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Balance of power Overall success grounded in the running game
Every quarterback wants to lead his team to the Super Bowl, but passing yardage alone rarely gets it done. This past week the top five passing performances were turned in by signal callers on losing teams. For example, the Rams got handed their first loss of the season as Kurt Warner failed to win at home for the first time in his career. His four interceptions didn't help but neither did the fact that their top rusher, Trung Canidate, had just 19 yards on the ground. Meanwhile, Kerry Collins had his second-best yardage day as a Giant in losing to the lowly Redskins. Collins threw three touchdown passes but the team's leading rusher, Ron Dayne, had just 19 yards.
During the past two weeks, the top five passers each week combined for a 1-9 record. Conversely, being a top 5 rushing performer had the opposite effect. On Sunday, the top five runners all played on winning teams. And if you look back at the past two weeks, the top five rushers played in eight victories and only two losses. The Bengals got off to a great start when Corey Dillon took the opening play 96 yards for a touchdown and finished up the day with 184 yards on the ground. People keep asking what's wrong with the Bucs' offense? Mike Alstott finally got the ground attack rolling with a 129-yard performance as Tampa Bay trounced the Vikings. The previous week in a loss to Pittsburgh, Brad Johnson had the fifth-best passing day in the league but the team's top rusher was Warrick Dunn with 31 yards. The stats back up the notion that a balanced attack is required to win in today's game. It's not just lip service to an old-fashioned philosophy that teams must establish the run to be successful. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years as a pro football coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/Sports Illustrated and a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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