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NFL's midseason MVP? It's Davis

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Posted: Thu October 23, 1997

Each year, with the help of pro football correspondents around the league, I poll 20 pro scouts and put together a midseason All-Pro team. Last Saturday, I was pleased to call Terrell Davis and tell him he was Sports Illustrated's midseason MVP.

Davis was truly excited by this—thrilled to beat out Barry Sanders at running back and more thrilled to beat out John Elway, Steve Young and Sanders as the MVP. "For the scouts to think that highly of me, it's just unbelievable," said Davis, a former sixth-round pick from Georgia who's getting a well-deserved reputation as a superstar.

In the MVP ballot, Davis received eight votes, Elway three, Sanders and Young two apiece. Davis doesn't consider himself Denver's MVP, never mind the league's. "Denver's seen life without Terrell Davis, and they've succeeded," Davis told me. "Denver hasn't seen life without John. He's our backbone, our driving force."

Personally, I would have made Young the MVP. But I can barely argue with Davis, who beats eight-man fronts with regularity and makes Denver the ball-possessing, dominating team it is. Pick up the magazine or surf CNN/SI to see the midseason All-Pro team, and feel free to let me know what you think.

Is there one NFC team that is better than every other NFC team?
—Joel Cohen, Milwaukee

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No. I think the Packers will be the team left standing at the end because of home-field advantage (which they'll have) and Brett Favre's predictable rebound from a so-so first half. The 49ers finish the JV portion of their schedule this weekend in New Orleans and will be 7-1, but they'll lose two or three in the second half because they're not a dominant team. Tampa is interesting but mortal, as is every other NFC team.

Now that we've reached the halfway point, who do you like in the Super Bowl?
—Charles Rindy, Blanchardville, Wis.

Green Bay 28, Jacksonville 18. I picked these two teams before the season. If Jacksonville can tighten up its secondary in the second half, I think the Jags are a natural. Late in the season, running and stopping the run are vital, and the Broncos are getting steamrolled on the ground. If they don't tighten up defensively, all the Elways in the world won't help them in January.

How could you omit Troy Aikman from your list of the top quarterbacks of all time?

—Curtis Boldt, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Many of you were outraged at my ranking of the best quarterbacks of all time, which appeared in last week's Mailbag. That's OK. When this list first came out in 1992, some of the players on the list ripped me for not putting them high enough.

Most people seemed shocked by my omission of Aikman and Bart Starr. Let me explain:

Starr was a good player who played on a great team. MARVIN E. NEWMAN

Aikman might be on my list of the top players of all time five years from now, when he has a longer résumé and perhaps one more title. If neither player ever played another snap, Steve Young has had a better career. Young is the top-rated quarterback in history, his supporting cast hasn't been nearly as strong as Joe Montana's, and he was 35th on my list. Aikman fans, please note: When I did this list in 1992, Barry Sanders wasn't on the list. When I did it this year, Sanders was 11th.

As for Starr, well, to me, Bart Starr is a lot like Bob Griese. Both were very good players surrounded by great teams. Is Bart Starr one of the 35 best players of all time? No way.

I've always felt that Larry Brown is way overrated. Had it not been for that great Super Bowl game, he'd be riding the pine in Dallas. What do you think?
—Jeff Berg, Sacramento

You speak the truth, Jeff. Brown would be, at best, a nickelback in Dallas today had he not struck gold with the Raiders. He has a terrible temperament for a corner. He lacks confidence.

Al Davis fell into a star-syndrome trap, the same one he fell into with Desmond Howard this offseason. Larry Brown got lucky. Neil O'Donnell threw two balls to him on a hot desert day two years ago. Brown has made enough money off that one day to last the rest of his life.

Who are the five best offensive linemen right now and who will move into that elite group in the next couple of years?
—Pat Newell, Norwich, N.Y.

My five best offensive linemen:

1. T Tony Boselli, Jacksonville.
2. G Larry Allen, Dallas.
3. C Dermontti Dawson, Pittsburgh.
4. T Leon Searcy, Jacksonville.
5. T Brad Hopkins, Tennessee.

The up-and-comers (age 27 and under):

1. T Orlando Pace, St. Louis.
2. T Jonathan Ogden, Baltimore.
3. G Tré Johnson, Washington.
4. G Jeff Hartings, Detroit.
5. G Rich Braham, Cincinnati.
6. T Walter Jones, Seattle.

Is Roger Craig a future Hall of Famer? I contend that he is. Not only was he among the top 20 all-time rushers when he retired, but he was also No. 1 in receptions and an integral part of three Super Bowl wins for the 49ers.
—James Heintz, Bellingham, Wash.

My initial response is yes, Craig is a Hall of Famer. I hate to sound like a coach ("I can't tell until I look at the films"), but I'm one of the Hall voters, and I need to think about it further and compare him with his peers. But my gut says yes, because he was the best receiving back of his time. He blocked selflessly, and he got every yard possible when he ran.

Jerry Jones appoints you, Peter King, GM at season's end. What are your first moves to get Dallas back on track?
—Brooks Henry, Dallas

As the Dallas general manager, here is my five-point plan to resuscitate the Cowboys:

1. Fire me. Hire Tampa Bay personnel czar Jerry Angelo. He's a bright draftsman, tireless scout, and, after importing a bunch of failures to Tampa in the early '90s, knows you have to have a long-haul philosophy to win. Plus, he's a former Dallas scout who understands the mania there.

   (Well, since I've fired myself, I can't very well have a five-point plan to resuscitate the Cowboys, can I? But you asked, Brooks, and I'll go on. Isn't that what web columns are all about?)

2. Fire Barry Switzer. He's the most hands-off, laissez-faire coach in the NFL, and this team needs a taskmaster with a hard offseason and in-season hand. Hire one of two coaches: Dave Wannstedt, who understands what it's like to work for Jerry Jones and can take the intrusions, or Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham, the brightest prospect in the college game.

3. Keep veep Stephen Jones. He's a damn good salary cap-ologist and utterly devoted to keeping the Cowboys on top. It's not completely his fault the Cowboys have mortgaged their future with some cap-hurting contracts like the one given to Deion Sanders. But that has to stop now. Put a moratorium on future contracts, capping the bonuses at no more than $5 million and the number of years at five. You lose someone you want? That's life.

4. Rebuild the offensive line. (Wow, Brooks. Aren't you glad to get this kind of insight?) Move right guard Larry Allen to left tackle on Feb. 1, 1998. Keep center Clay Shiver in town all spring and summer working to get stronger so the Joel Steeds of the league don't throw him around like a ragdoll. Keep Erik Williams at right tackle. He's good enough. For one more year, left guard Nate Newton might have to be. But on the first day of offseason free-agency, go find two Will Wolfords—two guards in the $2.5-million-a-year range who you can plug in for the last three years of the Aikman-Irvin-Smith era. Spend all free-agency time and money on this chore. Forget every other position. The strength of the offensive line will determine if Dallas wins another Super Bowl before the millenium.

5. Don't pick up WR Anthony (Schnauzer) Miller's contract option. Live with mediocre second and third receivers, and lean on Aikman, Eric Bjornson and David LaFleur to work out together, throw together and bond this offseason. Miller is no gamer. Troy needs his tight-end crutch, and right now he's not at the Novacek comfort level with these young guys.

If the season ended today, could the Bears trade Rick Mirer for a No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft, or will he have to be waived?
—Jose Vasquez, Starkville, Miss.

He'll either be dealt somewhere for a seventh-round pick or waived. My guess is waived, because who wants to pick up the final three years of a semi-rich contract?

I think Denver's Jason Elam is the best kicker in the NFL today. Do you agree or disagree?
—Jeff Kaneshiro, Kaneohe, Hawaii

Disagree. Elam is in the top five. It's easy to look at field-goal efficiency and say a guy is the best kicker. But I think a nearly-equal measure of the value of a kicker today is how he kicks off. Which is why, if I were starting a team today, I'd take John Hall of the Jets. He's struggled the last couple of weeks kicking field goals, but he's steely, and his inaccuracy won't last.

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