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Guru Unveils
A Super Ball
My friends,
the Guru is on fire.
I don't want to brag but it doesn't get much better than a playoff
record of 8-1-1 heading into the Bowl. Kind of reminds of a certain
Mr. Gibbs.
Surprisingly, my sterling postseason mark isn't the talk of
the town. No, some folks are actually intrigued by this Super Bowl
XXXIII meeting between defending champion Denver and upstart Atlanta.
Actually, the hottest topic has been the bad blood between Atlanta
coach Dan Reeves and the man who coaches his former team,
Mike Shanahan. With that in mind, it's time to break out
the Tale of the Tape, brought to you by Sausage Pie - "If
it tastes like lard, it must be Sausage Pie."
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Category
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Reeves
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Shanahan
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Advantage
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W-L Record
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16-2
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16-2
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Push
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Endearing Trait
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Southern drawl
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Buck teeth
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Reeves
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Fired by...
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Giants
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Raiders
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Shanahan
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Favorite QB
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Chandler
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Elway
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Shanahan
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Looks like...
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Your grandpa
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Your nephew
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Reeves
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Favorite Food
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Peaches
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Kit Kat
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Reeves
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Likes to...
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Coach
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Coach
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Push
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Learned from...
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Tom Landry
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Bill Walsh
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Shanahan
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Can't stand...
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Shanahan
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Al Davis
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Push
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Celebrates a win by...
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Logging on to ArmchairQB.com
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Hugging Elway
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Reeves
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Makes sense, doesn't it? Unfortunately, neither of these men will
be competing on the gridiron this Sunday, leaving ArmchairQB.com
to dissect matchups between the actual combatants.
Click below on any section of analysis you'd like to read and please
Speak Out with your
opinion of the Guru's musings.
Denver
Offense
vs Atlanta Defense
If anyone would've told me that the key to beating Denver is forcing
John Elway to throw the ball I'd
have said "Sure. And the key to me losing weight is eating
all the food so there's nothing left to consume." (Incidentally,
I've tried that dieting "technique" and it doesn't work.
Apparently eating everything in sight only makes you fatter. Who
knew?)
But, even Elway acknowledges that star running back Terrell
Davis is the engine that drives the Broncos. Like
many aging stars, such as Dan Marino and Don Rickles, Elway is still
capable of creating magic - just not on a regular basis. Doug
Henning should be so lucky.
The Atlanta Falcons, however, aren't nearly as fortunate. Their
task on Sunday is to stop Davis, an effort that begins with middle
linebacker Jessie Tuggle and
a defensive line featuring defensive ends Chuck
Smith and Les Archambeau,
and tackles Travis Hall
and Shane Dronett.
If Hall and Dronett don't keep Denver's offensive linemen from blocking
Tuggle, the Falcons are in for a long day. Tuggle also needs to
keep an eye on stud fullback Howard Griffith,
one of the league's unsung players. Speaking of Griffith, don't
be surprised if a Shanahan wrinkle includes getting the fullback
more involved with screen passes against an aggressive Atlanta defense.
In the passing game, the key matchup is Smith against the Broncos'
left offensive tackle, the dependable Tony
Jones. Jones doesn't make many mistakes but, if he does,
Smith will be on Elway like Gilbert Brown on a smorgasbord.
The Guru expects Jones to get help from left guard Mark
(Stinky) Schlereth if Smith becomes a problem. Schlereth
is one of the league's toughest players and how can you not root
for a guy named Stinky, who represents a legion of football-lovin'
men, like myself, diametrically opposed to showering?
Atlanta's secondary will be tested by the receiving corps of Shannon
Sharpe, Ed McCaffrey
and Rod Smith. Look for the
Broncos to keep the ball away from Falcons' All-Pro cornerback Ray
(Big Play) Buchanan, who has guaranteed an Atlanta win.
Denver
will attack the other starting cornerback, Ronnie
Bradford, and reserve Michael
Booker, but should steer clear of veteran safeties Eugene
Robinson and William White,
smart players who have made game-saving plays a habit. If the Broncos
go at Robinson and White repeatedly, they will get burned.
back to table
Atlanta
Offense
vs
Denver Defense
Like Atlanta, Denver's greatest task is to stop an opposing running
back. Jamal Anderson was spectacular
in the regular season, rushing for 1,846 yards and 14 touchdowns.
But, the former seventh-round pick from the University of Utah will
face a Denver rushing defense ranked third in the NFL, allowing
just 80.4 yards a game.
The key to Denver's rushing defense is the hard-nosed play of outside
linebacker Bill Romanowski and
strong safety Steve Atwater.
Tackles Keith Traylor and Trevor
Pryce have had a fine season against the run but it is
the physical play of Romanowski and Atwater that makes the Broncos
a top-flight defensive team.
I think Atlanta's run offense will be severely hampered by the absence
of fullback Bob Christian,
who broke his leg several weeks ago. His replacement, converted
tight end Brian Kozlowski,
has performed admirably, but hasn't played as well as Christian
did. As Reggie White's opponents have found, it's pretty hard to
beat a good Christian.
Atlanta's offensive line of - from left tackle to right tackle -
Bob Whitfield,
Calvin Collins,
Robbie Tobeck,
Gene Williams and
Ephraim Salaam - is good but the Falcons' running
game is highly dependent on Kozlowski and I just don't see him getting
it done against Romanowski, Atwater and linebacker John
Mobley.
But, I do think Atlanta can and will throw the ball well against
the Broncos, 26th in the league in passing yards allowed (Of
course that stat is skewed since Denver is always way ahead and
teams must throw to catch up). Aaah, skewed. Wouldn't a shish-ka-bob
taste good right now?
Dan Reeves
says that his man, Chris
Chandler, has the best touch of any QB he's ever
coached and, for once, I don't think he's trying to tweak Elway.
Chandler was particularly impressive in the NFC title game, riddling
the Vikings' defense for more than 300 yards in a spirited comeback.
Chandler's top targets, Terance
Mathis and Tony
Martin, should have quite a battle against Denver
cornerbacks Ray Crockett
and Darrien Gordon but I'm really
interested to see how Atlanta uses tight end O.J.
Santiago and rookie wide receiver Tim
Dwight.
The Falcons will move the ball through the air but how successful
they are will depend upon their ability to run. They can't struggle
on the ground, as they did at Minnesota, and win.
back to table
Denver's Jason Elam and Atlanta's
Morten Andersen are two of
the league's top kickers and they'll cancel each other out. If you
must bet on one guy, go with Mr. Andersen, one of the best clutch
performers in league history.
Tom Rouen and Dan Stryzinski
are fine punters but Rouen has the better leg. Atlanta's punt coverage
is better than Denver's but it may be hard for the Falcons to stop
Darrien Gordon, a great returner.
The aforementioned Dwight, who also returns kickoffs, has great
speed and could make a big play this weekend.
The Broncos' most underrated weapon may be kickoff returner Vaughn
Hebron, a former Eagle who is truly enjoying life away
from Philadelphia. Then again, who wouldn't? Atlanta's kickoff
return coverage, ranked 21st in the NFL, could be in serious trouble
if Hebron is on his game.
The Guru's Guarantee: A long kick return will happen in
this game. Will it be the difference?
back to table
A surprising number of media members are picking the Falcons, a
seven-point underdog, to win Super Bowl XXXIII. Well, I don't
think Atlanta will win but I do expect Dan Reeves & Co. to keep
this game close.
Reeves is an outstanding coach and is blessed with a quarterback
at the top of his game, a big-time running back and a defense that
swarms to the ball. Those are key elements to a championship team.
Still, it's hard to pick against Shanahan, Elway, Davis and the
Broncos. I don't think the Falcons can contain T.D. and I have
an eerie feeling that Big Mouth Buchanan will be burned by Jones
or McCaffrey. I also suspect that I'll eat more processed cheese
than a man should be allowed to. In fact, bet the house on that
last prediction.
I'll be rooting for the underdog but I'm picking Denver.
Broncos, 27-24.
Tell the Guru what you think of his Super Bowl pick at AQB's Speak
Out board.
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