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Super Bowl Q&A with Kippy Brown
Posted: Monday January 25, 1999 03:49 PM
Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Kippy Brown stopped in on CNN/SI's Miami set on Monday afternoon to talk with CNN/SI anchor Inga Hammond and CNN/SI NFL analyst Pat Kirwan about his experience coaching against the Falcons and Broncos. Inga Hammond: We're joined now by a man who is very familiar with both of the two Super Bowl teams -- Dolphins offensive coordinator Kippy Brown. Kippy, your team played both of these two teams in the final two weeks of the regular season. On the surface, they look very familiar, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Is that true? Kippy Brown: Well, they're similar, but I think the Denver Broncos are going to play this game like they have all season. They're going to play like they're 14 points down all the time. You never know when the blitz is coming. They're going to filter in some zone blitz, then occasionally, they're going to bring everyone and play straight man-to-man defense. Atlanta is a little more conventional, but they will have the eighth guy up there some. Pat Kirwan: Kippy, both of these teams want to establish the run. They have the top two rushers in the National Football League. Do you think Denver's Terrell Davis can run the ball as effectively as he has run in the previous two playoff games? KB: I don't think there's no question. Denver is committed to the run. They're going to run the football. It may take them a quarter -- it may take them two quarters. It may be late in the second half before they get it going, but eventually the guys are going to start breaking tackles and making people miss. That's what you have to do in this league. PK: What about Atlanta's Jamal Anderson? KB: He's a terrific back. I think Terrell is a little more of a cutback guy, and a little faster, but Jamal makes things happen. He can break tackles also, but Broncos defensive coordinator Greg Robinson isn't going to let them run the football easily -- Jamal will do it against eight guys, and if that's not enough, he'll put nine up there. PK: People say you have to make someone miss to run the ball against the Denver Broncos. It's either going to be safety Steve Atwater, or even a cornerback that's going to be unblocked. KB: He's going to mix it up, whether it's a corner coming off the edge or a safety fiting in. Atwater's going to be up there somewhere -- that's what he's there for, to make tackles near the line of scrimmage. Atlanta's going to figure out where that guy's coming from, and if they get him blocked, there will be another guy there. PK: Greg Robinson's intention, as I see it in this game, is to force Atlanta out of the running game and into the passing game. KB: He doesn't want you to hold onto the football. He's got an offense over there that's as good a running football team as you've ever seen. He wants to get them the football, so he's playing the game, as I said, like he's 14 points down. They're bringing blitzes. You never know what's coming. They want to give the ball back to their offense. PK: With most teams in this league, the perception is that they blitz to stop the pass. I think Greg Robinson is doing some blitzing to stop the run. KB: No doubt about it. Zone blitzes are here to stay. They figure out where you want to run the football based on what formation you're in, and they have their breakdowns on that, and then they stunt, twist and bring their support guy down from that side, and it makes you cut back. Now some of the better teams that are able to cut back and get the back side sealed off can run effectively. PK: The first time that you played the Denver Broncos, you were able to throw the ball, and I thought you got into some personnel matchups that other teams haven't been able to get into. I know Atlanta's probably looking at that right now. KB: Yeah, we got into some two-tight end sets, where we thought they were more predictable. We knew what they were going to do. A lot of defenses use a lot of disguises to make the offenses think, but we zeroed in and got them to base up in some two tight-end sets, and that's where we got some big plays in the passing game. PK: Then I saw some play action, where it looked to me like you were trying to get a safety engaged into the running game and get someone free on the back side like receiver Lamar Thomas. It looked like he got free a couple of times. KB: Based on what we saw in our studies, this particular formation got us the one-on-one matchup we wanted. IH: Kippy, let me ask you before we let you go. Your situation in Miami with Jimmy Johnson retiring, then kind of un-retiring and bringing in Dave Wannstedt as an assistant coach. Basically almost two head coaches. How do you think that will affect the team, or do you think it will all be sorted out by next season? KB: I think Dave is going to help us tremendously with \his expertise and what he's done in the coaching profession. Jimmy and him have been together before. I think it's a match that needed to happen. I think he's comfortable with it, I think Dave is comfortable, and I think the whole staff is comfortable with Dave Wannstedt there. He's just going to make us better. PK: Dave is a defensive coach, and while we're on the subject of head coaches, Kippy, I've talked to some general managers that say you're names on that list. Next year, when there are five or six openings, I expect you'll be one of those coaches. KB: Hopefully, we can just have success right here in Miami and then that will happen.
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