The little kick that made a big difference for Saints

MIAMI (Reuters) - In a game of athleticism, speed and violence, it was a gently poked 12-yard kick along the ground which turned the Super Bowl toward the New Orleans Saints in Sunday's 31-17 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

The Saints trailed 10-6 at halftime but, kicking off to start the third quarter, punter Thomas Morstead was sent out with instructions to deliver a short onside kick which was recovered by linebacker Jonathan Casillas.

The risky tactic, designed to keep possession, is normally used as a desperate measure late in the game but Saints coach Sean Payton used it as a positive move to give his team a chance to put the Colts on the back foot.

It was a well-rehearsed but totally surprising move and it worked a treat -- from the possession Pierre Thomas scored a touchdown and the Saints got in front.

"All week we had practiced that onside kick and at halftime I just told the guys, 'we are going to do it. We are going to open up the second half with this and it is going to be a great play'.

"It was a good hit by Thomas and our guys did a good job in showing a normal kickoff coverage look," said Payton, who accepted there was a risk involved.

"You know you get a little nervous. There's a lot going on in the week of the Super Bowl and the key was the kicker. Thomas hit it good, the guys recovered and we were able to take advantage of it and get seven points and it becomes more like a turnover," he added.

Disappointed Colts coach Jim Caldwell pinpointed that surprise play as one which changed the game.

"They did a great job obviously with the little dribble kick that they got and they went down and scored and certainly changed the momentum of the game at that point in time," he said.

POSITIVE CALLS

Indianapolis safety Melvin Bullitt agreed.

"The onside kick was huge. As a special teams captain on the team I feel like we kind of didn't do what we were supposed to do," he said.

"We always talk about the little things and that was a little thing that was huge. If we had got the ball there, maybe on the 40 yard line going in, the game could've gone a totally different way.

"It was a huge turning point in the game, they scored on that drive immediately and we just couldn't stop them in that second half."

It was not the only positive call from Payton -- the team went for a two point conversion in the fourth and earlier Payton had told quarterback Drew Brees to go for it on fourth and goal rather than take the easier option of a field goal.

Although that latter move did not pay off, Brees said those decisions were typical of the Saints and their coach.

"That's the type of team we are. We play with a very aggressive mentality; we play with a lot of confidence. We came into this game knowing we had to play loose and take a chance in order to win and we did," he said.

"Our head coach is unbelievable not only as an offensive guru, a guy who is a great play caller, an aggressive play caller, a confident play caller, but a guy who can instill all those things into a player," he said.

(Reporting by Simon Evans in Miami; Editing by Nick Mulvenney)