Let's tee it up, we're tired of waiting for this game

The 44th Super Bowl is finally here, and all I can say is it's about time.

I for one hate the two weeks between teh championship games and the Super Bowl. It's not needed. The only positives is that if one of the teams has an injured player(s) there is a better chance he can play with an extra week of rest and players can take care of the ticket requests that always come from some relative he hasn't seen in a few years or some soft of business acquaintance.

Two weeks of hoopla, however, isn't needed. Alter the schedule and play the champiionship games on Saturday. The players would get Sunday off and then fly to the Super Bowl site on Monday.

The Super Bowl sells itself. It dosn't need hype. It's the biggest game of the year. People have the vdate circled on their calendars at the start of the season. It's the one day that even the non-football fan become s fan for the day.

I've covered four Super Bowls in my career, and there isn't one player that likes the two weeks break. They want to play and get it over with. They don't like the media scrutiny that comes with being in football's biggest game. It's doubled from a regular-season game.

If the weather is decent, this should be an offensive fan's dream game. Peyton Manning and Drew Brees are two of the best in the game, and both teams are blessed with some great receivers. Neither defense has been spectacular this season, and it will be interesting to see how effective the Colts' Dwight Freeney (ligament damage) will be. Remember, he hasn't practiced all week. I do recall that Terrell Owens played in the Super Bowl with a broken leg and played very well.

My pick? I like the Colts 34-20. I suspect that many fans will be rooting for the Saints for senimental reasons. It's their first Super Bowl, and given what happened the city because of Hurricane Katrina, a Super Bowl championship would be huge for the Big Easy.