| OFFENSE |
| DENVER BRONCOS | POS. | ATLANTA FALCONS |
80 Rod
Smith
Long-ball threat. Has been struggling of late with drops. Will face Falcons'
best cover man, Ray
Buchanan.
|
SE
|
80 Tony
Martin
Same number, same job description. Yards per catch of 17.9 second-best in the
NFC, behind Randy
Moss.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
77 Tony
Jones
Always a good pass defender, now terrific blocking for the
run. |
LT
|
70 Bob
Whitfield
Highly touted at one time. Hasn't reached full
potential.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
69 Mark
Schlereth
Solidifies the middle. Heady old pro, key man on Davis
cutbacks. |
LG
|
68 Calvin
Collins
Second-year man. Switched from center this year. A
comer.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
66 Tom
Nalen
Quick, nifty, good blocker on the
move. |
C
|
61 Robbie
Tobeck
Rough and durable. Enjoying his finest
season.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
62 Dan
Neil
Took over for Brian Habib this year and the Broncos didn't miss a
beat. |
RG
|
69 Gene
Williams
Biggest (315) and oldest (30) O-lineman. Sturdy
drive-blocker.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
74 Harry
Swayne
Once a pass-block specialist with the Chargers, has been a perfect fit on the
strong
side. |
RT
|
74 Ephraim
Salaam
Sensational seventh-round draft choice. Came on in a hurry. Still
learning.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
84 Shannon
Sharpe
Always a serious receiving threat. Takes great pride in his blocking
now. |
TE
|
88 O.J.
Santiago
Big and rangy. Underused in regular season but made two big catches in OT vs.
Vikings.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
7 John
Elway
The Man. Playing in his fifth Super Bowl. Looked shaky vs. Jets, though. Has
shown signs of wear, but can kill anybody if he's
hot. |
QB
|
12 Chris
Chandler
Tremendous courage. Drove the length of the field twice to beat Vikes. Deadly
when audibling to
bombs.
|
|
Edge:
Even
|
30 Terrell
Davis
The force that has bound the offense together for two years. Kept Broncos in the
game vs.
Jets. |
RB
|
32 Jamal
Anderson
NFL's No.2 runner, behind Davis. Punishing, relentless banger who gets stronger
late in
games.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
29 Howard
Griffith
Will split time with second TE Dwayne Carswell (89). Both are good blockers and
sneaky
receivers. |
FB/HB
|
85 Brian
Kozlowski
Took over when Bob Christian was lost with knee injury. Good blocker, limited
receiver.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
87 Ed
McCaffrey
Oversized possession receiver who will kill you deep when overlooked. His best
season
ever. |
FL
|
81 Terance
Mathis
Another possession wideout who can burn deeply. Numbers almost identical to
McCaffrey's.
|
|
Edge:
Even
|
|
OFFENSE EDGE CONSENSUS: Broncos
7-2-2
|
Back to the top
|
| DEFENSE |
| DENVER BRONCOS | POS. | ATLANTA FALCONS |
96 Harald
Hasselbach
Replaced Neil Smith. Limited pass rusher, steady vs. the run. Onetime CFL
import. |
LE
|
92 Lester
Archambeau
Hustle and determination. Typifies the Falcons front
four.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
94 Keith
Traylor
Great instinctive run-stopper. Elevated his game to new
level. |
LT
|
98 Travis
Hall
Rising young star. Always draws the
double-team.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
93 Trevor
Pryce
Penetrator and disrupter. Really has come on in his second year.
Big reason why run defense has flourished. |
RT
|
75 Shane
Dronett
Ex-Bronco. Quick-footed. Great motor. Fine in
pursuit.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
98 Maa
Tanuvasa
A natural DT shifted outside. Will go inside in nickel
situations. |
RE
|
90 Chuck
Smith
Relentless pass-rusher, coming off the edge.
Non-stop.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
53 Bill
Romanowski
Stays on the field on all downs. Has become fine coverage LB. Smart and
instinctive. |
SLB
|
94 Henri
Crockett
Much improved in his coverage, but will be first LB lifted in the
nickel.
|
|
Edge:
Broncos
|
59 Glenn
Cadrez
Did fine job this year, taking over for Lionel
Aldridge. |
MLB
|
58 Jesse
Tuggle
Proud, sturdy old pro. Going to his fifth Pro
Bowl.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
51 John
Mobley
Does it with speed. Romanowski displaced him as dime LB this year. Teams used
to run at him. Not
now. |
WLB
|
97 Cornelius
Bennett
Not the rusher he once was, but better in coverage and very sound vs. the
run.
|
|
Edge:
Even
|
39 Ray
Crockett
Solid 10-year pro enjoying his best
season. |
LCB
|
34 Ray
Buchanan
Always close to Pro Bowl level. Finally made it this year, thanks to seven
picks.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
34 Tyrone
Braxton
Took over when rookie Eric Brown was hurt. Will go at FS in some
defenses. |
SS
|
35 William
White
Devin Bush (25) comes in for him on some passing downs. Smart and
durable.
|
|
Edge:
Even
|
27 Steve
Atwater
Rugged 220-pounder with the big wallop. At 32, starting to wear down a bit but
still
efective. |
FS
|
41 Eugene
Robinson
Terrific in his youth, in Seattle, but unrecognized. Now, at 35, he's a
perennial Pro
Bowler.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
21 Darien
Gordon
Gets picked on when people lay off Crockett. Turned in fine game vs.
Jets. |
RCB
|
23 Ronnie
Bradford
Coming off shoulder injury. May give way to Michael Booker
(20).
|
|
Edge:
Even
|
|
DEFENSE CONSENSUS: Falcons
6-2-3.
|
Back to the top
|
| SPECIAL TEAMS |
| DENVER BRONCOS | POS. | ATLANTA FALCONS |
1 Jason
Elam
FG percentages almost even, but Elam kicked the record-tying
63-yarder. |
K
|
5 Morten
Andersen
Money kicker whose 38-yarder beat Vikings in
OT.
|
|
Edge:
Even
|
16 Tom
Rouen
High gross average, thanks to thin air in Mile High. Disastrous day vs.
Jets. |
P
|
4 Dan
Strzynski
Lower gross, slightly lower net, but terrific at getting the ball to back up
inside the
10.
|
|
Edge:
Falcons
|
|
Darrien Gordon (21)
is one of the NFL's best punt returners. RB Vaughn Hebron
(22) is an effective kick returner. No one can match Darius Johnson (25)
covering punts or
kicks. |
KR/PR
|
Rookie Tim Dwight (83) does it all. A fearless punt and kick returner, he'll
sprint downfield and make tackles,
too
|
|
Edge:
Even
|
|
SPECIAL TEAMS CONSENSUS: Falcons
1-0-2.
|
|
FINAL CONSENSUS: Even 9-9-7 |
| Honestly, I didn't rig it to come out dead even. Big edge to Broncos' offense,
likewise to Falcons' defense. |
| Final score: Denver 27, Atlanta
24 |
