Super Highways

Today’s AFC championship game is guaranteed to be a moving experience.

The Raiders went from Oakland to L.A. and back again, and now they’re on the verge of their first Super Bowl as the Oakland Raiders in 20 years.

The Baltimore Ravens were the Cleveland Browns until 1996. Now Art Modell, scourge of Cleveland, is on the brink of bringing a Super Bowl team to the city that lost its beloved Colts in 1984.

Tempting as it is to see this game as a last gasp of the past--Al Davis at 71 versus Modell at 75--it’s about the here and now.

It’s Ray Lewis, the run-stuffing linebacker at the center of the Raven front seven, zeroing in on an Oakland running game that is No. 1 in the NFL.

It’s Oakland’s Rich Gannon, who quietly scrambled for more yards this season than any quarterback but Donovan McNabb, counterpunching against Baltimore’s gritty Trent Dilfer, whose job is often done best when his statistics say the least.

It’s the consistency of Baltimore kicker Matt Stover against the booming unpredictability of Raider rookie Sebastian Janikowski.

It’s the dignity of Raider receiver Tim Brown and the professionalism of Baltimore safety Rod Woodson.

Finally, it’s Jon Gruden, the kid coach known for his intensity and charming smirk, against Baltimore’s Brian Billick, who try as he might, can’t help but seem arrogant.

Give Billick this. He’s right when he says this is the last game of the season that won’t be overhyped.

“To me, there’s a little more purity of it in terms of just the game, because of the way the Super Bowl is, in and of itself,” Billick said.

“The [conference] championship games tend to be purer. A little more about football. It’s getting to that goal.

“The championship games traditionally have been a lot better games than the Super Bowl in terms of a tight competition and being competitive.”

Oakland is favored, but so was Tennessee, the Super Bowl favorite until the Ravens upended the Titans last week, 24-10, in Baltimore’s ninth victory in a row.

The Raiders are on a roll too, after winning their last two games against Carolina and Miami by a combined score of 79-9.

The central issue today at Network Associates Coliseum will be whether the record-setting Raven defense can put the clamps on Oakland’s balanced offense firmly enough to make up for a Baltimore offense that gained only 134 yards against Tennessee, relying largely on scoring by the defense and special teams.

“We have a lot of respect for this football team from a defensive standpoint,” Gannon said. “Very physical opponent. They’re a team that’s obviously set records, tackles well, creates a lot of turnovers, so we’ll just need to be efficient as we always are, protect the football and be aggressive in our approach.

“We’re not going to back down.”

Lewis is the centerpiece of that defense, but Gruden sees the whole unit.

“Look at the huge nose tackle they have in [Tony] Siragusa. He’s a unique player,” Gruden said. “He’s a massive guy that really congests running lanes inside.

“He covers up probably the best middle linebacker that I’ve seen in my life in Ray Lewis.

“Then they’ve got great outside pass rushers. Another Pro Bowler in Sam Adams. Young corners that are aggressive in [Duane] Starks and [Chris] McAlister and a free safety [Woodson] that’s been playing as good a football as anybody at that position this year.

“So it’s the scheme, it’s the talent and the intensity with which they play that makes them unique.”

The Raider running game is unique too, because it led the NFL in rushing even though starting tailback Tyrone Wheatley’s 1,046 yards weren’t anywhere close to the league leaders.

Gruden talks a lot about his committee of running backs--a key member, Napoleon Kaufman, is doubtful today because of a lingering knee injury--but Gannon was the second-leading rusher.

His 529 yards were second only to McNabb’s 629 in the NFL, and ahead of the 470 by Daunte Culpepper, a player with much more of a reputation as a scrambler.

Gannon’s ability makes him particularly dangerous on third down, and he ran for four first downs in last week’s victory over Miami.

Almost forgotten in the equation is the Raider defense. Though inconsistent during the season, the Raiders’ 27-0 victory over the Dolphins was the first shutout in the playoffs by any team since the 1996 season.

Cornerback Charles Woodson finally bristled about it during the week.

“I’ve been answering a lot of questions about the Ravens defense,” he said. “I say the hell with their defense. It’s all about what the Raiders are going to go out and do this weekend.”

The Raiders mostly have to zero in on relentless rookie running back Jamal Lewis and veteran tight end Shannon Sharpe. That’s about the extent of Baltimore’s offense.

“We control our own destiny,” Oakland’s Woodson said. “If we go out there and play our own game, we should win.”

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

AFC CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS Results from times when championship games led to Super Bowl

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SEASON RESULT ATTENDANCE 1999 Tennessee 33, at Jacksonville 14 75,206 1998 at Denver 23, N.Y. Jets 10 75,482 1997 Denver 24, at Pittsburgh 21 61,382 1996 at New England 20, Jacksonville 6 60,190 1995 at Pittsburgh 20, Indianapolis 16 61,062 1994 San Diego 17, at Pittsburgh 13 61,545 1993 at Buffalo 30, Kansas City 13 76,642 1992 Buffalo 29, at Miami 10 72,703 1991 at Buffalo 10, Denver 7 80,272 1990 at Buffalo 51, L.A. Raiders 3 80,325 1989 at Denver 37, Cleveland 21 76,046 1988 at Cincinnati 21, Buffalo 10 59,747 1987 at Denver 38, Cleveland 33 76,197 1986 Denver 23, at Cleveland 20* 79,973 1985 New England 31, at Miami 14 75,662 1984 at Miami 45, Pittsburgh 28 76,029 1983 at L.A. Raiders 30, Seattle 14 91,445 1982 at Miami 14, N.Y. Jets 0 67,396 1981 at Cincinnati 27, San Diego 7 46,302 1980 Oakland 34, at San Diego 27 52,675 1979 at Pittsburgh 27, Houston 13 50,475 1978 at Pittsburgh 34, Houston 5 50,725 1977 at Denver 20, Oakland 17 75,044 1976 at Oakland 24, Pittsburgh 7 53,821 1975 at Pittsburgh 16, Oakland 10 50,609 1974 Pittsburgh 24, at Oakland 13 53,800 1973 at Miami 27, Oakland 10 79,325 1972 Miami 21, at Pittsburgh 17 50,845 1971 at Miami 21, Baltimore 0 76,622 1970 at Baltimore 27, Oakland 17 54,799 1969 Kansas City 17, at Oakland 7 53,564 1968 at N.Y. Jets 27, Oakland 23 62,627 1967 at Oakland 40, Houston 7 53,330 1966 Kansas City 31, at Buffalo 7 42,080

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*-overtime; Note: First four games were AFL Championship. (BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

THE LOGS

BALTIMORE (14-4)

Sept. 3 at Pittsburgh W, 16-0

Sept. 10 JACKSONVILLE W, 39-36

Sept. 17 at Miami L, 19-6

Sept. 24 CINCINNATI W, 37-0

Oct. 1 at Cleveland W, 12-0

Oct. 8 at Jacksonville W, 15-10

Oct. 15 at Washington L, 10-3

Oct. 22 TENNESSEE L, 14-6

Oct. 29 PITTSBURGH L, 9-6

Nov. 5 CINCINNATI W, 27-7

Nov. 12 at Tennessee W, 24-23

Nov. 19 DALLAS W, 27-0

Nov. 26 CLEVELAND W, 44-7

Dec. 3 Open date

Dec. 10 SAN DIEGO W, 24-3

Dec. 17 at Arizona W, 13-7

Dec. 24 N.Y. JETS W, 34-20

PLAYOFFS

Dec. 31 DENVER W, 21-3

Jan. 7 at Tennessee W, 24-10

OAKLAND (13-4)

Sept. 3 SAN DIEGO W, 9-6

Sept. 10 at Indianapolis W, 38-31

Sept. 17 DENVER L, 33-24

Sept. 24 CLEVELAND W, 36-10

Oct. 1 Open date

Oct. 8 at San Fran. W, 34-28 (OT)

Oct. 15 at Kansas City W, 20-17

Oct. 22 SEATTLE W, 31-3

Oct. 29 at San Diego W, 15-13

Nov. 5 KANSAS CITY W, 49-31

Nov. 13 at Denver L, 27-24

Nov. 19 at New Orleans W, 31-22

Nov. 26 ATLANTA W, 41-14

Dec. 3 at Pittsburgh L, 21-20

Dec. 10 N.Y. JETS W, 31-7

Dec. 16 at Seattle L, 27-24

Dec. 24 CAROLINA W, 52-9

PLAYOFFS

Dec. 31 First-round bye

Jan. 6 MIAMI W, 27-0

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AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: Baltimore at Oakland, 1 p.m., today, Ch. 2