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Rams face Super clash with Titans


War Room: Titans vs. Rams
The War Room

A detailed breakdown of Super Bowl XXXIV:

Tennessee offense vs. St. Louis defense
These are two underrated units that probably will be the deciding factor in the Super Bowl.

TENNESSEE OFFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
Run 13
Pass 17
Tot. Yds. 15
Scoring 7
Int's allowed 13
Sacks allowed 26
   
ST. LOUIS DEFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
vs. Run 1
vs. Pass 24
Total yds. allowed 24
# of Ints. 29
# of Sacks 57
Turnover differential +5

Tennessee's offense is not much of a threat because the Titans have little speed at wide receiver, Steve McNair is not much of a vertical passer, and Eddie George's running style is more conducive to a slow tempo attack. Nevertheless, the Titans offense has done a fine job of capitalizing on plays made by their defense and always seem to find a way to score just enough points.

The key is going to be Tennessee's ability to score early. The Rams have outscored their opponents by 90 points in the first quarter of games this season, and that's the main reason why the St. Louis defense has been so successful -- it has had the opportunity to play extremely aggressively and take risks in its blitz packages because of early leads.

Tennessee is going to stick with a two-tight end formation for most of the game -- the Titans feel they are most dynamic in that set. As effective as fullback Lorenzo Neal is as an isolation blocker, the team does not believe that it can disguise its play-calling enough to keep him in the lineup. Also, tight end Jackie Harris and H-Back Frank Wycheck have been extremely successful late in the season because of their versatility. Harris and Wycheck are both known for their receiving skills, but it has been their effort as run-blockers that has opened up a lot of scouts' eyes over the last seven weeks.

The interesting aspect of the Tennessee offense is the H-back position, because it creates so many matchup problems. Wycheck has great size and athleticism, which makes him a mismatch for linebackers as well as safeties.

One advantage the Rams have is the fact that Tennessee's receiving corps presents little threat in the deep third, especially considering Yancey Thigpen will be less than 100 percent -- if he plays at all. So the Rams corners, Todd Lyght and Dexter McCleon, will be able to play in man-to-man coverage, leaving safeties Devin Bush and Billy Jenkins free to cover the tight end and running back positions.

The Titans simply do not have the passing attack to keep in this contest. They should be able to control the line of scrimmage in the running game, but with minimal threat coming from the air, St. Louis is going to stack the line of scrimmage and smother the run until the Titans prove that they can take advantage on one-on-one coverage on the outside.

St. Louis offense vs. Tennessee defense
This is an extremely interesting matchup because of the speed and aggressive styles on both sides of ball.

ST. LOUIS OFFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
Run 15
Pass 1
Tot. Yds. 1
Scoring 1
Int's allowed 15
Sacks allowed 33
TENNESSEE DEFENSE
Ranking in the NFL:
vs. Run 11
vs. Pass 25
Total yds. allowed 17
# of Ints. 16
# of Sacks 54
Turnover differential +18

There are obviously a lot of critical individual matchups to evaluate, but the main concern for the Titans will be their ability to contain the Rams' receiving corps as a unit. Ordinarily, Tennessee likes to take a lot of chances on defense. The Titans run an extremely aggressive "46" style that features lots of zone blitzing and stunting underneath to disguise the coverage and attack.

However, the Titans are in a predicament because of the loss of free safety Marcus Robertson. Robertson was the ball-hawking free safety who played center field to give his corners help in coverage. Now, the Titans are going to be forced to work in Perry Phenix and Anthony Dorsett, which means that strong safety Blaine Bishop is going to have to be less aggressive close to the line of scrimmage and more concerned with coverage in the deep third against the speed of the Rams receivers.

Denard Walker and Samari Rolle will be counted on to play on an island against the likes of Rams' Az-Zahir Hakim, Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce and Ricky Proehl. Walker and Rolle have done an outstanding job in coverage this season because they have had a lot of help from the pass rush, but expect the Tennessee corners to get picked on some because of the speed and size they give up when matching up in man-to-man coverage.

Another problem the Titans are presented with is the fact Bishop is going to be less of a factor against the run. Tennessee has done an excellent job of shutting down the run this season, and some of the credit needs to go to a scheme that involves eight men close to the line of scrimmage to take away the cut back lane by creating more of a "44" look. With Robertson out of last week's game, Tennessee was forced to play less aggressive on first and second down, but were still effective because of the play of defensive tackles Josh Evans and Jason Fisk.

The difference this week, however, is the fact that the Rams are going to spread the field more than the Jaguars did last week, meaning Tennessee might be forced into a lot more nickel packages. We have seen it all year from St. Louis. The Rams have so many different ways to attack a defense and the reason the Rams are so successful is because they adapt to what the defense is giving them.

The Rams will rely heavily on quarterback Kurt Warner's ability to pick up the blitz and make the proper pre-snap reads at the line of scrimmage. But more than anything, the play of running back Marshall Faulk should be the difference in this game. If Faulk is able to contribute both as a runner and as a receiver, the Titans will have very little chance of stopping St. Louis' offensive scheme.

Special teams
St. Louis was without the services of electrifying kick returner Tony Horne when the teams played earlier this season in Nashville and his replacement, Ron Carpenter, contributed little.

NFL RANK
Category TITANS RAMS
Punt return avg. 10 14
Kickoff return avg. 21 1
Opp. punt return avg. 18 5
Opp. kickoff ret. avg. 21 30
Time of possession 1 6

Horne and punt returner Az Hakim pose special problems for Tennessee's hustling coverage teams because their styles are complementary. Horne is a blazing straight-line speedster, and Hakim has rare lateral quickness. But in either case, the Titans must break down well on the ball carrier.

Tennessee's Derrick Mason's 80-yard kickoff return last Sunday was the pivotal play that seemed to deflate Jacksonville, and he is attacking the seams with confidence. The Titans have a clear advantage in the kicking game, as Craig Hentrich has tons of Super Bowl experience, and Al Del Greco is much healthier than St. Louis' Jeff Wilkins.

The Rams lost an opportunity to force overtime against the Titans on Oct. 31 when Wilkins missed a late field goal. It will be interesting to see how that play affects him Sunday.

Key matchups

  • Rams RT Fred Miller vs. Titans LDE Jevon Kearse
    Miller's play since midseason has been outstanding, as he has held up against some of the top pass rushers in the league, such as the Giants' Michael Strahan. Kearse should be able to beat Miller with his speed off the edge, but it will be important for him to get off to a fast start. Miller will try to make this matchup as physical as possible.

  • Titans MLB Barron Wortham vs. Rams RB Marshall Faulk
    Faulk shredded the Titans for 184 yards from scrimmage in the regular-season meeting. Wortham and the rest of Tennessee's linebacking corps must attack the line of scrimmage, while making sure Faulk doesn't slip out of the backfield into the flat.

  • Titans CB Samari Rolle vs. Rams WR Isaac Bruce
    This is a true speed vs. speed battle. Rolle tends to struggle against big receivers, but he has had some of his best game against vertical players like Jacksonville's Jimmy Smith. Bruce needs to beat single coverage when the Titans opt for the blitz. Recent Super Bowls have seen guys like Antonio Freeman and Rod Smith emerge, the Rams need Bruce to be that player Sunday.

    The Titans will win if ...

  • The defense keeps the heat on Warner. St. Louis' MVP quarterback finished with great numbers (29-for-46, 328 yards, three TDs) in the regular-season meeting, but he never had enough time to test Tennessee's deep coverage. While they don't need to repeat their early season six-sack performance, Kearse and company must get consistent pressure.

  • McNair plays smart football. The Titans can't afford for McNair to put them in a hole early. In their previous matchup, McNair didn't throw for many yards but he threw two crucial touchdown passes and no interceptions. When McNair reads defenses well, he runs with a purpose, not out of desperation.

  • They dictate the pace of the game. For the second consecutive week, the Titans will take on a finesse team with great skill players on offense. It will be imperative that Tennessee plays physical on both sides of the ball, with George as the catalyst.

    The Rams will win if ...

  • They execute offensively. The Rams didn't so much lose the last meeting as they fumbled it away. The Rams lost three of five fumbles in the regular-season contest in Nashville because they were careless and unprepared for the physical Titans defense.

  • The offense gets positive plays on first down. Lackluster production on first down in the initial meeting between these clubs resulted in a 17 percent (2-for-12) third-down conversion rate. If St. Louis can consistently get four yards or more on first down, it will allow offensive coordinator Mike Martz to use his entire offensive package.

  • The defense forces McNair to beat them on the perimeter. This was Jacksonville's goal last week and they were unable to accomplish it. McNair completed just four passes to his receivers the last time out against St. Louis, but he was able to get the job done with his feet. In order to take away the short passing game, St. Louis needs to pinch the middle of the field and get strong play from its linebackers in coverage.

    The War Room edge
    Both teams are playing with confidence and emotion, but St. Louis seems to be in control of the intangibles. The Georgia Dome's quick turf favors the Rams' wide-open offense and does very little for Tennessee's ball-control attack. St. Louis fell behind 21-0 in the regular-season meeting between these teams, but rallied and nearly forced overtime. If Tennessee was unable to put this team away at home, it's difficult to envision the Titans taking care of business on a neutral field. Dick Vermeil will cry tears of joy once again Sunday.

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