From the cheep seats

The Carolina Panthers and the New England Patriots will battle it out in the 38th installment of the Super Bowl.
Many things are being said about this year’s Super Bowl. From the Panthers’ “Cinderella” story to the Patriots’ dominance in the last few months, including the playoffs, this Super Bowl could be packed with exciting plays.
Last year, after the joke of a game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Oakland Raiders, I submitted for your enjoyment my theory of Super Bowls. Basically every other year until 1995, the Super Bowl has alternated between being a close contest and a blowout.
The theory holds true especially in the last five years, check it out:
XXXVII: Tampa Bay 48, Oakland 21
XXXVI: New England 20, St. Louis 17
XXXV: Baltimore 34, N.Y. Giants 7
XXXIV: St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16
XXXIII: Denver 34, Atlanta 19
XXXII: Denver 31, Green Bay 24
XXXI: Green Bay 35, New England 21
XXX: Dallas 27, Pittsburgh 17
XXIX: San Francisco 49, San Diego 26
It’s the classic “David v. Goliath,” a team that nobody thought would make it this far and a team that is on the verge of winning their 15th game in a row, a mark that is reminiscent of the 1972 Dolphins (17-0) with their undefeated season and eventual Super Bowl VII win.
The letter P, for a lot of reasons, brings this Super Bowl to you. Obviously, the names of the two teams start with the letter, but so many more words or phrases come to mind this weekend that start with the underappreciated consonant before Q.
Passing: If the previous two playoff games have been any indication, the Panthers will have to rely on the arm of Jake Delhomme because the Patriots’ rush defense has topped two of the AFC’s best in Edgerrin James of the Indianapolis Colts and the Tennessee Titans’ Eddie George. The Panthers’ Stephen Davis is not 100 percent, so Carolina will need to look to the air.
Points: The Panthers have always found a way to score points late in the game. New England is good at scoring late as well, but lately the Panthers have outdone themselves with a double overtime thriller against St. Louis. If scrappiness was a category (I didn’t even know it was a word), then it would go to the Panthers.
Pressure: Both teams have tremendous defensive pressure. Scoring is great, but the other team has to keep off the board if you want to win. Carolina’s secondary has been suspect at times to a long pass play and draws. However, a weakness for the Patriots is found in the defensive match-ups; if Ty Law is guarding Steve Smith, it leaves Muhsin Muhammad in a mismatch on the other side.
Place kickers: Both John Kasay and Adam Vinatieri are clutch performers. Their legs could very well put a ring on their teammates’ fingers (nothing new for Vinatieri).
Pick: That leaves my official pick. At the beginning of the season I called St. Louis and New England in the Super Bowl. So, I’m going to stick with my pick. New England’s stiff defense will stifle the Carolina Panthers at first. The running game will be almost obsolete until the second half.
Carolina will make it a close game, spreading the ball out to a lot of receivers, but in the end, the intangibles such as special teams and fan support will make the difference.
So, here’s hoping my theory holds true, making this year’s Super Bowl one of the best in recent history.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Jan 30 2004. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry