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Who would have ever thought we’d see Trent Dilfer vs. Kerry Collins in the Super
Bowl? Better yet, who would have ever thought the quarterbacks wouldn’t matter? This
one will really come down to which defense can outscore the other one. The Ravens have the
better defense, so you’d guess Baltimore. But then nobody thought either of these
teams could get here in the first place anyway. I might as well take the underdog one more
time. It says here that Dilfer will be wearing Michael Strahan like a fur coat all day
long. Jessie Armstead will make sure that Jamal Lewis is not the difference, and Jason
Sehorn returns an interception for the winning points. Ray Lewis, Rod Woodson and Peter
Boulware will all be sensational, but it won’t matter. A tiny bit of offense from the
Giants will be enough.
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The Giants’ offensive explosion against the Vikings notwithstanding, I just
can’t see New York scoring very many points against the Ravens’ stifling
defense. For the Giants to win this game, I think they have to come up with a defensive
score off a Trent Dilfer mistake. I anticipate a real slugfest in which the Ravens eke out
just enough offense to win the game. Make no mistake about it though, this will not be a
boring game. Low scoring, yes. Boring, no. This will feel like a heavyweight war that goes
the distance. Every yard will be fought for. Every point scored will feel like a winning
lottery ticket. In a low-scoring game, go with the better defense, which belongs to the
Ravens. In the final few minutes the Giants will be within a score and have the ball, but
the Baltimore defense will come up big.
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These two teams lend credence to my belief that defense wins championships. Because
Baltimore’s defense is the best in the NFL, it is tempting to keep things simple and
pick the Ravens to win this game. However, the Giants’ defense is only half a step
behind Baltimore’s and gaining confidence every week. As a result, I believe the
deciding factors in this game will be the ability of the quarterback to deliver in key
situations and the team that can mount the most balanced offense. In both regards, I
believe the Giants have an edge. Kerry Collins is more capable in crunch time than Trent
Dilfer, and the Giants’ passing attack is more formidable than the Ravens’. Too
often, I suspect, Baltimore will have to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns, and
that will prove fatal.
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Let’s get one thing straight. I respect both of these teams a great deal. They
have battled all season long to get where they are now, and they deserve the respect of
the entire league and football-viewing public. In my mind, the Giants are a team of
destiny. That’s really why I’m giving them the edge. They are an angry football
team with something to prove. Not that the Ravens don’t have anything to prove, but I
believe the Giants are the better all-around team. Yes, the Ravens may have the best
defense of all time, but Giants head coach Jim Fassel and offensive coordinator Sean
Payton will unearth some chink in the armor and find a way to get into the endzone at
least once. The rest of the game may rest on the foot of PK Brad Daluiso, who will likely
get to try several field goals.
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Sorry, Mr. Mara. While your team has finally earned my utmost respect, there’s no
way I can pick it to win the Super Bowl. Not the way the Ravens’ defense has
dominated this postseason. This Baltimore team suddenly has an ’85 Bears feel to it
— except at the QB position, where Trent Dilfer can’t hold a candle to Jim
McMahon. But, oh, what a defense. The only thunder and lightning we could possibly see on
Super Sunday is the kind Mother Nature provides. In the case of Giant RBs Tiki Barber and
Ron Dayne, look for them to get manhandled the same way as every other RB corps
that’s been forced to face Baltimore’s defense this season. A Shannon Sharpe TD
catch, a TD score following a turnover and a pair of Matt Stover field goals will tell the
tale in a defensive slugfest.
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This might as well be the Mets and Orioles because runs … er, points … will
come at a premium. In fact, I foresee a 3-3 tie at halftime. Both teams will try to
run the ball but achieve little success. Three-and-outs will be the rule rather than the
exception. Frustration will mount, and fights will ensue and all the game will need to
rekindle days of yore is a steady rain to turn Raymond James Stadium into a muddy mess.
And, oh, will it be intense. This will be the kind of game in which one mistake proves
pivotal — and I’m calling on the Ravens’ offense to make that mistake.
Jason Sehorn gets himself on another magazine cover/TV show with a TD return of a Trent
Dilfer interception, the cameras turn to an excited Angie Harmon and the Giants give New
York another championship. Just what it needs.
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I almost persuaded myself into going against the grain on this one in memory of the
Jaguars’ 39-36 win over the Ravens back in Week Two, but I just couldn’t pull
the trigger. The way I figure it, if the Broncos, Titans and Raiders combined to score
only 16 points against the Ravens’ defense, the Giants can’t be good for more
than single digits. But don’t look for the Ravens to explode in Tampa. They arguably
have the worst offense to ever attend the Super Bowl, and the Giants’ ‘D’
is for real. But luckily, the Ravens’ offense has a date for the big dance. Actually,
two dates — the defense and the special teams, which ultimately will combine to
decide this one. Baltimore wins this game of field position, hard hits and QB mistakes,
but the Giants won’t go without a fight.
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Despite the explosion of Giants QB Kerry Collins in the NFC championship game, I have
to limit the Giants’ points. Yes, I am jumping on the bandwagon, after saying all
season (like so many others) that I couldn’t see Collins leading this team to the
Super Bowl. But here they are, so I have to take my medicine. The Ravens will not put
points on the board against the Giants’ defense except for maybe one big play from RB
Jamal Lewis or TE Shannon Sharpe. But no one on offense has been consistent enough to put
the Ravens out of their opponent’s reach. The Ravens’ defense will keep RB Tiki
Barber in check, but Collins will find his receivers in the endzone twice. That will prove
to be just enough for the Giants to go on to win Super Bowl XXXV in an exciting defensive
struggle.
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XXVIII years ago, Miami beat Washington 14-7 in the lowest-scoring Super Bowl ever.
That record could be in jeopardy when the Ravens and Giants get together and punish each
other Jan. 28 in Tampa. Is there any doubt this will be smashmouth football at its best,
pitting two teams that in five playoff games allowed a total of 26 points? Forget the
Giants’ 41 points against Minnesota; that won’t happen against this Baltimore
team. Both teams’ title-game performances put an exclamation point on this
season’s playoffs, in which the 10 games have been decided by a combined score of
258-90. From the second round on, it’s 162-39. Hopefully, these defensive-minded
teams will figure out a way to keep the nation awake.
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