Wisconsin — Aaron Rodgers at long last casts his own shadow. All it took was a Super Bowl victory for the Green Bay Packers.Capping one of the greatest postseasons for any quarterback, Rodgers led the Pack to their first NFL championship in 14 years Sunday, 31-25 over the Pittsburgh Steelers. They reclaimed the Vince Lombardi Trophy, named for their legendary coach who won the first two Super Bowls and is making his own star turn in New York in the play named after him.

Rodgers, the game’s MVP, thrilled his legion of Cheesehead fans with a spectacular six-game string that should finally erase the bitterness of the Brett Favre separation in Green Bay.

After sitting for three long years before Favre left in 2008, Rodgers is now equal with Favre in Super Bowl wins, and he extended the Packers’ record of NFL titles to 13, nine before the Super Bowl era.

“You can stop it now,” veteran receiver Donald Driver said. “Aaron’s proved that he’s one of the best, if not the best, quarterback in this game today.”

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After two weeks of hype Miami is now officially Payton Place. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning may be the first son of New Orleans but after leading the Saints to their first Super Bowl Sean Payton is now the Baron of the Bayou.

Super Bowl XLVI has the potential to be the best ever. Although purists still believe that offense sells tickets and defense wins championships the explosiveness of these teams should make for must see TV. Of course with 30 inches of snow on the ground what else is there to do?

The Colts are a five point favorite which is a trap bet proposition given that the spread is between a field goal and a touchdown. Manning is an efficient master at taking what the defense gives him and when they spread the Saints out in four wide receiver sets they are almost unstoppable. During these playoffs New Orleans secondary has been exposed with more holes than a block of Swiss cheese.

Despite a vulnerable defense the Saints have simply found a way to win to get to this game. Who dat gonna believe you can come up with five turnovers in the NFC championship and beat future hall of famers Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, and Manning to win. But if there was ever a case to be made for a team of destiny here it is.

For the first time since 1993 the Super Bowl features the two best teams in each conference although there are different motivations. The Colts hope to validate Manning’s place in history as Jim Caldwell hopes to become the third Black coach to win the Super Bowl in four years. The Saints, however, are representing the renaissance of post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans.

Groove Theory: Saints 27 Colts 24

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By Mark F. Gray

As fate would have it the day before national signing day for high school football players was media day for Super Bowl XLVI. It has become lucrative business for draft services to project how good 17 year old athletes will be by the time they reach 21. At best those recruiting geeks are good at making alumni feel proud and putting additional pressure on coaches who land these so called “blue chip, can’t miss” prospects.

Indianapolis Colts safety Antoine Bethea and kick returner Chad Simpson are two players the recruiting experts missed on going into college and many pro scouts missed coming out. Watching them start and play big roles on the floor of Sun Life Stadium should have Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference football fans on either side of the parkway sticking their chests out this Sunday.

If Howard and Morgan State had been MEAC championship contenders or better than just .500 teams Bethea and Simpson would have been household names. However, with these two starters playing prominent roles this year for the Super Bowl favorites it’s a marketing tool for the two programs. These local rivals are examples of how making in the NFL is less about where you play college football but how you perform once you get your chance.

In his fourth season with the Colts Bethea is making his second Super Bowl start. There was never any doubt that the former Howard all pro safety was a special talent but size and his level of competition were all questions that most of the brilliant NFL scouting services used to justify not drafting him. The Bison only won 12 games in his three years which speaks more to Howard’s athletic infrastructure than it does to the team and the coaches who groomed him. In fact two of his teammates – Ron Bartel of the St. Louis Rams and Tracy White of the Philadelphia Eagles – made vital contributions to those teams this year as well.

Simpson’s road to the Super Bowl is much different than Bethea’s though. It began at South Florida where the recently deposed Jim Leavitt branded him a “trouble maker”. Ironically, it was Leavitt who was fired last month for yoking a player as Simpson is set to become the first player with any ties to the USF program to play in the NFL’s biggest show. Had it not been for a high ankle sprain during his senior year in Baltimore Simpson would have set the all time single season rushing mark at Morgan. Remember, hall of fame running back Leroy Kelly played there.

HBCU’s have made their mark by giving opportunities to students and athletes who may not have otherwise been given a chance to play sports or to gain an education. As the NFL’s season long 50th anniversary tribute to the AFL ends Bethea and Simpson represent the foresight of the old league. As teammates they follow in the footsteps of HBCU duos like Buck Buchanon (Grambling) and Willie Lanier (Morgan) who helped the Kansas City Chiefs matriculate their way to victory in Super Bowl IV. Jerry Rice (Mississippi Valley St.) and John Taylor (Delaware St.) were the stars of the final drive that won Super Bowl XXIII for the San Francisco 49’ers.

By the way there was a quartet of HBCU alumni – one for each championship they won – who anchored the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970’s. Hall of Famer Mel Blount (Southern), L.C. Greenwood (Arkansas AM&N now Pine Bluff), and Donnie Shell (S.C. State) were major players on the Steel Curtain defense. John Stallworth (Alabama A&M), another hall of famer, burned the Rams for the game winning touchdown to seal Super Bowl XIV.

Before HBCU sports were hijacked and banished to television’s version of the back of the bus by ESPN, it was my privilege to broadcast games featuring Bethea, Simpson, and Robert Mathis who played at Alabama A&M. Who knew then that less than 10 years later these three would be lining up in the Super Bowl keeping the HBCU football legacy alive on pro football’s biggest stage.