A recap of what went down and what you should take away from the week in college football.

Congratulations to the New Orleans Saints. Great story. What are the chances that Aaron Eckhart plays Sean Payton in the Hollywood adaptation? Or will he be too busy portraying Lane Kiffin in Catch Me If You Can 2?

Signing Day is said and done (for the most part). There were a few shockers, but most kids wound up at one of the two or three schools we were expecting.

With the conclusion of the Super Bowl, NFL Draft season has officially begun. The 2010 NFL Scouting Combine is set to begin on Saturday, February 28 with the offensive linemen, specialists and tight ends and will conclude on Tuesday, March 2 with the defensive backs. Quarterbacks, wide receivers and running backs will go on February 29 with defensive linemen and linebackers going on March 1.

Recapping the week in 500 words or less, this is what we learned:

• The fight for the services of highly recruited offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson may not be over just yet. Henderson verbally committed to USC on Signing Day, but has not signed a letter of intent. With USC likely facing some degree of sanctions, Henderson is reportedly on the fence about the Trojans. According to John Millea of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, Henderson told Joe Schmit of KSTP-TV, when asked if whether sanctions against the Trojans would change his mind, "Yeah, I think it would." He goes on to say that he'd have to discuss the matter with the USC coaches before making any decision. Millea concludes that the extent of sanctions may not be known for some time, so "Seantrel Henderson -- not knowing what will happen with USC -- may sign with another school."

• As for which school that may be, there are two conflicting reports. If you want to take the word of the athlete, Ohio State is next in line. If you like speculation and 'sources' then Miami is next. Confused? Want some advice? Wait until something concrete comes out.

• Defensive lineman Calvin Smith was perhaps the biggest surprise on Signing Day. With choices that included Tennessee, Florida State and Alabama, Smith decided he'd be happiest as a New Mexico Lobo. Smith is the Lobos' highest rated recruit in recent memory (if not ever) and is a big get for head coach Mike Locksley. Smith praised his future position coach Rubin Carter and indicated that he was a big reason for his commitment.
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A lot has been made of the play to start the second half and the guts shown by Saints Coach Sean Payton in calling it. If it wasn't as the single biggest play of the game, it was certainly one of them.

Trailing by 10-6 to start the second half, Saints coach Sean Payton called for an onside kick, and kicker Thomas Morstead sent the ball in the direction of Colts special teams player/wide receiver Hank Baskett. When Baskett failed to secure the football, a mad scramble ensued in front of the New Orleans' bench. When the chaos and confusion ended a a full minute later, referee Scott Green ruled that the Saints' Chris Reis had recovered.

Think about it, if Hank Baskett could hold onto the ball like he holds onto Kendra Wilkinson's ass, the entire game may have turned out differently.

Saints center Jonathan Goodwin was quoted this morning as saying;

"It was amazing, when we took the field after we recovered the onside kick it was just a whole different feel to the game. It just felt like there was no way we could lose the game. . . . That particular moment changed history for us."

If you watch the clock on the video above, you will see that it literally took the officials one minute to determine who had the kick. When you watched it live, it seemed even longer than that. That was one of the most surreal one minute periods of time in Super Bowl history.

Kicker Thomas Morstead was quoted after the game as saying that at one point he actually heard an official say the Colts had it. If the Colts had actually gained possession, maybe we'd likely be talking this morning about the bonehead decision by Payton that handed the Colts the Super Bowl.

The Saints have the advantage, they have Drew Brees. Payton Manning may be one of the best QB's to every play in the NFL but Brees has much more to prove and the city and team he is playing for are here to win this game.

The Chargers were playing against the Broncos in 2005 when Brees suffered the worst shoulder injury that the famous Doctor James Andrews had ever seen. His arm bone actually came out of his shoulder socket and the chance of him returning to the NFL as a top performer was about 1%.

Dr. Andrews had to perform the surgery to repair Brees's shoulder within days of the injury or the shoulder would be so swollen that an operation would not be possible. Within one week of the injury Dr. Andrews employed 4 additional surgeons to help him perform the operation and repaired the worst shoulder injury ever witnessed by the great doctor.

During the operation the Doctor's found even more damage than they thought. There was a partial rotor cuff tear that also had to be repaired. All of the surgery was performed arthroscopically so that the recovery time would be shorter.

The surgery was a success but the rehabilitation of the shoulder was just as important. Brees had to be totally committed to his rehab work. He actually moved to Birmingham, Alabama for 4 months of vigorous rehab and lived with his in-laws Pete and Kathy Dudchenko. Dr. Andrews gave the responsibility of rehabbing Brees to Kevin Wilk who has been working with Dr. Andrew's patients for 18 years and told him good luck. Brees was in for some very hard and painful work; seven hour days of rehabbing with Wilk.

Brees accomplished full range of motion in his shoulder in only 8 weeks. He was determined to have a full recovery and get back in the NFL.

He really wanted to keep playing for the Chargers but it was time to negotiate a contract and the Chargers were offering him an incentive laden contract that only guaranteed him 2 million dollars. This was in insult to the former Pro Bowl quarterback so he and his agent looked elsewhere for another offer. The only two teams that showed interest were the Miami Dolphins and the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints were coming off a dismal 3 - 13 season playing their home games in 3 different places, New Jersey, San Antonio and Baton Rouge. They had just signed a new head coach Sean Payton and the city was still trying to recover from hurricane Katrina. Brees looked at this as a blessing. He felt that this could be God sent and that he and his family could do more in New Orleans than just play football. They could make a difference to the city of New Orleans and be involved with something bigger than football itself.

Having a party for the big game? Here are some interesting facts and figures to dazzle your guests with (most of it is totally useless, but it's interesting no the less.)

• 98.7 million: People who watched last year's Super Bowl
• 151.6 million: Number of people who are expected to watch at least part of the game.
• $2.6 million: Cost for a 30-second ad spot in Sunday's game
• 239: Yards Colts quarterback Peyton Manning passed for the last time he played in a Super Bowl. Manning averaged 300 yards per game this season; Saints quarterback Drew Brees averaged 274
• 75: Longest run, Willie Parker, Pittsburgh vs. Seattle, 2006. The entire Colts team only averaged 80 yards rushing per game this regular season; the Saints, meanwhile, averaged 132.
• 55: Most points by one team, San Francisco vs. Denver, 1990. Neither the Colts nor the Saints scored 55 points in a game this season, though the Saints led the league in scoring, averaging 38 points per game.
• 9: Times the Super Bowl has been played in New Orleans. This year in Miami, though, is the Saints' first appearance.
• 7: Lifetime field goals, Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri. He hit three in the Colts' win in 2007.
• 6: Most Super Bowl wins, Pittsburgh Steelers (IX, X, XIII, XIV, XL, XLIII)
• 6: Passing touchdowns in a game, Steve Young, San Francisco vs. San Diego, 1995. Manning threw just one touchdown in his only Super Bowl. Brees has never appeared in a Super Bowl.
• 4: Most Super Bowl losses, three-way tie: Denver Broncos (XII, XXI, XXII, XXIV); Buffalo Bills (XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII); Minnesota Vikings (IV, VIII, IX, XI)
• 3: Fewest points by one team, Miami vs. Dallas, 1972
• 1: Smallest margin of victory, New York Giants vs. Buffalo (20-19), 1991, thanks to Scott Norwood wide right
• 5: Number of years The Who's Pete Townshend was on the registered sex offender list.
• 194 million: Approximate number of blades of grass on the football field.
• 232: Number of countries and territories in which the game will be broadcast.
• 34: Number of languages the game is broadcast in.
• 1: Number of languages in which the word "football" doesn't mean "soccer."
• 8 million: Total pounds of popcorn consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.
• 28 million: Pounds of potato chips consumed.
• 53.5 million: Pounds of avocados consumed.
• 222,792: Number of football field's worth of farmland to grow all that corn, potatoes, and avocados.
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According to Politico.com, Democrats are rooting for the New Orleans Saints by a 15-point margin.

However, this stands in stark contrast to the Saints' organization political giving history which is primarily Republican, with the exception of Jonathan Vilma who has donated thousands to the Democratic Party. Even after the horror that was Katrina, the Saints organization joins Peyton Manning in continuing to support those who were ready to make their home town the new "Atlantis".

In a recent interview with Diane Sawyer, Obama, not offended by this extreme betrayal, supports the Saints and their "Yes We Can" attitude.  An underdog himself and a big fan of Drew Brees, POTUS will be rocking the gold and black this Sunday in honor of the spirited city and their team.

The observations above were submitted by an avid Xtra Point Football reader. As always, if you the reader have something coherent to say, we'll publish it. - Xtra Point Football does not have any political affiliation.

If you haven't voted in our polls on the site yet please do so. We are trying to get a feel for how our readers are looking at Football so we can write about things they want to hear. The poll questions are:

"Do you think the NCAA should have a Playoff to determine the National Champion rather than the BCS / Bowl System?"

and

"Should the NFL adopt the NCAA method of Overtime or continue to flip a coin for possession and have sudden death?"

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

It's long been said that if you do not notice the officiating at a sporting event that the officials did a great job. I'm not sure that's the mark of a good official because that simply means that he didn't blow any easy obvious calls.

When the game is on the line tomorrow and the entire free world is watching some participants on the field will tighten up and some will show that they can operate and even excel under pressure. Hopefully, for everyone's sake there are no controversial or blown calls that make a difference in the outcome of the game.

Teams want the game won and lost on the merits of their play and so do fans and bettors.

The NFL announced the Super Bowl XLIV officiating crew Wednesday and the referee should be familiar to Green Bay and Arizona fans.

Scott Green, who headed up the crew that officiated the Cardinals' 51-45 victory over the Packers in a wildcard playoff game Jan. 10, has gotten the call for Sunday's Indianapolis-New Orleans match-up.

Neither team in that wildcard game was particularly thrilled with the officiating.

The Cardinals were upset with a pair of horse-collar penalties called against them that were questionable. The Packers were upset that Green didn't call a blow to the quarterback's head on LB Bertrand Berry on the second play of overtime and a face-mask penalty on CB Mike Adams on the last play of overtime.

Either one would have given the Packers a first down. The last one would have wiped out Rodgers' fumble and LB Karlos Dansby's 17-yard return for a touchdown.
The rest of the crew won't be the same as the one Green led in that game.

Under the NFL officiating program's evaluation system, the highest-rated eligible officials at each position earn the right to work the Super Bowl.  Super Bowl officials must have at least five years of NFL experience and previous playoff assignments.

Green, in his 19th season as an NFL game official, served as the back judge in Super Bowls XXXVI and XXXVIII. Promoted to referee in 2004, he has officiated in 12 playoff games - two Super Bowls, one conference championship, three divisional playoffs and six wild card games.

If Peyton Manning has a classic Manning performance and the Colts win you can forget anything you've ever heard about questions regarding is he one of the best QB's of all time. There will be no question (I'm not certain there's a question now.)

It is important to remember however that the Saints are in fact the team that led the NFL in both yards per game at 403.8 yards per game and in scoring at 31.9 points per game. The Colts finished 9th at 363.1 yards per game and 7th in scoring at 26 points per game.

The weather is supposed to clear in before kickoff and the field conditions should good meaning it will be a fast track so you would expect these offenses to be at their best.

The thing about Peyton Manning is that he seems to be able to score quickly when he has to but you don't hear many people talk about what he does equally well and that is he seems to be able to score slowly (taking time off the clock while also getting points) if he has to do that.

The Saints will not be able to substitute inside the red zone as Peyton will have the Colts standing at the line of scrimmage as soon as the ball is spotted. If he he's a potential substitution where a player has to make it beyond the 20 with the other player also having to get off the field, he will snap the ball and get a free five yards.

The Saints shot to win is to have an MVP performance from Reggie Bush out of the backfield and on special teams.

The Colts are favored by 5 points and most professionals I know are taking the points. From where I sit, I'm not so sure that is the wisest course of action. While I wager professionally for a living, as much as it may appear to be an oxymoron, I'm pretty conservative by nature. I am deathly afraid that Manning will stick the ball in the end zone with 1:10 to put the Colts up by 11 all but icing the game and the proficient Drew Brees will get the ball and march the Saints down the field against a prevent Colts defense putting up six of his own with a few seconds remaining.

While I'm not suggesting taking the Saints getting the five points I am suggesting taking the Colts money-line. - Robert Fairchild

Robert is a professional sports gaming professional. He legally wages on professional and collegiate sporting events for a living. Robert is NOT suggesting that you quit your day job and try to wager on sports for a living. He is contributing his thoughts and experience to assist you in a recreational activity that you as an informed adult may choose to take part in.

If you haven't voted in our polls on the site yet please do so. We are trying to get a feel for how our readers are looking at Football so we can write about things they want to hear. The poll questions are:

"Do you think the NCAA should have a Playoff to determine the National Champion rather than the BCS / Bowl System?"

and

"Should the NFL adopt the NCAA method of Overtime or continue to flip a coin for possession and have sudden death?"

Have a Fantasy Football or Rotisserie baseball question? Want to know who to pick up, who to activate and who the hot prospects are? Ask Dr. Roto. Let Dr. Roto guide your team to a league championship.

Rain is expected to continue into Saturday morning, when the teams will conduct final walkthroughs, but stop by midday. No more precipitation is scheduled for the area until Wednesday.

Temperatures will be in the 50s on Saturday night, move into the 60s during Sunday and back into the 50s for game-time, helping to dry the field and create good conditions for a pair of teams that rely on players with quick bursts of speed such as Reggie Wayne and Reggie Bush.

Odds makers have the Super Bowl XLIV over / under as high as 57 points heading into the weekend. The Colts are currently 4.5-point favorites.

The last time the Colts were in the Super Bowl was three years ago, when the game was also in Miami, and played in a steady rain for the first time in history. The weather did not seem to significantly impact the Colts, who amassed 430 total yards in a 29-17 win over the Chicago Bears that however Peyton Manning was quoted after the game and again this week as saying that he thought he was effect by the rain. Peyton was 25/38 for 247 yards in Super Bowl XLI.

Super Bowl VIII between the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings at Rice Stadium in Houston had some intermittent drizzle but no heavy rain.

Outdoor games are not common for either the Colts or Saints, both of whom play their home games in climate-controlled domes. However, both teams won games at Miami during the regular season.
In Week 2, the Colts had the ball for less than 15 minutes but made the most of it and Peyton Manning hit a pair of long touchdown passes in a 27-23 win over the Dolphins as 3-point favorites in a Monday night game.

In Week 7, the Saints dug themselves a 24-3 hole in the second quarter but stormed back for a 46-34 win over the Dolphins as 6-point favorites in a late afternoon Sunday game, overcoming a season-high three interceptions by Drew Brees.

The Colts played just five outdoor games during the season, with road contests at Arizona, St. Louis and Houston. They won and covered the first four before resting their regulars for most of a 30-7 loss at Buffalo in the regular-season finale.

It was 12 degrees for the game in Buffalo but at least 56 degrees for each of their other outdoor contests.

The Saints also played six outdoor games, with two of their road contests at domes in St. Louis and Atlanta. They were 5-1 straight up and 4-2 against the spread, escaping with a 33-30 win at Washington as 9-point favorites in Week 13 and losing 23-10 at Carolina as 10-point underdogs in Week 17, when they also rested their starters.

It was 36 degrees for the game in Washington and 30 degrees for the contest in Carolina. All of their other road games were at least 64 degrees.

There has never been a Super Bowl decided in sudden death overtime much less than one decided in OT without the losing coin-flipper ever gaining possession. If there were ever a Super Bowl where the winner of an OT flip of the coin was likely to be able to score points on that first possession, this game with these two potent offenses is the one to do it.

If you are a proponent of change in the rules you are probably hoping for such an outcome as the outcry for change would be so loud that the NFL would have to make some sort of concession to its current OT format.

If you are a Vikings fan, there is no question that it would be easier to accept the loss to the Saints in the NFC Championship game if your offense also had a chance to possess the ball.

Factually speaking, over the past decade, there were 158 OT games, including playoff games. There were 2 ties, and there was 1 game in which the coin flip winner chose to defend a side of the field rather than choosing to receive. (They lost.) In 96 of the 158 OTs, or 61%, the coin flip winner won the game.

One of the most reasonable changes to the OT rules I've heard that may appease those who feel the current arrangement is not fair that likely would not offend traditionalists who do not like change is to return the OT kick-off spot to the 35-yard line. While this wouldn't seem like a big deal to some, this is a modest change that will greatly increase touchbacks, forcing offenses to start at the 20. For those of you that are really into the game, you know that "hidden yardage" on special teams is vitally important to the game. If you return a kick-off to your 40-yard line, statistically, your chances of scoring points are dramatically different than if you start at your own 20.

Moving the kickoff line back to the 35, where it was when the current OT format was instituted, might go a long way toward equalizing the chances of the coin flip winner and loser. Unfortunately, that's only half the problem. Over one third of OT games result in one team losing the game without ever touching the ball. I think that's the bigger issue to many people.

Those who argue that each team should have an equal number of possessions in OT have a whole in their argument that they either don't realize or don't care to give any credence to and that is the team with the second possession would have an even bigger advantage than the coin-flip winner has now.

Knowing whether or not it needs a TD, FG, or can afford to punt, the second team can adjust its strategy accordingly, using its 4th downs to move the ball when necessary. The current college OT format has this problem, which is mitigated to some degree because teams alternate 'going first' on successive rounds.

A look to baseball's approach to the situation may ultimately be the wisest solution. The NFL could simply keep the current sudden death format, but award the first OT possession to the home team. While this would simply be "home field advantage" during a regular season game, home field advantage comes in all kinds of ways in sports and is a universally accepted 'edge.' There literally is no reasonable solution to that aspect as the notion of playing all regular season games at neutral sites seems silly.

With this arrangement in the playoffs, it would be easier to accept what happened to a visiting team like the Vikings. We would say, "While their offense didn't get a chance, the Saints did earn the right to the first possession by winning home field during the season." The assumption here is that it is better that a team earns a break than has it granted by the flip of a coin.

Ochocinco, the Media Mogul?

By now, football fans everywhere are familiar with the anticipation and the hype during the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl. With that said, it has been very easy to become sick of the spectacle before the actual game. With the NFL Network, non-stop coverage and media day, it is almost impossible to escape (I have heard way too much information on Dwight Freeney's foot).

But now there is one man who has changed all of that. His name is Chad Ochocinco.

Ochocinco has transformed from a loud distraction to the most entertaining player in the National Football League on and especially off the field. He has taken touchdown celebrations to a new level. He has taken trash talk to new heights, and he did that in a humorous fashion. Ochocinco made twitter incredibly popular among NFL players and fans (He has 734,171 followers). He even uses U-stream to talk to and entertain his followers.

The pro-bowl receiver has single-handedly provided football fans with some much-needed off-the-field entertainment (I think fans have had enough of NFL stories involving crime and suspensions). His philosophy can be summed up in one word: fun. His new goal: do ESPN's job better than ESPN.

Ochocinco is doing just that, now that he has created his own news network called OCNN. Nobody could have expected that the best part of media this day would involved a player who isn't playing in the Super Bowl.

Throughout this season, Ochocinco has made some big changes, becoming an off-the-field icon. Just look how far he has come.

All you need to read is the first paragraph of yesterday Huffington Post piece article titled NFL Lockout Extremely Likely: Union Leader DeMaurice Smith

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The question to DeMaurice Smith was simple, coming from Cincinnati receiver Chad Ochocinco, asking how serious he viewed the possibility of football not being played in 2011.

Ochocinco is having so much fun doing OCNN, he even got an opportunity to ask DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFL Players Association, the most important question regarding the NFL (besides the Super Bowl); a potential lockout in the future.