[rmjvol]

Kudos to the Tennessee defense. They did an excellent job of containing the Gators' run and shoot offense...so well, in fact, that the Gators had two opportunities late in the game down in the Vols' red zone, and were unable to convert. The Vols pinned their ears back and stuffed the Gators on two critical fourth downs, pretty much guaranteeing a victory and silencing the Swamp.

If I could, I'd give the game ball to the defense (oh, and to James Banks too, for that incredible catch!).

[DeansRedHalo]

Defense wins championships...offense sells tickets.

[golferttu]

Yes it is true that offense sells tickets, but who is gonna come see a team score 45 or more points and then still get beat because there defense sucks. The bottom line is that along with an offense you have to have a defense. I mean noone is gonna come watch a team that score alot and then doesn't even contend for any kind of bowl game or anything. Noone wants to see that. I would rather see a halfway good offense and a awesome defense that shuts people down and wins games, rather than no defense that gets a high powered offense beat because they can't stop anyone.

[DeansRedHalo]

golferttu, and the point of your paragraph was???

Wouldn't you rather win championships than sell tickets, anyway?

The point is, most of your average fans go to football games to watch big money players catch touchdown passes or run for 100 yards. Yet, they fail to realize that defense is the real key to victory.

People would think it boring to watch a stifling defensive ballgame.

Bottom line: If your defense is good enough, your offense can be lacking and you can still win. Defense wins championships, and those, in turn, sell tickets.

Peace out.

hey, hey...I think both of you made some legitimate points. Personally, I hate watching games that end with a final score along the lines of 3-6, with the only scores being field goals. I think any sports fan will tell you that it's more exciting to see a high scoring game or at least moderately high scoring game, than a battle of kickers.
In response to winning championships, a team must have an ideal blend of both offense and defense. A team has to be strong of both sides of the ball to succeed. Take the Miami Hurricanes for example. They had the perfect run and gun offense in 2002, which got them to the championship. But what happened to them when they got there? Ohio State's defense shut them down...showing that just having the perfect offense isn't enough to pull of the big one.

[bpjett]

oh by the way...that last post was by me...wasn't logged in....

[DeansRedHalo]

Yes, but look at the Ohio State Buckeyes (who, by the way, defeated Miami for the national championship last season).

They were a defensive team. Craig Krenzel wasn't a very accomplished passer, and the only real offensive threat was Maurice Clarett.

However, the Buckeyes' defense was stellar, and led the nation in nearly every category you could come up with. Clarett made perhaps the biggest play of the ballgame on the DEFENSIVE side, when he stripped a Miami defensive player who had interecepted a Krenzel pass. Also, with the game on the line, Miami couldn't get past the gritty OSU defense, and Ken Dorsey was hurried and rushed all night and unable to step up into the pocket and hit his open receivers. Need I even mention the injury to Willis McGahee that OSU applied?

Another case in point: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The league's leading defense soundly trounced the league's leading offensive team, picking off the MVP Rich Gannon five times for three TDs. The Bucs' offense was good, but it wouldn't have been potent enough to win that game without the help of a stellar defensive unit. Indeed, the Bucs probably would have never gotten there with their offense resting on the shoulders of an unpopular, aging quarterback, an unproven young running back, and a receiver who would rather show you his car than make a big catch.

Tampa Bay would not have won the Super Bowl if it hadn't been for Simeon Rice, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, and John Lynch.

[bpjett]

ummmm....okay....2002 was last year, unless I'm in some kind of alternate dimension! I know Ohio State was a defensive team that was the point of my post....peace

[DeansRedHalo]

I had a brain fart, sorry.