Q&A with Joe Theismann (Wednesday)


Q&A with Joe Theismann (Tuesday)



  Thursday, Jan. 28 7:31pm ET
Theismann answers your questions
ESPN.com

Editor's note: ESPN's Joe Theismann will answer user questions throughout Super Bowl week. Here's Thursday's installment:

From Pong Cavan, Coralville, Iowa: Would you consider Tim Dwight to be a great steal for the Falcons from last year's draft?
  Tim Dwight
 Tim Dwight has been deadly as a return man for Atlanta.
Theismann: Absolutely. He's meant an awful lot as a kick returner. He provides speed and consistency and hasn't put ball on the ground. As a receiver he gives them another speed guy when they want to go with three wideouts. He's like Wayne Chrebet of the Jets -- but faster. We saw his versatility against the Vikings when the Falcons direct snapped to him in the shotgun and he ran with the ball. When you have a versatile player with that much speed, he'll usually come up with one big play to make a difference.

From Mike Jordan, Jackson, Miss.: Does all of the media hype distract the players in a negative way?
Theismann: I don't think the media hype distracts players at all. Denver knows what to expect. They know about press conferences and meeting schedules. Mike Shanahan went through this a year ago. It's a new experience for the Atlanta Falcons. But Jamal Anderson likes the media. He enjoys it. Chris Chandler is a veteran. Terance Mathis is a veteran. Jessie Tuggle is a veteran. Chuck Smith is a very savvy media guy. So I don't see the media as a distraction at all.

From Andrew Roybal, Montrose, Colo.: Will the Falcons defensive line hold up to the Broncos offensive line and the pounding of the running game?
Theismann: I think the defensive line will hold up very well. You have a quick defensive line against a quick offensive line. The big key for Atlanta's defense is how well it defends the back side of a play. Denver's trademark is the ability of Terrell Davis to stretch a play one way and cut back against the grain. The biggest concern Atlanta has it that Jessie Tuggle loves to run to the ball. Will he overrun Davis and give him the opportunity to cut back? This is where controlling the center and the two guards is so critical. If I was going to watch one guy in this game to tell me how well Atlanta is doing, I'd watch Tuggle. If he's making plays, Atlanta will do well against the run.

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