MIAMI – Howard Griffith had touched the football a total of 21 times in the Broncos’ 18 games entering last night’s Super Bowl XXXIII, so how could the Falcons have expected him to beat them?
Griffith, the Broncos’ unheralded fullback, entered the game having rushed the ball four times in 18 games. Last night, in Denver’s 34-19 Super Bowl victory, Griffith was an unexpected hero on the front line, scoring two rushing touchdowns.
On both plays, brilliant calls on the part of Mike Shanahan and his staff, John Elway faked handoffs to 2,000-yard rusher Terrell Davis, who would run into the right side of the line, and handed off to Griffith, who ran left. Both times it worked. The first was a one-yard TD that gave Denver a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. The second was a one-yarder that gave the Broncos a 24-6 lead and essentially put the game away.
“I played against Howard when I was in San Francisco and he was in Carolina and I’ve been saying from Day One that the guy is the best fullback in the game,” Broncos backup running back Derek Loville said. “He got snubbed by the Pro Bowl and that’s bull, straight up bull.
“Any team that has a running back running for 2,000 yards, you’ve got totake his fullback [to the Pro Bowl]. Howard doesn’t get enough credit. He’s the unsung hero on this whole team. I’m telling you, he dominates linebackers.”
Griffith’s eyes lit up last week when the gameplan was installed by the coaches and he saw his number being called.
“When you have a guy like Terrell Davis in the backfield, it makes it easier to catch them off-guard,” Griffith said. “The odds of me getting the ball were probably pretty steep. I knew I was going to get some opportunities to make some plays. I come up with big plays when they give me the opportunity to have the ball. If you prepare for success, you’ll be successful.”
Despite his new-found role as a scorer, Griffith has no illusions of where he stands on the team.
“I know what my role is,” Griffith said. “I clear the way for Terrell, and his numbers have been going through the roof.”
After last night’s rare taste of some spotlight, perhaps Griffith will be noticed from now on.
