Nick Halling will be in Miami on Sunday for his 15th Super Bowl as an expert analyst for Sky Sports when the Indianapolis Colts face the New Orleans Saints for the the biggest prize in American sport – the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Occupation:Sports broadcaster.Sports:NFL, NHL, ten-pin bowling.Claim to fame:First non-American to commentate on an NFL game in the United States.
You have covered 15 Super Bowls for Sky Sports, what are your favourite moments?The most memorable goes back to Super Bowl XXIII [1989] with San Francisco 49ers down against the Cincinnati Bengals with something like two minutes to go. Famed quarter-back Joe Montana had the ball deep in his own territory and you just knew he was going to score a touchdown to win the game as he had that aura about him. I wish I had put my mortgage on that.
Any other great plays that stick in the mind?There was a last-second tackle from a guy called Mike Jones to win the trophy for St Louis Rams against the Tennessee Titans. And, as a Pittsburgh Steelers fan, it doesnât get better than watching running-back Willie Parker exploding through the gap right in front of where I was sitting and rushing a record 75 yards for a touchdown to send my team to victory.
The 49ers and Broncos will face each other in the âLondon Bowlâ next season.Itâs almost a retro NFL game, isnât it? The sport exploded into life in this country in the â80s and Joe Montana was one of the sportâs three biggest names at the time along with [Broncos quarter-back] John Elway and [Miami Dolphins passer] Dan Marino. All three teams established really big fan bases and this will bring back a lot of memories for fortysomethings.
What sort of game do you think this yearâs Super Bowl will be?There will be plenty of points, thatâs a certainty. New Orleans Saints are not great defensively and, although they beat free-scoring Minnesota to get to the big show, they would have lost the game comfortably if the Vikings had taken care of the ball. You get the sense the Colts can score at will with quarterback Peyton Manning hitting his peak. Saints passer Drew Brees may put up 28 points but the Colts could score as many as they want.
Indianapolis had the chance to go through the campaign unbeaten but rested players when leading against the New York Jets in the penultimate game of the regular season and lost their perfect record.They were insane to pass up such an opportunity. They would have almost certainly beaten the Jets if they had kept their starters on the field and could have been looking at a 19-0 record. Thatâs a unique achievement no one has ever recorded, although Miami went 16-0 in the 70s. But it was an act of folly to pass up such a great chance and it may never come again. It wonât tarnish a Super Bowl win but those who appreciate greatness could have seen the best team of all-time.
Whatâs been your favourite Super Bowl city?Well itâs not Miami! Thatâs my least favourite, I hate the place. When it last staged the Super Bowl three years ago it hammered down with rain the whole time. The organisers were complacent and lazy, thinking people would have fun just because they were staging events on South Beach. The infrastructure was a shambles. We broadcast from a booth with rain pouring into it and how people didnât get electrocuted is beyond me. New Orleans was ridiculously fun and San Diego has got the brilliant weather, itâs fun and there is always a great atmosphere. But my favourite is Detroit, despite itâs bad reputation. I watched the Super Bowl and went to the Motown museum as well.
So who will win on Sunday?I hate to be boring but the Colts start as favourites and if they fail to win it will be one of the biggest upsets ever. It will be a fairytale if New Orleans win after the city was devastated by Hurricane Katrina and I hope they really enjoy their first trip to the Super Bowl but they are just not as good as the Colts.
What will you be doing in the close season?The first thing when I get home will be to head to St Maryâs to watch my team Southampton play in the Johnstoneâs Paint Trophy Southern Area final, second leg against MK Dons. Weâre just 90 minutes from Wembley! I canât be at the Southampton v Portsmouth game in the FA Cup and that should be a big game but despite Pompeyâs problems they are still a Premier League club and this may not be the upset everyone is predicting. Still, we could also reach the play-offs so there are three chances for Saints to go to Wembley if the other Saints donât win the Super Bowl.
Nick Halling is part of Sky Sportsâ live and high definition coverage of Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday beginning 11.00pm
