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Chat Reel: SI's Peter King
Plenty to look forward to in Super Bowl XXXV
Posted: Thursday January 25, 2001 3:48 PM
Updated: Thursday January 25, 2001 5:12 PM
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Part of the Giants' success has come from big plays by tailback Tiki Barber. M. David Leeds/Allsport |
Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King joined users on Jan. 25 from Tampa to discuss Super Bowl XXXV and some NFL coaching news. A transcript of the chat follows.
CNNSI.com Host: Welcome to our Super Bowl chat with Sports Illustrated's Peter King. Thanks for joining us, Peter.
Peter King: My pleasure. Nice day in Tampa.
From Guest: Peter, is there any truth to the Bill Parcells-to-Tampa Bay rumors that are getting a lot of play up here in New York?
Peter King: Friends of Parcells and Bill himself, on Wednesday, told me he's not going back into coaching this year. The mole who I talked to believed the only way Parcells would coach in Tampa is with an ownership change. That is certainly not going to happen now. Bottom line: Bill Parcells is not going to coach this coming year. I can't say with any certainty that he won't again, but he turned down feelers from Cleveland.
From aaron: What do you think of the Lions hiring of Marty Mornhinweg? Who are the top candidates for offensive and defensive coordinator?
Peter King: I don't know about the coordinator spots there. I'm hoping to find that out later this afternoon. The hiring surprised me. Matt Millen has always loved Steve Mariucci, and my gut feeling is that Millen is looking for Steve Mariucci, Jr., with this hire. Marty is an exceedingly bright guy. He will need to prove that he can be a commanding presence in leading a team.
From Tony: What do you think the Giants have to do in order to win? I think that Kerry Collins must be aggressive and throw swing passes to Tiki Barber to spread out the Ravens defense, and then throw downfield to Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer.
Peter King: The Giants' recipe for success: No. 1, turn the ball over two times or less. No. 2, ensure that Tiki Barber can get outside to make five or six plays in space. No. 3, turn Kerry Collins into a poor man's Joe Montana. Quick drop, quick decisions, six- and eight-yard completions. Be patient. No. 4, hold Jamal Lewis under 60 yards. Make the Ravens punt a lot. If those things happen, and all of them can, I like the Giants 13-9.
From Neil249: Do you think that the Ravens' offensive line matches up well against the Giants' front four? If the Ravens cannot stop a four-man pass rush, I can't see them winning in Tampa, no matter how well the their defense plays.
Peter King: John Fox, Giants defensive coordinator, has shown a better changeup in these playoffs than Pedro Martinez. That's what he'll need to do Sunday. Just when you think you have the front four neutralized, here comes Mike Barrow or Jessie Armstead or, god forbid, the pint-sized Emmanuel McDaniel through an unblocked gap. The Giants have done a tremendous job in selective blitzing. Having said that, there isn't much of a chance Trent Dilfer will take 30 seven-step drops. They're going to count on Lewis. So the Giants will need to be better run blockers, and not as vigilant about the pass.
From mjb: Will this be an exciting Super Bowl, considering no one chose these teams to go very far this season?
Peter King: Let me give you another baseball analogy. Remember last year, on Sunday Night Baseball, when Pedro faced Roger Clemens in one of the classic pitchers duels in recent years? An average player named Trot Nixon won it with a two-run homer. That's the type of game this one could be. Ray Lewis making plays everywhere, Armstead blowing up Dilfer, Peter Boulware knocking Barber's pins out from under him for eight-yard losses. Some guy who most of America has never heard of is going to make a huge play in the third quarter of this game.
From JOE: Hey Peter, I disagree with you about Tony Siragusa. I do believe he should have been fined. Can you explain why he shouldn't have been?
Peter King: Because it was a football play. He tackled the guy very hard and tried to drill him into the ground. I've seen players try that 1,000 times in my 16 years covering the NFL. It was no big deal. There might be a lot of reasons to fine Siragusa, but that hit wasn't one of them.
From Guest: Peter, I know you've done a 180 on Collins, and I agree that he's turned things around. However, I'm still not sure he will be able to handle the Baltimore defense. What do you think? Also, how has the drive-thru Starbucks treated you?
Peter King: On Collins, I agree. I'm not sure he can make enough plays, either. He might get knocked out on the second series. Who knows? But I do think he has a better chance to stand against the defense than does Dilfer against the Giants D. Re: Starbucks -- I drove through with Paul Zimmerman the other day and we had the lattes of our lives.
From FMI: Do you like the Giants position right now of being the team that's not getting all the publicity? They seem to be going about their business while letting the Ravens showcase their animosity toward the press. Your thoughts?
Peter King: I think none of that matters. There are 2,300 media people here who have to write or say something every day, and it is us making the big deal of these stories. I talked to Brian Billick about all of it this morning and to tell you the truth, he and the Ravens are reveling in the bad-boy thing.
From Guest: Peter, very simply, who do you think is the better coach, Fassel or Billick?
Peter King: That's a tough one for me. I think Fassel has made all the right moves since mid-November. I think Billick has done a great job turning around the attitude there. I'd like to reserve my call on that one until Sunday, when we'll see which one has his team more ready to play.
From Greg: Hey Peter, do you feel it is fair to assume that if the Giants spread the field they can be successful throwing the football against the Ravens, much like the New York Jets did in the season finale? If you watch the film of that game, the Ravens played a basic defense with no special packages or schemes, unlike in the rest of the playoffs. All they did was line up and attacked Vinny Testaverde and tried to prevent injuries. Look at the film. They had nothing to play for in that game.
Peter King: Yes, but I think you have to realize that the Giants are playing the Ravens at a time when Baltimore has gone to school on that film the same way New York has. I agree that it makes sense to spread the field and I'm sure the Giants will try to make plays on the edges. I look for a trick play or two, and Collins to throw a few deep balls early, to try to loosen up the Baltimore front.
From Guest: Peter, where does Tampa rank for you in terms of Super Bowl-city-hosts?
Peter King: Somewhere in the middle. The convenience for us is great. We walk out of the hotel, we get on a bus and we get police escorts to the stadium, we get police escorts back. They drop us off at the media center and we do our work. We even occasionally get to eat excellent lunches. In fact, right now, I'm at an SI lunch across the Hillsboro River, having just finished a delicious salmon sandwich. Everything here is fine. I'm a huge fan of San Diego, but I guess the NFL isn't going to put the Super Bowl there every year.
From threegoal: Do you see Baltimore having a clear edge in special teams?
Peter King: Absolutely. Other than Ron Dixon's returns, the Giants' special teams are the worst I've seen in this game in some time. I look for Jason Sehorn and maybe Armstead on a team or two trying to stop the Ravens returns.
From Guest: Even if the Ravens win Sunday, do you still think Dilfer will be their quarterback next year?
Peter King: No, not necessarily. It's not out of the question, but I think Billick is leaning toward a change. I think it's most likely that Billick will bring in Brad Johnson next year as a free agent from Washington.
From mjb: How are the players behaving? Will there be any shocking revelations about player activity?
Peter King: Not that I've seen. Of course, I went to the hockey game Tuesday and saw one player who isn't even in the game, Brian Griese, and Art Modell. And last night I was in bed at 10:45. You probably shouldn't get your party updates from me, but it doesn't seem like any player will do anything stupid down here.
From Guest: Won't this game come down to one thing, and one thing only -- turnovers?
Peter King: There's an excellent chance of that. Fassel has tried to drill that into his team in the off-week and to them here this week. I don't see how the Giants can win if they lose the turnover battle by two or three. And I don't see the Ravens being able to survive if they lose the turnover battle at all.
From Magluck: Who's your pick for Super Bowl MVP?
Peter King: Great question. If the Giants win a low-scoring game in the single digits, and win with defense, I pick Armstead. He told me the other day that he's dreamed of this day ever since he was eight. And he told me that if the Giants didn't win the game I might be attending his funeral. And in the Giants' scheme, he's of vital importance. He is the center of their defensive mayhem. And if the Giants put some points on the board it's either Collins or Barber. Those two guys will have to come up big if the game gets to double-digits.
CNNSI.com Host: That's all the time we have for today. Thanks again, Peter.
Peter King: OK, my pleasure. Thanks everybody.
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