 |
Posted: Wednesday July 23, 2003 4:31 PM
 |
SI.com's Don Banks tackles three issues from around the league:
|
| 1 |
Who will win the five most interesting QB competitions? |
| |
Kurt Warner
Andy Lyons/Getty Images |
The arms races haven't even really begun, and already we're divining the outcomes. That makes this pure unadulterated speculation on our part, but here goes:
Quincy Carter over Chad Hutchinson in Dallas -- The early reading is that Bill Parcells seems to slightly prefer Carter's athleticism and big-play potential over Hutchinson's more mechanical style. Funny, but that didn't seem to bother the Tuna when he had a very mechanical Phil Simms in New York. Carter can't be his mistake-prone self, because if there's anything that makes Mr. Bill's neck veins bulge it's turnovers and sloppy execution.
Jay Fiedler over Brian Griese in Miami -- Despite perceptions, we think Fiedler has a virtual hammerlock on this race at the outset. Dave Wannstedt is a Fiedler believer and won't make the switch unless he thinks he has to in order to save the season and, by extension, his job. Fiedler can look simply awful at times, but he's also tough and resourceful and has the respect of his teammates. Griese's shot won't come until an injury sidelines Fiedler.
Kelly Holcomb over Tim Couch in Cleveland -- A key difference in this wide-open competition? Couch has been the anointed starter at every step of his football development, from Peewee league on up. The Golden Boy. That means all the pressure is on him in this race. Holcomb, a career backup, is playing with house money. He can't really lose. He can let it fly and see what happens. Couch has to win, or else. Holcomb has no such burden.
Rodney Peete over Jake Delhomme and Chris Weinke in Carolina -- We're iffy on this one, because logic says the Panthers will give free-agent Delhomme every chance to win the No. 1 job. But we can see head coach John Fox going with the ageless Peete, because his quarterback doesn't have to win a game, he just can't afford to lose it. The wild-card scenario is Weinke, who has supposedly looked good this offseason. How's that for all over the map?
Kurt Warner over Marc Bulger in St. Louis -- Yeah, We know there's really not a competition going on here, because Mike Martz has said so, repeatedly. But of course there is, because last year did happen and wasn't just a bad dream sequence that played itself out in Warner's head. Warner must dismiss the doubts about his health and accuracy, but you can bet Martz is pulling for him. Everything is easier for everyone if No. 13 wins.
|
| 2 |
Who will be this year's surprise contenders? |
| |
John Fox
Ronald Martinez/Getty Images |
In the AFC, we'll give the nod to San Diego, edging out the chic pick, Cincinnati. Hey, the Chargers have to win a game past October at some point. Why not this year? In truth, San Diego won two games after October last season, but it also dropped seven games in the final two months, nicely negating that 6-1 start.
Not this time. This is the year the Chargers finish what they started. San Diego's new general manager, A.J. Smith, said he and former Bolts GM John Butler, who passed away this spring, considered 2003 the franchise's "push" season. As in the year the Chargers make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 1995, ending their seven-year skid of non-winning seasons.
If David Boston is back in 2001 form, giving quarterback Drew Brees the kind of target he has never had, then offense shouldn't be the problem. Brees has had only one stud to turn to in the past, that being third-year running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who has joined the league's elite group of runners. Whether or not San Diego has enough on defense will again determine the season's fate.
In the NFC, Seattle, Washington and Minnesota are all somewhat suitable choices. But I keep coming back to Carolina, whose six-game improvement last year was the largest upgrade in the league. The Panthers teased people last season, winning their first three, dropping eight in a row, and then going 4-1 down the stretch. This year they're going to take the rollercoaster effect out of the equation and steady things out.
Carolina will win with that superb young defense coach John Fox has assembled, combined with a power running attack that will eat the clock and shorten the game. Former Redskins running back Stephen Davis didn't have many suitors in free agency, but he landed in the right spot. If Davis can churn out his usual 1,300-yard season, the Panthers are going to win more than their share of 13-10 squeakers. It'll be ugly and effective.
One caveat: Carolina better not tip-toe into September. After opening at home against Jacksonville, Carolina faces six consecutive opponents who had a winning record in 2002. Among them, only New Orleans didn't make the playoffs. If the Panthers aren't buried by Halloween, they're going to scare some people this year.
|
| 3 |
Which owner has done the best by his team the past two years? |
| |
Athur Blank
atlantafalcons.com
|
We tease him about his "Blank-check'' mentality and that pencil-thin mustache, but Atlanta owner Arthur Blank doesn't take a backseat to any of his peers in the world's most exclusive 32-person club. Mr. Home Depot has done a remarkably quick fix-it-up job on the Falcons since assuming control of the franchise.
Tell me, did you think the once moribund Falcons would start a season-ticket waiting list before hell froze over? Sure, quarterback Michael Vick had plenty to do with sparking Atlanta's football renaissance, but it has been Blank who has masterfully moved to take advantage of the fan excitement and momentum created by Vick's arrival. And had the good sense to let the football people build a team around their No. 1 pick.
You can quibble with Blank, as we have, with his overpaying to acquire the likes of running back Warrick Dunn and receiver Peerless Price the past two off-seasons. But you can't fault his eagerness to paint in bold strokes, and his willingness to back up his mouth with his money. He may have to learn to rein in his shopping instincts in coming years, given the salary cap realities, but he's a quick study and he'll figure out when and when he can't afford to make a splash.
Blank today owns a franchise that's far more valuable than the one he purchased from Rankin Smith's family in late 2001. His revitalized Falcons have already made a playoff trip, won a postseason game, and posted their first winning season since 1998. This year's team appears ready to make it two consecutive winning seasons for the first time in the organization's 37-year history. They're even talking Super Bowl down South.
Blank's most impressive accomplishment of all? Somehow, seemingly overnight, he has made Falcons football relevant again. It was no small feat.
|
|
|
|
