Yes

KYLE RINGO

Can the cheese be melted?

Well, sure it can. This is not exactly Mike Tyson-Buster Douglas. Itās more like Ali-Frazier. Iām saying yes with Marv Albert-like emphasis. The Broncos can win and will.

Iāll admit it right up front. Ask anyone who knows me and they will tell you I bleed predominately orange. But, the journalist in me ÷ the guy who can type real fast with two fingers and has a few fibers of objectivity ÷ says the Denver Broncos can beat the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XXXII (That is 32 for those of you in the art department).

Here then is my recipe for your Super Bowl cheese dip.

Turnovers. The Broncos need to get a few to win. The Packers donāt.
The Broncosā offensive line must be able to open some holes for Terrell Davis to run through. Not Jacksonville size holes, but more like Gilbert Brown size, which, according to sources close to me, is approximately the size of my girlfriend from ninth grade ÷ now, not then.

The Broncos must be able to handle the pressure. Letās remember most of the Packers, 34 in fact, have been here before while most of the Broncos, all but 11, have not.

But then again, a friend of mine with actual playing time logged above the high school level says once the first hit comes, you are more worried about coming up with something to say about the guyās mother than you are the pressure.

Unless you are Bill Romanowski. Then you are worried about getting cotton mouth.

The Broncosā defense has to limit Dorsey Levens to 75 yards rushing or fewer. The Packersā offense, led by quarterback Brett Favre, is dangerous even when it canāt run the ball. The smaller Bronco defense wonāt withstand too many long Packer drives.

Finally, and I mean this, the Broncos must break Favreās leg, get a little help from the referees or God, or hope Brown has a heart attack.

Letās face it, they are going to need a little luck.

Favre is a 28-year-old John Elway clone with the same talent surrounding him on offense as Denverās current group. Thereās one exception. Levens is not as good as Davis.

Although it would be nice to see John Elway storm down the field for a game-winning, legend-enhancing drive in the final minutes to win the game, his heroics wonāt be needed.

Davis will make the Disney commercial. Davis will win the game. Davis will begin his own odyssey into the hearts of Denver sports fans.

It is Elwayās destiny to finally win this game ÷ the game. He will, and heāll thank Davis for it.

Prediction: Denver 36, Green Bay 34, and the cheese industry wonāt bother to purchase any commercial time. 

No

Michael BeDan

It could happen, but it wonāt. It should happen, but it canāt.

Not this year. Probably not any time soon, either.

Too many holes, seemingly patched by a spirited run through the playoffs.

Too many cold, hard facts that can neither be denied nor changed any time before Super Bowl Sunday.

John Elway might be the most talented athlete to ever play the quarterback position in the NFL.  No NFL quarterback has won more games than Elway. But 31 times a quarterback has won the one game that Elway never will.

Any sports fan with a scant scent of a clue knows Elway is the last one to blame for any past Super Bowl failure. Hell, Elway is the only reason the Denver Broncos have had four chances since his arrival to play in the game that serves as filler for multimillion dollar commercials.

And if you are old enough to remember the first time Denver made it to the Super Bowl in 1978 against Roger Staubachās Dallas Cowboys, youāll recall that it was done then with a dominant defense.

Which brings us to this, the fifth time the Broncos will take the national stage and, sadly, the fifth time they will be humiliated in the sporting worldās most unforgiving event.

Denverās special teams are not special. Adequate, yes. Special, no.

Tom Rouen canāt expect to punt the ball 18 yards against the Green Bay Packers and get away with it. The Packersā offense will make the Broncos pay if they give Brett Favre a short field.

Jason Elam?

 Broncos coach Mike Shanahan has about as much faith in Elam as an atheist has in God. And Elam hardly has shown he could kick even a 35-yarder if the game was on the line. Any missed kick in this game will be crucial.

The Broncosā offense has shown an aversion to scoring in the third and fourth quarter and its defense ÷ despite solid performances in three playoff games ÷ will not be facing Elvis Grbac or Kordell Stewart. Or 59-year-old Marcus Allen.

Nope, itās Dorsey Levens, Favre, Antonio Freeman and the Cheeseheads.

No story would be greater than Elway riding into the sunset with the Lombardi Trophy under his powerful right arm.

But Jan. 25 in San Diego, the Lombardi Trophy will return to its roots, somewhere where the tundra is, gasp, frozen.

If there were football gods, it would come down to Elway on his own 5-yard line with 2:11 left and no timeouts and down by four ÷ then let the cards fall.

But what ever football deities might exist have ordained the NFC to reign, and Elwayās teammates wonāt keep it close enough for the comeback king to work his magic.

Prediction: Green Bay 42,

Denver 13.