The New York Giants are back in the Super Bowl as underdogs, George Bush is back in the White House, and Tampa, Fla. is once again hosting the granddaddy of sports championships. Has anything changed in the past 10 years?
The circumstances for Sunday's Giants-Ravens affair are eerily similar to Super Bowl XXV, but it is also exceedingly clear that some things are going to have to change.
New York's Big Blue still sports an excellent defense with Johnson, Banks and Taylor replaced by Strahan, Hamilton, Barrow and Sehorn. The Giants still have an admirable running game that defines their offense, but if head coach Jim Fassel's squad hopes to triumph on Sunday, they will once again need to exceed expectations with their passing game.
It was West Virginia graduate Jeff Hostleter who entered the NFL with the same predictions of glory as did Penn State's Kerry Collins. It took both quarterbacks just a little longer to reach the pinnacle of their sport.
On Sunday, the Ravens will stack eight or more in the box and force Collins to beat them through the air, just as the Vikings did two weeks ago only to surrender 41 points and five passing touchdowns to the Big Blue.
Suddenly the adjectives describing the Giants' offense went from modest and conservative to dangerous and opportunistic.
All that having been said, the Ravens and Bills are very different teams. Buffalo's defense was good, but not great, and the same could be said of the Baltimore offense with Trent Dilfer at quarterback and untested but very talented rookie Jamal Lewis leading the running game.
At the same time, Baltimore's defense is exceptional at nearly every position, with the possible exception of a few in the defensive backfield.
In the end, the Giants will have to look back at their ball-control technique of 10 years ago and amend it slightly. They will need to hold onto the ball for short periods of time and keep the Ravens defense off the field. They have to trust that their defense can stop Baltimore's offense and be willing to take frequent shots down the field.
The Giants will have to take the positive lessons from their stadium mates' -- the Jets -- 34-20 loss during the final week of the season. The Al Groh-led Jets were up 14-0 before the blink of an eye using a no-huddle offense and a five wide receiver set to spread out the Ravens' formidable defense and keep certain packages on the field. The Ravens forced six Jets' turnovers during the rest of the game and had Jermaine Lewis score two special teams touchdowns to help Baltimore on their way into the fourth seed in the AFC.
New Yorkers know that the terms "no-huddle" and "Giant offense" together comprise an oxymoron. But with offensive coordinator Sean Payton making the calls, all bets are off. Don't be surprised if Big Blue steals a play from their Super Bowl squad from 14 years ago and mimics the Phil Simms-Joe Morris-Phil McConkey 44-yard flea-flicker.
Before we look at what Baltimore must counter with to win the contest, let's take a Tampa halftime break past and present. In 1991, Whitney Houston opened the game with the Star-Spangled Banner before the New Kids on the Block were "Hangin' Tough" at halftime. This year a different boy band, N'Sync, will be joined by Aerosmith for the halftime show while the quirky amalgam of Ray Charles and Styx surround the Backstreet Boys rendition of the National Anthem.
Back to the game. The Ravens will need to continue making plays on all sides of the ball, including the offensive one. They will need to put pressure on Collins and force poor decisions as they did to Testaverde in the triumph over the Jets.
Their secondary must shut down the underrated Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard to spoil New York's return to Tampa.
Finally, Trent Dilfer must come out to play. None of the defenses that Baltimore has faced has the personnel that the Giants have and few of the teams have played as consistently on all sides of the ball. The Ravens offense will need to put at least a touchdown or two on the board to win this game.
Despite those who cry "parity" and vow not to watch, this year's Tampa edition of the contest should not disappoint in the excitement department.
The biggest winner may end up being the city of Tampa, proving that they can hold a worldwide event in hopes that they will be awarded the 2012 Olympics.
Incidentally, leading that charge is Mayor Bill Poe, who has tried to remain impartial despite his name. His first name seems to support the Buffalo team from ten years ago, while he shares his last with the Baltimore poet who provided the inspiration for the football team's mascot.
Despite a man named Poe hosting the game, I'll take Giants 20, Ravens 19 with Brad Daluiso knocking down the 47-yard field goal from the same right hash that Scott Norwood missed some ten years ago. Some things change and some just stay the same. Enjoy the game.
