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Tuesday, January 23, 2001
Updated: January 26, 12:41 PM ET
Don't be a square

By by Brandon Funston

Blindly pick the last digits of the score after each quarter? People, are you chimps? How about a one-day Super Bowl fantasy bash? Read on -- if you can.

Eight participants pick two offensive and two defensive players from the Ravens and Giants.

Give QBs a point for each scoring drive. Give a point to any player who gains a first down. If a first down is gained through the air, the receiver gets credit. (It's easier than awarding points for yardage. You'll thank me after that sixth beer.) Also: 3 points for a TD pass; 6 for a TD run or catch; 3 for a FG, plus an additional 1 for a 40-plus-yarder and an additional 2 for a 50-plus-yarder; 1 for a PAT and 2 for a two-point conversion.

On the defensive side, 6 points for a TD, 3 for an interception or fumble recovery and 2 for a sack. And, heck, let's give double points (12) for a guy who returns a kick or punt all the way.

Schedule four head-to-head games for the first half. Then wipe the scores clean and create two H2H matchups between the four first-half winners in the third. Pit the two winners of that matchup in a fourth-quarter showdown. Keep a tiebreaker handy, such as last team to score.

Just for giggles, I tallied the numbers for the two conference championship games under this method. The top five scorers for each Super Bowl team were:
Ravens --Stover, 10; Dilfer, 8; Sharpe and Sharper, 7; Starks 6.
Giants -- Collins, 22; Hilliard, 20; Toomer and Daluiso, 11; Comella, 8.

A tip or three: Watch Giants RB Tiki Barber, who, broken arm or no, will be worked into some imaginative attempts at solving that Ravens D. Overbid Shannon Sharpe: The Giants have trouble with tight ends.

And, if you insist on playing the grid game, the final score: Giants 20, Ravens 16.

Get daily tips from The Gamer at espnmag.com, and e-mail him at gamerrules@go.com.




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