How You Can Still Enjoy the Super Bowl
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Feb 4, 2010 6:20PM
Sunday's Super Bowl is fast approaching, but for most Chicago football fans the game will once again be mostly about the food, drink and commercials -- Super Bowl Shuffle reunion! -- as our Bears will also be watching the game from home. So how does one from these parts choose which team to cheer for -- the Indianapolis Colts or the New Orleans Saints? Some may choose to cheer against the Colts because the beat our Bears when the two teams met in Miami for Super Bowl XLI in 2006. Others may pick the Colts because they're our neighbor to the southeast.
Or perhaps you want to cheer for the team with the strongest local connection. Among the deepest ties to the area are Saints running back Pierre Thomas and the Colts' cornerback Kelvin Hayden. Thomas grew up in the Chicago area, played high school ball at Thornton South and then for the University of Illinois Fighting Illini before making it to the NFL. Thomas' teammate for two years while he played at Illinois, Hayden also grew up in Chicago, playing his prep ball for Hubbard.
The Northwestern Wildcats also have two alums playing in this year's Super Bowl. Offensive tackle Zach Strief will wear the black and gold of New Orleans while John Gill traded in his 'Cats' purple and white for the Colts' blue and white. The Colts have one more local boy, too. Carol Steam native Ryan Diem played for Northern Illinois after attending Glenbard North High School.
But Saints head coach Sean Payton also has roots in the Chicagoland area. Raised in Naperville, he played for coaching hotbed Eastern Illinois University (NFL head coaches Brad Childress and Mike Shanahan are also alums) where as a quarterback he had 10,665 passing yards, then the third-highest total in NCAA Division I-AA history. After college, Payton played stints with the Chicago Bruisers of the Arena Football League and was a "scab" for the Bears during the 1987 players strike (guess he loses Kevin's support). Looks like Saints eek out a narrow edge on the local slant.
As for us in the Chicagoist office? We're pulling for the Saints, even if mostly out of self preservation. Our Editor-in-Chief, Marcus, was chased from the Big Easy by Katrina and he's been taking it out on the rest of us ever since. We can only imagine the abuse we'll have to endure should the Saints lose. So when the teams take the field on Sunday, we'll let out a loud "Who Dat?!"