NFC Defenses Use Sack Time as Awakening

Their faces are on the front page of most sports sections today, their memorable moments playing on every sports channel, their names on every fan’s lips.

Philadelphia Eagle quarterback Donovan McNabb and his Atlanta Falcon counterpart, Michael Vick, are the pivotal figures in today’s NFC championship game at Lincoln Financial Field.

McNabb has made three consecutive trips to this game -- and experienced three crushing losses. Players dream of a second chance after a big loss, but McNabb has a fourth chance at redemption.

As for Vick, he gets a chance to demonstrate that his unique skills can produce a big win on a national stage, a chance to transform the doubters who say he doesn’t pass well enough to be regarded as a complete quarterback, a chance to show that this Michael could eventually be to the NFL what that other Michael was to the NBA.

These are lofty goals for both men. But the goals are just as lofty for the defenses today, and by the time the final second has elapsed, they might be the story of the day.

It’s an old story in the NFL. The quarterbacks grab the glory, but it’s often the defense that earns the championship rings. This time of year, when the weather is cold, the fields slippery, the stakes high, the coaches conservative and the scores often low, defense often makes the difference.

Certainly these two defenses won’t be in awe of the numbers put up by McNabb and Vick. They have impressive numbers of their own as the top two sack attacks in the league. Atlanta was No. 1 with 48, the first time the Falcons have led the league in that category. Philadelphia had 47 sacks.

The transformation in Atlanta is startling considering that the Falcons were the worst defensive team in the league last season.

The two biggest changes are not on the field but on the sideline and in the front office. At the end of last season, the Falcons hired Rich McKay to be their general manager and he, in turn, hired Jim Mora Jr. to be his head coach.

Having been weaned on USC football by his father, former coach John McKay, Rich had it pounded into his head that defense was what often guaranteed victory.

“You look at the legacy of USC and you think of offense, you think of O.J. Simpson, Mike Garrett, Anthony Davis,” McKay said. “But they always had great defenses and that was the cornerstone of some of their greatest teams.”

So although Vick is clearly the cornerstone of the Falcons, McKay hired Mora, who had been a defensive specialist for most of his 19 seasons as an assistant coach.

Under Mora’s guidance, Atlanta switched from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defensive scheme and the results were dramatic.

More important, several players perceived as having bad attitudes -- cornerbacks Ray Buchanan and Tyrone Williams among them -- were cut loose.

“We had some guys not in it for the right reason,” said linebacker Keith Brooking, declining to name names. “But right from the beginning, our coach said, ‘If you’re not on the same page, you are not going to be here, no matter how talented you are.’ ”

The Falcon defense, which moved up to 14th in the rankings this season, is led by six-year veteran Patrick Kerney, who had a career-high 13 sacks from his defensive end position, and Rod Coleman, a former Oakland Raider signed as a free agent in the off-season. Coleman, a tackle, had 11 1/2 sacks, second in the league among interior linemen.

It won’t be easy today to put pressure on McNabb. He is missing star receiver Terrell Owens, out because of a fractured ankle, but McNabb still has Brian Westbrook, the runner/receiver who has produced impressive numbers in Owens’ absence.

The Eagle defense didn’t need a drastic makeover. Over the previous four seasons, the team had given up the fewest points (15.5 a game) and had accumulated 185 sacks, the second-most in the league.

It almost seemed like piling on when, in the off-season, they added free-agent defensive lineman Jevon Kearse, a 6-foot-4, 265-pounder nicknamed “The Freak” because of his ability to combine power and speed.

“We always say we like to throw fastballs at the offense,” Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid said. “Now, we have Nolan Ryan.”

They also have a lot of speed on defense, giving them the ideal weapon to hunt down Vick. But the Eagles must certainly be more opportunistic than in the past. In their previous three NFC championship losses, Philadelphia had a total of one sack and one interception.

To change that, all the Eagles have to do is put pressure on Vick, shut down the league’s best running game and force Vick to pass, not his best option.

Not an easy task. Nor is the one facing the Falcons in trying to shut down McNabb.

With temperatures expected to hover around zero and the residue of a heavy snowstorm expected to leave the grass soft and sloppy, the defenses should get an edge.

It’s that time of year when the weather is bad -- and the baddest guys on the field are lining up with the defense.

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Small Allowance

The last 20 Super Bowl champions have finished among the top 10 in scoring defense during the regular season. The L.A. Raiders were 12th in 1983 but defeated Washington, 38-9, in Super Bowl XVIII. Only Atlanta, which was 14th in scoring defense, could end the trend.

(NFL rank in parentheses)

*--* SEASON CHAMPION POINTS 2003 New England Patriots 238 (1) 2002 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 196 (1) 2001 New England Patriots 272 (6) 2000 Baltimore Ravens 165 (1) 1999 St. Louis Rams 242 (4) 1998 Denver Broncos 309 (T9) 1997 Denver Broncos 287 (T6) 1996 Green Bay Packers 210 (1) 1995 Dallas Cowboys 291 (3) 1994 San Francisco 49ers 296 (6) 1993 Dallas Cowboys 229 (2) 1992 Dallas Cowboys 243 (5) 1991 Washington Redskins 224 (3) 1990 New York Giants 211 (1) 1989 San Francisco 49ers 253 (3) 1988 San Francisco 49ers 294 (6) 1987 Washington Redskins 285* (6) 1986 New York Giants 236 (1) 1985 Chicago Bears 198 (1) 1984 San Francisco 49ers 227 (3)

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* 15-game season, players’ strike