Move over Hawkeye, Super Bowl XLIV is now the most-watched television program in history. Sunday's game between the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts drew 106.5 million viewers, barely topping the 105.97 million who watched the series finale of "M*A*S*H" in 1983.

It's the first time a sporting event in the United States has surpassed 100 million viewers. The soaring popularity of the NFL, Peyton Manning(notes), the hype around the Saints as an inspiration to New Orleans, the first Super Bowl between No. 1 seeds since 1993 and the Mid-Atlantic blizzard combined to give the league its highest viewership of all time. Just imagine if Brett Favre(notes) had been playing.

A higher percentage of Americans watched the final episode of "M*A*S*H" 27 years ago (approximately 45 percent of the population), but that was also in an era when cable was at its infancy and most people had just three networks from which to choose. Super Bowl XLIV had to go up against "Puppy Bowl," for pete's sake.

Nielsen Co. reports that 153.4 million people watched at least part of the game, up from 151.6 million last year. In a television industry defined by declining viewership, the fact that the NFL's biggest game has done a better rating in each of the past five years is somewhat stunning. The audience is supposed to be getting more fragmented, not setting records.

The presence of Peyton Manning was a huge force in the staggering numbers, but don't underestimate the role of the weekend blizzard. Record-setting snow totals in the Mid-Atlantic kept people snowbound and likely increased the number of TVs tuned into the game. Amazingly, Super Bowl XLIV did a better rating in D.C. (56.0) than it did in Indianapolis (54.2).

Peyton Manning(notes) didn't shake hands with New Orleans Saints players after his Indianapolis Colts lost 31-17 in Super Bowl XLIV. Apparently some think this is a sign of poor sportsmanship from the NFL's greatest player. It's not.

Walking off the field without congratulating Drew Brees(notes) may go against our misguided notion of what sportsmanship should be, but it wasn't at all disrespectful or bitter. It shows how much Peyton Manning wanted to win the game. And who can argue about that? 

LeBron James was caught up in a similar controversy during the NBA playoffs last year and the same thing that was true then is true now: A perfunctory handshake doesn't make someone a good sport. It either makes them indifferent to the game's result or a good actor. What would people have preferred Peyton and LeBron do, laugh off the loss with apathy and treat the victors to dinner after? This isn't Little League.

The only time I question my sports fandom is when the players I'm rooting for seem to care less about the result than I do. I don't want to see my team's quarterback laughing on the sideline while losing a big game. If I care so much, why shouldn't the players?

"It's just a job for these guys," is a familiar refrain. The natural response to that is the great ones make their job their passion. Hall of Fames don't tend to include guys who can't care. The desire to win is what sustains greatness. You think Michael Jordan was hugging Isiah Thomas after losses in the 1980s? Or that Larry Bird stayed on the court to congratulate Kareem? Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio weren't going out for drinks after the Yankees beat the Red Sox. The great ones are competitors and competitors can't flip a switch immediately after a devastating loss and act like it didn't matter.

Being a good sportsman is playing fair, respecting the game and giving credit after to an opponent. Manning did all those things Sunday. In his postgame press conference he said of his quick exit:

"I certainly know how it was three years ago when we won. There's not much consolation for the guys who didn't win. There's the stage being set up and the celebration. It's time for the Saints to celebrate. It's their field."

That's probably a tad disingenuous, but no more than it would have been if Peyton had walked over to congratulate Drew Brees.

For the record, Peyton did call Brees later in the night. Said the Saints quarterback: "Peyton's a class guy." If the man who was supposedly snubbed thinks so, that's enough for me.

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I'd like to add one more name to the list of "could-have-been" MVPs: Tracy Porter's(notes) barber.

I'm going to go ahead and succumb to hyperbole and call it the greatest Super Bowl haircut of all time. He showed up for the game Sunday with an image of the Superdome shaved into the back of his dome, surrounded by the Lombardi trophy and "SB44." Here are a couple of looks:

Notice the guy to on the left, staring intently. Yeah, I think you should be jealous, buddy.

Here's a look at the SB on the other side. And the coup de grace, courtesy of Larry Brown Sports:

It's not the first time Porter's barber has worked some magic, either. In the NFC Championship game, where his interception of Brett Favre(notes) won the day for the Saints, he went with a Pac-man theme.

Inky, Pinky, Blinky and Clyde weren't going to keep Porter from being this year's unofficial postseason MVP. It's been a miraculous two weeks for the Saints cornerback, and he and his barber should be proud.

You shouldn't have to work today.

You shouldn't even have to get out of bed. This should be a day where you can sleep in, sleep off the effects of all the "soda" you drank yesterday, reflect on the Saints as the representation of the best in football and just keep reloading Shutdown Corner all day long.

Today should be a national holiday.

What else brings Americans together like the Super Bowl? One hundred million people all did the same thing yesterday. When does that ever happen? As a nation, what else do we universally agree on, quite like the fact that we should all sit down, eat ridiculous foods and watch a football game? We can barely get the same number of people to vote in a presidential election.

The way we come together for this thing is unbelievable, and that shouldn't go unrecognized. This is a shared experience that binds us as a nation. When we all agree that it's time to party, we should all also agree that it's worth a day of rest afterwards.

I don't even care what we call it. If the government is hesitant to create a new national holiday for the Super Bowl, pick some president or some other famous American, and name it after them. Call it Jimmy Carter Day, Denzel Washington Day, Sully Sullenberger Day, Philip Rivers(notes) Day or Joey Buttafuoco Day, for all I care. Just as long as it happens the Monday after the Super Bowl, and everyone gets that day off of work.

Of course, I'm not the first to advance this idea. SuperBowlMonday.com advocates pretty heavily for it, and they've got a petition you can sign, as well as addresses at which you can write your local Senators and Congressmen. Look into that.

We've already got the Indianapolis public school system arguing over what to do on the Monday after the Super Bowl. And anyone in New Orleans who makes it in to work on time tomorrow has let their city down. Let's just take all the uncertainty out of the equation and let people do what they want.

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It's not Matt Stover's(notes) fault he's Matt Stover. So you can't blame the Indianapolis Colts kicker for missing a 51-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLIV. The 42-year-old, who Sunday became the oldest player ever to suit up in the NFL's biggest game, had kicked only one field goal longer than 50 yards since 2002. For his career, Stover is just 13 for 32 from 50-plus, and most of those attempts took place when Stover was in his kicking prime. 

Stover was cut at the end of last season by the Baltimore Ravens in large part because of his diminished long-range skills. And now, on the biggest stage in sports, a team with Peyton Manning(notes) was putting its destiny on the foot of a man old enough to actually remember when the band playing halftime was actually revelant?

Stover never should have been put in that situation. There was little doubt that his 51-yard try, which would have given Indy a 20-16 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the game, would fail. He doesn't have the leg for such kicks anymore. He never did. Stover was, and is, an excellent kicker from inside 49 yards. For his career, he's 86 percent from that distance. Once he gets over 50 yards though, that percentage drops to 40 percent. Since 2004 he's only attempted four kicks from beyond 50. Those kicks aren't part of his game.

It's not a knock on him to say this any more than it is to say that Joe Montana wasn't as good as Brett Favre(notes) because he didn't throw it as hard. Stover is an accurate kicker, not one with long range. This isn't an insult, but a fact. To ask him to be a kicker he's not was the real error, not the inevitable missed kick (which fluttered wide left and barely made it to the back of the end zone).

But that's basically what Jim Caldwell and Peyton Manning did. Facing a third-and-11 from the New Orleans 33-yard line, Manning went no huddle and threw a deep pass to Austin Collie(notes) that fell incomplete. The Colts were playing for the first down and to extend the drive. The decision failed.

In retrospect it's easy to say the Colts should have thrown a short pass and taken a chunk out of the 11 yards in order to give Stover a more palatable 43-yard field goal. That's probably what I would have done. But playing it safe isn't how the Colts entered the Super Bowl with an undefeated record this season in games that meant something. Peyton is a risk-taker, much like Saints coach Sean Payton (witness the onside kick to start the second half.) He didn't care that Stover would have to kick a 51-yarder because he didn't think Stover would have to do it in the first place. The plan wasn't to throw an incompletion, it was to get a first down with Collie and only bring Stover out to kick the extra point after a touchdown.

That mentality is part of why Peyton and the Colts are so good. But when reality does rear its head, a better decision needs to be made. Letting Stover kick that field goal was essentially the same thing as failing to convert on fourth down. Either run a short play on third down and go for it on fourth, or go for the whole thing on third and punt if it doesn't work out. Settling for a prayer field goal can't be the game plan there. 

After the miss, New Orleans got the ball on its own 41-yard line and nine plays later scored the go-ahead touchdown. A late Peyton Manning interception sealed the game for the Saints. That Tracy Porter(notes) interception will become the signature play of this contest, seen for years on highlight films and remembered as the defining moment. But Matt Stover's miss was just as big ... and completely avoidable.

There's absolutely no doubt whatsoever that Saints quarterback Drew Brees(notes) deserved the Super Bowl MVP award -- his stat line of 32-of-39 for 288 yards and two touchdowns told the story. It was especially impressive considering that the Saints struggled early, and Brees recovered to play masterfully. But football is the ultimate team sport, and there are other Saints players who should go away from the most important game of their lives very proud of their performances. Here are five who might have been the MVP under different circumstances:

Tracy Porter(notes) -- Everyone's wondering why Reggie Wayne(notes) only got five catches in the Super Bowl. Truth was, he was targeted 11 times, more than any other receiver on either team. And Porter, the man most responsible for covering him, put up the game of his life, His outstanding break on the short comeback to Wayne late in the game that led to the interception touchdown was a triumph of football intellect and the will to know one's opponent, but Porter had been playing well all night long.

Jonathan Vilma(notes) -- The Saints' linebacker has played great all year, but he made a play in the fourth quarter that was almost as big as Porter's interception. With 10:51 left in the game and the Colts up 17-16 and rolling from the New Orleans 33-yard line on third-and-11, Peyton Manning(notes) threw over the middle and deep to Austin Collie(notes), But Vilma was there to break up the play that would have been a sure touchdown otherwise. Vilma finished the game with seven solo tackles and two tackles for loss, but that deflection proved his ability to make plays when his team needs them by dropping into coverage ina way that few middle linebackers can.

Courtney Roby(notes) -- What? A special teamer in consideration for the MVP? Well, consider this: The Saints started their average drive at their own 29. The Colts started their drives on average at their own 17. Roby, a backup receiver, had a great deal to do with that -- he averaged 25.5 yards on four kick returns, stopped the return of the Saints' first punt for no gain, and downed the punt with 5:22 left in the first quarter at the Colts' own 4-yard line. In a game as close as this one, special teams can be the deciding factor, and nobody was more important in that department than Roby.

Garrett Hartley(notes) -- And speaking of special teams, what about this kid? Hartley became the first kicker to make three field goals of 40 or more yards in one Super Bowl, and it was his foot that kept the Saints in the game as they were dissecting the Colts' defense.

Pierre Thomas(notes) -- The Saints' prime mover in their running back rotation gained only 30 yards on nine attempts on the ground, but he picked up 55 yards on six receptions, including a third-quarter touchdown in which he seemed to bounce off or go through every Colts defender. That's been his style all season, and it paid off once again.

With 3:12 left in Super Bowl XLIV, the New Orleans Saints were in trouble. They were up, 24-17, on the Indianapolis Colts, but Peyton Manning(notes) was moving the ball with merciless force. On a drive that began at his own 30, Manning had completed four of six passes for 39 yards, and the Colts were looking to hit the red zone. Manning was riddling the Saints with underneath stuff, he had third-and-5 from the New Orleans 31.

Right before the play, CBS' Phil Simms (showing once again his nonpareil ability to whiff mightily on in-game strategy predictions) said, "If I'm the New Orleans Saints, I would not blitz here – I would put the extra men in coverage."

The Colts went with their favorite formation – three-wide, shotgun, single back, with tight end Dallas Clark(notes) tight on one side of the line. The Saints countered with the kind of wide three-man front they'd been running a lot through the Super Bowl, with limited success. And they didn't seem to hold to Mr. Simms' advice, sending four defenders up the offensive right A- and B-gap, putting pressure on Manning in the one place no quarterback likes it – up the middle and in his face.

The Colts went with an interesting route combination on their left side, sending Austin Collie(notes) (17) in motion from outside to in and running inside Reggie Wayne(notes) (87) as Wayne took the out route. The idea was to literally cross up cornerbacks Tracy Porter(notes) (22) and Malcolm Jenkins(notes) (27), but both young defenders stayed in their areas. Jenkins followed Collie inside in a crossing route, and Porter jumped the little comeback route that Wayne ran at the first-down marker for the interception. From there, it was off to the races, and the 74-yard touchdown that put the game away for the Saints.

After a long time of looking somewhat confused against Manning's greatness, the Saints put it all together with the right kind of pressure and mature, disciplined coverage that any quarterback would find tough to deal with. After the game, Porter told the media what the Saints were looking for on the play. "We knew that on third-and-short they stack, and they like the outside release for the slant," Porter said. "It was great film study by me, a great jump and a great play. When I saw my blockers in front of me and only Peyton [Manning] and the offensive linemen left. I cut back and ran it in."

Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams talked about how and why the Saints threw different blitzes at Manning on that drive. "It's kind of a set-up, and that was kind of the thought process of getting it to there. I've talked about the chess game. Anytime you play Peyton, you've got to be two, three, four, five plays down the road. That series of plays, trying to set up the route and hopefully set up the formation that they would call, it kind of fell into our place right there. It's OK if we recognize it. It's not OK if we don't. Tracy Porter did a great job recognizing it, and our three linebackers did a great job of convincing me that the next time we got in that situation to call that pressure. [LB Scott] Shanle, Vilma and [LB Scott' Fujita suggested to me about three or four plays before that to make sure I come back to that pressure on that down and distance again. We were able to do that and Tracy saw that unfolding, he pulled the trigger and made a nice play. Players make plays like that, coaches don't. I made the call, but Tracy made the play."

Saints head coach Sean Payton had this to add about his defense: "In the second half, they played lights-out against a good offense and got the turnover. It was a great team win tonight."

No question about it.

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Forgive the provocative headline, but I'm sure that's a thought running through the heads of many right now. It's worth addressing.

Once upon a time, the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning(notes) had a reputation as a guy who gagged in big games. After years of great quarterbacking with no ring, he eventually broke through and won Super Bowl XLI against the Chicago Bears, and it seemed that the choke-artist reputation was put to bed.

What about now, though? He just played in one of the two biggest games of his life, and not only did he not win, but it was an interception that came out of his hand that turned the game. If he makes a better decision or a better throw there, we might have an entirely different story right now.

So what do we make of this? Is Manning a guy who had to play a Rex Grossman(notes)-led team in order to win a Super Bowl, and then folded like a lawn chair when he had to play a good team in a big game?

Or is he a great quarterback who's proved he's clutch, and he just happened to lose one to a team of destiny?

I say we avoid the tendency to draw any knee-jerk conclusions on this one. I know it's fun to make sweeping judgments right after a Super Bowl, and it'll make for fun conversations at the water cooler tomorrow. I get that. Right or wrong, Super Bowls are probably the single biggest factor in carving out legacies.

But that one throw isn't going to define Peyton Manning. He's past the point in his career where he needs to prove anything. To me, once a guy gets over that hump and proves he can nail down a big game, then it's never a question again. Peyton Manning isn't a guy who needs to create a legacy. This is a guy who already has one, and can only add to it.

And besides, I'm not even sure if the interception was his fault. ESPN analyst Steve Young just finished explaining why the interception falls on the shoulders of Reggie Wayne(notes) more than it does on Manning. It's Wayne's job to cut underneath the defender and shield him from that football. You won't hear Manning blame anyone but himself, but Young -- who knows a thing or two about shedding a "can't win the big game" reputation -- will give the more honest assessment.

There are plenty of other Colts who can take their share of the blame, too. The defense, which allowed Drew Brees(notes) to pick it apart. The special teams unit, particularly Hank Baskett(notes), who couldn't come up with that football. The receivers who dropped perfect Manning passes.

It wasn't his best game, but it's not like Manning went out there and played like he was blindfolded, either. He still went 31-of-45 for 333 yards and a touchdown with the interception. There were some brilliant throws in there, too, like the touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon(notes) and the one he dropped into Dallas Clark's(notes) breadbasket in heavy traffic.

It's one game. Manning's career is, and will continue to be, above any one throw, even if it did come in the biggest possible game.

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After Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, it was widely assumed that NFL free agents wouldn't want to sign with the city's NFL team. There was too much baggage, too much drama and too many question marks. But Drew Brees(notes) didn't let that deter him when he chose New Orleans over Miami in 2006. On Sunday, his decision paid off when he led the franchise to its first Super Bowl title with a record-setting, MVP performance in Super Bowl XLIV. The Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17.

Brees finished the night 32-of-39 with 288 yards and two touchdowns and was named the game's most valuable player. The 32 completions tied Tom Brady's(notes) Super Bowl record. During one stretch of the game the former San Diego Chargers quarterback completed 21 of 24 passes.

In one of the greatest quarterback matchups in Super Bowl history, Brees was lightly overshadowed in the pregame by Indy's Peyton Manning(notes). This was supposed to be Manning's coronation, the second title in the QB's illustrious career. But Brees and the Saints played spoiler, delivering New Orleans its first title in any professional sport.

On that March day four years ago, Brees told reporters about signing in New Orleans:

"I just felt that energy in New Orleans. From the very beginning, there was a genuine feeling that they wanted me there. They believe I can come back from this shoulder injury and lead them to a championship. They were as confident as I am, and that meant a lot."

The confidence was warranted, on both the part of Brees and the Saints. He uprooted his family to move to a city just struck by disaster. He now plans on putting his famiy's roots in the New Orleans area and anticipates raising his family, including son Baylen whom we celebrated with after the game (above, with another picture after the jump), in the NOLA area.

As for the Saints, signing Brees was the best free-agent move in NFL history. And tonight it led to one of the best performances ever in the Super Bowl.

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The New Orleans Saints, longtime residents of the bottom of the NFL barrel, now stand at the pinnacle of American sports. A thrilling Super Bowl XLIV ended with the Saints on top of the Indianapolis Colts, 31-17.

The New Orleans Saints are world champions. That feels so weird -- and so great -- to say.

The Saints got off to a slow start, but they never stopped playing aggressively and with a fierce passion. They were afraid of nothing, they took risks, and they went out and made the plays to beat a great football team.

I'd point to two key plays. First, obviously, was the brain-rattling Tracy Porter(notes) interception of Peyton Manning(notes) that went for a touchdown and, for all intents and purposes, put the game away. It was a shockingly bad throw from Manning and an electrifying return from Porter. That'll go down in the books as one of the great plays in Super Bowl history.

Maybe the real key, though, was the onside kick the Saints used to open the second half. The call from head coach Sean Payton took the guts of a thief, and it paid off immeasurably. The Saints never really relinquished momentum after Jonathan Casillas(notes) came out of that pile with the football. To me, that play personifies the Saints and their attitude in this game.

Fans just got their third straight classic Super Bowl. Two years ago, the Giants shocked the world by edging the Patriots. Last year, the Steelers and Cardinals went back and forth in a nail-biter, and this year, the Saints and Colts fought tooth and nail for 60 minutes. The final score might not show a thriller, but this thing was hotly contested until very late in the game. Things turned on one major mistake.

The fact that it was the Saints who won adds to the feeling that we just saw greatness. Between the years of miserable football and what they and their fans went through with Hurricane Katrina, it feels great to see them on top. I'm not a Saints fan, and I can't help but smile right now.

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