From the Sidelines: Dirty Birds' first chance to fly

By Addisu Demissie

COURTESY BERNIE NUNEZ Two of the NFL's top running backs, Atlanta's Jamal Anderson and Denver's Terrel Davis (not shown), look to slice through defensive lines and break Super Bowl XXXIII.

The Denver Broncos have quite a résumé. On Sun., Jan. 31, they will play in their sixth Super Bowl in franchise history, tying them for most appearances ever. They have a surefire Hall-of-Fame quarterback behind center, a 2,000-yard rusher in the backfield, the best receiving tight end in the NFL, six Pro Bowl starters (nine Pro Bowlers in all), and--oh yeah--a few dozen Super Bowl rings floating around the locker room.

It doesn't look like the Atlanta Falcons have much of a chance. But, as the old cliché goes, that's why they play the game.

The Falcons proved the cliché true two Sundays ago when they upset the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings 30-27 in what was easily the most exciting NFC Championship game of the decade. The Broncos, on the other hand, played like true champions, holding the New York Jets to 14 yards on the ground and capitalizing on Jet mistakes in a 23-10 victory, setting up one of the most unlikely Super Bowls in recent memory.

Statistically, the two teams match up quite well. They share the same record, 16-2, though the Falcons' two losses came to better teams (San Francisco 49ers, Jets) than Denver's (New York Giants, Miami Dolphins). Nonetheless, the Broncos played a tougher schedule in an arguably tougher division. The Broncos' offense is more potent (380.8 yards per game) than Atlanta's, but the Falcons' defense is slightly more stingy (295.9 yards per game). In addition, the top three offensive threats for the Falcons (WR Terrence Mathis, WR Tony Martin, and HB Jamal Anderson) and the Broncos (WR Ed McCaffrey, WR Rod Smith, and HB Terrell Davis) both produced over 4,000 yards of offense combined.

With all due respect to Messrs. John Elway and Chris Chandler, this game is, quite simply, reducible to two players: Anderson and Davis. Both halfbacks lead their respective leagues in rushing yards, total yards, and touchdowns. And in every playoff game so far this year, the team that has rushed for more yards has won. There's no reason why that should change now.

Trying to put a hurtin' on these two running machines will be two stellar Pro Bowl linebackers, Atlanta's tenacious Jessie Tuggle and Denver's fiery Bill Romanowski. Expect both to end up in double digits in tackles. Strong safeties Eugene Robinson and Tyrone Braxton will have a heck of a time serving double duty as run-stoppers and covermen. If they get lulled to sleep in either direction, expect Coaches Dan Reeves and Mike Shanahan to pick up on it and capitalize.

In every Super Bowl, of course, there are the players that suddenly appear, seemingly out of nowhere, to play crucial roles in the final outcome of the game. Two such players this year are Falcons special-teams returnman Tim Dwight and Broncos defensive tackle Keith Traylor. If Dwight can shorten the field a bit for the Falcons' offense or break the big play like Desmond Howard did in Super Bowl XXXI, it could have a big effect on Denver's game plan. Traylor is a big man who can legitimately take up two men in the middle of Atlanta's offensive line. If he can consistently penetrate into the backfield, Anderson will be forced to run east and west, something that does not suit his running style.

After all is said and done, who do I pick? It says here that Anderson wins the battle with Traylor. Atlanta by a field goal: watch the Dirty Birds fly.

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