It is very seldom in the NFL that we see two great offenses in the Super Bowl instead of a great offense going up against a great defense.  Last season we saw Kurt Warner and the potent Arizona Cardinals offense go up against defensive player of the year James Harrison and arguably the best defense in football in the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The mix of a great offense and defense turned out to be one of the best Super Bowls in NFL history as it came down to a last second pass and a game-winning touchdown from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to wide receiver Santonio Holmes.  It couldn’t have been scripted better!
 
This season we will see the complete opposite as two of the best offenses in the NFL go head to head in Peyton Manning’s Indianapolis Colts and Drew Brees’ New Orleans Saints.  At first glance, it seems like whatever offense has the football at the end will be the one going home with a Super Bowl title.  This scenario could be very possible, but there are two defensive players on each team that would beg to differ.
 
Coming into this game the Colts are already sweating it as the health of arguably their best defensive player is in serious question after suffering an injury late in the win over the New York Jets in the AFC Championship game. Pro Bowl Defensive end Dwight Freeney tweaked his ankle while running after Jets rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez in the 30-17 win over New York back on January 24th.  Fortunately, Dwight Freeney has had time to heel, but unfortunately, the injury to his ankle is worse than the Colts once thought as it is now come to their attention that there is a torn ligament in Freeney’s injured ankle which normally takes six to eight weeks to recover from.
 
With that being, Freeney’s playing status for the Super Bowl is questionable at best, but reportedly improving. As a result of Freeney’s injury, defensive end Robert Mathis will be thrown into the spotlight and will have the daunting task of putting pressure on Saints quarterback Drew Brees who had his fair share with Jared Allen against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFC Championship game.  So the Colts defense is already at a disadvantage, but what about the Saints defense which has arguably the best safety in the game right now with the likes of Darren Sharper.
 
With nine interceptions on the year, Darren Sharper tied the league lead with defensive player of the year in Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson.  Much like Dwight Freeney for the Colts, Darren Sharper contribution to the team goes unnoticed as the all the attention goes to the potent offense of New Orleans and not the defense.  This Super Bowl Sunday, Peyton Manning’s eyes will without a doubt be watching what Darren Sharper will be doing in the secondary as Sharper could easily be the player to turn this game around in the Saints favor.
 
If there were any quarterback in the league that could shake off an elite safety like Darren Sharper, it is four-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning, but the future hall of fame quarterback will definitely have his hands full this weekend trying to get the football as far away from Sharper’s hands as possible.

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