TAMPA – The only thing larger than my colleague’s golf score is his admiration for the AFC. This is the same Mark Cannizzaro who sincerely believed the Jets were a playoff team. He misfired on 12 of his final 13 Best Bets after a blazing start. Now he’s rolling along in the Gasparilla parade on the Ravens bandwagon, ignoring the great accomplishments and growth these NFC Giants have achieved.
From the smaltzy 1950s decor of the Tanga Lounge to that phony pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium, the word is out in Stripland. This is the most obvious Super Bowl pick since 1994 when the 49ers pounced on the Chargers. If not for the Broncos’ back-to-back wins in Supes 32 and 33, the NFC would be riding a 16-game winning streak.
As for that alleged six-foot rule, the only one in effect in this town is in regard to Trent Dilfer He rarely gets the ball within six feet of his receivers. If John Fox & Co. could shut out Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Robert Smith and Daunte Culpepper, Dilfer, rookie Jamal Lewis and Qadry Ismail aren’t about to rock the Giants’ boat.
Don’t forget to take a hard look at the key defensive matchup on the line, Michael Strahan vs. Harry Swayne. Swayne was the Chargers’ tackle in 1994. He will not be able to handle Strahan, who is blowing up offenses and will be the defensive player of this game, not Ray Lewis. Linebackers Jessie Armstead and Micheal Barrow are on a Miami mission and their speed will wreak havoc.
All the talk about the Ravens, of course, concerns their Murder Inc. defense, a chirpy bunch that is way too full of itself. The crash is coming. Giants offensive coordinator Sean Payton is a wizard at mixing in motion that plants that one second seed of confusion on a defense. Expect Payton to neutralize Lewis, as much as humanly possible, by utilizing the Giants backs Tiki Barber and Greg Comella on sneak-away pass routes. At some point, the Giants wideouts will get the Ravens’ overcharged secondary to bite on an out-and-up. That will mean six points for Amani Toomer, Ron Dixon or Ike Hilliard.
The Raiders made a classic mistake against the Ravens, playing right into their thuggery. Part of that was dictated by Tony Siragusa’s WWF flop onto Rich Gannon, that injured the quarterback and limited the Raiders options. The Giants know if Kerry Collins goes down, so will they, so Payton is smart enough to keep Collins away from sumo-harm. He will sprint his quarterback out wide or have Collins fire passes off a quick-drop.
The Ravens own a small advantage on special teams, not nearly the advantage the Giants offense has over Baltimore.
In thug war, you beat your brutal opponent with guile and quickness, not by trading punches. In the reborn Collins, Payton has the perfect disciple to execute his lightning bolt attacks.
There’s something else here at work. The Giants have come together as a team under Jim Fassel. That old NY is back on their helmets and so is teamwork. They have stuck together for all the right reasons. That must count for something.
The Ravens, as they should, have rallied around troubled leader Ray Lewis, but the burden of his obstruction-of-justice plea will prove too much. In the end, the Giants will use Lewis’ over-aggressiveness to their advantage.
Remember this Can-Man, a Super Bowl victory is always about team. There are individual stars that flourish, but the best team is always the winner.
The Giants again know what it means to be a team. Together, they will quiet those brash Baltimore assassins, 24-10.