Volume 2, Number 1 -- January, 1997
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Volume 2, Number 1 -- January, 1997 |
Ding, Dong, the Witch is dead. Or, more appropriately, the "Witches".
For all those legions of NFL fans out there who, like myself,
have long since tired of seeing the same old teams in the
Superbowl year after year, this past weekend was one for the
ages. To see perennial Superbowl Champs Dallas and San Francisco
escorted from the playoff party along with perennial Superbowl
Doormat Denver (preceded by fellow doormat Buffalo the previous
week) was, well, if not truly spiritually moving then at the very
least enough to restore my faith in humanity.
For the past decade a select group of teams have had a
stranglehold on the biggest of big dances. With the exception of
brief cameos by Pittsburgh, San Diego, and Cincinnati, the above
mentioned teams along with the Giants and the Redskins have been
hogging the Superbowl Spotlight for the past ten years.
In fact, to find the last Superbowl that did not involve
either Dallas, Denver, Buffalo, or San Francisco you have to go
back eleven years to Superbowl XX. The combatants on that day
were Superbowl virgins New England and Chicago, neither of which
have returned for a second go-round.
This then, is what the glorious weekend of January 4-5, 1997
meant to many long-suffering football fans, starved as they were
for a fresh selection on the Superbowl menu. At last, you can
hear them cry, at long last we have a new pair of teams to root
for or against as our tastes dictate. And for the first time
since that Chicago-New England Superbowl eleven years ago there
is a chance (though slim) that we could see two first time
Superbowl teams facing off.
As you may be able to tell, I am excited at the very prospect
of Superbowl XXXI.
But what of the NFL that we have grown accustomed to? Is it
truly, as so many pundits have observed, the end of an era? Have
we seen the decline of these perennial playoff franchises?
The answer is Yes, No, maybe and Probably not. Let's start
with the Yes.
ANSWER: Yes. QUESTION: Who are the Buffalo Bills?
Yes, I'm afraid the Buffalo Bills have finally squeezed all
that they could possibly squeeze out of their veteran squad. Jim
Kelly is almost certainly gone, quite possibly to be joined by
Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed. Only Bruce Smith seems a good bet
to return for another year as Marv Levy must decide whether, at
71, he really wants to undertake the massive rebuilding that this
team desperately needs.
ANSWER: No. QUESTION: Who are the San Francisco Forty-Niners?
As always, the Niners are the most solid of the "declining"
dynasties. They still have enough to make the playoffs (and then
some) but it seems to be getting tougher and tougher for the
organization to plug the holes.
It has long been the forty-niner way for past Niner stars to
give way to future Niner stars. Joe Montana had Steve Young
waiting in the wings, Dwight Clark was replaced by Jerry Rice,
Ronnie Lott gave way to Eric Davis, Randy Cross was nudged into
retirement by Jessie Sapolu, and Roger Craig gave way to Ricky
Watters.
And who do the current crop of Niners have waiting in the
wings. Steve Young has Elvis Grbac, at least for now. Jerry
Rice has Terrell Owens, or maybe J.J. Stokes. Brent Jones has,
uh, Ed Popson. Merton Hanks has ... well, that Buckley fellah.
See what I mean. And all of this is in addition to the holes
that already exist at running back, cornerback, pass rusher, and
all along the undersized and aging offensive line.
On the plus side, the forty-niner organization is still
deserving of all the respect that is lavished upon them. They
have the money and the know-how to land the necessary free agents
to bring them back up to the level of a legitimate contender,
though the days of absolute dominance are probably behind them.
ANSWER: Maybe. QUESTION: Who are the Dallas Cowboys.
Credit Barry Switzer with staving off the complete meltdown
of a once great team for quite a bit longer than anyone could
have predicted. While I count myself among the myriad of critics
who insist (and still insist) the man is in over his head,
Switzer did manage to guide Jimmy Johnson's team to three playoff
appearances in his three years in Dallas and even hauled off a
Lombardi Trophy to boot.
Thank you for playing, Barry, collect your prizes on the way
out. The player attrition that the Cowboys have been suffering
for the past three years looks to continue this season and
they're fast running out of familiar faces in Irving. Jay
Novacek was lost at the beginning of the season and his absence
was never felt more than when Troy Aikman found himself without
Michael Irvin and in desperate need of a target against Carolina.
Emmit Smith showed both that he is not washed up and that he
cannot carry the team alone anymore. God save the poor man if
Darryl Johnston leaves via free agency. And on the Defensive
front, Leon Lett will miss the first 14 games of 1997 due to his
drug suspension, and by that time it could be all over for
Dallas.
ANSWER: Probably Not. QUESTION: Who are the Denver Broncos.
Denver finally put it all together in 1996, or so it seemed
until the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars exposed them at Mile High.
What happened? Were they really that overrated? Actually, the
Broncos are a legitimate Superbowl contender next season if they
can do two things:
1) Add some beef to a dangerously small defensive line that
simply got pushed around in the second half against Jacksonville,
and
2) Get a big-play receiver. Despite all the money and the
promises that went to and came from Anthony Miller, he is not the
real deal. Whether they do it through the draft, trade, or free
agency, the Broncos need to give John Elway something he has
never had in Denver, a legitimate marquee receiver.
Well, that's that. Enjoy your Superbowl.
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