Originally published by The Master Report (Sacramento, CA)
Good-bye, John Elway. Good-bye, Reggie White. Good-bye, Barry Sanders. Three classy players will be sorely missed as the 82nd NFL season gets underway this fall.
On the other hand, welcome back rabid pro football fans, instant replay, and the Cleveland Browns. Questions abound. Can the Denver Broncos repeat? Are the New York Jets ready for the big show? Was the Atlanta Falcons' success last year a fluke? Will the Minnesota Vikings be a Super Bowl team? Are the 49ers slipping from elite status in the NFC? Can the Raiders return to greatness? How will the Dallas Cowboys fare this year? We'll soon find out.
NFC WEST
After years of futility the ATLANTA FALCONS broke through and flew off their perch in the division basement not only to a winning season, but the NFC West title all the way to the Super Bowl last year. Though Denver humbled them in the Super Bowl, that loss has only fired up the Dirty Birds to come back for more. Dan Reeves is a proven winner who has produced everywhere he's been, and the Falcon turnaround is proof of that. Before, they were known as a quitting bunch that didn't try very hard. Now, thanks to respected veterans such as Cornelius Bennett and Chris Chandler, plus youthful stars as Jamal Anderson, O.J. Santiago, and Tim Dwight, this will soon become a team players will line up to play for. Chandler, previously known as an injury-prone inconsistent QB, had a breakthrough season and managed to stay out of the trainer's room for needless stretches. Anderson fits his role as meat and potatoes RB well in the Falcons' no frills attack. Another Super Bowl run is a strong possibility.
Meanwhile, the SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS have many questions going into the season, the biggest concerning whether they are still among the league's elite status after being an NFC kingpin since the early '80s. The West Coast attack, a staple of SF's offense for the past two decades, still lights up the scoreboard, and Steve Young is still a peerless leader and crafty QB, even though he's getting up in age. Finding his successor will be no easy task, but the Niners do have Steve Stenstrom, Jeff Druckenmiller and Jeff Garcia on hand to determine who will play behind Young. But who will run the ball? There's no telling when hobbled Garrison Hearst will be able to suit back up. Troubled Lawrence Phillips was brought into the fold. He was nothing but a headache in both St. Louis and Miami and skeptics are betting that his future in the NFL is still highly in doubt. The defense has holes like Swiss cheese, particularly the secondary, which was exploited at will last year. It's going to be a tough road to hoe for the fading Niners.
Nowhere are they more giddy with expectations than NEW ORLEANS. With last year's best college RB in the country under the Saints' lock and key, head coach Mike Ditka has promised long suffering fans that their day has finally arrived. One problem--the Saints essentially mortgaged their future on Williams--not to mention a lollapalooza of draft picks...so this guy better be good. Ditka, as usual, has built a solid defense to fit into his plans for a smash-mouth team, but Billy Joe Hobert at QB? Ouch? This should be Dick Vermeil's last year with the ST. LOUIS RAMS, unless they can make a marked turnaround. Don't bet on it. Newcomers such as ex-Colt RB Marshall Faulk and former Redskin QB Trent Green have come aboard, and speedster Issac Bruce can torch defenses. But no matter who they bring in, the Rams continue to lose and lose badly.
CAROLINA is a mess. The Panthers have fallen hard after turning the league on its' ear by reaching the NFC title game in their second season. George Seifert, who is returning to coaching after the 49ers showed him the doors after the 1996 playoff loss to Green Bay, is a good one but he has his work cut out for him. After this year, he may long to be on his boat fishing again. After being dogged by embarrassment in recent seasons, Panther fans will gladly settle for a mere .500 season. It won't happen.
Predictions: Atlanta 12-4, San Fran 11-5 (wild card), New Orleans 8-8, St. Louis 6-10, Carolina 5-11.
NFC CENTRAL
The torch has been passed--from the Cheeseheads to the MINNESOTA VIKINGS. In sweeping their way past Green Bay to the divisional title and a league-best 15-1 record, they scored an all-time best 536 points. But that won't be good enough this year. Minny looks to grab a shot at the Super Bowl, something that eluded them last year when they lost a heartbreaking finale to Atlanta. Randall Cunningham not only resurrected his career, he thrived, throwing bombs all year long to Cris Carter, Jake Reed and rookie sensation Randy Moss. Moss, who was passed up by a legion of teams in the draft for his off field problems dating back to high school, made the rest of the league look like dunces for shunning him. Meanwhile, Jeff George comes aboard from the Raiders as a backup. This guy's talent for throwing the long ball are unparalleled, but he is also a guy for which the phrases "head case" and "unfulfilled promise" were invented. The GREEN BAY PACKERS are in a state similar to the 49ers. They are still a force to be reckoned with, but no longer the overwhelming favorite within their division. Ray Rhodes takes over a Pack team that has made six straight playoff appearances and won two NFC crowns and a Super Bowl in the last six seasons. He has at his disposal Brett Favre, WR's Antonio Freeman and Robert Brooks, and TE Mark Chumra. But Green Bay paid dearly for not having a running attack last year to go with it, and free agency is threatening to strip their team as much as it did Dallas a few years back.
Is Trent Dilfer a bona-fide NFL caliber quarterback? The TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS are running out of patience. Dilfer has combined rare moments of promise with endless stretches of incredibly poor play, and Tampa's inability to move the ball through the air contributed to their disappointing 8-8 season and non-playoff year after many picked them to make a Super Bowl run. There are few better than Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott on the ground. But Dilfer is running out of time to prove himself.
Can anyone imagine the DETROIT LIONS without Barry Sanders? Well, the impossible has happened. Sanders, apparently none too thrilled with Lions management, stunningly announced his retirement late last month. He leaves having not gotten as much as a sniff at Super Bowl ring, and without breaking the all-time rushing record, which he was on schedule to do this year. The only good news for Lions fans this year is that the CHICAGO BEARS are in the same division. They have rookie QB Cade McNown on hand, which they seem intent on dumping into the fire right away, having given Erik Kramer his walking papers. Didn't someone learn that lesson last year with Ryan Leaf? Oh well, it ain't my money.
PREDICTIONS: Minnesota 12-4, Green Bay 11-5 (wild card), Tampa Bay 9-7, Detroit 6-10, Chicago 5-11.
NFC EAST
Curse the DALLAS COWBOYS, call them zany, madcap sitcom characters, love them, hate them, but the bottom line is that this hired circus can still play. Like it or not, this is still the Cowboys' division to win or lose. The Trio--Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin--are still perfectly capable of lassoing an unsuspecting foe. Last year's Cowboys were embarrassed by Arizona at home in the playoffs, and Jerry Jones is still seething. What Dallas is most concerned about is whether age is catching up to each or part of the Big Three, and whether Smith can find his gear again after a couple of lackluster seasons. The Cowboys are old and creaky, but these fogies still know how to play. A new team has risen as a challenger to Dallas, however, and it's the ARIZONA CARDINALS. Last year, QB Jake "The Snake" Plummer put them into the playoffs for the first time in a non-strike year since 1975. Arizona is a youthful team full of potential. CB Aeneas Williams is a hard hitter in the secondary. After years of ineptitude, the Cards are no longer a joke. They will be heard from for quite some time.
Did the NEW YORK GIANTS good season of two years ago merely coincide with a Dallas slump? Which team will show up in 1999? The team that overachieved to a division title in 1997? Or the Giants' team that was a bitter disappointment last season? Coach Jim Fassel had better hope it's the former. He brought in Kerry Collins, the same QB who quit the Panthers, ended up in New Orleans, and along the way was arrested on a DUI charge. Somehow, Collins doesn't seem a fit. WR Ike Hilliard is a prized possession receiver, but who will get him the ball is anyone's question.
In the nation's capital, the WASHINGTON REDSKINS are in disarray. A utterly disapointing 6-10 season, combined with an 0-7 start after bringing in many high priced veterans will do that to you. Ex-49er Dana Stubblefield and ex-Bengal Dan Wilkinson were lured to D.C. to improve the pass rush, but neither made an impact. The Redskins finally found an owner after months of speculation, Daniel Snyder, a perfectionist who promptly told general manager Charlie Casserly to clean out his desk. Very interesting. As for the PHILADELPHIA EAGLES, this is all you have to know: After being announced as the Eagles' top draft pick, QB Donovan McNabb was booed unmercifully by Eagles fans, attending the draft, who desperately wanted Williams. Expect the boo birds to be out in full force at the Vet this season. They'll have ample reason to.
PREDICTIONS: Dallas 10-5, Arizona 10-6 (wild card), NY Giants 9-7, Washington 6-10, Philadelphia 4-12.
AFC WEST
The DENVER BRONCOS, having joined a select group of teams (1966-67 Packers, 1972-73 Dolphins, 1974-75 and 1978-79 Steelers, 1988-89 49ers, 1992-93 Cowboys) to have won Super Bowls back to back, now want to be in an exclusive club of their own. They will attempt to become the first ever team to win the Super Bowl three years' running. The odds are against them, considering that legendary John Elway has retired, leaving Bubby Brister to run the show, Brister can thrive, but he is no Elway. Terrell Davis sparks the offense with his explosive running. Shannon Sharpe, Ed McCaffrey, and Rod Smith are the Broncos' main targets. Bill Romanowski is Denver's leader on defense. Dale Carter arrives from Kansas City to bolster the secondary.
Changes have taken place all around the OAKLAND RAIDERS. For openers, Jeff George was axed following a season in which he could scarcely stay healthy, let alone produce the numbers he was expected to. Newcomer Rich Gannon takes his place behind the center. Gannon doesn't have a rocket arm like George, but his competitiveness and fiery demeanor make for better team chemistry. Tim Brown has lost a step but he is still among the league's best clutch receivers. Carrying the ball will be a question. Napoleon Kaufman, deemed to small for extensive duty, may alternate with Rashaan Salaam. The defense has returned to form. Charles Woodson, solid last year as a rookie, makes a good secondary excellent. Oakland had better hope the pieces fit for at least a wild card season. With the Silver and Black not having made a playoff appearance since 1993, Raiders fans have let their displeasure be known by seldom selling out. In SEATTLE, the talk is about new coach Mike Holmgren making the difference in a formerly talented but underachieving team. Joey Galloway leads the air corps, and John Kitna has the inside track on the QB spot. Holmgren, who led the Packers to a Super Bowl win and within an eyelash of another, clearly knows how to win and will mold the Seahawks into his kind of team.
KANSAS CITY's fall from grace last year shouldn't have been all that surprising, given that Elvis Grbac has a history of not performing in the clutch and there was no move-the-mountains RB on the club until Bam Morris showed up. Yes, the Chiefs brought in ageless Warren Moon. Yes, he will probably end up getting considerable action. Yes, the Chiefs' days as serious contenders in the AFC are over. K.C. will be out of the playoffs again. Then again, it could be worse. SAN DIEGO's failure to accomplish anything of merit last year despite a top defense, leads directly a punchless offense that had a ballet-like routine: one, two, three, kick. Ryan Leaf was an absolute disaster at QB for the Chargers since day one. Sparing you the off-the-field shenanigans, he threw two TD's and 15 interceptions.
PREDICTIONS: Denver 11-5, Oakland 10-6, Seattle 10-6, Kansas City 8-8, San Diego 5-11.
AFC CENTRAL
The JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS have the offensive firepower to win this division easily, but their prowess on the other side of the ball must improve if they are to be a Super Bowl team. S Carnell Lake, acquired from Pittsburgh, will provide leadership on that side, and QB Mark Brunell remains a southpaw wizard. Since his beginnings in Jacksonville, he has reminded everyone of a youthful Steve Young. Last year's collapse of the PITTSBURGH STEELERS has coach Bill Cowher on the spot. The Steel Men are no longer top dogs in this division, and defections, free agency and player movement have eaten this team alive. In order to have any shot at the playoffs, QB Kordell Stewart needs to bounce back in a big way, Jerome Bettis needs to have a great season, and the defense must overcome several free agent losses. TENNESSEE remains a middle of the road dark horse. Led by QB Steve McNair and RB Eddie George, the Titans could go either way. Finally, the CLEVELAND BROWNS have returned. The new Browns have showcase draft pick in QB Tim Couch. Expectations are high in the Dawg Pound, but remember, this is still an expansion team. CINCINNATI and BALTIMORE will have little to cheer for except the anticipation of a nice high spot in next year's draft. Brian Billick, coordinator of the Vikings high powered offense last year, comes in for a crack at the head coaching job of the Ravens, but it's a lot tougher to win games when you don't have Moss, Carter or Reed.
PREDICTIONS: Jacksonville 12-4, Pittsburgh 9-7, Tennessee 8-8, Cleveland 7-9, Cincinnati 5-11, Baltimore 3-13.
AFC EAST
The NEW YORK JETS came to within 30 minutes of making their first Super Bowl appearance since the Broadway Joe days. It's hard to believe that just two short years ago, the Jets were coming off a hilarious 1-15 season. Bill Parcells, using his whip and buggy, turned them into a winner overnight. QB Vinny Testaverde flourished last year after disappointment in Tampa Bay, Cleveland and Baltimore. RB Curtis Martin is among the best in the business. WR's Keyshawn Johnson and Wayne Chrebet are a play making duo few can match. The defense has become the team's strength. If the Jets can somehow get the AFC Championship to be played in East Rutherford, N.J., the title is theirs for the taking. MIAMI will come up just little bit short. Time is running out on Dan Marino's storied career, and he wants desperately to take a ring into the sunset, like Elway did. Jimmy Johnson has assembled a small army of RB's. His best bet is Karim Abdul-Jabbar, who can run the ball with authority seen by few Dolphin ball-carriers since the Csonka-Kiick days.
BUFFALO, a team doomed to ruins at this time a year ago, emerged as one of the league's feel-good stories, thanks to diminutive ex-CFLer Doug Flutie. The onetime Bear rallied the Bills to a wildcard spot. and proved that short QB's can make it in this league, indeed. Drew Bledsoe and the NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS will finish back in the pack this year due to no running game and a chronically soft defense. There may be better days for the INDIANAPOLIS COLTS, but not in the near future. QB Peyton Manning will take his lumps for now.
PREDICTIONS: NY Jets 12-4, Miami 11-5, Buffalo 9-7, New England 8-8, Indianapolis 6-10.
PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS:
AFC CHAMPIONSHIP
New York Jets over Jacksonville Jaguars
NFC CHAMPIONSHIP
Minnesota Vikings over Dallas Cowboys
SUPER BOWL
Minnesota Vikings over New York Jets
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