Things You Need to Know About Super Bowl XLIV

Whether you are a diehard NFL fan or the kind of person who watches the Super Bowl for the commercials, you probably know that the Super Bowl is arguably the biggest sporting event of the year. So for those of you who want to know a little bit more about what you are about to witness, here is a list of things you should know about this year's Super Bowl.

This is the Saints first trip to the Super Bowl. The Saints have been better over the last decade after being mediocre or bad for the previous three. They have really rallied since Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and with the right personnel moves, they have built a team that won 13 straight games to start off the season. A franchise with some great historic players, the Saints have what is arguably their best team ever. A few years ago, the Chicago Bears ended the Saints first playoff run just short of a Super Bowl. Had they won that game, they would have gone on to face, you guessed it, the Colts.

This is the Colts second trip in 4 years. Last time they were there, they beat the Chicago Bears to give them their first title since leaving Baltimore. Most of the players on this team were there last time. Interestingly enough, the game was played in Miami as well. They have the experience edge in this game.

Peyton Manning, the Colts QB, was this year's MVP for the regular season, beating out the Saints' QB Drew Brees. This was Manning's 4th time winning the award, which is an NFL record. This may not help Manning though as MVPs are historically 11-13 in the Super Bowl. The fact that he is a QB might be even worse as QB's who were MVP are 7-10 in the big game.

Drew Brees is often criticized for being short. Many people thought that he would never make it as a Pro. He has proved his doubters wrong, but still sees his passes knocked down from time to time.

Both teams managed to win the first 13 games of the season this year. This is the first time that two teams started 13-0 in the same season.

Peyton Manning was only sacked 14 times this season. The Jets frazzled him in the AFC Championship game, but he managed to regain his composure and lead the Colts to victory. The Saints will try to rattle him early, but it may turn into a shootout if both he and Brees are clicking.

Peyton's dad, Archie Manning, played for the Saints years ago. Many people will be talking about whether he will root for his son, or his old team. Along a similar note, Drew Brees played his college ball at Purdue, which is only a short trip from Indianapolis.

New Orleans has already beaten two of the NFLs top QBs by defeating the Cardinals Kurt Warner and the Vikings Brett Favre, so they may have a little swagger going into the game. Some people have accused them of playing rough or even taking out a bounty on the opposing QB the last two games. After drawing multiple penalties and fines, the Saints seem to be less than saintly when it comes to playing defense. If they come after Peyton like that, the question will be whether he can maintain composure and beat them consistently enough that they have to stop blitzing.