Magical Mystical Tour

Sporting News, The, Jan 31, 2000 by Paul Attner

Kurt Warner's mesmerism aside, there are concrete reasons he and the Rams will finish off a super season

I believe in magic. At least, when it is draped all over Kurt Warner. There are multiple reasons to choose the Titans to win this most evenly matched Super Bowl in memory. But even though they, too, generate a feel-good aura and have strengths galore to carve out a victory, I can't shake those magical vibes about Warner.

So let's ride this most unlikely of all NFL hero stories for one more week. Let's figure that Warner, after an afternoon of frustration against the magnificent Bucs defense, will mesmerize the Titans with just enough of his magical methods to give the Rams their first Super Bowl triumph.

Befuddle Warner, figure out his spells, turn his receivers into imitations, and the Titans will be able to finish what the Bucs couldn't. But as close as Tampa came to transforming Warner into just another guy named Kurt, he destroyed their memorable defensive effort with one wonderfully thrown touchdown pass in the final minutes. It couldn't have just been skill; something magical has to be surrounding this guy, refusing to allow him to wake up and understand this mystical ride of his has to stop abruptly sometime.

The Titans will fall because of the very nature of their defensive personality. They can't abide the patience of the Bucs, who sit in those confounding zone coverages and dare a quarterback to be disciplined enough to figure out solutions without committing game-turning mistakes. Not until that winning touchdown was Warner, who already had thrown three interceptions, good enough to find a lapse in the defense. Not until that throw could Warner really find the Bucs in an isolated matchup against one of his receivers. And even then safety help arrived, but too late.

In Atlanta, the Titans will serve up a decent amount of man-on-man coverage, just enough to give Warner a window of big-play opportunity. It will come down to those moments: Can his offensive line hold off the pressure of the Titans' front four long enough to allow him to capitalize on the one-on-one coverages? His receivers need to win those matchups, and Warner needs not only to recognize them but also to deliver the same kind of accurate passes that served as the centerpiece of the Rams' offensive dynamo in the regular season. And he will.

Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell wasn't up to that challenge. He tried to pounce on the Titans' secondary last Sunday in Jacksonville, but his throws were too often late or off target. The really bad ones were picked off--two in all--and a bunch more should have been. Other times, his receivers were pummeled by a very physical bunch of defensive backs. Brunell's disappointing performance gave his team no chance to win against such an opportunistic opponent.

But Brunell hasn't been in Warner's class all season. No one has. And that's the difference. This guy had every reason to fold against the Bucs. You could see the frustration mount with each thwarted possession. He was wavering, staggering, ready to fall, as was his team. Yet, who could have asked for a more beautiful winning touchdown pass? It arched serenely and settled gently into Ricky Proehl's waiting hands. A tad shorter, a bit higher and it would have been either knocked down or intercepted. The football gods had to be riding with that throw, anointing it the difference maker, not allowing the Rams to lose.

Even Ravens coach Brian Billick, who picks the Titans to win, admits discounting Warner's magic could be a mistake.

"As crazy as it may seem, it may come down to fate with him," says Billick. "This is his team and his season, and he's just supposed to finish it off."

By now, Titans supporters surely are screaming, what about us? OK, there is something special about this team, too. First, the Titans already should be eliminated, if not for a horrendous special teams breakdown by Buffalo in the wild-card game three weeks ago. So something crazy is going on with them. Second, they keep playing opponents who supposedly are better, yet they keep winning. They've beaten the Jaguars three times, including last Sunday's in-your-face AFC championship trouncing despite the best grimaces of Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin and a very spirited Jacksonville crowd. The previous week, they sauntered into Indianapolis and shut down the Colts and--yes, I have not forgotten--they were the first team to defeat the Rams in the regular season.

Such a portfolio should guarantee one heck of a Super Bowl and, save for Warner, my pick to win. Too bad the ratings probably will be disappointing--small markets and all. Fans who find something else to do come game time will miss out on two impressive teams that bring fresh faces and scintillating athletic ability to this gala. Neither franchise expected to be here, and neither has been spoiled by its unanticipated achievements. The players will provide us with special theater, a rare claim for these NFL title contests.

Warner already has gotten a head start on the dramatics part. To refresh everyone's memory, go back to September. If I told you then that Kurt Warner would be the league MVP, how hard would you have laughed--after you asked, Kurt Who? So be careful about bailing out on him just because of one underachieving performance. He still is the same guy who produced Herculean numbers in the regular season, statistics that, if duplicated over enough years, result in Hall of Fame inductions. This wasn't just a breakout year for Warner, it was a season that hardly any quarterback in NFL history could duplicate. If he were going to fold, it would have happened weeks ago.