| ATLANTA — The Pro Football Weekly Internet Edition
recently conducted the following Q&A with PFW editor-in-chief Ron Pollack, who is in
Atlanta for the big game between the Titans and Rams: Q: What are the best story
lines at this year’s Super Bowl.
Pollack: I never tire of the Kurt Warner story line. Will this bolt of lightning from
nowhere continue to produce like Dan Marino in his prime, or will he return to his modest
roots? Until Tampa Bay slowed Warner down last week, I thought he was unstoppable. Now, a
hint of uncertainty exists, although I think that stems more from Tampa Bay’s
spectacular defense than the possibility that Warner is about to turn back into a pumpkin.
Also, there’s the question of whether Rams OT Fred Miller can withstand the fierce
pass rush of Titans DE Jevon Kearse any better than when they met earlier this season. The
guess here is that Miller will fare a little better this time around, but the edge will
still go heavily to Kearse.
I’m interested in finding out whether Kearse or the Rams’ Kevin Carter will
be the game’s more dominant defensive end. Tennessee’s ability to defend the
multidimensional threat of RB Marshall Faulk intrigues me. The pursuit of a Super Bowl
title by longtime Titans OG Bruce Matthews, a future Hall of Famer, is a great story. So
too is Anthony Dorsett trying to be the second member of his family to be on a Super Bowl
champion.
I can’t wait to see the matchup of the Rams’ sensational defense against the
run vs. the running ability of RB Eddie George and QB Steve McNair, which just may be the
key to the game.
Can the Titans’ passing game generate enough offense for Tennessee to win the
game, especially if WR Yancey Thigpen is sidelined by injury? If the Titans’ ground
game is slowed or Tennessee falls behind by more than a touchdown and McNair has to air it
out, I’ll be very interested to see if he can come of age.
Q: Can you rank the top MVP candidates for each team come Super Sunday?
Pollack: Obviously, the MVP figures to come from the winning team. With that in mind,
I’ll break it down for each team in the event that it wins.
For the Rams, I’d have to say: (1) QB Kurt Warner, (2) RB Marshall Faulk, (3) WR
Isaac Bruce, (4) DE Kevin Carter, (5) LB London Fletcher, (6) WR-KR Az-Zahir Hakim, (7) CB
Todd Lyght, (8) WR Torry Holt, (9) LB Mike Jones, (10) DT D’Marco Farr.
For the Titans, my picks are: (1) RB Eddie George, (2) DE Jevon Kearse, (3) QB Steve
McNair, (4) CB Samari Rolle, (5) TE Frank Wycheck, (6) WR Kevin Dyson, (7) S Blaine
Bishop, (8) KR Derrick Mason, (9) PK Al Del Greco, (10) LB Eddie Robinson.
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