.  The Saints will likely run a balanced offense tomorrow with a lot of short passes and by running the ball to control the clock.  The running game will come down to how well the Saints’ O-Line does against the front seven of the Colts who are not known for run defense.  That is good news for both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.  Thomas will get a lot of yards between the tackles against the Colts’ D tomorrow for sure.  That will open things up on the outside for Reggie Bush who is averaging 7.7 yards per carry during the post season.  His speed will cause a huge problem on the edges of the Colts’ D as OLBs Clint Session and Philip Wheeler will have problems keeping up with him.  Drew Brees will likely have enough time to throw the ball tomorrow with Dwight Freeney either sitting out the game or being gimpy.  That will lead the Saints’ O-Line to double DE Robert Mathis on the other side of the line negating the Colts’ pass rush.  This is big trouble for the Colts’ D.  The Saints will probably throw short passes to Reggie Bush, Jeremy Shockey and David Thomas to set up deeper throws to Devery Henderson and Marques Colston.  Look for the Saints’ offense to have a field day in the Super Bowl.

When the Colts have the football it’s all about stopping Peyton Manning.  That is easier said than done as both the Ravens and Jets tried to double Reggie Wayne and the result was Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie both having huge games.  This is the kind of game where someone steps up on the big stage and makes a name for himself.  My pick is DE Will Smith who is a very underrated player.  I think he will get in Peyton Manning’s face a few times causing him to rush his throw resulting in a big positive play for the Saints’ D tomorrow.  Look for the Saints’ safeties (Darren Sharper and Roman Harper) to be all over Dallas Clark tomorrow. 

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 34, COLTS 30