BIG GAME SHOULD BE SUPER UGLY.

Byline: BILLY WITZ

The New England Patriots' defense turned Peyton Manning into Jim Everett before our very eyes. Then the Carolina Panthers turned the City of Philadelphia - which devours its own like no other - on the Eagles after they lost for the third consecutive year in the NFC championship game.

If this was a sorry sight, just wait.

In two weeks, the Patriots and Panthers meet in Houston and that's when things could really get ugly. Super Bowl XXXVIII has the makings of one of the most, how shall we say, aesthetically challenged title games ever - fitting, perhaps, given the host city.

This has all the looks of a game where the only thing of beauty is likely to be the shiny silver Lombardi Trophy that's awarded the winner.

If there is anything worth celebrating about the Panthers and Patriots, it is the virtues of team concept and defense - admirable qualities, to be sure, but for riveting entertainment this is the football equivalent of My Dinner with Andre.

This is the Super Bowl, after all, where you won't see blue collars in the stands and you shouldn't see them on the stage.

Yet it will be a game truly without stars - no Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, Dante Hall, Ray Lewis or Brett Favre. The only Manning will be Ricky.

The closest thing to a celebrity is New England quarterback Tom Brady. There are six Pro Bowlers among the two teams, but one is Panthers punter Todd Sauerbrun and another, the Patriots' Willie McGinest, was an injury replacement.

These are teams with great defenses, but rather than ones that are overwhelming - like the '85 Bears or '00 Ravens - these would prefer to bleed their opponents slowly.

Which was much the way it felt to watch both teams win Sunday.

New England took a quarterback like Manning, who had been Peyton Perfect in the playoffs and is considered the game's most astute student of defenses, and made him look like a third-grade reader.

Manning's effectiveness is based on quick reads and throws, but despite often having plenty of time to throw he looked flummoxed most of the day. After throwing eight touchdowns and no interceptions in the first two playoff games, he threw four interceptions - including three to Ty Law.

When the Colts got the ball back with two minutes left and a chance to tie, Manning threw four consecutive incompletions.

Now, imagine what the Patriots will do to Jake Delhomme.

On the other hand, it's hard to imagine New England's offense doing much against Carolina - except sending kicker Adam Vinitieri on to the field.

That was more or less the plan Sunday. The New England offense efficiently marched down the field for a touchdown with the opening kickoff and never saw the end zone the rest of the day, getting four Vinitieri field goals and a safety.

Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, the progress of the forward pass took a few steps backward. After Delhomme threw an up-for-grabs touchdown pass that Muhsin Muhammad pulled down, Carolina coach John Fox decided that was enough good fortune for him. Delhomme threw only 14 passes.

Then again, Fox was watching the Eagles throw. Until the final minutes, nobody caught more passes from Philadelphia quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer than Ricky Manning Jr. - the Carolina cornerback and rookie from UCLA, who had three. At one point, Detmer threw a pass to guard Bobbie Williams - who, much to the Eagles' chagrin - showed better hands than the Eagles' receivers, who dropped at least six balls.

While the Panthers will send the city of Brotherly Enmity into a fit of loathing, they've also sent a message to the rest of the league about what is possible. It was just two years ago that they were 1-15, but they hired Fox, who shored up the defense and got the team playing competitively last season.

They picked up Delhomme as a free agent, traded for tailback Stephen Davis and here they are in the Super Bowl.

New England, which has won 14 in a row and is trying to win its second Super Bowl in three years, also has a story worth telling. It is about what passes for greatness these days in the NFL. The Patriots are clearly dominant, but the way they do it - they've won their past five playoff games by a total of 26 points - they just don't look like it.

The same way this Super Bowl just doesn't look super.

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2004 PLAYOFF BRACKET