One of the smartest calls in Super Bowl history was one that failed on paper, but it was gutsy and showed that the New Orleans Saints would not settle for anything against the Colts and it set the tone for the rest of the game. Sean Payton pulled out all the stops on Sunday, and that's why the Saints are being celebrated as champs.

Everyone is talking about the onside kick that New Orleans recovered to start the 2nd half, but what set the tone happened with less than two minutes left in the 1st half.

The Saints could have kicked a field goal to cut Indy's seven point lead down to four... But that would mean that New Orleans would have to kick off back to the Colts giving Peyton Manning a chance to go likely less than 80 yards to score one more time.

What happens if the Saints kick the field goal? If you've watched the Colts this season, the most likely scenario is Manning driving the field for a touchdown after getting the kickoff. If the Saints kick the field goal, they net an increaase in their halftime deficit. A touchdown means that, at worst, they be right back to a seven point deficit again.

But what some people still don't realize is that going for it was a win-win situation. Sure, if the Colts get the stop, their defense celebrates for a little bit, but the offense now has to go 99 yards for a score with the clock working against them.

And that's what happened. Though the Saints got stuffed, the Colts immediately went three-and-out and punted back to the Saints, who eventually got their field goal and had a chance at a touchdown. Essentially, the Saints found a way to get their field goal PLUS drain time off the clock so Manning couldn't get one more score before the break.

It also sent a message to the team. He was letting them know that they weren't going to settle. They were playing to win. He let his offense know that he had confidence in them and let his defense know that he trusted them to make a stop.

That 4th down call set the tone for the rest of the game. After the way he coached the end of the 1st half, trusting his team to take the game and win it, there was no doubt that everyone would be on the same page when he called the surprise onside kick.

Inspired and fired up, the Saints recovered and drove for a touchdown and their first lead of the game. They scored on every offensive possession of the 2nd half and the defense allowed just seven points, forced a missed field goal, and ran back an interception for a touchdown. They kept Peyton Manning from taking control of the game, gave the offense great field position, and put the game away.

So when people keep talking about the first onside kick before the 4th quarter in Super Bowl history, remember that it couldn't have happened without the risks that the Saints took at the end of the 1st half. And that's why the Saints are Super Bowl champs.

Some more Super Bowl thoughts:

Aside from his one interception, Peyton Manning looked masterful in this game. Through most of the game, he was connecting on passes with what seemed like impossible precision. A win with a performance like that would have certainly cemented his case for being the greatest of all time. Sadly, what everyone will remember from this game will be his interception returned for a touchdown that sealed the victory for New Orleans.

I remember how I felt when Texas won the national championship back in 2006. The only place I would've rather been that night was 6th street in Austin for the celebration. I think even the most hard core Saints fans would have rather been on Bourbon Street the night of their championship victory. With all of the things that have happened to the city and to the franchise the past four years, the city really deserved America's backing and I'm sure there are even some Colts fans out there that are smiling about this one. Manning will be back. The Colts will continue their success. But this was destiny.

The days of the Super Bowl dud seem to be long gone. The last seven Super Bowls have been a one-possession game at some point in the 4th quarter. That's a streak unmatched in the history of the game. Only the Tampa Bay Buccanneers and Baltimore Ravens have won the big game by large margins that had the game in hand by the final quarter in the last 10 years.

I don't care what people say. I loved the halftime show. I've been a Who fan since I was in high school and it's the best personal payoff of a Super Bowl halftime show since Aerosmith performed with NSYNC back in 2001 (I'm not a hard core fan of U2, Tom Petty or Bruce). I got chills hearing "Let's get together before we get much older."

I saw the halftime show at a bar. An older lady saw me singing along and came up to me and said, "you're too young to know the words to these songs." I'll probably never get to see The Who in concert. For all we know this could have been their last hurrah.

As the song goes: "I can't pretend there's any meaning hidden in the things I'm saying. But I'm in tune"