Friday, Nov. 1, 2002 | 9:28 a.m.
Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at [email protected] or (702) 259-4076.
Sorry, Brett Favre.
Tough luck, Jeff Garcia.
You too, Michael Vick. You're playing really well this season.
But none of you guys can possibly win the Super Bowl this year. You all share a common denominator as quarterbacks that precludes you from taking the Lombardi Trophy in January, and there's nothing any of you can do about it.
You see, you're all starting quarterbacks.
The secret to winning the Super Bowl these days is to begin the season as a backup, take over the starting job, and surprise everyone in the playoffs. In other words, you need a backup to go forward.
Case in point: Look at the last three NFL champions. In 1999, Trent Green was hurt in the preseason, opening the door for some guy named Kurt Warner. All he did was win the Super Bowl MVP.
In 2000, Trent Dilfer, a whipping boy in Tampa Bay, takes over the Ravens at midseason and rolls to a decisive Super Bowl crown.
Last year, Tom Brady takes over for an injured Drew Bledsoe in Week 2. Bledsoe never gets the job back, and Brady wins the championship.
That said, here at the midway point, the team that has best positioned itself to win the NFL title this year can only be -- Pittsburgh.
Yep, the Steelers are in the driver's seat. Think about it -- the looked absolutely horrid in their first two games against New England and Oakland, they are being led by a guy who went 10 years between NFL starts, and suddenly, they are alone in first place in their weak division. What's not to like?
The real key is, of course, the emergence of Tommy Maddox as a functional NFL signal-caller. Maddox -- the only MVP in XFL history, you'll recall (or maybe you won't) -- completed his first 11 passes on Sunday and finished an efficient 18-of-24 as Pittsburgh coasted past Baltimore to improve to 4-3. In three games since coach Bill Cowher cut the cord on Kordell Stewart, Pittsburgh has outscored its opposition 93-35.
Maddox has a good chemistry with Plaxico Burress, a big target who was a little disappointing as a rookie, and the Steelers have shown that they can win without relying on Jerome Bettis. While the Bus remains injured, Amos Zaroeue has more than picked up the slack, running for two touchdowns.
The defense is playing well again and exciting rookie Antwaan Randle-El has provided a spark on special teams and executed a few gadget plays on offense.
Maddox may just be the final piece of the puzzle.
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