Running game 'key' for Colts win
By Matt Slater



Manning and Addai must combine to keep the Bears' rushers honest

Super Bowl XLI
Indianapolis v Chicago
Dolphins Stadium, Miami
Sunday, 4 Feb, 2325 GMT

NFL great Marcus Allen believes Sunday's Super Bowl will hinge on the Indianapolis Colts' ability to run the ball against the Chicago Bears.

The Colts come into the Miami showdown as favourites and are expected to rely on quarterback Peyton Manning to find a way through the Bears' feared defence.

But Allen told BBC Sport the Colts must keep a balance between pass and run.

"You should do what you do best - so the Colts will throw the ball a lot. But they must establish the run first."

The Hall of Fame running back, who starred in the Los Angeles Raiders' Super Bowl win over the Washington Redskins 23 years ago, is backing the Colts' high-octane offence to deliver victory but only if the AFC champions keep the Bears' rearguard guessing.
You have to have balance - all coaches strive for that
Marcus Allen

"The running game will play a major role for both teams," said Allen, who was in Miami for the launch of Super Bowl: The Opus XL, a collector's item book that weighs in at 88lbs and costs $40,000.

"Everybody talks about Manning but the Colts have been running the ball a lot more lately, and play action (where the quarterback dummies the ball to the running back but drops back to pass) is critical to what they do.

"What you don't want to do is be rendered one-dimensional. If a team like the Bears can take away the run, they'll just put guys at the line of scrimmage and rush you all day long. You don't want that.

"You have to have balance. All coaches strive for that, and (Colts coach) Tony Dungy and (Bears coach) Lovie Smith will be no different on Sunday."

While Dungy will be hoping for his future Hall of Fame quarterback Manning to finally win a Super Bowl ring after nine spectacular but ultimately frustrating seasons, Smith will be praying his erratic quarterback Rex Grossman can maintain the solid form he has shown through the play-offs so far.

Allen's Super Bowl heroics in 1984 were the highlight of great career

Some pundits in the US have labelled the Bears' play-caller as the worst quarterback to reach the NFL's championship game but Grossman's displays have been greatly improved during the play-offs and Allen believes he may surprise a few people in Miami.

"The Chicago Bears have clearly relied on the run of late and their two guys Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson have gotten better and better as the season has progressed," said Allen, who rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns on his day on gridiron's biggest stage.

"This has helped Grossman play a more efficient game.

"What will be interesting to see on Sunday is how loose and free he plays. You can't think about the bad things that can happen to the point that it paralyses you.

"My coach at the (Los Angeles) Raiders never told me 'don't', he just said 'make sure'. Rex needs to think like that. He needs to play free."

Getting the ball safely into the hands of Jones will be one of Grossman's primary tasks and Allen, who rushed for over 12,000 yards during a glittering career with the Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs, has been impressed by what he has seen of the 28-year-old running back.

"He has great balance and vision. And he has that patience you just can't teach. All the great runners have that," said Allen, the first player to gain more than 10,000 yards rushing and 5,000 yards receiving in NFL history.

Jones will need to have a big day, though, as the Colts have superb options in their backfield too - the dependable Dominic Rhodes and exciting rookie Joseph Addai.