Rams are just too good to lose

Sorry, no references to the latest Hollywood ‘it’ girls over here.

No Buster Douglas-like stories of overcoming insurmountable odds.

Just raw football facts. The Rams are too good to lose this Sunday.

Now, I’m a believer in the ‘any given day’ theory — that is, any team could win any game, ‘they put their pants on just like us,’ ‘that’s why they play the games’ and all of the other things coaches tell an underdog team that is probably about to get walloped. So sure the Patriots have a chance on Sunday, but it’s slim at best.

The Rams all-world running back Marshall Faulk put it in plain terms earlier in the week. If St. Louis doesn’t turn the ball over, he said, the Rams are unbeatable.

I don’t like to jump on bandwagons, but he’s dead right. In the Rams’ two losses this season, they had a combined 14 turnovers. Last week against the Eagles, one of the few teams that defended the Rams’ passing game well in the regular season, the Rams controlled the clock by running the ball. Actually, by mashing it down the Eagles throats, and as a Philly fan, it truly pains me to say that. They also didn’t turn the ball over.

The Rams are versatile enough to give it to a defense any which way. When Faulk isn’t running or one of their speedy recievers isn’t catching a deep post, tight end Ernie Conwell or some other little-known guy is sneaking into the flat for a touchdown reception. Offensively, they hit from all angles.

But what really makes them unbeatable is the new-and-improved defense. It’s been ballyhooed, so you probably know the basics: Tony Dungy disciple Lovie Smith takes over the coordinator post, appoints eight new starters and ‘shazzam!’ The once defenseless team has a defense.

They’re faster, deeper and more experienced than New England. They’ve been to the Super Bowl before and won (in 1999). So we’ve got the logical angles covered.

Any sports fan worth his salt knows that the Super Bowl is usually a cut-and-dried letdown. Here are some more logical angles not based on Xs and Os.

Nine times out of 10, the Super Bowl is a blowout. Two years ago it was close… so we’ve got eight more blowouts before the next good game.

My friends in Boston have been living in a (Tom) Brady-esque fantasy world all year, and I’m still waiting for the charade to end. At least I know that all Boston teams not wearing Celtic green are cursed, and forbidden by the gods of sport to win the big one.

The Patriots past two Super Bowl appearances have coincided with teams at their crest, as the Rams are now. The Bears could have been a dynasty, but won their lone Super Bowl in 1985. Same with the Packers, who beat the Pats a decade later.

There just aren’t enough Lawyer Milloys, Damien Woodys and Troy Browns on the Patriots team.

I remember my father turning off the Bears-Patriots Super Bowl late in the third quater to fire up the Atari 2600… Nowadays, it’s Sony PlayStation, but everything is destined to come full circle, right?

You know, there’s nothing enviable about writing a column proclaiming that the overwhelming favorite is an overwhelming favorite. No one will be impressed when I predict a blowout and it happens, like they were last year when I took the Ravens in a walk. I won’t even get a pat on the back.

But I will get to end my favorite time of the year –football season — in pure Super bliss. Okay, so my favorite teams aren’t playing, so I’ll hope for a good game. Since that’s unlikely, at least we can see a few great players shine. Can’t we? If worst comes to worst, can we get a good commercial this year?

Oh, I suppose I will follow Hunsicker’s lead… if the Super Bowl gets really ugly (can you say 46-10?), folks can always switch over to ABC and catch Jennifer Garner in Alias. It’s about as suspenseful as this Super Bowl will be… you already know who’s gonna kick butt, but you’ll want to watch anyway.

Keith McMillan is a staff writer for the Potomac News & Manassas Journal Messenger. Reach him at (703) 878-8053 or at [email protected]