Greg & Phil's Playoff Preview
Just one more week until Super Bowl XXXIV. Who will fill in the final pieces of the puzzle? Can the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pull off the huge upset against the St. Louis Rams? And will the Tennessee Titans bring down the Jacksonville Jaguars, as they did the Indianapolis Colts last weekend?
To help you out CBS.com will be sitting down with CBS Sports announcers all season to give you their previews and opinions about current NFL news and each week's schedule.
CBS Sports' No. 1 team Phil Simms and Greg Gumbel are hear to kickoff the championship weekend.
CBS.com: The Tennessee Titans have beaten the Jacksonville Jaguars twice this season. Do you feel the advantage stays with Tennessee or because of the difficulty to beat a team three times in the NFL -- does the advantage shift to Jacksonville?
Gumbel and Simms: (Gumbel)I don't think the two games that were played earlier are going to make much of a difference, once they take the field Larry. The teams, as we've talked to them... the Jacksonville Jaguars are a pretty confident football team here this week. So confident that, as Phil mentioned earlier, you would swear that they didn't lose two games to Tennessee earlier.
(Simms)I think the big thing about the game is they both know each other. They know what the other team likes to do. In other words, they know the formations, the plays they like to run. But each team knows physically what the other team can do. In other words the match-ups... the defensive backs for Tennessee, they know how fast, they know how fast Jacksonville wide receivers are because they have faced them a couple of times. I think that is important.
So when you put all that together, what it tells me is that we are going to have a game that is going to be close, going to be physical. And I think it is going to be low scoring and it is will come down to the end of the game to see who wins.
Gumbel and Simms on Tennessee versus Jacksonville.Gumbel and Simms on Tampa Bay's chances versus St. Louis.
Gumbel and Simms on Super Bowl XXXIV match-ups.
CBS.com: Obviously the St. Louis Rams, on paper, have a huge advantage over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. What will it take for Tampa Bay to throw off this high-powered offense and pull off the huge upset?
Gumbel and Simms: (Gumbel) Well, in addition to being, having a huge advantage on paper, I think they have a huge advantage on the field to. They are going to be playing in a place where they are very comfortable, where they were very successful this year. Where they are as fast as they possibly can be.
And for Tampa to pull off an upset like this, I think St. Louis is going to have consistently turn the football over. It is always a possibility, I just don't if that is going to happen in game with this much meaning.
(Simms) That is what it will take. I think Tampa Bay has to make St. Louis turn the football over, and take those turnovers and score with them.
I don't think St. Louis is going to run up and down the field, against Tampa Bay's defense, like they have everyone else. Don't confuse Minnesota's defense with Tampa Bay's. There is no comparison there. Minnesota is at one end of the spectrum; Tampa Bay's defense is on the whole other end. It is one of the best in the National Football League.
I think St. Louis is going to be surprised on how good they are physically.
CBS.com: What match-up would you like to see in Super Bowl XXXIV?
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I don't mean to speak for Phil, but the only thing I care about in any football game is seeing the team which performs best on the field advancing. (Simms) I don't want to predict the games really this weekend. I am just looking forward to it. I just hope our game is competitive, close, hard fought. All those things I think are going to happen any way.
I want the people at home to enjoy these football teams... all four of them. Both games. Because, as I look at them, these are noone-year wonders. These teams are going to be around a while because they are good -- and they are young good. They have got a lot of young players that are going to be there a for a few years.
So if you don't like Tennessee, and Jacksonville, and Tampa Bay and St. Louis, well you are not going to be watching a lot of playoff football the next couple of years because these teams are going to be in there for a while.
(Gumbel) That's my problem, I am good but I am not young good. (Both) Yeah!
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Simms: You know I don't even have a good opinion on Bill Parcells, and what is going to go on. I really don't. Because it is, it is talked about so much and they go on and on about it, that I almost don't even pay attention anymore. I just go, when is someone going to make a decision and lets get this thing over with.
So, what is he going to do? I don't know. I don't think, just to give you an answer, I do not think he is going to come back and coach. Because I saw Bill Parcells two days after the season was over... and I haven't seen him that relaxed, and content, in a long time.
And I think the reason why was, he knew it was over. He knew a long struggle in his life -- all the hard days, and nights, and games -- it's over. And he can go on and enjoy another aspect of his life. So I just can't imagine him given that up and getting back into coaching again.
Produced by James Hutton and Larry Roth