The end is near.
Only one more week to hype up, over-analyze and wait for the Super Bowl. Some twenty weeks of preparation have boiled down to one single game. To quote the always over-excited Dick Vitale, "It's showtime, baby."
The 'experts' have all tossed in their votes, and it's sure not looking good for the Patriots. Fourteen point underdogs and column after column on how amazing the Packers really are, signal certain doom for the men in blue.
Then again, these are the same experts that had Green Bay winning the Super Bowl last year, only to see Dallas crush Cheese-head fantasies everywhere. These experts are the ones that had New England pegged as last in the AFC east. Yes, even below the Jets. In the Pat's place, they had favored an aging Chiefs team with Steve Bono (!), who was coming off a fluke year, quarterbacking to win the AFC.
Gather heart, Patriot fans, for these experts seem to be anything but. Why did Jacksonville even bother showing up in Mile High? The AFC trophy had Denver etched in already. Why did Pittsburgh need a quarterback? They had 'Slash.' Plus you should have known that the zone blitz was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Thank goodness that there aren't anymore 'zone blitz' teams left. If I hear 'zone blitz' one more time, I think I just may go insane. And while I'm criticizing these guys, just who the heck is Dr. Z? He hasn't been right about anything in eons.
The key to a New England's victory will not be Drew Bledsoe. Despite the sheer number of quality receivers, the Pats do not run a West Coast offense that can ride purely on the pass. Instead, the focus will ride upon Curtis Martin and the Packer's run defense.
The Packers are without their top tackler: George Koonce. In the 4-3 alignment, the middle linebacker is critical to stopping the run. Without Koonce in the middle, Green Bay has quite a hole to fill. While Green Bay did hold up well last week, holding the Patriot offense down will be far more of a challenge than the Panthers. The Panthers ran at best a conservative passing attack, mostly to cover the inexperience of Kerry Collins. Thus the Pack was able to load up the front and not really worry about the deep threat. The Panthers were thus stuffed for only 45 yards rushing. Without a running game, Carolina was far too dependent on a young and inexperienced Collins.
This Sunday, Green Bay won't be able to do the same against the Patriots. To do so would risk being burned deep by Glenn and Jefferson, two of the faster receivers in the league, and Bledsoe's arm. In addition, Bill Parcells will have a game plan fully prepared to take advantage of the hole. The Pittsburgh game was an example of what can be done in two weeks of preparation. The Colts game also showed how the Patriots are able to exploit a hole in the defense. Indianapolis looked pitiful without Siragusa holding the line.
Perhaps the experts will be right for once. Maybe the Packers will roll all over the Pats. But somehow, I have a feeling things will be a lot closer in New Orleans than people think.
