MIAMI -- Thousands of Chicagoans in the '70s and '80s grew up longing to be like Walter Payton. Howard Griffith? He had a special affinity for Matt Suhey.

Huh?

	Howard Griffith doesn't get to carry the ball often, but that doesn't bother the Broncos fullback.

Leave it to one fullback to admire the work of another. Suhey's crushing blocks helped pave the way for Payton to accumulate the most rushing yards in NFL history. Now Griffith, the Denver Broncos' fullback, is providing the same sacrificial services every Sunday for his run-happy backfield mate, Terrell Davis.

And like Suhey, Griffith expects to be just a footnote as Davis assaults the record books and garners MVP awards, as he did this season and in Super Bowl XXXII.

"I could easily sit around gripe and complain and say, 'Yeah, I wish I could carry the ball,' " Griffith said. "The fact of the matter is, if we do that, we're not in the Super Bowl. So it's not really about Howard Griffith running the ball and catching the ball. It's about me going out and being a piece of the puzzle."

How big a piece has Griffith been in the Broncos' march toward Super Bowl XXXIII? Ask the Denver coaches, and they'll claim he's been more like a cornerstone.

"Howard Griffith is an unsung hero," Broncos coach Mike Shanahan said. "He doesn't carry or catch the ball many times, so many people don't know him. Our players know him and respect him because he comes to play every week. He has had an exceptional year."

It's easy to miss Griffith's modest numbers amid the Broncos' rushing statistics. He has run the ball only four times for 13 yards, or as many times as rookie third-string quarterback Brian Griese taking a knee in a mop-up role. He hasn't carried the ball since the Broncos' loss to the Giants on Dec. 13.

Griffith, 31, might never touch the ball in Sunday's game, but that's fine with him. Other than a second consecutive Super Bowl victory, Griffith is only concerned with one other statistic: Davis' rushing yards.

As Davis bolted to 2,008 yards during the regular season, Griffith was always in front of him, leading the charge and removing any obstacles in Davis' path.

"As a fullback, the only thing you can really be credited for is what your tailback does," said the 6-foot, 233-pound Griffith. "You won't get the credit people get at the other positions, but it's just a matter of taking a lot of pride in the things you can do and realizing that your game and what you do is just as important as the other guy."

Davis knows how important his lead blocker has been to his production. The Broncos' All-Pro running back has experienced his greatest successes since the Broncos signed Griffith before the 1997 season as an unrestricted free agent from Carolina.

"He's the best fullback in the league," Davis said. "If you watch him play, it speaks for itself. You notice the games Howard didn't play. With Howard in there, I think I'm more confident and feel better once he's in the game. When he isn't in the game, it's like my shield is gone."

Before coming to Denver, Griffith had opened holes for two other running backs -- Jerome Bettis with the Rams in 1994 and Anthony Johnson with the Panthers in 1996.

And even though he set an NCAA record at Illinois with an eight-touchdown game against Southern Illinois, Griffith learned early the only way he could earn a living in the NFL was as a blocker instead of a featured back.

"I found my niche was going to be being a blocking back," he said. "Now that I've done that, I'm bringing a lot more attention to it. If you really want to have a powered running game, you are going to have to have a guy like myself in the backfield."

After every brilliant rushing performance, the media gravitates toward Davis' locker. But behind closed doors and out of the spotlight, the coaches are fully aware of Griffith's unselfish contributions.

"He doesn't get the credit," Denver running backs coach Bobby Turner said. "He is so valuable behind the scenes, not only blocking his defender but against their stunts in the line that our linemen may not finish up. He's chipping his way, blocking his way out and helping in all those aspects."

Griffith is looking forward to frequent helmet-to-helmet collisions Sunday with Falcon linebackers Jessie Tuggle and Cornelius Bennett. Those are the key players Griffith needs to eliminate if Davis is going to have another performance worthy of a Super Bowl MVP.

"I look to play against the guys that are the best," he said. "That's how you measure yourself. Going against linebackers to me is like a boxing match. Sometimes they're going to win. Sometimes they're not. And it's who's going to finish on top. It's man on man. Mano a mano."

Spoken like a true fullback. Matt Suhey would be proud.