Sunday, January 17, 1999
Belichick defense key for Jets
BY GEOFF HOBSON
The Cincinnati Enquirer
DENVER — CBS has the TV rights for today's AFC championship game. But it really should be on the History Channel when the underdog New York Jets try to repeat their upset of the ages 30 years to the week Joe Willie Namath shocked the Colts in Super Bowl III.
There is a Mile High of nostalgia welling up in the Broncos' faithful for what looks to be quarterback John Elway's last home game after 16 seasons of brilliance on the run.
More nostalgia?
Jets defensive coordinator Bill Belichick and his head coach, Bill Parcells, have already beaten Elway once in a championship game, but that was 12 years ago in the Super Bowl. Now Elway has Davis instead of Gerald Willhite and Belichick doesn't have superstars like Lawrence Taylor, Carl Banks and Harry Carson.
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And the past two times Elway faced Parcells, the Broncos stung the Patriots in 1995 and 1996, 37-3, and 34-8, respectively. Belichick was the coordinator in the 1996 game.
“It's pretty much the same scheme, but they've changed it up a little bit. They've got a little bit more flexibility with that four-man line,” Elway said.
Translation: Belichick has used enough variations of a 3-4 defense to drive you batty. Against the Bills, the Jets confounded quarterback Doug Flutie with four linemen, four linebackers and three defensive backs.
In the 1990 playoffs, Belichick stunned his foes by switching from the 3-4 he used all season to a 4-3. He changed schemes in all three games, including using two linemen and five linebackers in the Giants' Super Bowl win over the Bills.
“They adjust during games, and if you don't adjust, you won't put many points on the board,” said Denver coach Mike Shanahan, as highly regarded on offense as Belichick is on defense.
Some pundits say today's key matchup is Shanahan vs. Belichick. The Broncos have rolled up 501 points behind Elway and running back Terrell Davis while Belichick's multiple defenses hide the fact he doesn't have one dominant player on a unit that came within a point (266) of allowing the NFL's fewest.
Of course, Shanahan is known for taking his opponents by surprise, too. When he was the offensive coordinator for San Francisco, he paralyzed the Chargers' secondary on the third play of a Super Bowl when he broke tendencies and put receiver Jerry Rice in motion before sending him straight down the field for a touchdown pass.
In fact, Paul Attner of The Sporting News suggests whoever wins the Belichick-Shanahan chess match early may set the tempo. With Shanahan scripting the first 15 plays, the Broncos have outscored foes, 54-9, on first possessions and 158-54 in the first quarter, taking the load off a suspect defense.
There have been whispers out of New York that the Jets will load up against Davis to stop the run and let Elway beat them, a once improbable thought.
“I can live with that,” said Broncos tight end Shannon Sharpe. “I'll take my chances if they stop No. 30. I'll take my chances with No. 7 back there. He's done it so many times before. I think once you've become a great football player you don't forget how to be great.”
Davis shredded the Dolphins for 199 yards last week, using cut backs to bedevil the NFL's No. 3 defense.
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