Hits must keep coming for the Saints

What the New Orleans Saints’ defense needs to concentrate on to stop the Indianapolis Colts offense in Super Bowl XLIV (Feb. 7, 3:15 p.m., Ch. 2):

Getting their licks in

The Saints hit Brett Favre every chance they could and, like body blows in boxing, those hits took a toll. You’d better believe they’ll try to do the same thing with Peyton Manning, even though the Colts do an outstanding job of providing protection. .

Bobby McCray, the Saints’ right defensive end who replaced stalwart Charles Grant, hasn’t made a lot of plays this season. But McCray has made a big impact this postseason with his vicious-but-legal hits on Arizona’s Kurt Warner (blindsided after an interception) and Favre (hit so hard after throwing he initially thought his teeth had been knocked out).

Don’t hit the snooze button

The Colts are pretty much a one-dimensional passing team, but opponents can’t entirely go to sleep on the ground game, which finished the regular season as the league’s worst. Manning knows how to use the element of surprise to his advantage, and he has a couple of backs with skills in Joseph Addai and Donald Brown. Addai, for instance, had 80 yards in 16 carries against the New York Jets in the AFC title game. That’s not overwhelming, but it’s not bad either. The Saints finished 21st against the run.

Best defense is a good offense

New Orleans needs to get back to the offensive productivity it had earlier this season, if only to keep Manning & Co. off the field. Yes, the Saints beat Minnesota in the NFC championship game, but the five turnovers New Orleans forced is a big reason why. Otherwise, the Vikings dominated in yardage (475 to 257), first downs (31 to 15), and time of possession (36:49 to 27:56). If that disparity resurfaces in the Super Bowl, with a quarterback who protects the ball as well as Manning does, New Orleans doesn’t have a chance.

Another viewpoint

CBS analyst Shannon Sharpe, a former star tight end for Denver: “Peyton Manning lives in an eight-by-10 box -- eight yards wide, and 10 yards deep. If you can get him out of there, you can cause them some problems. If you can’t . . . you saw the Jets. The Jets early on had success getting him to move. But [Peyton] and his offensive coordinator, they went back to the sidelines and looked at what they were doing. They said, ‘We can pick this up,’ and they did. You’ve got to get him out of that box.”

* Thursday: Colts’ offense

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