Jim's analysis
Rams vs. Titans. That's all
you need to tell you that NFL '99 has been totally screwed up.
No Packers, Broncos, Bills, Cowboys or 49ers, the teams that
dominated the 1990s.
Instead we get the Rams, losers of
100 games in the decade and the Titans, who were the nomads of
the NFL the past few years. Oh, well, enough grumbling.
The Rams are favored, chiefly because
of an offense that scored an average of 33 points a game. In
contrast, the Titans seem to think the passing game is just
filler between Eddie George and Steve McNair runs.
I think the Bucs showed that
smashmouth and innovative defense can contain the Rams. Kurt
Warner looked lost for most the game and Marshall Faulk was
not a factor.
Titans' coach Jeff Fisher studied at the
knee of Buddy Ryan, the defensive genius of the '80s, and will
have his aggressive and quick defenders primed and ready.
Their goal will be to hold St. Louis under 20 points.
On the other side of the ball, the Titans
will continue to try and score with mirrors. Ball control,
bootlegs, tight end passes and an occasional trick play will
be in the cards. The Rams counter with a better-than-average
defense, but one that can be exploited (witness the Vikes
laying 37 on them).
Special
teams may favor Tennessee in the kicking department (the Rams'
Jeff Wilkins is hurt and Titan punter Craig Hentrich is aces)
and the Ram speed in returns.
My pick is Tennessee and, to be honest, I
say this without a whole lot of confidence. The Titans have
played a much tougher schedule and the Rams played very tight
last week and I see that continuing. But Tennessee is in
trouble if Warner is on early; we then could be seeing a rout.
How that's for indecisiveness?! But that's
typical of this strange season where predicting any given game
is as tough as figuring out your average gay relationship.
So with all that in mind, the crystal ball says:
TENNESSEE 27
ST.
LOUIS 22
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Cyd's analysis
I hate the Rams.
Yes, I'm still bitter about that phantom
victory against the Bucs. Anybody catch the name of that
referee?
OK. I ALWAYS have an opinion on
who's gonna win and who's not. Even if it's the Saints
and Browns, I have a take.
I have no idea who's gonna win the Super
Bowl.
To me, the Titans are the better team
with the better coach. They've got a dominant, quick
defense, a multifaceted quarterback, solid receivers, an
all-Pro tight end, and an aggressive back.
The Titans even beat the Rams during the
regular season. In that game, the Titans blew out the
Rams, 21-0, before winning 24-21.
But, this is the 1999 season - a season
in which the best team did not always win, where we had 3
cities in the championship games that didn't have teams 7
years ago (and, some would say, Tampa didn't have a team 7
years ago, either). This is a season which saw people
call Jeff George "The Messiah", a starting
quarterback was benched for no reason a week before the
playoffs, and Mike Ditka traded all of his draft picks for 1
guy.
Then you've got the Rams. The
losing franchise in the 1990's. And they're 7 point
favorites in the Super Bowl. If I hear from one more
closeted Rams fan here in L.A., I'm gonna throw a watermelon
at him.
On Sunday, we'll watch The Freak vs. The
Fraud. We'll see the bob and weave. We'll even get
to see 100 promos for "Who Wants To Be A
Millionaire."
But, I'll be damned if I have to see
"It's Georgia's Georgia" in the headlines next
Monday.
TENNESSEE
30
ST. LOUIS 20
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