As goes the adage, defense wins championships. And in the National Football League's 2007 championship game, two masters of the "Cover 2" defensive zone coverage scheme meet: the Colts' Head Coach Tony Dungy, and Da Bearsss' Head Coach Lovie Smith.

* Indianapolis vs. Chicago (in Miami)
Sunday, February 4, 2007. 3:25 PM, PST.
Super Bowl XLI
The Battle of the Tampa 2

What's this, then? A Cover who-the-what, now?

Well, it's a form of defensive scheme honed by Indy's Head Coach Tony Dungy back when he was coaching the Tampa Bay Bucs. The scheme is predicated on a simplified format, player discipline in their roles, and team speed. A swarming, patient, ball-hawking bend-don't-break style. The "2" in the Cover 2 refers the base set of the scheme, wherein both safeties play deep from the ball, bisecting the field horizontally into two zones for each to cover.

What sort of players would a team need to run a Cover 2? The front four must be light on their feet and able to generate a pass rush on their own without sending five men at the quarterback. The linebackers must be quick and able to diagnose the offensive playcall from their respective zone. The cornerbacks must be tactful enough to stop a running back in the open field, since their zone is often at the line of scrimmage. The safeties must have the fundamentals to be able to help out in stopping the run (due to the overall form of the Cover 2 favoring speed over strength), and smart enough not to be drawn out of position by offensive chicanery. There can be no freelancers in a Cover 2 scheme. Each man has a part to play, stretching a taut membrane of denial from sideline to sideline. It's about responsibility. For in this scheme, the D truly is only as strong as its weakest link.

Dungy mastered this D in his time at Tampa, with Lane's dad, Monte Kiffin as his defensive coordinator.

Lovie learned it working under Dungy, and brought it with him to the city of the big shoulders, revitalizing the Bears franchise from a bunch of chaotic years under Head Coach Dick Jauron and www.firejohnshoop.com.

These two friends, Lovie and Dungy, pit their shared defensive scheme against one another in a battle of the utmost politeness for all the marbles. Politeness? What is this, the Canadian Football League? Well, it's refreshing. Nice guys, those two.

Back to the show. So, how does one beat a Cover 2?

Simple. Run the ball straight ahead.

The linemen and linebackers are light and speedy, so if an offense must be able to run with power right at 'em and knock 'em about before the D can swarm, then; success. A Cover 2 is built to force an offense to throw the ball, and force a throwing error leading to a turnover. To counteract this, one shan't throw unless you have to, and don't run around the corner, but hit 'em in the mouth and go straight up the gut. It's the only way through.

"The running game is the the key in this one," said American Football Spectacular's Buffalo correspondent DJ Burrito.

Indeed. And so it is.

Which team will be able to dictate the pace of the game with their offense? Which will be able to hew the Gordian Knot of the other's Cover 2?

They that can put points on the board first and run the ball down the other's throat will seize the immediate advantage in this game.

When the Bears have the ball: Da Bearsss may have the advantage when it comes to road-grading smash-mouth football: two Pro Bowlers bulwark their offensive line, center Olin (Olin?) Kreutz, and LG Ruben Brown.

Here's the problem with the Bears trying to establish the run: the Colts will bring safeties down to the line of scrimmage (especially fire hydrant-sized big-hitting Bob Sanders) and positively dare CHI's extremely up-and-down QB Rex Grossman to beat them with the throw.

That's how the much-bemoaned Colts' run D has stopped the ground game in the playoffs -- bringing more guys to the line, and inserting heavy LB Rob Morris specifically to force an offense away from the run (he's the one with the beard, usually). And it's worked mighty well, as the blue-and-white have swarmed powerful running teams Kansas City and New England like a pack of angry blue hornets.

The heavy Bears' O-line versus the light-and-fluffy (excepting wide-load former Buccaneer DT Booger McFarland) Colts' D-line is perhaps the most important matchup 'pon which this game will turn.

Which line will seize the advantage?

When the Colts have the ball: Though they had a Top 5 defense in the regular season, the Bears have been getting lit up through the playoffs. CHI b(e)arly escaped the Seahawks in overtime, and traded punches with New Orleans until Grossman landed a dagger deepball right through the middle of the Saints' makeshift secondary to set up the final score.

The Bears' defense must keep the ball out of QB Peyton Manning's hands, or he will orchestrate the Colts' three-wideout one-back offense down the field masterfully, with the inelegant goose-like grace of Les Claypool on the bass guitar. (And today's Groundhog's Day, naturally.)

Peyton will generate points. Da Bearsss' task, consistent with the Cover 2's basic philosophy, will be to bend, not break. Minimize his possessions, take away his receivers with bump-and-run coverage, to hit and frustrate the NFL's best quarterback, and pray that good Grossman will be make more plays than bad Grossman on the other side of the ball.

The onus will be on the Bears' pass rushers -- DE Alex Brown, DE Adewale "Gesundheit" Ogunleye, and yes, the dangerous DT Tank Johnson -- to make Peyton hurry. If they can't, then the Colts will cut the Bears' D apart.

The Chicago defense is truly facing their final boss battle on the last level of the game.

Predictions are for suckers: AFS predicts that the Colts -- the more complete team -- will simply outpace Da Bearsss. The CHI offense will get some traction, but not enough to keep up with Peyton's offense. Colts win; 33 to 20

Next up on your American Football Spectacular: The results of the First Annual AFS Burrito Bowl, wherein we bet someone one super burrito regarding the outcome of the Super Bowl. The taqueria is TBD. We picked the Colts, and our Thurman Thomas-lovin' friend DJ Burrito picked Chicago to win. The results -- and perhaps, the photographic consequences -- coming up in your AFS Super Bowl recap. Delicious.