MIAMI -- Terrell Davis and Jamal Anderson, the same man in so many ways.

	Jamal Anderson says he and Terrell Davis "share a bond."

This week in Super Bowl XXXIII, they are natural adversaries, the epicenters of their respective teams. But is it really so astonishing that they are friendly -- indeed, friends? That they share information about common opponents? Speak almost weekly on the phone?

Never before have the league's No. 1 and No. 2 runners met in the crucible of the Super Bowl. The prospect of this collision approaches delicious.

Davis has gained 2,374 yards in 18 games this season, an NFL record. The previous record was the 2,331-yard total he produced last year.

Anderson, who set a regular-season record with 410 carries, has run for a mere 2,026 yards in 18 games.

Theirs is a club so exclusive there are only two members. Breathtaking, unnatural talent, uncommon tenacity -- and mutual admiration -- are the only requirements.

"Terrell, statistically speaking, is the best," Anderson says. "He's terrific. He is the running back I aspire to be."

	ANONYMOUS ANDERSON
	In the 1994 draft, 23 backs were selected ahead of Jamal Anderson. Here's a look at who they were and where they were picked:
	Player	Team	Pick
	Marshall Faulk	Indianapolis	2
	Greg Hill	Kansas City	25
	William Floyd	San Francisco	28
	Errict Rhett	Tampa Bay	34
	Chuck Levy	Arizona	38
	Charlie Garner	Philadelphia	42
	Mario Bates	New Orleans	44
	Donnell Bennett	Kansas City	58
	Jeff Cothran	Cincinnati	66
	Lamar Smith	Seattle	73
	Calvin Jones	L.A. Raiders	80
	James Bostic	L.A. Rams	83
	LeShon Johnson	Green Bay	84
	Bam Morris	Pittsburgh	91
	Gary Downs	N.Y. Giants	95
	Raymont Harris	Chicago	114
	Sean Jackson	Houston	129
	Dorsey Levens	Green Bay	149
	Tony Vinson	San Diego	160
	Lamont Warren	Indianapolis	164
	Robert Strait	Cleveland	171
	Fred Lester	N.Y. Jets	173
	Anthony Daigle	Kansas City	185
	Jamal Anderson	Atlanta	201

Says Davis, "Jamal is a great, great running back. He's getting better and better every year. You wonder when, or if he is ever going to level off."

Both running backs have had 13 100-yard games this season. The consensus among experts is the team with the more effective runner Sunday at Pro Player Stadium, the one who clears 100 yards with the most to spare, will win. Simple as that.

Neither player says he remembers exactly when they first met. Through a mutual friend they have known of each other for at least eight years.

Charlie Brown was a running back and teammate of Davis' at Lincoln Prep in San Diego. When Brown went to Utah, he met Anderson.

"I would talk to (Brown) on the phone, and we'd always talk about Jamal," Davis says.

Anderson matriculated to the NFL a year earlier than Davis, 1994. He very nearly went undrafted. Anderson was the 201st choice, going in the seventh round. He was the 24th running back taken. At 235 pounds, the Falcons figured he had a chance as a reserve fullback.

Davis was the 196th choice of the 1995 draft. The Denver Broncos selected him in the sixth round; he was the 21st running back to go. They had heard he had a bad attitude, and they already had enough running backs, but Davis was rated as a third-rounder, so they took a chance.

"We share a bond," Davis says. "Nobody expected much from either one of us."

"Our motivation," Anderson says, "is still to prove everybody wrong."

And so, as they have grown in the NFL, they have grown on each other.

Once every few weeks, the cellular phone rings in Denver or Atlanta.

"Most of the time we don't really talk about football," Davis says. "What we talk about mostly is life. Things that are going on. I treat Jamal like a person, and he treats me the same way.

"It's about 'Hey, what's going on down there? Are you coming to town? Want to hang out? Let's do that.' Stuff like that."

As the week wore on in Miami, both runners shied away from talking about their intimate network of information sharing. But last week Anderson acknowledged they help each other.

	MISSING ON TD
	In the 1995 draft, 20 backs were selected ahead of Terrell Davis. Here's a look at who they were and where they were picked:
	Player	Team	Pick
	Ki-Jana Carter	Cincinnati	1
	Tyrone Wheatley	N.Y. Giants	17
	Napoleon Kaufman	L.A. Raiders	18
	James Stewart	Jacksonville	19
	Rashaan Salaam	Chicago	21
	Ray Zellars	New Orleans	44
	Sherman Williams	Dallas	46
	Terrell Fletcher	San Diego	51
	William Henderson	Green Bay	66
	Curtis Martin	New England	74
	Zack Crockett	Indianapolis	79
	Joe Aska	L.A. Raiders	86
	Rodney Thomas	Houston	89
	Larry Jones	Washington	103
	Aaron Hayden	San Diego	104
	James Stewart	Minnesota	157
	Ryan Christopherson	Jacksonville	169
	Travis Jervey	Green Bay	170
	Cory Schlesinger	Detroit	192
	Dino Philyaw	New England	195
	Terrell Davis	Denver	196

"He'll say, 'Jamal, what do you see with the Miami defense?' " Anderson said. "And I would tell him how certain guys played, and what to watch out for. He does the same for me."

Stylistically, they are quite different. Anderson, whose thighs are 30 inches, is more of a power back. Davis, whose waist is not much thicker, relies more on speed.

"They run a lot more straight-ahead dive plays than we do," Anderson says. "We kind of roll into a hole, and I'm allowed to find my way through. Terrell hits the hole a lot faster. Then, he decides if he wants to make you miss or run around you.

"I can go the same way. I like to run people over, but I'm just fast enough to get away from people, too. The biggest difference between me and Terrell is 25 pounds. I'm thicker, but he's faster."

They will be running against each other's defense Sunday, but in some ways they are running for each other.

"When he was the (Super Bowl) MVP last year, I was like 'Yes!' " Anderson says. "It was because we were both overlooked. Terrell was carrying the flag for all the guys who had been drafted in the late rounds. Every time Terrell did something, I felt like he was doing it for me."

This year, Anderson joined Davis in carrying the banner.

"To be in a situation where it's both of us for the championship," Anderson says, "I think it's going to be great.

"I think it's going to be a lot of fun.''

Great. Fun. Great fun for all of us.

The two runners spent some time together this week. Davis helped out Anderson with a post-Super Bowl video he is preparing. Anderson chided Davis.

"Man," Anderson said, "don't you go for 300 yards on Sunday."

Davis smiled.

"Now,'' he said, "don't you go for 300."