Armchair Quarterback: Patriots’ role reversed from two years ago
Funny what a difference two years can make.
Two years ago we had the upstart New England Patriots challenging the “greatest show on turf” in the St. Louis Rams.
Going into the game, all eyes were on Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk as no one gave the Pats much of a chance. Of course, we all know what happened next as the Pats stunned the “unbeatable” Rams 20-17.
Flash forward two years, Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston. Now the shoe is on the other foot. The Patriots haven’t lost since last fall and the Panthers are seven point dogs going in. All the talk is centered around Tom Brady, who is being inaugurated as the next Joe Montana. Everybody is saying the Panthers are just lucky to be there. Sound familiar?
Well, while I’ll admit predicting NFL games nowadays is like playing the lottery, I’ve got to go with the underdogs today. I think the experts have gone too far in singing the praises of the Patriots, who in my opinion, are luckier than the Panthers to be in the Super Bowl.
Yes, the Pats are a good team and are led by the best coaching staff in the NFL. However, I strongly believe it was the elements who got them to where they are as far as their wins in the playoffs. They nipped the Titans by a field goal in the 2004 version of the Ice Bowl and then they had the help of a snow storm to ground Peyton Manning. Let’s remember, the Super Bowl will be played in a stadium with a retractable roof so the elements will be out of play today.
Meanwhile, the Panthers beat the Big Tuna and his Cowboys then go to St. Louis and win even though no one had won in the dome this year. Then, at last, they go to the unfriendly confines of Philadelphia and take apart Donovan McNabb and the Eagles. Now you tell me, who’s lucky to be here?
When you look at the matchups, both teams today have the two best secondaries in football. The Patriots with Ty Law and the Panthers with Ricky Manning roaming the corners will make life difficult on both quarterbacks. However, when it comes to receivers, the Panthers have to get the nod with the likes of Steve Smith and Mushin Muhammid. And, let’s not forget the wily old former Ram Ricky Proehl. They are, as a unit, a little more dangerous than Troy Brown and Bethel Johnson.
Then we look at the running game. The Panthers have Stephen Davis and DeShawn Foster who will be running behind that awesome Carolina line. Compare this to Antwaine Smith and Kevin Faulk, neither of whom are big play makers. This running game should give the Panthers the ability to control the ball and keep it out of the hands of Brady while at the same time, keeping the Patriot secondary honest so they can’t sell out for the pass. Let’s remember, Jake Delhomme only put the ball in the air 14 times against the Eagles two weeks ago so the Panthers have shown they can stay committed to the running game.
In addition, the Patriots’ somewhat injured offensive line will be trying to stem the rush of the Carolina defense led by Julius Peppers. Remember, Brady is yet to be sacked in the playoffs so it’ll be interesting to see what happens if he gets smacked in the mouth a couple of times today. Will he come apart like Warner did a couple years ago or like Rich Gannon did last year?
While I favor the Panthers, this game will be by no means a blow out. Both teams, by their game design, are used to playing in close games. This should be no different. I look for the Panthers to win by something like 20-17 in what should be a very interesting Super Bowl.