Need proof why people lack faith in newspapers?

I’m deeply troubled by this anecdote I came across while reading football gossip stories on profootballtalk.com — a Virginia newspaper went to print with the WRONG team winning the Super Bowl.

Yeah, if you are a subscriber of the Virginian-Pilot, you ran out the door to pick up your newspaper Monday morning and opened it up to see that the Indianapolis Colts beat the New Orleans Saints 31-17 in Sunday’s Super Bowl. Not only did it say that on the front page of the sports section, the mistake was repeated on page 9, according to the paper’s editor.

Making it scarier is the editor printed an apology that says at least SIX veteran journalists were working in-house on Sunday night. (http://hamptonroads.com/2010/02/correction-virginianpilot-super-bowl-sports-front)

I’ve worked a lot of of copy-editing shifts in my life with a lot fewer than six people and never have come close to seeing an error of that magnitude occurring. You have to have a lot of careless people working at one time to even have a minor error make it into print, let alone mess up which team won the Super Bowl.

To have that many people working on a staff who don’t pay attention to detail is a very sad occurrence for the entire journalism profession.

The editor of the paper says, “I am as proud of them today as I have ever been.”

If he’s proud of them after such an embarrassing mistake, it speaks volumes for why it could ever occur in the first place.

Manning far from Super with game on the line

You become so accustomed to seeing Peyton Manning orchestrate impressive fourth-quarter drives that it’s nearly shocking when he doesn’t finish the job. And Manning sure picked a bad time to fail – the final minutes of Super Bowl XLIV.

Instead of adding to his legacy as a big-time clutch performer, Manning was on the other side of the spectrum after Tracy Porter intercepted his pass and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown to derail the Indianapolis Colts’ attempt at an overtime-forcing drive.

Porter’s big-time play all but sealed the New Orleans Saints’ 31-17 victory over the Colts.

Somewhere after the conclusion, you just know that quarterback bust Ryan Leaf – the person with the most severe case of “Manning Envy” – was cheering.

The day-after over-analysis has people questioning Manning’s prowess in big games, such as what was discussed ad nauseum prior to Manning and the Colts defeating the Chicago Bears in the Super Bowl three years ago.

The Colts do have a somewhat dubious postseason track record during the Manning era – 10 trips to the playoffs with just one Super Bowl ring – but talk over whether the interception defines Manning’s career or detracts from his legacy is silly.

It doesn’t. He just made a mistake at a bad time. Just like Brett Favre did in the NFC title game against the Saints. Just like dozens of NFL quarterbacks do in any given week each season.

It’s part of the game. Nobody makes every play – hey, even near-perfect Super Bowl MVP Drew Brees threw seven incompletions – and sometimes one of the best quarterbacks in the business makes an ill-fated mistake.

So how about torching Manning for his untimely interception and leaving it at that? You might have noticed that Porter made a terrific aggressive play by jumping the route. That’s what good cornerbacks do on occasion.

So did Peyton Manning choke? No. Did he dent his legacy? No. Did he throw an interception that helped cause his team to lose Sunday’s Super Bowl? Yes.

Let’s keep things in perspective, OK?

Manning skips postgame handshakes

Also noticed there’s a lot of discussion over the fact that Peyton Manning immediately left the field when the game ended and didn’t participate in any postgame handshakes.

Would it have killed him to have quickly shaken Drew Brees’ hand before heading to the exit? Of course not. And Brees wasn’t hard to find since he was on the field taking the final snap of the contest.

But here’s something for the sports fan who merely watches games on television and has never been part of the scene at a major, major event like the Super Bowl to consider: There’s no way to accurately explain to you what an immediate circus the Super Bowl field becomes when the game ends. There are way too many people storming the field from all directions and a lot of chaos ensues.

Have you ever seen a television shot from a regular-season NFL game where one of the head coaches can’t find the other shortly after the game ends? That problem becomes tenfold – is fiftyfold a word? – with an event like the Super Bowl.

So yes, it would have been nice to have seen Manning make an attempt at congratulating a few players on the Saints, but trust me when I tell you he was far from the only player who made a hasty retreat to the locker room.

The Super Bowl celebration scene is a place for the winning squad to linger. Not the losers.

However, I do have a hard time picturing Brees not taking a minute to congratulate Manning if the outcome had been reversed. And perhaps that’s why so many people are taking issue with an icon like Manning over his decision to bypass the celebration scene.

Credit Payton with “Super” coaching decision

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton made one of the boldest decisions in Super Bowl history by electing to attempt an onside kick to open the second half. Never before had an onside kick been attempted before the fourth quarter in the game’s 44-season history.

But the surprise element worked splendidly as Thomas Morstead delivered with near-perfect execution. The ball bounced off the hands of Indianapolis’ Hank Baskett and the Saints recovered.

The gamble paid off as Brees hit Pierre Thomas on a 16-yard touchdown play three mintues later to give the Saints their first lead of the contest.

It was nice to see a head coach take such a risky approach in a game where too many coaches play things close to the vest, not wanting to put themselves in danger of being scrutinized for a dumb move later.

You don’t think Norv Turner would ever do something that gutsy, do you?

Super one-liners

–The relatively inexperienced Garrett Hartley became the first kicker in Super Bowl history to boot three field goals of 40 or more yards, undoubtedly increasing Nate Kaeding’s depression level.

–Much has been made about New Orleans having a soft defense but the Saints won a Super Bowl with this unit despite going up against an impressive trio of quarterbacks – Kurt Warner, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning.

–I sure hope Colts special-teamer Hank Baskett exhibits better hands when handling Playboy model wife Kendra Wilkinson than he did while dealing with the New Orleans onside kick.

–Never have understood why ESPN makes such a big deal over championship parades but the Saints’ victory parade on Tuesday actually might be one worth tuning in to see.

–Tough break for former San Diego State running back Lynell Hamilton (now of the Saints) to have to miss the Super Bowl with an ankle injury.

–The combination of a good football matchup with the city of New Orleans’ post-Hurricane Katrina recovery storyline prompted Sunday’s Super Bowl to be the most-watched program in U.S. television history, surpassing the final episode of M*A*S*H in 1983. Wonder how “Klinger” and “Radar” feel about that?

UNLV smacks BYU to create three-way tie for first

UNLV served notice that it is ready to make a run at the Mountain West Conference regular-season title with a scintillating rout of Brigham Young on Saturday.

The Rebels’ 14-point margin of victory isn’t indicative of how one-sided the contest was. UNLV led by 29 points (47-18) less than 15 minutes into the contest and star guard Tre’Von Willis got the better of BYU star Jimmer Fredette in a matchup of the conference’s best two players.

Willis scored a career-high 33 points to go along with eight assists and zero turnovers. Fredette had 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

UNLV’s victory over the then-No. 12 Cougars creates a three-way tie for first place between BYU (22-3, 7-2), UNLV (19-4, 7-2) and New Mexico (21-3).

New Mexico, then rated No. 15, let a 10-point lead get away against San Diego State before pulling out an 88-86 overtime victory over the Aztecs. San Diego State (16-7, 5-4) will need to win the Mountain West Conference postseason tournament to get into the NCAA tournament.

Colorado State (14-9, 5-4) is in a fourth-place tie with the Aztecs and feeling good about itself after back-to-back victories over Utah and Wyoming.

The Utes (10-12, 3-5) may soon be dreaming of the old days when the Rick Majerus-coached teams didn’t lose 12 games over a three-year span, while Wyoming (9-14, 2-7) is in complete disarray with third-leading scorer A.J. Davis leaving the program. That increases the number of players recruited by third-year coach Heath Schroyer to leave the program to six, a very bad sign.

Last and definitely least, TCU (11-13, 3-6) broke a five-game conference losing skid by beating last-place Air Force (9-13, 1-8).

For a stellar review of the conference’s nine teams, click here: http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/mwest/home.htm

Super Brees and Saints part of Hurricane Katrina rebuilding

Hurricane Katrina was the worst thing to ever happen to the city of New Orleans. Yet it if didn’t occur, the city’s pro football team might not still be around.

A little more than four-plus years after the devastating hurricane ravaged large parts of Louisiana, the New Orleans Saints are Super Bowl champions for the first time in their less-than-spectacular 43-season history.

Prior to this postseason, the Saints had won a total of two playoff games. They won three in a row this season, winning the Super Bowl with a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Just imagine the celebrations on Bourbon Street in the hours following Sunday’s victory as a city that has gone through so much – more than any U.S. city ever should – can go crazy like never before.

So much for Mardi Gras being nine days away.

But first flash back to September of 2005 as Hurricane Katrina blew into town and overflowing Lake Pontchartrain sent water throughout the city. Think back to the images of people waiting on their rooftops to be rescued and how numerous people left homeless were living in terrible conditions inside the Louisiana Superdome, the Saints’ stadium.

Things are sure a lot different now when it comes to how the city of New Orleans feels about itself.

Prior to Hurricane Katrina, there was a very real possibility of the Saints bolting town, possibly to Los Angeles or anywhere else where owner Tom Benson was wooed by a large amount of cash. Benson threatened to move the team on more than one occasion before Katrina hit when there were conflicts between the team and Louisiana officials.

After Hurricane Katrina hit, the Saints spent the 2005 season in San Antonio and there were many reports circulating that Benson was leaning toward permanently keeping the franchise there. But NFL officials and countless others were applying pressure and there was no way to easily bail on the city of New Orleans during such catastrophic times.

So the Saints went back to New Orleans and Sean Payton came aboard as coach. The San Diego Chargers let Drew Brees leave via free agency and the Saints landed Brees after the Miami Dolphins opted for Daunte Culpepper over Brees.

Talk about good luck. Brees has become a superstar with the Saints and he and wife Brittany have done yeoman work in the community to help rebuild New Orleans. Call him Hurricane Brees if you please because without Brees blowing into town, the Saints aren’t world champions today.

You surely don’t think New Orleans would have ever won something big with Aaron Brooks at quarterback, do you?

Brees was named Most Valuable Player of Super Bowl XLIV after completing 32 of 39 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He threw the go-ahead 2-yard scoring pass to Jeremy Shockey with 5:42 to play and the Saints put a stranglehold on their first-ever title when Tracy Porter intercepted Peyton Manning and returned the pick 74 yards to give the Saints a two-touchdown lead with 3:12 remaining.

You might recall that it was Porter who also had the big interception in the NFC Championship Game two weeks earlier, when he picked off Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre in the final seconds of regulation in the contest New Orleans won in overtime.

But the Saints are Brees’ team and the guy that wasn’t a championship quarterback in the eyes of Chargers general manager A.J. Smith now has won one more Super Bowl title than his former franchise. And think, all the Chargers got for Brees was a compensation draft pick used on linebacker Anthony Waters, who played in just seven games during two very forgettable seasons with the team.

Brees, of course, got the last laugh of that situation and has become the football symbol of revitalization in New Orleans. He often talks about it being destiny that he ended up in New Orleans needing to restart his career after major shoulder surgery at the same time the city was starting its rebuilding process from Katrina.

Now there’s nobody more popular in New Orleans than Brees. Saints’ fans have nicknamed him “Breesus” and he’ll be serving as the prestigious King of Bracchus at one of the parades leading up to Mardi Gras. Some of the past Kings of Bracchus include celebrities like Bob Hope, Charlton Heston, Dick Clark and Hulk Hogan.

Yes, life in New Orleans is going just “Super” for Drew Brees, one of the truly good guys of the NFL. And it’s also “Super” for the post-Hurricane Katrina version of the Saints. Instead of the team being located in some other city that doesn’t share Louisiana’s deep love for the Saints, the franchise is right where it belongs.

And now there’s a Super Bowl trophy to go with it for the good folks of New Orleans.

CBS executive overly giddy about Eastern storm

Bet you’ve never heard of David Poltrack? Don’t feel too bad — I hadn’t either.

But the dude sure sounds like the Grinch of Super Bowl Sunday, all ready to celebrate over other people’s misfortune.

While a large portion of East Coast residents deal with frigid blizzard conditions that have either knocked out their power or left them stranded in their residents, Poltrack is thrilled.

You see, he’s chief of research for CBS and he knows the Neilsen ratings for the contest between the Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints will be higher because fewer people can head out to Super Bowl parties or to local watering holes. The more stay-at-home watchers (TV sets in use), the better for CBS.

“Anything to keep people home is a good thing,” Poltrack told the Associated Press. (see http://www.latimes.com/sports/football/nfl/wire/sns-ap-fbn-super-bowl-winter-weather,0,792588.story)

Sounds like Poltrack won’t be receiving many Super Bowl party invitations but who needs a party pooper like him around anyway? He’s also hopeful that power will be restored in affected areas prior to kickoff so the ratings won’t be hindered.

Poltrack even intimated that people without power can go buy a battery-operated television. That has to be one fun trip to the store during a blizzard, huh?

I think I liked Super Bowl Sunday better when I had no idea who David Poltrack was. From now on, you’ll know him as the Grinch of Super Bowl Sunday.

Rice and Smith head Hall inductees; Coryell passed over

Receiver Jerry Rice and running back Emmitt Smith head the list of the seven people who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next August.

Rice is the ranking receiver in NFL history with 1,549 career receptions and Smith is the NFL’s all-time leading rusher with 18,355 career yards. Rice had his best seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and Smith spent most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys.

Also elected to the Hall of Fame on Saturday were offensive lineman Russ Grimm (Washington Redskins), defensive tackle John Randle (spent most of his career with the Minnesota Vikings), linebacker Rickey Jackson (most of his career was spent with the New Orleans Saints), running back Floyd Little (Denver Broncos) and cornerback/assistant coach Dick LeBeau, a former star with the Detroit Lions who has also earned famed as a defensive coordinator, primarily with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Among the eight people up for induction who didn’t get in includes former San Diego Chargers coach Don Coryell, the man who was ahead of his time with the progressive passing offensive systems used by many of today’s NFL teams.

Since this was the first time Coryell was among the final 15 people considered, it’s not a surprise he didn’t make it in this year. But he should be a prime candidate to earn induction next year or in 2012.

Hopefully the 85-year-old Coryell gets enshrined while he’s still alive.

I predicted a few weeks back that there was a good possibility of the maximum number of seven inductees being reached because of the strength of this class. But I figured if seven were inducted that the list would include one of the defensive linemen up for induction – former Chicago Bears great Richard Dent or pass rusher supreme Charles Haley (San Francisco and Dallas). I’m mildly surprise that neither one of them was inducted.

But I’m also sure there are a lot of people surprised that receiver Cris Carter (primarily of the Vikings) wasn’t one of the seven either.

It will certainly be another tough vote next season with the leftovers of this class and first-time eligible players like former San Diego State standout Marshall Faulk and cornerback Deion Sanders up for consideration.

Freeney doesn’t appear game ready

It’s still a well-guarded secret what Dwight Freeney’s status is for Sunday’s Super Bowl but it would be surprise if he’s much of a factor even if he does attempt to play.

The Indianapolis defensive end didn’t participate in the Colts’ walkthrough on Saturday, making it appear even more likely that he’ll be sitting out the game against the New Orleans Saints.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell was coy about Freeney’s status, which hardly ranks as a surprise as kickoff nears.

Meanwhile, receiver Reggie Wayne did participate one day after tweaking a knee injury that has bothered him all season. Caldwell expects Wayne to be fine on Sunday.

Saints’ Hamilton might miss Super Bowl

Former San Diego State running back Lynell Hamilton (ankle) missed the entire week of practices and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see New Orleans identify him as one of the team’s inactives on Super Bowl Sunday.

Cornerback Randall Gay remains ill but Saints coach Sean Payton expects Gay to be able to play.

Vonn SI cover — the controversy that isn’t

Happened to run across the latest copy of Sports Illustrated at a bookstore the other day and I was stunned with what I saw.

On the cover was United States skier Lindsay Vonn. That was stunning to me because I figured it would be either Peyton Manning or Drew Brees adorning the cover with the Super Bowl just a few days away.

All I could think about was what an awesome honor it must be for Vonn to be the SI cover person over one of the Super Bowl quarterbacks. And the cover caption referred to her as “American’s Best Woman Skier Ever.”

A few seconds later, I was on my way to see what was in the Sporting News – I have no clue why Penn State coach Joe Paterno was on that magazine’s cover – and figured my next thoughts about Vonn would occur sometime during this month’s Winter Olympics.

Silly me.

I sometimes forget how many shallow, odd and attention-starved people there are on this planet. It seems the Vonn cover became a bit of an Internet controversy because an entity nobody had ever heard of before – something called WomenTalkSports.com – decided there was something wrong with the cover photo.

The cover shows Vonn from the side in the classic bending skiing position, smiling toward the camera as she prepares to head downhill. (see http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/imageDisplay.jsp?contentItemRelationshipId=2851456)

Somehow, a woman from that previously unheard of Web site decided that the cover shot was a sexualized pose. Come again?

I’m guessing this woman has never skied or watched skiing on television if she finds that to be a sexualized pose. All this woman has done is take away from Vonn’s major accomplishment – scoring an SI cover during Super Bowl week.

I checked Vonn’s Facebook and Twitter pages and I don’t see any complaints from her. In fact, she sent a public tweet to someone at Sports Illustrated on Feb. 2 that says “looks awesome thanks guys!”

Vonn sure doesn’t sound like a woman who feels she was sexualized to sell magazines.

Look, the 25-year-old Vonn is a talented athlete who happens to be attractive. Is she supposed to apologize for being easy on the eyes?

I really wonder if this woman from WomenTalkSports.com would have called it a sexualized pose if SI had put an unattractive woman who was scowling on the cover.

This whole attempt at stirring up a “controversy” when there isn’t one to begin with is very unsettling. It takes away from where the attention should be – Vonn’s stellar career and discussion about whether or not she really is the top female American skier ever.

She hasn’t won any Olympic medals during her career – this is her third Olympics – and she will be branded as a major disappointment if she doesn’t win at least one gold medal in Vancouver. She’ll be chasing medals with a sore left arm injured in a December training crash.

She seems to have a dynamic personality and appears to be a smart entrepreneur as she recently got a Web site up and running (see http://www.lindseyvonnshop.com/) to profit on her stardom. If you’re looking for a “Vonntourage” T-shirt, you now know where to go.

In case I didn’t drum home the point well, there’s nothing sexually exploitive about the SI cover. It seems to me that the uptight woman from WomenTalksSports.com missed the real discussion point of Vonn being on the SI cover.

Does the Sports Illustrated cover  jinx apply to female skiers?

Bad injury timing for Reggie Wayne

Indianapolis receiver Reggie Wayne aggravated a knee injury during Friday’s practice and could be hampered by the ailment during Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Any pro football player will tell you there’s never a good time for an injury but coming up lame 48 hours or so before a Super Bowl contest really qualifies as bad timing.

The Colts listed Wayne as probable for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints – which pretty much means he’s playing – and coach Jim Caldwell said Wayne hurt tissue below the kneecap. That’s much better than a ligament or cartilage issue.

Wayne was bothered by soreness in the right knee most of the season but still managed to catch 100 passes.

Freeney update

Indianapolis star defensive end Dwight Freeney didn’t test his injured ankle during Friday’s practice and the Colts listed him as questionable for the Super Bowl.

By NFL jargon, questionable is the listing you put on players who are 50-50 in whether or not they can play.

Freeney is supposed to test his ankle Saturday and it wouldn’t surprise me if a decision on Freeney’s status isn’t made until just a few hours before Sunday’s Super Bowl, which starts at 6:25 p.m. in Miami.

In other Indianapolis injury developments, guard Ryan Lilja (back) did practice and he’s listed as probable. Cornerback Jerraud Powers (foot) practiced for the first all week and was listed as questionable.

New Orleans news

Cornerback Randall Gay missed practiced with a stomach illness and the Saints have listed him as probable for Sunday.

Former San Diego State running back Lynell Hamilton (ankle) missed another day of practice, placing his availability in doubt. Hamilton was listed as questionable on Friday’s injury report.

Of minor concern is the tender right knee of tight end Jeremy Shockey but it appears Shockey won’t be overly hindered during the Super Bowl.

Friday night curfew?

I happened to notice Saints coach Sean Payton gave his players a midnight curfew on Friday night for a Sunday evening game. Couldn’t help but wonder how much such a deadline would have crippled the strip bar habits of the San Diego Chargers (approximately 20 percent of the squad) if Norv Turner would have attempted to establish even minor control of his team leading up to the playoff debacle against the New York Jets.

Then again, that lack of personal discipline isn’t the only reason why the Chargers will be watching the Saints and Colts play in the Super Bowl. Judging by some of LaDainian Tomlinson’s recent comments, the Chargers’ entire organization is a mess.

Tomlinson ‘news’ hardly a surprise

LaDainian Tomlinson says he won’t be playing another down for the San Diego Chargers. Gee, really? Who knew?

Anybody who had been paying even minor attention this past football season knew that his time in San Diego was done. So there’s nothing shocking or surprising about this development.

I can already see his good friend in New Orleans, a former teammate named Drew Brees, getting ready to pitch his franchise to take a chance on Tomlinson in 2010.

And why not? Reggie Bush has proven he’s not an every-down running back and the Saints used Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell as their main running backs this season. Might as well take the chance that Tomlinson might have a rebound season in him.

Tomlinson rushed for a career-low 730 yards this season with a meager 3.3 rushing average. He’s no longer worth superstar money but if he’s willing to accept a much-lower salary with a few performance bonuses in the contract, then some team will take a chance on him.

Don’t underestimate New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick in terms of Tomlinson’s future employment possibilities. Belichick has given another former Chargers great, Junior Seau, a couple chances to keep his career going and I can see Seau bending Belichick’s ear on Tomlinson’s behalf.

Tomlinson’s production has declined rapidly since his 2006 NFL MVP season when he rushed for 1,815 yards and scored 31 total touchdowns. In 2006, Tomlinson averaged 5.2 yards per carry. It dropped to 4.7 in 2007, then to 3.8 and finally to 3.3. That’s a bad trend.

Also, Tomlinson’s attitude has suffered since Norv Turner replaced Marty Schottenheimer as Chargers’ coach. Tomlinson often looked distant and unhappy during the periods the Chargers’ locker room was open to the media.

So after nine stellar seasons in San Diego, it’s time for Tomlinson to move on. He ranks eighth in NFL history with 12,490 rushing yards, has scored 153 total touchdowns, and will someday be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But with a $5 million salary for 2010 and a $2 million roster bonus due in early March, anyone who didn’t see this coming hasn’t been paying attention. It was clear from the moment Tomlinson was nearly cut last offseason that this would be his last go-around in San Diego.

He has been the city’s football version of baseball great Tony Gwynn and his Chargers’ legacy will be preserved. Think about it — he’s up there with Lance Alworth and Dan Fouts as the greatest players in franchise history and on the popularity scale, only Seau came close to matching Tomlinson.

But this is a business and running backs with a lot of mileage on the treads to go with sagging production have to be cast aside. Philip Rivers has replaced Tomlinson as the face of the franchise and the Chargers have become more of a pass-happy offense as Tomlinson’s skills kept declining.

Tomlinson had a great run in San Diego but his time is done. And there’s nothing surprising about it being time for No. 21 to move on.

Thursday’s Super Bowl report: Manning understands loyalties of New Orleans fans

Peyton Manning grew up in New Orleans as a hard-core Saints’ fan. After all, his father Archie was the team’s quarterback.

But he’s very much aware that many of the people he grew up with in New Orleans would like nothing better than to see himself and the Indianapolis Colts have a very bad night on Super Bowl Sunday.

“I certainly understand people in New Orleans are Saints fans,” Manning said during a Super Bowl press conference. “They have outstanding fans, always have. I certainly appreciate the people of New Orleans supporting me and (younger brother) Eli throughout our careers.

“That is our hometown. It is very important to us – Eli and I – that he and I continue to support New Orleans through charitable endeavors. I understand this game – New Orleans people are Saints fans and I am fine with that.”

The four-time NFL MVP has previously stated that he’d be rooting for New Orleans in the Super Bowl if any other team but his was playing the Saints.

Low defensive ranking, high takeaway ratio

Much is being made about how the New Orleans Saints defense is soft and suspect when it comes to the amount of yardage normally given up by a Super Bowl-caliber defense.

Only seven NFL teams allowed more yards per game than the Saints (357.8) and New Orleans was just 26th in the NFL defending the pass and only 21st in stopping the run.

But on the other hand, the Saints were third in the NFL in interceptions (26) with five of the picks (three by safety Darren Sharper) being returned for touchdowns.

“You know what? Everyone’s talking about the rankings and saying, ‘You have the 25th-ranked defense,’ ” said Sharper, headed to the Pro Football Hall of Fame sometime after he retires. “At the end of the day, at this point, you don’t care about rankings. It’s the defense that plays the best on any given day.

“Our philosophy, as everyone knows, is to take the football away and create turnovers and get the ball back for our offense, and we’ve done a great job with that in the postseason and during the regular season.”

Sharper had nine interceptions in 2009, raising his career total to 63. He has returned 11 interceptions for touchdowns during his 13-year career.

Thursday injury report

Indianapolis defensive end Dwight Freeney again missed practice as he continues to work on rehabbing his injured ankle. Colts coach Jim Caldwell did say that Freeney’s ankle is improving.

Colts cornerback Jerraud Powers (foot) and guard Ryan Lilja (back) also missed Thursday’s practice. Former San Diego State running back Lynell Hamilton (ankle) again missed practice for New Orleans.