Ask Mark

SAN DIEGO - Enquirer Bengals beat reporter Mark Curnutte breaks down how Super Bowl participants Oakland and Tampa Bay compare position by position.

QUARTERBACK

Both Tampa Bay's Brad Johnson and Oakland's Rich Gannon - in their current forms - are Jon Gruden creations. Johnson, who had 15 touchdown passes and one interception in his past six games, benefits from Gruden's play-calling. League MVP Gannon has an all-star cast and is more mobile.

Edge: Oakland.

RUNNING BACKS

Oakland's Tyrone Wheatley is healthy and, as a more physical back than Charlie Garner, could see a lot of playing time. Tampa Bay also uses a committee approach with Michael Pittman (a better pass catcher) and oversized running back Mike Alstott. The Bucs will have a hard time with their 27th-ranked rush offense against the Raiders' third-ranked rush defense.

Edge: Oakland.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Apologies to Keyshawn Johnson and Keenan McCardell, but this matchup isn't even close. Jerry Rice, Tim Brown and Jerry Porter are in a class by themselves. Porter has nine touchdown catches, and the Raiders had a league-best 280 passing yards a game.

Edge: Oakland.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Oakland's offensive line is huge and strong, and Tampa Bay hasn't seen anything like it all season. The Raiders' line played a big part in the team's 53 touchdowns. The Bucs' line is adequate, although their entire offense is peaking in the postseason.

Edge: Oakland.

TIGHT END

Raiders rookie Doug Jolley is a good receiver but not much of a blocker. He had an impressive 12.8-yard average for a tight end. Tampa Bay has three role-playing tight ends, led by the consistent Ken Dilger. He had 34 receptions, two for touchdowns.

Edge: Oakland.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Tampa Bay's front seven is the NFL's best. Tackle Warren Sapp backs up his mouth with his play. End Simeon Rice had 151/2 sacks. While Tampa Bay is fast, Oakland is big and stuffs the run.

Edge: Tampa Bay.

LINEBACKERS

Derrick Brooks led the team with 170 tackles and scored four touchdowns. He is smart and quick, and it seems there are two of him on the field at once. Oakland linebacker Bill Romanowski has done everything asked of him when he signed as a free agent before the season, but Tampa Bay could attack here with its tight ends. Oakland forced 31 turnovers.

Edge: Tampa Bay.

DEFENSIVE BACKS

The Bucs led the NFL with 31 interceptions and were first in pass defense (155.6 yards a game). Both secondaries are filled with stars. Tampa Bay has Ronde Barber, John Lynch and Brian Kelly. Oakland has the Woodsons - ageless safety Rod and cornerback Charles.

Edge: Tampa Bay.

SPECIAL TEAMS

The Bucs' Martin Gramatica is one of the league's top kickers and has made 13 of his past 14 field goals. But Tampa Bay has some problems covering punts, and Oakland's Marcus Knight averaged more than 28 yards on five kickoff returns in the AFC title game.

Edge: Oakland.

COACHING

Jon Gruden coached the Raiders for four seasons and knows the team well. His replacement, Bill Callahan, was Gruden's offensive coordinator. Callahan has over-achieved. But Gruden remains one of the league's top coaches.

Edge: Tampa Bay.

PREDICTION: Raiders 27-23

Curnutte's standing:

Last week: 1-1.

Season: 168-97-1.

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