Taylor, not Moss, is NFL's top rookie
Posted: Monday November 23, 1998 11:58 AM
Because he has proven the skeptics wrong, Minnesota wideout Randy Moss is the
emotional favorite to win NFL rookie of the year. But the thinking man's
choice should be Jacksonville running back Fred Taylor. The ninth
pick overall in the draft, Taylor has started just seven games but has
scored four more touchdowns than Moss and has gained nearly 300 more yards
from scrimmage than Moss. Taylor has accounted for almost a third of his
team's total offense. In the end, Taylor is simply more critical to his
team's success than Moss is to the Vikings. And that is the very definition
of MVP. Dirty birds hungry, too
Atlanta Falcons safety Eugene Robinson told me
that mentally, the Falcons are way ahead of his former team, the Green Bay Packers.
Robinson, the NFL's active career interceptions leader, has quickly become
a leader and teacher in Atlanta. And the 14-year veteran has noticed a big
difference between his former and current employer.
"This team is hungry," Robinson told me. "And because they've been on top
for so long, that's an edge the Packers might not have anymore." The
Falcons have now won a team record eight games in a row at the Georgia
Dome. And there is one man in particular who is responsible for the team's
current success. Adam Sandler. Almost the entire team has seen Sandler's
hit movie, "The Waterboy." And the Falcons have adopted the film's catch
phrase, "You can do it!" as their own battle cry. And it seems to be
working. Aptly named
When he was drafted in the first round in 1992 running back Tommy Vardell
seemed to be cursed by the nickname he picked up at Stanford. In his first
five seasons in the NFL, Touchdown Tommy scored seven times. But since
joining the Lions in 1997 he has more than lived up to his moniker. Vardell
now has 13 TDs in his last two seasons. Really dirty birds
Finally, just how bad are the Philadelphia Eagles? Well,
the NFC East is without question the worst division in football. And the
Eagles have lost their last three division games by a combined score of
82-3.
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