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 | | Dan Patrick Show
 Mort reads into Randy Moss' comments following the Vikings' loss.
wav: 393 k
Real: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Carter's career
ESPN's Chris Mortensen on Cris Carter's future following a poor performance against New York.
wav: 294 k
Real: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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Ravens, Giants work matchups in their favor
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Ravens 16, Raiders 3: I like to call Raiders coach Jon Gruden early in the morning, around 5 a.m. to 6 a.m. West Coast time. He's never been one to boast, or predict greatness from his team, even in private, although there are times when he sounds semi-secure.
|  | | Trent Dilfer made enough plays to return to Tampa as a Super Bowl starting quarterback. |
But last week, on two occasions, you could sense the concern in his voice about the Baltimore Ravens. He looked at the obvious.
"Everybody's talking about us being the No. 1 rush offense against their No. 1 rush defense," he said. "All I know is that Denver and Tennessee were No. 2 and No. 4 running the football this year, and they scored 13 points combined against these guys."
The matchups seemed to bother him, too. As good as Rich Gannon had been, to beat the Ravens, you need a big-armed quarterback to get the ball downfield because it is so difficult to put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive against them. You also might be productive throwing to your backs on the perimeter, except that the one back who could maybe take advantage of a linebacker was Napoleon Kaufman, and he was out with an injury. The tight end? Rickey Dudley had dropped way too many footballs for him to be trusted.
On defense, Gruden also worried about the ability of his safeties, Marquez Pope and Anthony Dorsett, to cover Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe. Good receiving tight ends -- such as Kansas City's Tony Gonzalez -- had scorched the Raiders.
On the flip side, the Ravens exuded sincere confidence about their matchup. Ravens defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis believed the Raiders were ill-prepared for the basic, primitive nature of his unit. He spoke of the metamorphosis of the NFL's best division, the AFC Central. The Steelers dominated in the mid '90s by being physical. Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin found a way to match that, and threw in some skill players. Then came Tennessee, even more physical than the Steelers and Jaguars.
All the while, Ravens personnel director Ozzie Newsome was building a team to play on the same level. It's really the new black-and-blue division. All teams play outdoors. Most flex their muscles every week, save for the Bengals (Lewis noted the Browns were even a physical team).
"You can't practice for the physicality we bring to the table," said Lewis. "You have to play in our division to understand it, to experience it."
Unless you are a Ravens fan, you likely were sucked into the great deception of the 2000-2001 season: The Ravens could not go to the Super Bowl with Trent Dilfer at quarterback. Ah, but Dilfer never let us get to him, and neither did the Ravens. Head coach Brian Billick, the man of offense, joked all week about being pulled over to the "dark side" of defensive football. Sharpe had no pretensions about the Ravens' identity.
"We're going to let our defense win the game," he said.
Ah, but Dilfer and Sharpe had one play, the 96-yarder. And, really, that was all she wrote. The Ravens' defense now is stepping into the sphere created by the two great defenses of the '70s and '80s -- Pittsburgh's Steel Curtain and the '85 Bears. The Ravens don't just tackle you; they blow you up. They explode, they wrap up, and they pile-drive you into the turf. They hurt you. Ask Rich Gannon. Ask Steve McNair a week ago. Or Gus Frerotte two weeks ago. This defense is so tough.
Think about it. Sunday marked the third game in 15 days for Baltimore. The previous week against the Titans, the defense spent more than 40 minutes on the field. Then they traveled cross-country to Oakland. Tired? Probably. But not too tired to deliver owner Art Modell to his first Super Bowl.
Last week, we told you about Billick being privately tormented over playing "(Tony) Dungy-ball," where you are always one mistake away from losing. Take a look, folks ... Dungy-ball, with Trent Dilfer at quarterback, headed to Tampa. Oh, my.
Giants 41, Vikings 0: With the Minnesota Vikings coming to town, Giants coach Jim Fassel had an invitation to return to his offensive roots. The Vikings' explosive offense of Daunte Culpepper, Randy Moss, Cris Carter and Robert Smith demanded an aggressive game plan by the Giants, who figured to need at least 27 points to win the NFC title game.
|  | | Giants receiver Ike Hilliard had a huge day against the overmatched Vikings' secondary. |
"We can't just win time of possession and not score points against these guys," said Fassel.
Of course, the Vikings' defense was an invitation to attack. Kurt Warner (Rams), Brett Favre (Packers) and Peyton Manning (Colts) had all shredded the Minnesota defense down the stretch. Could Kerry Collins rise to their level?
"Trust me, Kerry Collins is the least of my worries," said Fassel before the game. "And he will get plenty of opportunities to make plays."
Plenty? An understatement. Collins had a day he will never forget, and a day that may catapult his career to the next level.
The Giants' variety of motions and formations clearly had an injury- and confidence-depleted Vikes secondary on its heels. If I'm not mistaken, the constant shifting we see with the Giants' offense was born out of the NY defense having trouble with Norv Turner's Redskins offense a couple of years ago. No matter how simple the plays are, the movement creates a moment of chaos and sometimes uncertainty for the defense just before the snap.
Why doesn't everybody do it? You have to be willing to spend time teaching it to your players. Fassel and offensive coordinator Sean Payton proved to be more than willing to do it. Collins made quick reads and played with confidence. He made every throw possible. In fact, the only throw you could really second guess was the dump-off to Ron Dayne, who tried to catch the ball with his face mask, only to see it intercepted.
But Fassel's tedious work with Collins on passing mechanics paid off with a record-setting clinic. And it was the full corps of receivers who made plays -- Ike Hilliard, Amani Toomer, Ron Dixon, Joe Jurevicius and Greg Comella.
The Giants' defense is by far the NFL's most underrated unit this year. Defensive coordinator John Fox continues to be a brilliant schemer, hopefully on his way to that head-coaching opportunity he deserves.
Perhaps the reason the Giants remained underdogs going into this home game is that most "experts" saw the matchups falling in the Vikings' favor. Minnesota's strength was its passing game with Culpepper, Moss and Carter. The Giants' so-called weakness was its pass defense.
Fassel didn't buy it before the game when he told me, "The most improved aspect of our team is our pass coverage. We have the two biggest corners in the league in (Jason) Sehorn and (Dave) Thomas, so we don't the kind of mismatch that can kill you with Moss and Carter. Sehorn is finally back to where he used to be, before his injuries. And (free safety) Shaun Williams, he's always been a great tackler, but he has finally learned how to play in space. He was the best safety in football down the stretch, I think."
Of course, the Giants' front seven has been dominant. Defensive end Michael Strahan (who somehow was snubbed for the Pro Bowl) is getting off the ball so quickly that he's embarrassed his opponents two straight weeks.
As for the Vikings' offense being shut out, well, nobody could have predicted it. But Culpepper was down 14-0 before he ever got under the center, and that played right into Fox's scheming hands. The Vikings' offensive line, which had protected so well against the Saints, was feeble under the circumstances -- down two TDs, on the road, against an aggressive, blitzing scheme. It all blew up.
For Vikings coach Dennis Green, it must hurt. And yet there is a lesson to be learned again as we enter the Super Bowl. Green's former offensive coordinator, Brian Billick, has reached the pinnacle with a Baltimore team carried by its defense. Green must use his personnel skills to fix the Vikings' defensive problem.
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