Tony Dungy of NBC sports appears in a press meet and greet. (Michael Hickey-US PRESSWIRE)

Tony Dungy made a pitstop in Denver to take in the Broncos practice on Monday. He was there to tape an interview with Peyton Manning that will air during theWednesday and Sunday Night Football broadcasts.

Dungy coached Manning in Indianapolis, and he’s an analyst for NBC now. He’s the perfect guy to interview the biggest name on the 2012 free agency market.

“We played against Denver so much, I think he had a good comfort level for what he could expect, what type of organization it was,” Dungy said of Manning’s decision to sign with the Broncos.

Dungy has been keeping a close key on his former pupil, and if his assessment is correct, then we’re all in for a special treat.

“As I watched the preseason games, I saw the throws get more and more accurate,” Dungy said. ”To me, watching the San Francisco preseason game and watching him in practice today, it looked like 2009 again.”

Manning threw for 4,500 yards, 33 touchdowns, and had 16 interceptions in 2009.

Things start up again for Manning Sunday night when the Broncos host the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dungy’s take on the game is that it will be a very different game from the playoffs last season. Dungy looked back at the last time Manning played the Steelers which was in 2008.

“It’s going to be that chess match of those guys (Troy Polamalu, LaMarr Woodlry, James Harrison) trying to disguise their blitzes and come and put pressure on the quarterback, Peyton recognizing what they’re doing and try to take advantage of it,” Dungy said.

The Steelers have sacked Manning six times in three regular season games, and five times in one playoff game (2006) during Manning’s time with the Colts.

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As far as I’m concerned this is the best Super Bowl matchup the NFL could’ve asked for. Both teams were undefeated through the first 14 weeks of the season. Both teams lost consecutive games to end the season, but then picked it up again in the playoffs. The cast is top notch with two elite quarterbacks lining up under center, high profile WRs and RBs, incredible tight ends, and two up and coming defenses that are peaking at the right time. It’s the teams I wanted to see there all along.

Many would’ve liked to have seen Brett Favre on the big stage, but I’m happy his Vikings didn’t make it. Because he didn’t make it to the big game, for the next couple of weeks, we are going to hear many different story lines – not just ones contributing to a Favre lovefest. Yesterday, Favre took his gunslinging arm and threw two picks, one in the final seconds of regulation. Those costly mistakes on the game’s big canvas have defined his entire career. Yes, he’s hard working, he has fun, he has a hell of an arm, but he makes too many mistakes in too many games for me to consider him one of the greatest QBs of all time. Give Jay Cutler the same amount of time in the league, and I’m sure he’ll be compared to Favre for his strong yet mistake prone arm.

Back to the big game. This game is so meaningful for the Colts and the Saints for so many different reasons. It was five years ago when the very place that housed last night’s game had holes in the roof and provided shelter for many residents of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina. The culturally rich city was a disaster and no one knew if it would recover to become a functioning place to live again. From that point on the Saints took on a different meaning to that city. In times of crisis, anything can become a helpful distraction from the painful reality of natural disasters. That’s what the Saints were to the devastated city – a sign that life will go on, a breath of fresh air. They were once called the Aint’s, but the moniker has disappeared now that they’ve reached their first Super Bowl. New Orleans already has a scheduled celebration for Mardi Gras on February 16th, but a Super Bowl win might make the city explode nine days earlier in an array of gold and black instead of gold, purple, and green.

The Colts have their sights set on winning in Miami once again. It was a good city to them the last time they were there for a Super Bowl when they beat the Bears in 2007. Winning this one for rookie head coach, Jim Caldwell, would help ease the loss of a lot this season. The Colts lost Tony Dungy and his incredible leadership ability. Colts’ fans were angry when Caldwell decided to rest his starters in week 16, resulting in a loss to the Jets and breaking the 23 consecutive regular season win streak. They had a chance to go undefeated this season and win a Super Bowl, something the Patriots couldn’t accomplish in 2008. Fans were outraged and wondered if that loss was going to hit them hard in the playoffs. For Peyton Manning, winning his second Super Bowl puts him in the same category as Tom Brady. He would have one up on his brother, Eli (oh, the sibling rivalry!), and he will be considered one of the greatest QBs of all time.

The storylines are there on both sides. I’m excited despite the Broncos playoff absence. Any Super Bowl predictions? Leave a comment below.

Offense

Broncos - There’s no way the Broncos offense can out produce the Colts’ offense. However, they need to at least put 24-27 points on the board to be able contend with them. Look for the Broncos to favor the run just to keep the ball out of Manning’s hands. However, I see them continuing to throw a lot of balls to the tightends and the backs to pick up 6-7 yards per play and keep the clock moving. Josh McDaniels is going to emphasize the short game at first and then take a few shots down field later on. Protection from the offensive line is key for this Broncos unit. Ryan Harris is done for the season which isn’t comforting knowing that the Colts’ have two of the quickest defensive ends in the league. Kyle Orton cannot be thrown off his game  just because the speed in which the Colts play is faster than most teams in the league. Knowshon Moreno and Correll Buckhalter will need to relieve the pressure put on Orton by getting the run game off to a great start early on.               

Colts- The Colts are so lopsided on offense being #1 in passing and #32 in rushing. One would think that would make playing defense much easier. However, when Manning is behind center he sees the blitz coming and then changes the entire play without any help from the sidelines. That’s why it’s so hard to prepare defensively when going up against him. You can show him different things right before the snap and he will call you out. Manning has three incredible targets in Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, and Pierre Garcon. Garcon is actually the guy that could torch the Broncos since a lot of focus will be placed on Wayne and Clark. Manning works his way down field, and then Joseph Addai is very capable of running it in for the score. The Colts capitalize on long drives by converting in the redzone. Even if coming from behind, the game is never out of reach because of this offense. Don’t believe me? Ask the Patriots.               

Defense

Broncos - This is the crew that wins the game for the Broncos. They only have a shot if they can force turnovers. Manning has thrown 7 INTs in his last 5 games, proving he’s prone to mistakes just like the rest of the world. Now, Kid McD was a QB coach. If he and Mike Nolan were to figure out how to rustle Manning’s feathers a little bit, I wouldn’t be at all shocked. One important aspect is bringing all different kinds of looks on defense. The Colts’ offensive line has been great this year. Manning has been sacked just 10 times and hasn’t lost a fumble. It’s going to be difficult for Elvis Dumervil, but I think he can wear down some linemen and put more pressure on Manning in the 2nd half of the game. Out of all things, I would allow Dallas Clark a little more room to work in the middle and really defend the sides of the field. The Texans did something similar and they lost by just 3 points and held the Colts to 20 points.               

Colts- They’re ranked 18th in rush defense and 19th in pass defense, but don’t let that fool you. They’re fast and they’re ranked 2nd in the league for points allowed. Big plays won’t come easy for the Broncos with Antoine Bethea (4 INTs), Clint Session, and Jacob Lacey covering down field. Both Session and Lacey have 2 INTs each and 1 INT returned for a TD each. The success in the secondary comes from the pressure up front. Dwight Freeney has 10.5 sacks on the year and Robert Mathis has 9.5. The defensive line gets off the line of scrimmage fast and they show different types of blitz packages. Orton cannot let the speed of the game throw him off his game. He kind of becomes a headcase once he throws a pick or gets sacked. Who can blame him after all the hits he took in Chicago. Bottom line is this defense is underrated, and they can easily create turnovers.      

Special Teams  

Broncos - Special teams is very important on Sunday. Punter Mitch Berger and kicker Matt Prater need to boot the ball as far as possible to make Manning and his offense work the entire field. Defensive coverage can’t let big plays break. That’s all we need – people other than Manning moving the ball down field.   

Colts-  Chad Simpson (long: 39) and T.J. Rushing (long: 22) handle kick and punt returns. Neither has returned one for a TD this season. Matt Stover replaced Adam Vinatieri in week 5 when he went down with a knee injury. He’s 9 for 11 on the year. Punter Pat McAfee, who probably has the easiest job in the league, has only punted the ball 44 times with 16 landing inside the 20 and 6 landing inside the 10.   

Coaching

Broncos -  Josh McDaniels loves these kind of games – The games that the media plays up for whatever reason. He’s coached against Manning plenty of times, and he’s treating this just like any other game. However, I think if the Broncos win, we’ll see some more fist pumping on the sidelines.  

Colts- Jim Caldwell is having the ultimate coaching experience as rookie head coach. His team is 12-0 and he made the transition from a Tony Dungy led team very easy for this already successful team. It helped that he was an associate head coach with the team last season, but still, taking full control over an NFL team guarantees nothing.  

 Go Broncos!