Super Bowl chat lineup



  Saturday, Jan. 30 5:28pm ET
Stupid mistakes kept the Jets grounded
Stability, says Keyshawn Johnson, was the key to his outstanding season.

Keyshawn Johnson
Wide Receiver
New York Jets
Profile
1998 SEASON STATISTICS
RECYDSYDS/RTDLNG FUM
83113113.610 410
through Week 12

The Jets wideout took some time out of his busy Super Bowl XXXIII schedule to answer some ESPN.com questions in chat and admitted that going through eight quarterbacks in his three-year NFL career has been difficult. But since the insertion of Vinny Testaverde as the regular starter, the dangerous duo has been able to develop some chemistry.

If you missed the Jan. 28 appearance, the former USC star compared his college coach to current coach Bill Parcells and explained what makes the Tuna so successful despite the fact, "he's a mean person."

Take a look at the edited transcript below to find out who he likes in the Super Bowl and why the Jets are watching the game on TV.

Big Tuna: Can you explain how you feel now with your career as compared to your first year in the league? Also, do you and the team feel confident that you can make the AFC Championship game again next year, and possibly be the next Super Bowl representative?

Johnson: It was the same thing I had in college. In two years at USC, I went through three quarterbacks -- I didn't know who was going to start there. I think that was the same thing in New York for at least my first two years in the NFL. I didn't know who would be in the lineup. My rookie year, I went through four quarterbacks and my second year I went through three. This year, I went through one and some change. It was a situation in which I finally could get on the same page with a guy like Vinny for at least 14 games. The chemistry was there, and I was able to put up the type of numbers that could help the team win.

Mike Jordan: How has Bill Parcells influenced you personally and professionally?

Johnson: I think his preparation speaks for itself. Obviously, he had us prepared and ready to play the game. I think a lot of the players can relate to him and enjoy playing for him. He reminds me a lot of coach John Robinson in college. Plus, he's a proven winner. He's won wherever he's gone. That speaks for itself, as long as he continues to win, he'll get everyone's respect. I think when you are not a very successful coach, a lot of people lose that respect even if it's a nice person. With him, it's the other way around. He's a mean person, but he can coach.

All week long, going through his abuse gets you ready to play for him.

Antony: Who do like in the game Sunday and why?

Johnson: I like Denver. Maybe I'm AFC, and that's why I'm picking them. I think the fact that we beat Atlanta, even though Chandler was out, and we put so many points on the board against their defense.

  " It was the turnovers that cost us (in the AFC title game). Any time you fumble and do the things we did -- the stupid, costly mistakes that we did, you're never going to win a game. "
-- Keyshawn Johnson

Dirtybird: Will Atlanta's defense be able to stop Terrell Davis?

Johnson: Our offense was able to put some points on the board against Atlanta by running Curtis Martin up the perimeter. That's what Denver should try to do -- stretch that outside and let Davis break it back across. If they can reach block those guys on the defensive end, and get some hats on the corners and safeties, that outside game will be there.

In the secondary, Atlanta might be hurting a bit because Rod Smith, Shannon Sharpe and Ed McCaffrey can do some things down the field. What are you going to do? You can't double all those guys. Ray Buchanan is their best corner, but he can't take all those guys so he'll have to pick and choose which guys he's going to cover.

Kller: Which receiver, if any, will make the largest impact on this year's Super Bowl?

Johnson: I don't think Atlanta has anyone to matchup on Sharpe. You can put Buchanan on Smith or McCaffrey and take Michael Booker to roll to one of the receivers or play a Cover-2, but at the same time, you are going to have to matchup man-to-man on Sharpe.

Bronco Buster: What happened to you guys in the AFC title game? Is Denver overrated?

Johnson: It was the turnovers that cost us. Any time you fumble and do the things we did -- the stupid, costly mistakes that we did, you're never going to win a game.

No one really gave us the chance to be in that situation, but we were there standing alone with Denver when it came down to it. We just wanted to take that moment and start there next year.

I don't think they are overrated at all. We played at a high level for a couple quarters and I don't think they expected us to play at that level. They were the champs and they fought hard because they are a very disciplined team. They did some things that disrupted us later in the game. Once they kind of figured things out, they kind of went in a different direction and that shows the heart of the champion that they are. They will give Atlanta a hard time. If they don't come with their best stuff, they will lose.


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