>> brett favre and the minnesota vikings to take on the new orleans saints. the winner goes on to super bowl xliv.
What Time Is The Saints Game Today, it's the nfc championship game. now it's time to play football. >> morstead drills it into the end zone.
and the vikings will start at their 20. the number-five-rated offense during the regular season put up 323 yards on the dallas cowboys last week. and they are led on the field by brett favre. the 40-year-old quarterback
played college football at southern miss and grew up in mississippi -- kiln, mississippi -- as a saints fan. protected by that group up front. favre starts with a throw. and it's incomplete for
shiancoe. the vikings players on offense are wearing earplugs to try and limit the noise they're dealing with on the field. >> and the first play of the game here you got brett favre who's taking a hit right off the edge there.
>> another throw. kleinsasser with the catch. and he's forward for a first down. 11 yards for jim kleinsasser. and the first completion from here's the defense. and in the words of their coordinator, gregg williams,
"we're not dominant enough with our front seven to be a great defense without takeaways and what we do in the red zone." this was the number-two team taking the ball away during the regular season. >> that's why i think will smith is gonna have to have an impact
in this ballgame in getting pressure on brett favre. he had an excellent regular season. he needs to have a big game here today. >> he wears number 91. quick throw. percy harvin, the rookie.
good for 5. shanle out there to make the stop for the new orleans saints. >> you see that wristband there that brett favre is wearing. he's not worn a wristband at any point this season. and he's not going with it -- they're using the
quarterback-coach communication device. but there are times when it gets so loud, they've been told in their scouting reports that they may not be able to communicate properly. if that's the case, the coaches would then signal the play and
favre would read it off his wristband. that's four to start the day. and it's berrian for another vikings first down. >> well, pretty interesting coming into this game, joe. i know, in visiting with some of the coaches with minnesota --
really anticipated that they would run the ball early with adrian peterson. in fact, when chris myers was talking to brad childress there before the game, he said, "we're gonna be balanced." they've been anything but. >> now they've got an empty
backfield. with chester taylor in the game. play clock was at :05. and here's berrian with a catch. hit immediately. but bernard berrian was brought down right at the marker. might be inches short. looks to be.
porter and fujita were there to make the stop. and it will be second down and short. >> you see brett favre, and he was able to signal to the outside. the offensive lineman up front. they're all holding their spot.
they're not moving, not flinching. handling crowd noise here early very, very well. >> hand-off is to percy harvin. and the rookie gets a big hit after he picks up a first down and a gain of 8. so the first run of the day
isn't in the arms of instead it's the 21-year-old out of the university of florida. >> they're able to just go off tackle with him. and we've seen percy harvin come into the backfield and get the hand-off. a good run there on his part.
but he's such a versatile player, and they just want the ball in his hands, however they can do that. and he gets a good run with that one. >> 40-yard drive to this point. percy harvin said he was 100% healthy during the warm-ups.
here's a screen for chester taylor. pretty well played by fujita. a gain of 4. very little on the ground. and so far the only carry for percy harvin. >> i know gregg williams, the defensive coordinator there for
the new orleans saints -- in visiting with him, a lot of times in a game like this, you talk about what a play caller wants to do for the quarterback to let him settle in. but gregg williams talked about the calls that he wanted to make defensively.
he referred to them as "settling calls." he wanted his defense to not have to do anything to where he felt they might get exposed early in this game. >> second down and 6. over the middle. pass is caught by peterson.
and adrian peterson is to the 25. eighth play of the drive is an 11-yard throw to greer made the tackle. and this has been a very good start offensively for the vikings here on the road. >> a lot of times in a big game
brett favre comes in, and his adrenaline is flowing so much that he's very erratic throwing the football. and i think he's shown good patience, especially on that last play. nothing down the field -- he comes underneath to the check
down to adrian peterson. >> delayed hand-off. it's adrian peterson. and a good run on first down of 6. jabari greer made the stop. a fake throw, a delayed hand-off by brett favre, and now the vikings are inside the red zone.
and this is drew brees. can only sit and watch. and his offense is kept off the field here with over 5 minutes gone in the opening quarter. this was the second-best defense in the nfl inside the red zone. second and 4. peterson again.
how about adrian peterson and the vikings with an opening-drive touchdown? he went around sharper and takes it in for the first points of the evening. >> you're gonna see darren sharper. he drops down in.
and jim kleinsasser -- darren sharper's gonna drop in here. but jim kleinsasser, in motion, does a good job there of getting will smith up the field and then attacking the safety there and allowing adrian peterson to get outside and in the end zone.
>> 19-yard carry for peterson. it was the arm of brett favre and short throws that got them into position, and then they handed it to adrian. adrian peterson touched it last on that drive. 10 plays, 80 yards. 5 1/2 minutes.
and now with this place finally quiet where you can hear yourself think, the saints will get it. as longwell kicks it away. courtney roby, one of the better kick returners in the league. from inside the 5. gets to the 20, is spun around.
and they will mark him down inches shy of the 24. this crowd will quiet down, and sean payton will try and call the plays for drew brees to take his saints down the field. top-scoring offense in the league. and they start with a throw.
no surprise. lance moore with the catch. he's good for 5 yards. knocked out by benny sapp. and if you don't know about this saints offense, they are the best in the nfl. and there's the day last week for drew brees, whose saints --
and here's a no-huddle approach by new orleans -- fell behind 7-0 last week to the arizona cardinals and then took over. play-action from brees. down the middle of the field. now to the sideline. and out of the reach of
marques colston. it'll be third down and 5. >> well, they talked about it the other day, joe. and coming into this ballgame, they know that they've got a rookie middle linebacker, jasper brinkley, starting for the minnesota vikings.
he took the place of e.j. henderson when he went at times, jasper brinkley can get lost in coverage. they want to give him a lot of different looks. they want to make him make the checks when they break the huddle or when they're at the
line of scrimmage and try to confuse him into making some bad calls defensively. >> here's the throw to meachem. has a blocker in front of him. and fights for a first down. had the tight end, david thomas, out in front. thomas made the key block.
and meachem has 7 yards and a first down. here's the offense for new orleans. and it all centers around drew brees, who is a machine in his preparation and the way he spreads the football around. >> we talk a lot about
drew brees, and we talk a lot about those skill players, as we should. that offensive line has been outstanding all year, with three pro bowlers going to haw-- or next week going to miami. >> here's one down the middle for colston.
he spins and catches it for 13 yards and a first down. greenway and brinkley were there for minnesota. >> good pocket inside. you're gonna see colston. they try to reroute him a little bit, but he's able to push up. and he gets in there just off of
ben leber's reach. and drew brees -- he sets in there and makes a nice throw. and a nice catch, as well, by the one thing that probably these receivers do as well as anybody in the league is make some difficult catches on the back shoulder when they've got
to turn and twist. >> first carry of the day. and it's pierre thomas, who had a good year. he gets 9. thomas, who had a career-high 793 yards rushing during the regular season for a team -- and it may surprise you -- the
sixth-best in the nfl running couple of all-pros up front on the defensive line. there are the linebackers, with the rookie in the middle. and the secondary, with sapp starting on the outside and a lot of antoine winfield on the inside, the pro bowl cornerback.
second and 2. pat williams, come on down. >> defense, encroachment. 5-yard penalty. still... result of the play is a first >> they're gonna be able to use hard count. that's something that dallas
wasn't able to use last week on the road. and you know, of course, it sure helps those offensive linemen out up front when you're able to use it. i know drew brees is gonna come up -- oftentimes he's gonna use double cadence.
and what that means is he's gonna go through the cadence initially, wants to determine whether they're in zone or man. >> here's henderson. just off his right hand. got behind benny sapp. you can see pat williams, troy, get push up the middle.
he came across early. on the completion to colston, you saw kevin williams get his hand up. they want to rush up the middle and try to get in the face of drew brees, who might be 6 feet tall, trying to deal with those big bodies up front.
>> i think that's what happened 'cause they got great pressure off the edge with ray edwards and jared allen. but what hurt dallas the most in that ballgame was the inability to step up in the pocket because of the inside push that you talked about.
>> here's a screen. that's thomas. and pierre has a lane down the sideline! still going! how about this start? touchdown, saints! >> see this offensive line -- jahri evans, who made the pro
bowl this year, an all-pro right guard, does a great job of timing and getting out in front of pierre thomas. you see the knockdown right there on benny sapp. and then at that point some poor tackling, and a touchdown, >> converted a big third down on
that drive on a screen to thomas. and then pierre good for 38 yards. and it's 7-7. first opening-possession-drive touchdown this season against and it's pierre thomas. morstead will kick it to
a knuckler. harvin, on a bounce. lost his footing. across the 25. on first down. favre airs it out. berrian down the sideline. it's out of his reach. all that being said, troy --
brett favre is 17-1 in his last 18 games in a dome. and what strikes me from that sound bite is how tired he looks. i mean, he just looks worn out. and he looked extremely rested off the bye week going into the dallas game last week.
>> it's been a long year for him, as we well know. i mean, he's played better than anyone could have imagined. you talk about the crowd noise -- it was brett favre who first wore earplugs when he was with green bay and had to go play at the metrodome.
and it was his suggestion this week that then led to other players going with the earplugs in this game. >> favre throws. and incomplete for sidney rice. sidney rice, who had a huge day last week against the cowboys -- 6 catches, 141 yards, and three
receiving touchdowns. and he really burst onto the scene here in 2009 with 83 catches and over 1,300 yards. here -- you know, last week the arizona cardinals come out, first play, 70-yard touchdown. new orleans answered. minnesota goes down in this
game, first possession, touchdown, adrian peterson. they come back and answer. >> they blow the play dead. pass incomplete. favre ends up on the ground. nobody can hear the whistle down there. and it's an offside against the
saints. >> defense. unabated toward the quarterback. 93. still third down. >> they blow the play dead to protect the quarterback, but because it's so loud and nobody can hear the whistle,
favre still ended up on the ground. >> that's a real problem. roman harper is gonna be the guy who comes off the edge right there, the safety, who got the lick, then, in on brett favre. he told us the other day that he took a big hit on the touchdown
last week to sidney rice -- the first touchdown throw -- and his entire right side was purple all week long. i mean, the fact -- we take it for granted that he plays each and every week 'cause he's never missed a game. but doing that at 40 years
old -- i think that's the one thing that people haven't appreciated enough. >> third and 5. incomplete. penalty flag comes in. >> holding. number 20 of the defense. automatic first down.
>> randall gay starts banging on percy harvin right off the line of scrimmage. tried to keep him from getting up the field. and you see that he's engaged well beyond the 5 yards and with the ball in the air. >> back-to-back saints penalties
allow the vikings to convert on third down. they didn't face a third down their first possession. that's how well they moved it. berrian. what a move! went right around porter and is still going into saints
territory. good for 15 yards. >> [ laughs ] >> and berrian showed his quickness. >> that was a dwight freeney move right there. he put his foot in the ground and made tracy porter come up
with nothing but air. that's a heck of a job. i know bernard berrian, for a guy who was such a big part, a big-play guy last year as a free agent, hasn't had the year this year that he had hoped for. one of the few. but he's handled it very well.
nice play there. >> third catch for berrian. now they hand it to harvin got around charleston. gained 2. and brett favre again took another hit and is just now getting off the field -- getting up off the field -- as he walks
back into the huddle. >> well, bobby mccray -- you're gonna see him right here. the left side. i mean, he just comes up. and favre was working that way to make the hand-off then to you know, he decides he's gonna get a shot.
>> hitting a player out of bounds. number 93 of the defense. 15-yard penalty. >> they threw that flag well after the play. and it's a personal foul against bobby mccray for hitting a player out of bounds.
so after all the replays and when the players were -- let's take a look. i don't know if it happened after that or away from that. but the flag came down awfully late. and the 15-yard penalty takes it all the way to the new orleans
31. hand-off to peterson. what a good tackle by sharper. what a year for darren sharper. his first year with the saints. >> you go back to that last play, joe, and the penalty -- it was on mccray on the hit on favre.
i mean, they said it was on mccray with the runner well out of bounds. but this is what the call was. right there. and the flag came in late. but the flag was thrown right there where favre was laying. and so the official there, he
just called it wrong. but that's the penalty. it was on bobby mccray on the late hit on favre. >> second and 7. favre rolls to his right. throws it for harvin. third down and 7. >> pretty good route by
and just by defensive alignment, he's gonna get open. once he pushes him to the inside -- you see tracy porter. he's playing inside technique. you've got to throw then to harvin. and favre, he's -- he knows he missed one, but i think he's a
little banged up off of that hit there to bobby mccray. >> been hit four times. it's third and 7. favre stands in. gets a hit. finds percy harvin, who's down inside the 10. and favre got drilled again.
>> yeah, and it's darren sharper again. they're getting him around the line of scrimmage. we saw roman harper, the other safety, come as well. but darren sharper is trying to disguise coverage, and he's hitting it on the run.
and you're gonna see him come in right as favre lets go of the ball. and a clean hit. you're right, joe -- they've gotten some knockdowns on and they knew they were gonna have to do that. they're gonna have to make him
uncomfortable in the pocket. favre's hanging in there. but you know that, you get hit like that enough times, you start rushing your throws as a quarterback. >> that's peterson. well played by this saints defense.
brett favre, on that completion to harvin, now with 461 career postseason completions. that's the all-time record. just broke the mark formerly held by joe montana. meanwhile, gregg williams, the defensive coordinator of the saints -- they were trying to
hit and hit hard the 38-year-old kurt warner last week. and they are trying to hit -- hit high and hard on the 40-year-old brett favre here >> well, gregg williams learned under buddy ryan. and one thing buddy ryan did -- and he did it a lot -- was hit
the quarterback. and that's what gregg williams is doing here today. >> harvin. loadholt couldn't get out there. and harvin gets only 1. >> that's one of the important things for new orleans is being able to make the tackle once the
receiver makes the catch. a good stop there. they give up the quick pass. but a lot of what minnesota likes to do -- if you play off coverage on a guy like percy harvin, favre's gonna get it into his hands immediately. and then you got to be able to
make the tackle. otherwise, you're giving up a big play. >> third down and goal. pump fake. touchdown, minnesota! sidney rice. his fourth of this postseason. a 5-yard touchdown throw from
number 4. and the minnesota vikings take it right back down the field to regain the lead. >> well, they go with the trips set. you're gonna see sidney rice just come in here and hook up. and they're playing zone,
new orleans is. he's just able to work right in there behind the linebacker. you see the window that brett favre sees. and he puts it right on his chest. pretty easy touchdown there for minnesota.
>> now longwell makes it 14-7. brett favre has taken some shots in this game, but he keeps getting up. like he has throughout his entire 19-year career. two 10-play drives. three saints penalties on that last possession for minnesota,
covering 25 yards and a couple of first downs. and for brett favre, his 44th career postseason touchdown pass. here's roby on the return. and courtney roby fights his way 17-yard return for roby. and here's the penalty on
randall gay. >> yeah, and this is what kept that drive alive, which then set up the touchdown. you see the hold there on gay on and a good call there by the official. and then here's the route, again, by sidney rice.
he's able then to get in behind scott shanle. he did a little sharper shake there of his own. shiancoe's been saving that one if he gets a touchdown today. you know, here's favre. obviously, he's taken a lot of hits.
and you can see him right there. he's taken some hits underneath the chin. all clean. but that takes its toll. >> they were looking at his chin, at his jaw, on the sideline. looks to be all right.
and here is pierre thomas. what a good play made by greenway, kevin williams. and a loss of 1. >> i say "all clean" -- all clean except for the penalty that they called there on bobby mccray. >> another hurry-up approach.
no huddle for the saints, as they get right back to the line. that's reggie bush in motion. he hasn't been involved yet. they reverse it to him. and reggie bush has got a lot of ground to cover to get back to the line of scrimmage. he gets to the 26.
and at the end of the day, that's where he took it -- to and it's third and 11. >> yeah, after all that they're lucky that all they did was lose a yard. because there was a lot of things happening there. jared allen was in the backfield
and had an opportunity to make the play, and he failed to. but it looked like a disaster right from the beginning. cedric griffin, their corner -- he got a shot in on drew brees, you know, right over on the once a quarterback gets out and he's in blocking, trying to
help, then, get him on the edge, they're gonna take their shots on him like new orleans has on >> under a minute to go in the quarter. third down and 11. brees. colston. short of the first down.
they're gonna mark him at the 36. and with the game clock continuing to wind, it'll be fourth down and a punt coming from the saints. >> you know, ray edwards came in last week and had such a big game.
he's got the knee injury. he's wearing a knee brace today. they were hoping that that wouldn't slow him down too much. he was hoping to get a holding call there on right tackle jon stinchcomb. you know, overall, good protection.
you get a completion there on you just didn't get the proper depth there from the receiver to make the completion and pick up a first down. >> morstead hits it. reynaud will stay away. and the ball will bounce the saints' way, toward the vikings'
end zone, and be tapped at the 15-yard line. and now a penalty flag comes in at the end. there's that vikings defensive minnesota, defensively, led the nfl with 48 sacks, had three takeaways last week against dallas.
>> there's no foul on the play, as the quarter expired prior to the man touching the ball. >> fifth nfc championship game for brett favre. last time he played in one -- 2007. he's 2-2. hand-off is to adrian peterson.
and peterson picks up 2. there's the shot of brett favre on the sideline and the earplugs that brett is wearing. and you can see them inside the helmets of a lot of his offensive linemen. >> yeah, i know in talking with him, he didn't feel that it
would be any louder here than what it was when he went to green bay and played there. but he did not wear the earplugs when he went to green bay. so, clearly, in talking with a variety of people, you know, he was convinced that, well, maybe this was the way to go.
>> second down and 8. delayed hand-off. spins his way just shy of the 20. let's go down to the field and chris myers. >> joe, those are purple-plastic, custom-molded earpieces.
and each offensive lineman opted to wear them. chester taylor and adrian peterson did not. and bryant mckinnie said that, "they cut out the high-pitched distant noise, but they allow hearing in and around you so we can get the signals from our
quarterback." >> it's third down and 6. decibel level -- 102. which i'm assuming means it's loud. >> [ chuckles ] safe to say. >> out of the shotgun. favre steps up and throws it
away. over the head of chester taylor. and it's fourth down. so for the first time the saints' defense holds on a third down and forces a vikings punt. >> yeah, and that was big there for new orleans defensively. i mean, they have not been able
to stop minnesota on the first two possessions of the game. the saints, offensively, on the previous possession, was unable to match the touchdown. and so this was an important stop for new orleans. >> reggie bush returned one for a touchdown last week against
arizona, two for a touchdown against chris kluwe and the vikings last year. he angles it right for the doesn't get it to the sideline, but enough hang time. a fair catch. saints have the football. and we focus on jared allen.
first team all-pro. vikings and their defensive coordinator, leslie frazier, give jared allen, at times, total freedom to go where he needs to go to get to the had 14 1/2 sacks during the brees throws. out of the reach of
jeremy shockey. playing with a bad knee and a bad toe. second and 10. >> and you showed jared allen. and, clearly, he's got the attention of the new orleans saints, and so they're gonna do some things to
help bushrod here, the left tackle. this time they have david thomas there to kind of help. but jared allen gets the push there on the inside. had an opportunity here to just unable to make the throw and catch.
but i know, in visiting with sean payton, he thought it was extremely important to help jermon bushrod there on that left side with jared allen. and he knew that bushrod was gonna be depending on him to make some good calls so that he wouldn't be left alone.
>> fake the toss to reggie bush. and now it's off the left hand of thomas, the tight end who was picked up in september from new england. he's been more and more a part of the offense while shockey has been injured.
shockey missed the last three games of the regular season with a toe injury. hurt his knee last week. a bruised knee against arizona. and for jeremy -- a guy who was hurt and missed the giants' super bowl run in 2007 when he broke his left leg week 15.
>> and there was questions today as to whether or not, you know, they were comfortable that he would make it through the but they put down their third tight end, so that was an indication to us that they're comfortable that he'll be healthy throughout.
>> third down and 10. brees -- down the middle! has reggie bush. and a big gain on third and 10 of 28 yards. >> you're gonna see the route marques colston is gonna clear here, and then you got reggie bush here.
they call that the "h" post. he's running a post route there on ben leber, the linebacker. they're in man coverage. and because they're in man, all you have to do then is beat the linebacker, and you've got a chance. but you've got to have
protection in order to make that happen. brees gets hit late. but overall, because of the timing of the throw, it didn't require great protection. >> hand-off is to pierre thomas. thomas brought down by
madieu williams after a gain of 4. when you think about reggie bush -- clearly a guy who loves the spotlight. he did when he was at usc. won the heisman in 2005. he had a big game last week, with 217 all-purpose yardage on
12 touches. and had an 88-yard touchdown reception at chicago in january of '07 when the saints made it to the nfc championship game, only to lose to the bears. >> well, he's their he's out here wide now. and he can run some
wide-receiver routes from that position. >> brees. first down at the 21. >> this time jermon bushrod gets help from the left guard, carl nicks. jared allen has the ability to rush any way he wants.
he has no restrictions. if he wants to take an inside release, he has the freedom to do that. they got the help inside, and then they allowed -- you were talking about david thomas and what he has meant since the injury to heath miller.
he's such a versatile guy that, when they go with their two-tight-end packages, sometimes you wonder how exactly you're gonna treat him. >> on first down. pierre thomas cuts it back! sets up first and goal at the 9. 12-yard run by pierre thomas.
>> well, good push along that left side. david thomas does a good job. and carl nicks -- this was the matchup they felt good about. he's gonna get a push here and then a seal here. and you're gonna see the lane, then, that happens for
good execution up front. >> right back to the line of scrimmage on first and goal. faked the hand-off. corner of the end zone! touchdown, devery henderson! >> now drew brees comes back off the play-action. initially, he wants to go to
good coverage there. but then you've got devery henderson, who just keeps working. benny sapp is expecting him to continue to the post. he comes off the post route to the corner. and drew brees kept it alive.
>> brees has started 8 of 12 for 120 yards. and the game is tied at 14. morstead will kick it away with percy harvin waiting deep. another knuckler. on a hop. harvin's gonna have to return it.
and the rookie is to the 20. >> about a half a dozen times now we've seen them bring in zach strief and treat him as a tight end, as an extra blocker. they've been running the ball primarily with him when he's been in, and that's why they go off play-action.
now, great protection, as you see the time afforded there to drew brees. had nothing to do with what happened on the outside. benny sapp just lost his man in coverage. but it was a good job by devery henderson staying alive,
and drew brees getting off of his first receiver and finding him in the corner of the end zone. >> minnesota had the ball for over 11 minutes. and they have it here at their favre takes a time-out. 10:22 left in the first half.
first down, vikings. fake the hand-off to harvin. and now throw it to him. porter is out there and makes a nice tackle. gain of 6. >> you go back to the previous play, when favre had to call time-out.
and he's trying to signal. and visanthe shiancoe actually was hollering out to bernard berrian and telling him he's lined up wrong. but nobody can hear. [ laughing ] you know, that's... i think bernard berrian's wearing earplugs too, 'cause he
couldn't hear. >> second and 4. fake the hand-off to taylor. and now throw it to nice play by minnesota. and the vikings pick up a first down across the 35. an 11-yard catch-and-run by that's rice.
and a nice catch. he knew he was gonna get popped. and sidney rice stuck the hands out and made the catch and got the hit from jabari greer. >> see jabari greer there on you're right. i mean -- and that thing had some velocity on it too.
i mean, the one thing that we do know from brett favre over the years is that it doesn't matter how close you are to him in the route. he's gonna turn it loose about as hard as he can throw it. that's good hands. pretty good -- there were some
pregame shows talking about sidney rice's hands today. that was a good example of them. >> here's peterson. had a lane. and adrian peterson brought down near the marker by depends on the spot. and it's either first down or
third and inches. and... it's close. looks like he's got it according to our line, which is, obviously, unofficial. >> yeah, i think adrian peterson is running extremely hard.
i didn't sense this last week, covering that game. but this is what we're accustomed to seeing from you see the collision there. i mean, he lowers his shoulder. a little bit like what reggie bush was doing a week ago in that game against arizona.
but a good finishing run there by adrian peterson. >> so a first down for the vikings. we look at their offensive leaders. been nine runs so far for the minnesota vikings, compared to 18 passes.
so a 2-to-1 ratio. brad childress lied to chris myers before the kickoff. they haven't been balanced. but they're throwing the football a lot. and brett favre's taken some and he's moving the vikings >> yeah, i didn't really expect,
though, brad childress to tip his hand right before kickoff. good try, though, chris. >> little pump fake. and that's adrian peterson. and a good play is made by shanle. peterson to midfield. >> and i think that that's, you
know, really what brett favre has done a great job of. i mean, if you look at adrian peterson and his receptions in his first couple of seasons, he has more this year than those two years combined. and most of them are just of
that variety. i mean, it's just brett favre not getting anything down the field and coming down and checking it underneath. and you know, that's one of the big reasons why he only had seven interceptions in the here is peterson.
little hurdle along the way. picked up 3. will smith there to make the stop. and we talked about it last week, troy, that favre said for the first time in his career he doesn't feel like he has to score every time he touches the
that might be different in this but a reason why he hasn't forced it a lot this season. >> yeah, and it is different in this game because, as he said, "you know, hey, no matter how many points we may be up at any point in the game, it is the saints, and they led the league
in scoring, so you never can quite get comfortable." >> third down and 4. blitz coming. vikings pick it up. and the pass out of the reach of fourth down. so the vikings took it to the saints' side of midfield, but
the drive stalls and it's fourth >> you go back to that ballgame last week and what new orleans was able to do. one, they were able to create takeaways. but they were also able to get off the field on third down. last week only one third down
converted by arizona. that was a nice job by that defense getting off the field there in a pretty manageable third down and distance for >> punt by kluwe. bush will stay away. and it'll be downed inside the saints set up in their huddle.
they have abandoned the huddle quite a bit in this first half, trying to keep the tempo fast against this vikings defense. brett favre will go over the pictures on the sideline. first down, new orleans. fake the toss. brees throws incomplete for
henderson, who had a touchdown the last time the saints had it. >> drew talked about the importance of being productive and having positive plays there on first down so you're not caught in third-and-longs against this pass rush. yeah, that was a missed
opportunity on that last play. they had it blocked up actually pretty good and were gonna get some pretty good yards off of it had they been able to make that catch. >> and movement by the left bushrod. >> neutral-zone infraction.
number 93. jumped into the neutral zone, causing the offense to false start. second down. >> both edwards and kevin williams moved. they get kevin williams. and that's what forced the false
start by bushrod. >> and i think that's just smart quarterbacking there by because as i was saying, all of a sudden you have the dropped pass there on first down. you want to try to get some of that back. and so one of the ways you do
that, then, against an overaggressive defensive front is use snap count. you're already backed up. you don't like using snap count as much when you're in your own red zone. but when you're backed up, it's okay.
and they get an easy 5 yards. >> now second and 5. looking for somewhere to go. throws low. pass caught. that's david thomas. he's about a yard shy of a first third down coming up. >> yeah, dave thomas is having a
heck of game here in this first half. he's been, you know, real instrumental in the protection, in the blocking. and he's also done a good job of making some good catches. >> so third and 1. >> and then they come back in
with the extra offensive lineman here -- 64, zach strief -- which is not surprising because it's third and 1. but throughout this first half they've used him on first and second downs. >> that's lynell hamilton who gets it.
and he gets whacked by pat williams. jasper brinkley, actually. the middle linebacker. a loss of 1. and so on third and 1, the saints go backward. and there's the rookie, brinkley, who's making his sixth
consecutive start. and he hit lynell hamilton hard. >> the guy who kind of created some problems up front was ray edwards. and then brinkley came in and finished it off. >> so morstead will punt it, and reynaud will wait for it.
good punt. and a fair catch. hauled in just inside the 25. he is a saints fan on any other night but tonight. >> well, his wife was saying that she's been receiving phone calls from friends not knowing, you know, who they should root
for. so that pretty much tells you the allegiances to the saints. >> here is chester taylor. and chester taylor works that into a 3-yard carry. his wife, deanna, who he met at hancock north, she is here, and according to brett was in
tears for two days this week. she said the year has just been so great, she doesn't want it to end. but with the stress involved with this game, she's just worn out. >> well, the one time -- you come back and out of retirement,
and you're playing, and you're expected to do a lot of great things, and you do that. and then you find yourself in the championship game against, you know, your favorite team as a kid and against a team that has never made it to the super bowl.
>> peterson at the top of the formation. favre down the middle. guns it. incomplete for visanthe shiancoe. vilma, the middle linebacker, was down there in coverage. and that will bring up third
>> yeah, that's that tampa 2 and jonathan vilma, the middle linebacker, he then has to carry the tight end up the middle of the field. and you know, he just turned around just in time. didn't know the ball had been thrown.
pretty tight fit there for favre to try to put that one in. >> threw his fastball. came up empty. third and 7. low snap. throws incomplete for so now these two defenses starting to settle in a bit, and
a punt coming from the vikings. >> you see how they're playing percy harvin right now. get physical with him at the randall gay does that. they got pressure on favre from but i think gregg williams has got to feel pretty good right now.
they weathered the storm early. gave up some big drives, 14 points. but since then they've been able to make stops without creating that's what they were most concerned about coming into this >> kluwe will punt it. brett favre started 10 of 14.
he's gone 4 of his last 8. and a fair catch called for by first down for new orleans at their own 33. good protection. down the middle! nearly picked off by leber. ben leber, who had an interception against the
dallas cowboys last week. got his hands on it. couldn't pull it in. >> ben leber had a heck of a day last week, no question. he had the big interception that you talk about. and you know, both of these linebackers -- we talked earlier
about jasper brinkley, and him being a rookie. but ben leber and then chad greenway -- they're about as athletic as there is at that linebacker position. and they're playmakers too. ben leber, because of the injury to e.j. henderson, is playing a
lot more than he was because he's involved in their nickel packages. >> over the middle. there's shockey. yard shy of a first down. on that previous play, leber got his hands on it. he had no way of knowing what
was going on behind him -- as shockey gets up limping with that bruised knee and bad toe -- but tyrell johnson was waiting for the interception. leber is the one that knocked it and now it's third down and about a yard and a half. coming up on 3 minutes left in
the half. tie game. that's bush in motion. they toss it to reggie bush. cuts back. pat williams got his hands on him first. and he is brought down short of first-down yardage.
>> joe, i'm a little surprised by that call, to be honest with you. think back to last week. dallas ran that exact same play. they did run it to jared allen's side. they picked up the first down. later in the game, they tried
running it again, and they didn't get anything out of it. but they come back with it, trying to get it, and minnesota does a good job. but you've got new orleans lined up as if they're gonna go for >> with the ball at... just outside their own 43.
going for it or trying to draw the vikings offside? and that's what they were trying to do. it almost happened. so 2:07 left in the half, and minnesota about to get the ball back. >> both of these teams seem to
have settled in, particularly on >> there was a late flag thrown. >> 2-minute warning. >> we're at the 2-minute warning, and they threw the flag for delay of game. we'll take you through that last sequence, when the saints were eventually flagged for delay of
right now here's the punt by morstead. with reynaud waiting for it. more of a line-drive punt. and a fair catch is called for by reynaud, who comes up with the ball. and they're gonna throw a flag. it's a muffed fair catch.
and he's on the ground trying to get the ball. and then there's the hit by jonathan casillas, a rookie. >> personal foul. number 52 of the kicking team. >> you know, it's hard on these guys sometimes. they blew the whistle, and he,
apparently, did not hear it. and he sees the ball on the ground and reynaud going to pick it up. i don't think he meant anything by it. but as the rule reads, probably a good call. >> second personal foul on the
and the best starting field position because of it for and the throw is behind let's go back to that fourth down, with the saints trying to draw the vikings offside on fourth down and less than a yard. kevin williams came awfully
close to making contact. play clock winding down. and just about simultaneously, brees calls for the time-out. they gave him the time-out back, took the 5-yard penalty. and kevin williams breathes a sigh of relief. >> and so that's -- you lose
5 yards there, you lose 15 yards on the personal foul there on jonathan casillas. i mean, those are big yards. and that's well played by vilma. a gain of only 1. and third down and 9 coming up for the vikings. >> you know, vilma, who's had a
really good year and has fit in well with this saints team. and they do a pretty good job up front of keeping offensive linemen off of him. and they did there, and it allowed him to run freely, then, to adrian peterson and put on a pretty good hit.
>> sharper comes on a blitz. favre throws for berrian. what a throw. before he came out of his break. and the completion for a first down in front of jabari greer. good throw by brett favre. >> good throw under duress. because they're able to get
darren sharper in his face. gregg williams dials it up. he's gonna come here to favre's front side. but he turns it loose with great anticipation to the outside. and bernard berrian makes one of those catches that we've seen from sidney rice throughout the
a contested throw, but a well-played ball. >> four catches for berrian. 43 yards. favre slings it. out of the reach of sidney rice. peterson. good play by roman harper. harper is the strong safety who
was up to make the tackle. >> well, they have definitely made a commitment -- the saints, that is -- to involve their safeties. we've seen darren sharper. we've seen him on blitzes. we've seen him up around the we've seen the same from
roman harper. you start doing that, you give more and more one-on-one opportunities, you know, for these minnesota receivers on the >> saints call a time-out. that's their first one. got that one back on the delay of game.
and sean payton is complaining to the official, maybe, that too much time came off the clock after they had signaled for a 1:30 left. saints can get a hold here on third down, they can get it back in the hands of drew brees, try and get the lead.
they've not led in this game. before the end of the half. >> and he's redirecting protection right there. >> play clock at :03. pump fake by favre. and he throws it high for it's fourth down. and the clock stops with 1:24
left. >> pretty good job up front, with brett favre being able to redirect the offensive line to make sure that the things were picked up that favre wanted. and he was afforded great he had a chance then on the this is just one of those balls
that sailed on him. you see berrian. he was in a good position on that sideline. a ball down and away would have been an easy completion. >> favre's now 5 for his last 12 throwing it. kluwe punts it.
reggie bush will try and return he muffs it! a loose ball! and it's picked up by the vikings! they'll take over at the 10. you cannot advance a muffed punt. but the vikings will get the
frampton was the one who made the hit. and the vikings come away with the football, as kenny onatolu, one of the very good special-teams players, got his arms around it. >> see, i couldn't tell if frampton actually knocked it out
of his hands or if reggie bush just did not make a clean catch on the punt. yeah, it didn't look like he ever really had control of the but frampton was there to make the play, regardless. boy, what a turnover now, right before the end of this first
>> bush tried to force it. frampton was in his face. and there's a turnover. first of the game. and the vikings take over at the 10. and hand it off to peterson. and adrian peterson will fight his way...
down inside the 5-yard line. it's second and goal. cedric ellis on the tackle. and a time-out is taken. with a minute left. >> that's awfully tough there for that saints defense. they did a good job, and they make a stop.
and you know, because they're not able to secure the punt -- you're gonna take a little better look at it here. you see he never had it. it hit off his shoulder pads there on his chest. frampton was there to make sure he wasn't able to regain it.
and now the defense having to come right back out on the field. a great opportunity here for this minnesota offense. an offense that has been awfully good in this part of the field throughout the year and then last week against dallas also.
>> saints just took the time-out, their second. a minute left. and we go down to chris myers. >> in pregame warm-ups, joe, brian murphy, the special-teams coach of the vikings, worked with chris kluwe. and they made it a point,
saying, "we'll sacrifice distance on punts for height because reggie bush has shown a propensity to fumble." and obviously worked to their advantage here. >> reggie bush has not been a factor, for the most part, in this game, except for the
turnover. after his performance last week. now it's peterson who loses it! and the saints take over! fujita with the recovery for >> yeah, and adrian peterson just never got the ball. i don't know if favre just didn't put it in his...
you know, put it there in his pocket or if he just was unable to hang on to it. you take a better look. it is. it hit his right arm. and what happens is, as a running back, if you don't open up the pocket, then it makes it
very difficult to try to put it in. and it looked like adrian was so concerned about where he was gonna go with the football that he didn't give favre a real clean pocket to place the ball into. >> fumble is credited to
and there's his reaction. adrian peterson, who fumbled seven times during the regular season, 20 over the last three seasons, didn't secure it. and so now the saints have it with time left. a time-out remaining. and here's reggie bush.
and sean payton gets him involved right away after the muffed punt. and bush takes it up just shy of the 15-yard line. >> yeah, i mean, we saw what reggie bush did a week ago. of course, he only had five carries, you know, in the
running game, but 84 yards and was electric the way he was able to finish off those runs. i really anticipated, coming into this game, that they would feed him early and say, "is he gonna come in with the same mind-set that he showed a week ago?"
and he hasn't had those opportunities. i think it was smart for payton to get him back involved after that fumble. >> you could see brett favre and read his lips. he said to adrian peterson, "hey, the play's over."
so's the half. and a missed chance for the vikings after taking over at the saints' 10. we're tied at 14 after a half here in the superdome. saints will get it to start this second half. and this is roby.
courtney roby bounces off a keeps going. trying to outrun asher allen. roby inside the 40. and a good start to the half for the saints. >> you see courtney roby. he just takes it up the middle. then everybody kind of relaxed
right there, just assuming that he was going to go to the >> troy, there is a penalty flag all the way back at the 5-yard line. and it must have just fallen >> there is no foul on the play. >> is no foul. and it is a 61-yard return by
courtney roby to start the second half. >> a great way for new orleans to start this second half, with great field position. not bad blocking up front, but the contact was made on roby. he was able to keep his feet, then he was able to get the
extra yards after minnesota just relaxed in coverage with the two guys that were in a position to potentially make the tackle. >> ball's at the 37. brees sets up and throws. and completes. and a good catch in traffic. survived a hit, and good for 17
>> david thomas -- i've been impressed with what he's been able to do here in this game. he's gonna motion across, and then he's just taking the middle of the field. you're gonna see the two deep safeties in zone coverage there. and he gets in behind the
linebacker, chad greenway. and that's the void in that zone now, it's gonna be contested, as it was there, but he's able to hang on to it. >> madieu williams gave him the hit, then tried to take it away. thomas hung on. here's pierre thomas.
and a good run down inside the 15-yard line of 6 yards by second down and 4. and a jolt to the start of this half provided by courtney roby. quick snap count. hand-off is to thomas. and he's got a first down. first and goal from inside the
>> we showed the catch that dave thomas made there in behind chad greenway. these last two running plays now, he has lined up in the fullback position. and he has been outstanding as a lead blocker. a lot of times, those types of
players that are tight ends, it's hard for them then to be put in the fullback position, off the ball, and make good blocks. but he's been good on the end of the line, and he's been excellent when he's been put at fullback, lead-blocking there
for pierre thomas. and once again, here he is. >> zach strief, number 64, an extra offensive lineman in the as pierre thomas carries it up the middle and extends for the touchdown! [ crowd cheering ] >> well, they're gonna put
zach strief in. and they motion him right here. but watch the block by right guard jahri evans and the job that he does and the push that he is then able to get. he gets a double with jonathan goodwin, but he's the one who creates the lane that
allows pierre thomas to come off of his block and get in the end >> the call was that thomas broke the plane before his knee went down. it's a 9-yard touchdown run. second touchdown for and the first lead of the game for the hometown
like the knee was down before thomas got the ball across the plane of the end zone. but touchdown is the call. 7-point lead for the saints. and percy harvin is driven into the end zone. it's a touchback. let's go back to the touchdown
pierre thomas' left knee right there on the ground. the ball, obviously, well short of the goal line. it was about 3/4 of a yard short at the time that his left knee hit the ground. >> it was a first-down carry -- first and goal from the 9.
saints catch that break. the vikings opened the game with back-to-back 10-play touchdown drives. since then, four punts and a fumble. now down by 7. favre throws for sidney rice. been relatively quiet, except
for the touchdown. and rice has 13 yards and a brought down by vilma. >> you talk about the job that new orleans has done defensively after the early part of the game and the 14 points put up there by minnesota. and they've done it without
sacking brett favre. and it just points out that sometimes sacks don't tell the whole story. because, as we've shown and as we know, favre has taken a lot of hits in this game. >> hand-off to adrian peterson, who fumbled late in the first
going sideways. and gets a yard. tracy porter came up to make the >> that's an excellent job by tracy porter. darren sharper again around the he's the one who adrian peterson initially makes miss. but tracy porter out in the open
and, i mean, obviously not a great tackle, but effective, you know, and doing what he had to do and then getting it cleaned up there by his teammates. but a good job defensively. >> faked the delayed hand-off. wide open is shiancoe. and the tight end for the
vikings, visanthe shiancoe, is inside the 40-yard line with a 26-yard gain. >> you can tell that new orleans, they're expecting run here. and this is what play-action does for you. watch those linebackers.
they come off of it and they hit and once they hit it, there's nobody then in behind in order to pick up shiancoe because they're in zone coverage. >> first catch of the day for a guy who had a great year. shiancoe -- 56 catches, a career high, and 11 touchdowns from
now they do hand it off. and adrian peterson lost it! tahi, the fullback, is in the middle of it. and they fight for the football at the bottom of the play, and it's naufahu tahi who saves the play for minnesota. vilma knocked it out, and
peterson puts it on the ground >> vilma does a good job of navigating his way through. and when he came in then to put the hit on adrian peterson, he was able to knock it loose. he's gonna come off the left side there, and the ball comes boy, minnesota dodges another
>> shanle had a great shot at there's tahi. but a loss of 10. second and 20. wide open is shiancoe again. and on second and 20, visanthe shiancoe picks up 21 and a first down for minnesota. >> you ask yourself, "how does
shiancoe get so wide open?" well, initially, you're gonna get the linebacker, fujita, who's gonna carry it. watch him right here. but they run an underneath route with kleinsasser. and actually it was vilma who jumps it, and then that gets
shiancoe in behind it. that's the area of the field right now that they're working, because on passing downs, what we've seen from new orleans is they're playing a little bit more coverage, and the middle of the field then is where you want to work it.
>> taylor at the bottom of your screen. harvin in motion. out of the shotgun. there's harvin. blocking in front of him. percy harvin to the 25. second and 5. hand-off to taylor.
and chester taylor, who was a 1,000-yard back the year before the vikings drafted adrian peterson, gets 3. and adrian peterson is standing on the sideline. "a," he didn't get his arms open enough for the fumble at the end of the first half.
and "b," he just fumbled, and there he stands. >> yeah. i've talked about it before. and i asked brad childress, actually, going into last week's game, "is there a situation in the game where you would not have confidence in
adrian peterson?" he said, "absolutely not." >> it's third down and 2. they fake the hand-off. flip it for shiancoe. and visanthe shiancoe with a one-handed catch. a brilliant grab by number 81 as he got behind porter.
and a 20-yard completion. >> this is the exact same play that they ran to end the game last week against dallas. pretty simple, really. they're gonna run it off play-action. he gets away with a hold. didn't matter.
shiancoe's able to make the but they run him to the corner. they've got a fullback in the flat. and a perfectly thrown ball by >> spoken like a true ex-quarterback. how about that catch? >> that was okay.
[ laughs ] >> first and goal. peterson! pounds it in for the touchdown. so peterson back into the game. and he pops it into the end and with the extra point coming, brett favre gets a chance to catch his breath, as we are on
the verge of another tie. >> well, they catch a break by recovering the fumble that adrian peterson put on the ground, and they make the most of it. they're able to finish off this drive, and then, with this extra point, tie up the game.
>> shiancoe with three catches for 67 yards on that drive. but it was naufahu tahi, who recovered the fumble by adrian peterson, that allowed all that to happen. you see tracy porter. and you see adrian peterson, who's holding on to the football
high and tight. that's what these teams preach. >> i want to get back to that haircut by tracy porter. >> he's got the ghosts from pac-man etched into his hair. here's brees. flushed out. and just gets rid of it.
jared allen with pressure. and drew brees happy just to get rid of the football. >> jared allen -- they kind of let him get a head of steam up, and then they expect david thomas -- jared allen's gonna come right in here. and then he's got to try to slow
him down with a little bit of help there, but not before he got to drew brees. he just had to unload it. >> neither team has a sack so far in this championship game. there's reggie bush. out across the 40. good for 6.
you know, as we're playing in a tie game, third quarter, you start to think ahead. and if this game comes down to the right foot of either placekicker, the advantage is to ryan longwell is a 13-year vet. 12 of 17 in his career during the playoffs.
meanwhile, garrett hartley was suspended at the start of the season, was 9 of 11 during the regular season, 1 for 1 last week against arizona. but limited experience. it's third down and 4. underneath. pass is dropped.
incomplete to reggie bush. on his hands and then off them. and it's a three-and-out. >> well, you look at what has happened now for new orleans on and i talked about it earlier in this game and saying how they wanted to get to third and manageable down and distances.
and the last three -- prior to that third down, they had not converted a third and 1, a third and 2. and then they failed on a third and 4. and so they've been productive enough on early downs, but they're not converting some of
the easy third downs. >> this is interesting. if it's against the vikings, it's a first down. >> false start, number 57 of the kicking team. still fourth down. >> instead they get the long snapper, jason kyle.
so he's the center. must have moved that football, which forced that movement. let's look. a little flinch, and that's what this officiating crew saw. i think it's a good call and an important one for the vikings, who almost by penalty kept that
saints offense on the field. wow. reynaud will return it from inside the 5. usually a no-no. and that's why. he gets to the 10, and that's vikings start at their 10 and hand the ball to peterson.
over the right side. a good carry by adrian peterson. 7-yard gain. vilma on the tackle. peterson and sharper get up talking to each other. peterson has been involved in a couple of mishandles, one on a fumble that was recovered by his
teammate tahi. he has 15 carries, 53 yards, two touchdowns. three catches for sidney rice and the other touchdown. second and 3. and he loses the football! ball comes out, and the vikings are back on top of it.
adrian peterson lost it again. >> tell you, it was just unbelievable hustle on his part. you see where the ball is. immediately, roman harper goes for it, gets it loose. but it's adrian peterson who beats about three defenders there for the saints in order to
recover that ball. when it came loose, it didn't look like there was any way possible it wouldn't be saints i wonder how brad feels about playing him now. >> play-action from favre, who floats it for harvin. out of his reach.
well, it will be interesting to see if adrian peterson -- i mean, he's been the feature of this offense for 2 1/2 years. he started the season brilliantly. that's tapered off -- his production -- and he's back to his old ways of putting it on
the ground. >> well, i made the comment in the middle of the season, joe, that it really spoke to how great he was that a coach would tolerate the fumbles that he has had. but he hasn't been that great over the second half of the
he hasn't been that great here that being the case, you can't take a chance on a turnover in a game like this. >> 22 fumbles over the last three seasons. and here's chester taylor. roman harper on the tackle. a gain of 5.
and the oddity for adrian peterson is he's notorious for having a death-grip handshake that brings people almost to their knees when he meets somebody. he's got extremely strong hands, but he can't hang on to the >> and what happens, normally
it's when he's fighting for extra yards is when he's put the ball on the ground. but, you know, guys know that he puts it on it, so they're going after him. right now, they've got artis hicks at left guard. steve hutchinson, the all-pro,
is not in the game. >> third down and 5. favre in trouble. floats it out of the reach of but a flag comes down. and it was hargrove who ended up on top of favre. >> personal foul, roughing the passer, number 69.
>> that is the third personal foul. but, troy, brett favre doesn't look healthy as he staggers around and now squats down at the 30-yard line. >> you see hargrove. he comes right inside, and i think that was a bad call.
i mean, he's in contact with favre, and he's just making a tackle at the end of the play. i mean, that's the way they teach pop warner kids how to i know that they say you can't drive the quarterback into the turf, and i'm all for that. but that was a guy who'd got
engaged, had his arms around favre's waist, went to the ground, tackled him. i don't agree with that call. >> i disagree. there was a lifting of brett favre, and then hargrove did drive him into the turf. here's berrian with a catch.
and a good play is made out on the edge by jabari greer. i mean, this seems to me -- you know, all of the ticky-tack fouls we see week after week, with a hand getting up into the face mask or off the helmet of a quarterback, here's a lift and a drive into the ground.
i think that's a good call. >> yeah, i don't. i don't. because favre's falling back as he's making that throw, and hargrove is just making the he doesn't know that the ball's and if a quarterback leaves his feet, he naturally then is gonna
fall on his back, and it's gonna look like he was driven to the turf. i just think that in a game like this, one that was that close, the fact that you and i are even having a conversation about it, it shouldn't have been called. >> came on third down, and it
gave the vikings a first down. what will it lead to? here's a pass caught. that's berrian, who's been busy. 12 yards and a first down. so file that play away -- anthony hargrove with a personal favre staggered around after that personal foul, and now he's
still throwing bullets. i don't know how he keeps getting up and going into the huddle and getting up to the line. >> we showed that artis hicks had to go in there for steve hutchinson at left guard. steve hutchinson is now back in
the game. but that pressure that led to the controversial penalty came over that left side. they brought two guys -- one by mckinnie, one by hicks. both of them were able to get to no adrian peterson. and chester taylor gets 2.
remi ayodele on the tackle. >> and, you know, we talk about you talked about, prior to adrian peterson coming here, he was a 1,000-yard runner. i mean, he's an accomplished guy. sometimes you watch him run, and you really got to take a hard
look and say, "who was that?" because he finishes runs a lot like what adrian peterson does. >> favre still smiling. eighth play of the drive. second and 8. and he's picked off! that's vilma. favre needs help getting off the
jonathan vilma comes up with the interception. saints have it. they're looking at the left lower leg of brett favre, as he got a hit from remi ayodele up high and bobby mccray down low. and it's the hit by mccray to the left leg that hurt
vilma, the interception, his fourth over his last eight games. and now it's pierre thomas out across the 35. back to the hit and the >> here's remi ayodele. they're gonna run a twist there. and bobby mccray is gonna be the
one who comes low on him. but good job up front there on the twist. remi ayodele. you see bobby mccray come down low. and then, on the back end, it was jonathan vilma who initially was going to go in coverage with
jim kleinsasser. but he fell back off of that route when he read brett favre's eyes and was able to then make a play on the ball. >> brett favre has not been sacked, but he has been hit 11 times. and they have come after him
from the beginning of this game. gregg williams, the defensive coordinator. hand-off to pierre thomas over the right side. a gain of 3. and they'll rewrap the left ankle of favre, as we come up on a minute left in this third
quarter, tied at 21. >> i've got to believe tarvaris jackson is over there on the sidelines somewhere, getting loosened up. but the way they're taping up brett favre, it looks like he'll be coming back out into the and that's got to be awfully
difficult on all the wives. >> deanna favre. all the wives and moms who watch their husbands and sons come out here and play every week. >> it's third down and 3. and that play blown dead with a false start. third down and 8.
we'll get the call. >> false start, number 76, offense. >> the center, goodwin. let's go down to chris myers. >> joe, he was motioning, brett was, to the trainer that he was hit from across the left side of the knee.
it is a lower-left ankle. they took off the shoe. they wrapped it. he told darrell bevell, the offensive coordinator, "i'm gonna come back in." he was grabbing his sock, wincing in pain, when they first took his shoe off.
but it apparently is a left-ankle injury. he expects to go back in. >> his recuperative powers over the years have been almost inhuman. he's making his 309th consecutive start here tonight. play clock is at :01.
saints just got it away. and brees throws high. meachem, the intended receiver. and new orleans got away with one there. cedric griffin, he was in coverage on meachem, and with the ball sailing on brees, he was in a position to actually
make this interception. you're gonna see, at the end of this throw, cedric griffin then comes off of it and has a chance, had he been able to locate that ball a little bit earlier. >> morstead will punt it. darius reynaud, who fielded a
punt from inside the 5 the last time, a new orleans native, a ton of family and friends in attendance. calls for a fair catch and calls for it early. takes it in around the 16. i don't know if the legend can grow any more.
but there he is, back on the it's officially a left ankle injury. and the hand-off is to he loses the ball and gets it right back. and percy harvin looks like he has enough for a first down. he does.
>> even this hand-off, this exchange was a little bit difficult. here he is coming out onto the and clearly it's bothering him. they retaped it, so he's gonna have limited mobility in that ankle. and they come out with a stretch
play, and that's one of the most taxing hand-offs that a quarterback can have. [ chuckles ] he struggled to get out there and make that. >> in the real world of the nfl, he's even more of a target back there for this saints
hand-off to harvin. and he loses the ball! ball's still loose! saints in a position -- and picked up by remi ayodele! >> joe, it looked like, by the design of the play, that it was intended to come back to the that's how they were blocking it
up. will smith, though, he holds his he's the one who's able to come in and knock it loose out of the hands of percy harvin. the vikings have just been entirely too careless with the football here in this game. >> they've fumbled, troy, five
that's the second ball they've lost on a fumble. plus, favre has thrown an and it sets up the saints with first and goal at the 7. remember what we told you coordinator of the saints, said to us on friday -- "our defense is not dominant enough, with the
front seven that we have, to be a great defense without takeaways and what we do in the red zone." and they have taken it away three times in this game. >> and when they struggled at the end of the season, joe, there were two games there down
the stretch where they did not get a takeaway. and those were the only two games all season where that happened. they were opportunistic last week in their win against arizona, and they've been able to force turnovers here in this
>> here's thomas. what a good play made by the safety, tyrell johnson. >> i think if you look at what has happened here in this second half from new orleans, the defense has really done a good job. because, we pointed out, the
saints have not converted a lot of their third downs. they only had 10 plays there in the third quarter, 50 yards total. so gregg williams and his defense has done a good job. they give the ball to the offense down here.
and for the saints, i mean, they need to capitalize. if the vikings are able to hold them here, this is gonna be a great job on their part. >> saints are 2 for 7 on third it's third and goal. can't find anywhere to go with now does!
and no touchdown. the catch by reggie bush, and they're gonna mark him short. inches short, and it's fourth and goal. >> what a good job by tyrell johnson of making the hit and that's worth a challenge, because it looked to me like it
was inside the pylon. >> i agree. that should be a touchdown. and a challenge coming from sean payton. here's the call. >> after reviewing the play, the receiver broke the plane of the goal line.
it is a touchdown. >> it's the percy harvin fumble that leads to it. and reggie bush, fifth touchdown in four career postseason games, as the call's overturned. the ball has to be inside the pylon. it was.
and the saints regain the lead and turn the turnover into it's up to garrett hartley to make it 7 points. after the harvin fumble, the saints get it in, thanks to the saints, fourth quarter, during the regular season, by far the best team in the nfl.
they scored more points and allowed fewer points than any other team. and they get 7 here. lead 28-21. drew brees with three touchdown passes in the game. >> well, we got to talk about the offensive line and the job
that they've done today. they've not given up a sack. drew brees has time in the pocket. that's why they're able to get this touchdown. he's looking around. reggie bush was about his fourth or fifth receiver that he went
to in that progression. and reggie bush does a great job he sees brees scrambling. he turns and looks and decides, "where do i have to go to get away from defenders to get open for my quarterback?" he takes off then to the brees finds him, and they get
the touchdown. but a great game so far by this saints' offensive line, giving drew brees protection and then also doing a good job within the run-blocking. favre gets it to chester taylor. and taylor is spun around by fujita.
gain of 3. >> you kind of get the idea right now that that score really reenergized this crowd. and, you know, a little bit of a momentum shift, clearly, in that if minnesota doesn't do something with this drive and the saints are able to force a
three-and-out, i see momentum right now with new orleans that, offensively, they could extend this lead pretty good. peterson back in the game. he gets it here on second down. spins away! adrian peterson with his biggest run of the game.
gets a hit at midfield. and for peterson, a 27-yard carry and a smile. >> you got roman harper, the safety. he comes up, and then the corner, jabari greer, is in a position to make the tackle as well.
but adrian peterson is just able to make both of those guys miss. jabari comes in late after the miss there by harper. and the one thing that we have noticed from adrian peterson over the years is when he has put the ball on the ground, he comes back with a vengeance.
he's an angry runner anyway, but he gets really angry when he's had some mistakes that he feels have cost this team. >> that's his longest run in nine games -- 27 yards. and nearly picked off. sidney rice may have helped avoid the interception by
jabari greer. >> there was a little bit of pressure on favre at the end, but, you know, overall, not bad. it was just a ball that favre thought he could fit in. and greer was in a great position and came underneath. sidney rice needs to try to do
what he can to break that one but that's the first throw that i've seen from brett favre in a long time where you say, "gosh, what was he thinking?" but he got away with one on that play. >> on second down, favre backpedaling.
and his receiver had fallen down -- chester taylor. saints want a flag, but taylor was there. he just was on the ground. there is no flag on the field. now will they throw it? here's pete morelli. he announces that chester taylor
it's third and 10. and again favre took a hit. >> yeah, this time there was a lot of pressure there. scott fujita, he's coming off the edge. and then jeff charleston -- he's been used in some of these passing downs as well.
he's the one who got home. >> never louder. favre guns it for berrian, who comes to the ball and makes a big completion on third and 10 by brett favre of 30 yards to bernard berrian, who's having his biggest game of the season. >> boy, he sure is.
and a ball that favre had to use every ounce of arm strength that he had, because he's throwing out of position. and berrian -- you know, this was a ball that was thrown to the inside. he had to go in and get it, and that's exactly what he did.
you've got randall gay, who was in position, but he did not have his head turned, looking at the really nice play there by bernard berrian. >> seven catches, 83 yards for hand-off is to adrian peterson, who carries it for 3. >> well, i spoke a moment ago
about the momentum shift and how this crowd had gotten reenergized. we'll see what ultimately happens on this possession. clearly right now they're in field-goal range. but they've recaptured what they had lost, the vikings have.
you know, this crowd, obviously, is still loud. but they're not in the frenzy that they were just a few moments ago, when this drive started. >> quick setup and throw. pass is caught. ball is out!
another fumble! knocked out by tracy porter, and the saints have it. four viking turnovers in this vilma comes away with the recovery. >> that's something that coordinator, and this entire defensive staff emphasizes
every single day in practice -- whether it's making a play on the ball in the air, going after the ball once a receiver or running back has it in their possession. he knocks it out right there -- tracy porter with his left hand. that's two turnovers now by
minnesota in the red zone. not only in the red zone -- shoot, inside the 10-yard line. >> that's six fumbles by the vikings, three they've lost, plus the interception. and the saints defense doing what it's done all year -- take the ball away.
saints take over at their 5. hand-off is to pierre thomas. and pierre thomas picks up 3. pat williams on the stop for the >> the thing that's so surprising about this -- i mean, we talk about brett favre and some of the interceptions that he's had over his career.
and you know that at any time there could be a three-, four-interception game. but that's not been the case. and this minnesota team has been so good all season long in protecting the football. third best in the nfl during the regular season protecting
the ball, with only 18 turnovers. >> but four here in the nfc championship game, which has derailed their effort, at least at the moment. second and 7. pass is caught by henderson. and devery is brought down by
griffin. gain of 5. third and short coming up. here's a spot for the minnesota defense, as they need, on third and 2, to come up with the stop, try and get the ball right back with 8 1/2 to go in the ballgame.
>> i think overall, minnesota, defensively, has done a good job >> now the ball's out. brees picks it up. the ball is in the midsection of drew brees, and that will make him short of the first down. and so the vikings hold. >> well, another missed
opportunity on third and short. and this one comes at the expense of not getting the exchange from the center. and another situation similar to you got the center working to the left. and the quarterback, drew brees -- you never know
exactly why the exchange doesn't take place. but as the quarterback, with a center working away against a big defensive lineman, you got to hang in there just a tick longer. >> this will be a challenge. >> challenging the ruling on the
field that the runner crossed -- made a first down. >> brees finally got the ball, went toward the 15. the ball was back in the middle part of his body. but a challenge from meanwhile, they yanked drew brees back.
>> the ruling on the field will stand. >> that really wasn't all that close, and pretty clear-cut. and so now new orleans, not only do they lose a time-out, but they are out of challenges for the rest of this game. they were successful on their
first, on the reggie bush touchdown. unsuccessful here, and that was a waste on two fronts. now it's fourth down, and the punt will be coming from morstead, with reynaud waiting for it. short punt.
takes a decent new orleans bounce, but great field starting at their own 43. cutback run. peterson hanging on to the football. and a nice gain on first down of 4 yards. second down and 6.
favre throws. good play by greer. and these are very underrated corners here with the third and 6. shiancoe! big completion on third and 6. and visanthe shiancoe takes it down inside the 40.
troy, you and i talked that somebody did a good job of scouting visanthe shiancoe, who was shockey's backup with the giants. his career high was 12 catches before they brought him to >> good route right here. he's able to get off
roman harper is in man coverage on him. and, you know, he overplayed it. and you're right -- sometimes guys get labeled. and when he was backing up shockey, as you said, he wasn't a big part of their receiving but he came here, and each year
that he has been here, his receiving totals have increased. >> all of his catches this half -- four for 83 yards. play-action from favre on first able to get rid of it as again he ends up on the ground. chester taylor, the intended receiver.
and there was pressure by anthony hargrove. >> anthony hargrove's doing a pretty good job right here in the middle. and he's gonna get help there from the -- the center there is the one who's trying to hold him but hargrove is the one -- when
you get that inside pressure we talked about, it's awfully hard then for a quarterback to escape. you can deal with it off the edges. but in the middle, you don't like it. >> second and 10.
adrian peterson right up the middle. hangs on to the ball. saints still going after it. roman harper on the tackle, trying to rip it out. and it's an 18-yard run. >> yeah, just straight lead draw.
and naufahu tahi, the fullback, he's gonna lead-block here. and then a down block by the right guard, anthony herrera. pretty nice hole right there for >> first time peterson's been over 100 yards rushing in nine favre floats it. berrian, end zone!
and a flag comes in. and it's pass interference against tracy porter. >> pass interference, number 22, the foul occurred in the end by rule, the ball will be placed on the 1-yard line. >> tracy porter, he just gets turned completely around.
and then bernard berrian just trying to make a play on the that was the right call. it's awfully hard on these defensive backs. the ball in the air, the ball is thrown to the inside, you're out of position, you're not making a play looking back.
and as the receiver then goes for the ball, invariably there's contact. >> the disparity in penalties -- nine against the hand-off is to peterson. may have gotten back to the line lost about half a yard. first guy there was
5 1/2 to play. second and goal. and brett favre, who came out of last week's win over the dallas cowboys saying, "this is what i came back for." didn't sign until august. had one of his best seasons, if not his best, over a 19-year nfl
career. trying to tie this game. >> well, they've been down here a couple times and have had nothing to show for it. they're hoping to come away with points now. >> second and goal. pounds it to the goal line and
in! touchdown, minnesota. adrian peterson has his third of the day. a 2-yard run. we're on our way to 28-28. >> good job right here by sullivan, and herrera, the right guard.
>> so you get the dynamic running ability of you live with the two fumbles. he has three rushing touchdowns in this game and 120 yards on 22 carries. and we're tied. the reaction of brett favre after the touchdown run by
and brett favre has played psychologist at times in this game for adrian peterson, who has fumbled twice in this game. little huddle called by drew brees, who is the unquestioned leader of this saints team -- offense, defense -- you name it.
and with under 5 to play, the vikings -- their defense held on third down and short. they got it back. they took it down the field. seven-play drive. pass-interference call set it up at the 1. and now the saints and
drew brees about to get it back. playing football in the superdome since 1975. it's never hosted an nfc championship game. this one's been worth the wait. courtney roby from inside the 5. cannot get to the 20. they're still unpiling after
that kick return by roby. and roby finally gets up and limps off the field. there have been four super bowls in this building. there have been final fours, bowl games, championship fights. this is another championship fight.
tied 28-28 with 4:52 left. >> and there's no question that new orleans, what they would like to do here is go into their 4-minute offense, meaning get first downs, move the ball down the field, take time off the clock, and do everything they can to come away with points
without giving the ball back to >> over 70,000 in this stadium, as brees -- lost the football! jahri evans was there to fall back on top of it for the it was knocked out. and jahri evans, the all-pro guard, fell on top of it. >> it looked like it was
ray edwards that came in off the edge and was able to come underneath the block by jon stinchcomb and knock that one loose. but, you know, great awareness by the saints, being able to get back on that ball once it did come out.
>> that is the first sack by either team in this game. a loss of 8. second and 18. and a big play by ray edwards, who was so good against the cowboys last week. playing with a sprained knee. this one is in the arms of
and pierre thomas can get to the 11. that's it. leber made the play. and it's third and 18 coming up in a game that's seen four ties and neither team has led by more than a touchdown. >> and i don't know that we can
say enough of the job that minnesota has done defensively. i mean, they've been very good. there has not been a lot of offensive production by new orleans here in this second >> and it points out the job, once again, done by leslie frazier, who has been
terrific in organizing and guiding this defense for the three years in a row they led the nfl defending the run. number two this year. their guys tee off in this situation. third and 18. brees backpedals.
throws. completes. short of a first down to devery henderson. a 16-yard completion, and if nothing else it buys a little breathing room for the punter, thomas morstead. >> yeah, a lot of breathing
room. and then, probably more importantly for new orleans, is they're able to regain field because if they had not been able to get that completion, even though they were short, they're gonna give the ball back to minnesota with great field
>> morstead punts a beauty. high, hanging punt. this is reynaud on the return. to the 22. >> minnesota has well over 400 yards here of offense. they have moved the football. now the challenge is going to be, short of a takeaway, can
new orleans stop them here on this drive? >> start with a run. no gain for adrian peterson. maybe half a yard. the minnesota vikings are 0-4 in nfc championship games since their last super bowl, which happened in january of '77, when
they lost to oakland. kenny stabler. biletnikoff, the mvp. trying to stamp their ticket for a trip to miami and a date with the colts. 2-minute warning. tied at 28. trip to the super bowl and an
nfc championship on the line. not much there. vilma made the tackle. a gain of 2. and now a time-out is taken by remember, they lost a time-out on that challenge -- ill-advised challenge by sean payton, who challenged the spot of the
football on a drew brees carry. so they have, the saints, only one time-out remaining. there's such a disparity between the two field-goal kickers involved in this game. longwell, in the regular season and postseason -- 411 career field goals.
garrett hartley has 25. and you look at the season long and career long... for ryan longwell. third and 8. berrian makes the catch and now has to fight. has a first down. he has a fumble in this game.
he went around porter and picked up 10 and a huge first down. >> gregg williams, he elects to bring pressure. they come off the edge here, and he's hoping that favre has to get the ball out, but then you'll make the tackle once the completion is made.
and porter was in a position -- if he makes this tackle right at the point of the catch, then berrian would have been short of the first down. >> now minnesota spends their first time-out, as they have a first down at the 33-yard line. there's zygi wilf.
his fifth year as owner of this minnesota vikings team. they have a good setup in place with rick spielman, the general manager, and their head coach, brad childress. but favre is the difference. on first down, brett favre and he hits sidney rice in
stride! the vikings will not use a they'll get up to the line of scrimmage. a 19-yard completion to >> a perfectly thrown ball by chester taylor! chester taylor takes it down inside the 35.
and right now the vikings are already on the outer edge of field-goal range for ryan longwell with 1:06 remaining. and the vikings spend their second time-out. >> here that's throw. randall gay is on sidney rice.
and you see where the ball was placed. randall gay was actually in good coverage and could have made a play on it, but a perfectly thrown pass. and at the end of this right here, you see chester taylor. he's got one thing in mind, and
that is just protect the football and don't lay it on the >> new orleans just used their final time-out. it's first down for minnesota. and this crowd, which has been deafening all afternoon and evening, will try and crank it back up, as we play during a
postseason that has been rough on kickers. percentage is down under 60%. be a 51-yard try from this spot. they stay on the ground. hand it to chester taylor. no gain. again, this would be inside the season long and career long for
ryan longwell. ryan longwell was hitting from 52 consistently during the pregame. second down and 10. vikings have two time-outs. peterson back in the game at tailback. and he gets it.
nothing. remi ayodele out there to make the stop. and now, with 19 seconds remaining, the vikings take a 19 seconds left in regulation. >> i think this is an interesting call right here for offensive coordinator
darrell bevell as to whether or not he's comfortable just trying to run the ball and take their chances then from this distance or however many yards they can pick up or if they want to try to get more and make it a much higher-percentage kick. >> and now a penalty flag comes
>> 12 men in the huddle, >> and so now you're backed up just outside that range that we just talked about. i think the vikings, troy, are almost compelled to try and throw the ball here. >> well, i think now they have to.
and i think what we'll see from new orleans defensively is that they're going to bring pressure and try to make favre get the ball out of his hands. i think they're gonna try to do what they did on the previous in minnesota's attempt to try to fool new orleans on personnel
and confuse them, they end up then taking the penalty. >> third down and 15. favre sprints to his right. throws back across the middle! and he's intercepted! porter! the return by porter. and he's brought down with 7
seconds left! rolling to his right, troy, and throwing across his body into the middle of the field. >> it's the first thing they teach you not to do. but you're gonna see brett favre as he rolls out. if he just runs with it, he's
got open field. he's gonna pick up 10, maybe 15 then they're obviously in instead he tries to make a play. this is the cardinal sin for any quarterback -- throwing back across the grain as you're rolling to your right. you cannot see defenders that
are then coming underneath in pursuit. and porter there to make the and favre knows he made a huge mistake. >> huge mistake. didn't keep it. the vikings do have a time-out left, so they could have run it.
that's five turnovers for brett favre with two interceptions in the game. and now 1 second is left on the clock. the two teams rough it up a little bit. and it'll be second down, as we're 1 second away from
overtime. ray edwards in the middle of it with jahri evans. >> just pretty remarkable, you know, for favre with as much ground -- it was a good call. it was excellent call by darrell bevell -- roll the quarterback out, let him have
everything out in front of him -- not only receivers, but open field that he very easily could have taken. >> last play, barring a defensive penalty. and brees just gets rid of it. and we are headed to overtime. >> this is heads.
this is tails. you're the visitor. you'll make the call. >> heads. can we spread out a little bit? tails. you've won the toss. you will receive. new orleans will receive.
>> into overtime we go. on the nfc side, for the second time over the last three years. this season, the home team is 8-5. the team winning the coin toss, 7-6. coin-toss winner scoring on the first possession five times.
an inexperienced kicker for the saints, remember. roby was injured the last time he returned a kick, so pierre thomas is waiting deep. off we go. from the goal line. room to run. stumbled a bit as he got across
the 35, but great starting field position after a 40-yard return. abdullah on the tackle for and they'll mark it just short of the 39-yard line. >> pierre thomas, he just takes it straight up the field. a great job by that kickoff return team.
a huge return. he probably gets a little bit more yardage had he not stumbled, but a great way to start this overtime possession. >> player is down on the field, a minnesota viking. we go back to brett favre. he threw the interception in
overtime the last time he was in an nfc championship game. it was the new york giants, corey webster who picked him off. his last throw as a green bay packer. brett favre had thrown 84 interceptions over his last four
years coming into this season. 22 last year with the jets. there's the day for drew brees -- three touchdowns, 15 of 26. he'll start at the saints' 39. they start with a run. it's pierre thomas. saints with just 77 yards since
halftime. and that's saying something against this new orleans offense, the highest-scoring offense in the nfl. and there is the second-year pro, garrett hartley, who has attempted just 25 kicks in the nfl.
there's his career long last year. >> you know, you look at the saints defensively, giving up 475 yards of offense in this but they did what they've done all year long, and that is force again it's a run. this time it's reggie bush.
he gets a yard. the crowd is groaning, saying, "where's this high-flying offense and the passing attack of drew brees?" >> yeah, you know, on first down, they brought in their sixth offensive lineman, zach strief.
that's where they're heavy with the running game. and so they ran it on first down, didn't get anything out of i expected them to come out and throw it as well. they've just not been good on this down today. and that's been one of the
differences for them and why they haven't had more yards here in this second half. >> on third down and 6. brees with protection. penalty flag as colston makes the catch. he made the catch over the rookie asher allen, but a flag
is down. >> i think they're gonna get asher allen with pass interference. he was holding marques colston as he came off the line. >> the ruling on the field is the pass is incomplete. however, holding, number 21 of
the defense. >> so, again, the pass is that ball came out when colston went to the ground. but they'll accept the penalty. and it's an automatic first down, as asher allen, the rookie, was guilty of the hold. and allen's out there with the
injury to cedric griffin. so now the vikings, troy, are sitting here in overtime -- as you watch the ball hit the ground -- here are the vikings, trying to slow down the saints. they're without cedric griffin, and they're having to play antoine winfield on the inside,
with benny sapp on the outside. brees somehow got rid of the big pressure by ray edwards, and david thomas could not make the >> ray edwards is the one who comes in and then gets the hit on drew brees. and that's what minnesota has to have.
you know, they've got to be able to now get pressure on brees, unlike they have throughout this game, because of the injuries, as you just mentioned. i mean, they're shorthanded right now out there. they've got asher allen, the rookie, as you said.
then they've still got winfield, who isn't 100% either. >> antoine winfield's in the slot across from colston. missed six games with a broken foot. they go to colston. and the ball comes out! it drops incomplete.
and the vikings had a chance at an interception. ben leber was there defending. and after the ball was flipped up into the air by marques colston, let's see who had a chance at it. that ball is live in the air. and it was tyrell johnson who
could not secure it. >> it was a little bit like that previous catch with the penalty on asher allen -- not an easy catch to make, but one that we've seen marques colston make throughout his career. he did have it initially into his hands, but he just was not
able to secure the ball. >> it's third down and 10. saints pick it up. brees pulls it back. a bobble. a catch. and we'll get a measurement. >> well, devery henderson does a great job.
once the vikings bring pressure, now you know there's got to be some holes in that defense. and devery henderson, at the top of this route, he works to get open. he moves so there's a window that drew brees can see through and put the ball on him.
and even he bobbled it. if he doesn't bobble it, he probably picks up the first i've got to believe, regardless of what this is -- he's short, we thought that he was -- that the saints here would go for it. as well as minnesota has moved the ball, you certainly don't
want to have to punt it back to them. >> so it's fourth down and inches. and this tremendous run defense of the vikings will line up and try to come up with a stop. now we have a whistle. and we're going to get a review,
i believe, of the spot of the i thought it was a good spot for the new orleans saints. in other words, it looked like a very favorable spot compared to where devery henderson was when he came down. and they're gonna look and make sure that either, "a," it wasn't
a first down, or, "b," that they're actually as close as they say they are. >> well, that's a good point. yeah, i think the review booth, they're reviewing it to see -- that's a pretty good spot right but you're right -- had that have been further back, then
they would have moved it back, and it would have been further than what it is. but that right there, that's close. i don't know that there's anything there they can move. we saw the yellow line, but that certainly is close as to where
they will spot this ball. >> i don't know that henderson -- maybe you could say was touched on his way going to the ground once he secured >> after reviewing the play, we were reviewing whether the forward progress was made. the ruling on the field will
please set the play clock to 34 seconds. >> think about a lot of the great players who have come and gone in a new orleans saints uniform. and i think that list may start with the name archie manning, but some good players.
this franchise is in a position here, troy, to get to their first super bowl. >> and to do that, they've got to pick this up. you know, i've always thought the best play in this situation is a quarterback sneak. because there's so many bodies,
it's hard for that official not to give you the first down if you run the sneak. when you take it off the line of scrimmage, you risk a lot of penetration inside. >> hand-off to pierre thomas. looked like he picked it up. >> pierre thomas, he decides to
go over the top. and this was close. this was close. they got the penetration down you know, a lot of times those defensive linemen in the middle, they just go to the ground to keep from getting pushed out. and pierre thomas, anticipating
that, then went over the top of the pile. >> now they're gonna review that the hit by greenway. put his helmet on the football. i don't know how pierre thomas, troy, maintained possession of the ball as he came down, but he did.
initially, they ruled a first we'll get the official call now from morelli. after reviewing the play, the ruling on the field will stand. >> yeah, i'm with you, joe. it's a wonder that pierre thomas was able to hang on to that ball with greenway putting his helmet
right on it. it was close, but i don't know what kind of angle. i mean, it certainly wasn't apparent that he didn't make it. and i just don't think there was any way they could overturn that call. >> saints are still not inside
drew brees backpedaling. gets rid of it. and the pass incomplete, but a flag comes in. leber was covering david thomas. >> that was just drew brees trying to keep a play alive and then just give his guy a chance. and i'm sure minnesota is trying
to argue that it was a ball that was uncatchable. >> pass interference, defense. >> let's take another look. the ball was well over the head of the receiver. brees backpedaling. david thomas. and that's leber out there in
i think you can make a strong case that that ball wasn't catchable. leber never got his head around. and on the overthrow, a pass-interference call. and now the saints are inside >> it was kind of hard to tell even how much contact actually
took place because of where the throw was. you could argue that dave thomas was trying to make a play on the ball and that's why he fell >> here's a toss to reggie bush. and a big play is made by ben leber, who was just flagged for interference.
a loss of 4 on the tackle by ben leber. >> they got the penetration up if you try to bounce something out wide and if you're not able then to get, you know, on the edge, then you risk losing significant yards. and that's what happened.
>> garrett hartley in his second year. was suspended to start the john carney started the year. he's 13 of 17. doesn't have the range of garrett hartley, but certainly has the experience over hartley. play clock was at :01.
second and 14. and the pass is caught. catch is made by robert meachem. a gain of 12. he almost lost it going to the >> and i think part of it is, joe, what i'm noticing from drew brees here, especially on this last possession, is he's
not throwing the ball with a great deal of authority. the ball's coming out funny you see it. not a tight spiral, like what you're accustomed to seeing. and that's close to not being a catch -- you know, whether or not he had full possession of
the ball as he goes to the i think that's one of the reasons why we've seen marques colston and meachem here and then devery henderson bobble those balls -- that, you know, brees is not throwing it with the same authority as what you are used to seeing him throw it.
>> meachem was losing the ball going to the ground. looked like at the end of the catch there was a trap of the ball against the ground and against the leg of meachem. here's a look. and they are reviewing the call. so a shrewd time-out taken by
the vikings. it's up to pete morelli to determine whether that ball was secured and he secured it throughout the catch going to you see a little movement when that ball hits the ground. and it's a smart time-out by >> well, the other looks that i
had seen, it looked like they would come back and rule it an incompletion. that last shot that we just showed, it looked to me then that he did have possession. >> and here comes the call. it is a catch. >> so now it's third and 3 at
the 22. and you're talking about a 40-yard field-goal try from this spot. well within the range of garrett hartley, the 23-year-old out of oklahoma. three of the eight plays have been reviewed in this overtime.
the saints are 3 of 11 on third down in this game. no penalty flag. the coverage by tyrell johnson on david thomas. it's fourth and 3. and here comes the moment garrett hartley has always dreamed of.
40-yard try. [ whistles blow ] time-out taken by minnesota. hartley... sends the saints to the super bowl!
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