Mind Over Sports

Now that the Super Bowl is history, we should look back to when the Chicago Bears played the New Orleans Saints for the conference championship. I don’t believe the best team won. If Saints’ head coach Sean Payton had brought his team to Chicago early, and allowed them to get used the severe change in weather (see article below), the Saints would have won and it would have been they who played in the Super Bowl rather than Chicago. But be that as it may, the game was not a blowout because the rain neutralized the effectiveness of one team over the other and leveled the playing field. Rain affects a passing team more than it affects a running team. Had it not rained, Peyton Manning would have had an even more successful day and the score would have been a lopsided blowout. Maybe it’s time for the NFL to think about having future Super Bowls played exclusively in domed stadiums?

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New Orleans Saints’ Head Coach Sean Payton made a tactical error by not taking his team to Chicago three days before their NFL Championship game against the Chicago Bears. He should have allowed the team time to get used to the cold, snowy weather, rather than keeping them down south and having them practice indoors in preparation for their game.

I believe this could have been the reason the Saints had multiple turnovers, including an interception and a fumble by three players. It’s true that the Bears have an excellent defense, but they were aided by playing a team that had not become acclimated to the cold wintry weather.

In a similar situation, I believe when NFL teams are scheduled to play the Broncos in Denver, the head coaches should also take their teams to Denver three days early so they can get used to the thinner mountain air. As anyone who has ever participated in athletic competition in the Colorado Mountains will tell you, thin air makes the ball travel faster and makes players’ breathing more difficult.

Note: If you are an athlete and want to find out if you are performing close to your skill level on a consistent basis, take the “Self-Esteem Survey” Test while visiting this website. There’s a close relationship between athletic performance and feelings of self-worth.