NFL NUGGETS : New England’s Wilfork hard to handle inside
Posted on Thursday, January 31, 2008
It seems like in every Super Bowl, an unlikely hero steps up.
Last year, Indianapolis DB Kelvin Hayden returned an interception 56 yards to clinch the win over the Bears.
In 1996, Dallas CB Larry Brown picked off two Neil O'Donnell passes in the second half to lock up victory over Pittsburgh.
Back in 1988, little-known Redskins running back Timmy Smith ran for a Super Bowl-record 204 yards against the Broncos.
Those are just three examples of players who saved their best game for the biggest game.
So will an unlikely hero emerge from the shadows Sunday ? I think so, but it's going to have to be an awfully big shadow.
If the Giants are to have a chance to win Super Bowl XLII, they must find a way to move massive Patriots DT Vince Wilfork.
When the Patriots won Super Bowl XXXVIII, they had Ted Washington, another immovable fatso, at DT. Big Ted was a boulder against Carolina in the Pats' 32-29 win in 2004.
The difference between the two is that while Washington could not be budged - even by double teams - Wilfork has the ability to move up and down the line and make plays.
Wilfork isn't just a hulking lardstack. He's strong as a bull and plays with a real bad attitude. Last week, he was fined $ 5, 000 by the NFL for grabbing the facemask of San Diego running back Michael Turner in the AFC Championship Game.
It was Wilfork's fourth league fine this season. His transgressions include a low hit that caused a knee injury to Buffalo QB J. P. Losman and a late hit on Dallas TE Jason Witten.
Wilfork's third fine-able offense of the season came in the Patriots' regular-season finale against the New York Giants. Wilfork stuck his finger in the facemask of Giants RB Brandon Jacobs, and the two will get a chance to settle things on Sunday.
I don't have a problem with the big guys mixing it up a little. It's all in good fun.
That's why I'm looking forward to the head-up match between Wilfork and Giants center Shaun O'Hara. O'Hara has a nasty streak of his own, and was called a dirty player by some Green Bay Packers prior to the NFC Championship Game. It's not likely O'Hara can handle Wilfork by himself for the whole game. If the Giants are smart, they'll double team Wilfork all night.
• • • Every year I pick as much dumb stuff about the Super Bowl as I can. At the start of the season, I picked New England to win it all, so I have to stay with that. And I also think the Patriots will win handily. But I don't have to like it. Super Bowl XLII Predictions: First touchdown scored: Catch by New England WR Wes Welker. First turnover: Interception by New York QB Eli Manning. Halftime score: New England 21, New York 10. What I'll be doing during the always-awful halftime show: Watching "Death Wish 4: The Crackdown"on AMC. Best commercial: As I predict every year, the best Super Bowl commercial will involve either fat guys or monkeys. And I'm never wrong.
Leading passer: Tom Brady, QB, New England.
Leading rusher: Laurence Maroney, RB, New England.
Leading tackler: Gibril Wilson, FS, New York.
Final score: New England 35, New York 24.
MVP: Tom Brady, QB, New England.
Joe West is the assistant sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.
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