They dragged me away, fighting and screaming I might add, to this dark room with a chair and nothing else. For hours on end, with me strapped firmly in the chair, they played the same sentence over and over again, trying to bring me to the dark side.
Defense wins championships. ... Defense wins championships. ...
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| Bill Belichick is all about defense; the Super Bowl figures to be that way too.(Getty Images) |
I've been brainwashed.
Defense wins championships. ... Defense wins championship. ...
What else is there to say when Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston will feature the New England Patriots against the Carolina Panthers? They both have outstanding defenses and little in terms of excitement. Can we spell B-O-R-I-N-G?
If it's conventional football you want, that's what we have. You get the impression that a 6-3 final would be a pleasing final for both coaches.
CBS would love that, right?
In an era of wide-open football, one that features more throwing and more scoring, we are left with two defensive teams still standing.
Why does it always happen this way?
In the Philadelphia press box following the Panthers upset of the Eagles Sunday in the NFC Championship Game, the denial hit hard. As a colleague talked about simply accepting the style of the two teams --- deal with it, this is what we have --- the cruel reality of another Super Bowl being won by a defensive team set in.
Give it to the Patriots and Panthers. They know what they do well, and they just do it. The key is, they will stop yours, let's see if you can stop theirs.
In terms of eye candy, it's a hairy man in a Speedo, Oprah in a snug workout suit or Michael Jackson's face without all the makeup.
Hideous.
Unlike those three, this works.
So as we ready for the Super Bowl, I am now a convert. Forget all that stuff about throwing the football to win. That was the old me. Those five days under the torturous hands of my captors has helped me make a major transformation.
Defense wins championships. ... Defense wins championships. ...
(You know I'm kidding, right?). They can try all they want to brainwash this guy, but all the torture in the world, or Super Bowls featuring defensive teams, can make me change my ways.
But please. Can't we see a high-scoring offense in the Super Bowl soon? The dark side is starting to look better and better each year, and who knows? Maybe defense will always win championships.
Let's hope not.
With that, here's an early look at 10 things to consider when readying for Super Bowl XXXVIII.
Giants tree
Both Patriots coach Bill Belichick and Panthers coach John Fox made their bones as defensive coordinators for the Giants. Belichick did his work under Bill Parcells, while Fox helped Jim Fassel take the Giants to a Super Bowl in 2000.
Belichick is generally considered the best coach in the game, and his team's 14-game win streak is a tribute to his abilities. Fox is a rising star in the profession, a tough, demanding coach who also can pull the right motivational triggers. These two men deserve loads of credit for getting these teams to the big game. We expected that from Belichick. Fox has been a quick study.
Star defensive linemen
The game will be a highlight for two of the best young defensive linemen in the league: Carolina's Kris Jenkins and New England's Richard Seymour.
Both are on their way to the Pro Bowl. Jenkins is strictly a tackle inside, while Seymour plays both tackle and end. Jenkins is more overpowering, while Seymour may have more speed and finesse. Both are tough against the run.
If either offense expects to move the ball against the other's defense, they better get those guys blocked.
Quarterbacks from nowhere
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| Jake Delhomme has come up the hard way much as Kurt Warner did.(Getty Images) |
These are two cases, although the book is still out on Delhomme, despite the notion that people are trying to say he's the next Brady.
"The Carolina coaches didn't even start him in the first game this year," said one team's coach. "Do you think they were convinced about the guy?"
Both Brady and Delhomme would be considered "managers" of the game. That means they don't make mistakes, don't hurt their teams with silly plays. Brady is the better of the two, which gives the Patriots the edge. But Delhomme has come on in the past month, even if the didn't have to do too much in the victory over the Eagles.
Short passing attacks
If watching 4-yard throws is your idea of a fun passing game, this one is for you. Both of these teams like to use the short passing game to move the football. They will try some shots down the field, especially the Panthers, but most of the time they use short routes to move the football.
The Patriots excel at it, with an accurate Brady making it so tough to defend those throws. With speedster Steve Smith outside, look for the Panthers to be the team that tries to go over the top more in this game.
New rule proposal: Make illegal any throws to receivers that don't travel at least 5 yards past the line of scrimmage. Please.
Good line play
To win in the playoffs and the Super Bowl, you usually need superior lines on both sides of the ball.
The Panthers have that. They have a major edge on the defensive line in this game, but they are just as good on the offensive line.
Both offensive lines play well together, despite having no real stars. Each starts a rookie, Dan Koppen at center for the Patriots and Jordan Gross at tackle for the Panthers. Both are having good years, with Gross on his way to a star-studded career.
The New England offensive line will have a tough match with the Carolina defensive line, especially inside at the guard spots. Blocking Kris Jenkins and Brentson Buckner will be tough duty for the Pats, which is why the Panthers get a big plus on the defensive line.
The hit show '24'
Keep an eye on corners wearing jersey No. 24.
In the title games, both Carolina's Ricky Manning and New England's Ty Law had three interceptions wearing that number. Law is one of the best in football, a player who is consistently in the Pro Bowl. He excels at man coverage, but he's also smart coming off his receiver to make plays.
Manning is a rookie third-round pick from UCLA who has come on in the past six weeks. He spent most of the year as a nickel back, but has started for six weeks. He is a smallish player, which is why he lasted until the third round, but he can play physical and he can also turn and run with a receiver.
He beat up the Eagles receivers, especially Todd Pinkston, on his way to getting three interceptions. The two quarterbacks might want to stay away from these two.
Good defense, but different approaches
Both teams win with their defenses, but they have different approaches.
The Patriots unit is made up of veterans like Law, Willie McGinest, Ted Washington and Rodney Harrison.
The Panthers' key people are young, guys like Manning, Jenkins, Julius Peppers, Dan Morgan and Will Witherspoon. Young can mean more athletic, but it can also cause assignment problems in big games. But when it comes to speed, the Panthers are a little faster on defense and that can sometimes help override the inexperience factor.
Defensive coordinators who don't get their due
With two head coaches who have defensive backgrounds, it's assumed that they handle that side of the ball. That means that defensive coordinators Romeo Crennel of the Patriots and Mike Trgovac of the Panthers don't get their due. That's not right.
Both Crennel and Trgovac have done wonderful jobs with their schemes. They know how to mix it up at the right time, but they also can play it straight and simply tell an offense that ours will beat yours.
Fox and Belichick both made their bones on the defensive side of the ball, but don't simply think their coordinators are just guys who have that title in name only.
History lessons
The Patriots would be wise to take out their 2001 Super Bowl tape. They should study what they did, and then assume the Panthers are following that same path.
Every year it seems one team comes from nowhere to get to a Super Bowl. They get hot at the right time, and almost have that charmed feeling.
In four of the past five years, that has been the case with the Falcons in 1998, then the Rams (1999), Ravens (2000) and Patriots.
Carolina looks to be following that same path. New England knows it all too well.
Running by committee
The Panthers have a pound-it back in Stephen Davis, but he is bothered by a quad injury. That has allowed DeShaun Foster to become more of a factor in the playoffs, and also means both teams will use running by committee in the Super Bowl.
The Patriots start Antowain Smith, but they will also go to Kevin Faulk at times. Both teams have two runners who can give them distinct styles, which will help against good defenses.
Ideally, the Panthers would like to pound Davis 20 times and then give Foster his 10 carries and a few receptions. The Patriots change their focus from game to game, which could mean more Faulk in the Super Bowl after getting more Smith in the AFC title game.
