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Center of attention Giants to focus on Ravens' weak link: QB Dilfer
Updated: Wednesday January 24, 2001 12:03 AM
Trent Dilfer may have taken over as the Ravens' starter at quarterback and led them to 10 consecutive wins, but when you look at his performances, you can't really say he's carried the team so far. He hasn't had to. The Giants must put this game on Dilfer's shoulders if they want to come out victorious. Before coming to the Ravens, Dilfer had thrown 70 touchdowns against 80 interceptions in his career. This year to date he has 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. It's hard to imagine a Super Bowl-winning QB with 84 career TDs and 92 career interceptions. Dilfer has managed to dodge the bullet in the past few weeks as Baltimore's defense and special teams bailed out the offense. (Remember the last regular-season game of the year when the Ravens' attack managed just five first downs against the Jets?)
So what can the Giants do to shift the pressure to Dilfer? Stopping Jamal Lewis on first down to force second-and-long would be a good place to start. New York will put one safety in run support on all first downs and have an unblocked defender on every rushing play. The Ravens run on first down almost 80 percent of the time and 60 percent of those attempts go to the left. Someone will be there waiting for Mr. Lewis. If it's second-and-7 or more, the passing attempts shoot up to near 55 percent. That's when Giants defensive coordinator John Fox will get his first shot at Dilfer. Look for blitz pressure up inside against the Ravens in these situations. Fox believes in pressure defense and he knows Dilfer throws most of his passes from right behind the center. The Giants are anxious to get the matchup inside of their defensive tackles and one blitzing linebacker on the Baltimore guards and center. The Ravens' inside three of Edwin Mulitalo, Jeff Mitchell and Mike Flynn are good run blockers but have struggled as pass protectors. They will be up against defensive tackles Keith Hamilton and Cornelius Griffin (15 sacks combined in the regular season, plus two in the playoffs). Inside linebackers Michael Barrow and Jessie Armstead can be just as effective. They got to the quarterback 8 1/2 times during the year and 2 1/2 more in the postseason. There shouldn't be any help for the Ravens' inside three because the extra blocker, be that a back or a tight end, must help right tackle Harry Swayne against Michael Strahan or there will be a jail break on every pass play. It's said that you're only as strong as your weakest link. That doesn't bode well for the Ravens. The Giants will make Dilfer the center of attention and force him to throw the ball. And just wait until the Ravens find themselves in a two-minute drill situation. Then we'll finally get to see the Trent Dilfer that Tampa Bay decided to let go. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout, and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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