League MVP?
Randall Cunningham far from retirement
Posted: Friday December 11, 1998 03:31 PM
Most people look forward to retirement. They spend their careers planning
for it. But retirement doesn't always come with a big party, especially
when the person retiring is 33.
I can remember a round of golf with a newly retired Randall Cunningham two
summers ago in Las Vegas, not because of his golf game -- his one-iron
shots fly past anything I hit with my driver -- but because of his
reluctance to end his pro football career.
The Rams almost offered him a job (just think how much better off they'd
be) but it would be another year before he would return to the NFL with the
Minnesota Vikings.
Cunningham always says he left the league on his own terms, but I can
understand everything he missed -- the competitiveness, the camaraderie,
all those things. I miss them, too. I can see why coaches like Mike Ditka,
Bill Parcells and Dick Vermeil came back to the NFL after they had left.
Now, Cunningham's not only leading the Vikings into the playoffs -- he's
doing so as the MVP of the league. I've never been able to figure out how
to calculate the NFL's quarterback rating, but I know a good score when I
see it. Cunningham leads the league with a 111.8 rating, the third-best
season rating in league history, a few touchdowns away from surpassing Steve Young's record of
112.9. Cunningham has always impressed me -- in 1984, I was out of
work and went to see SMU play a game at UNLV, where Cunningham was a
senior. What struck me at first wasn't his passing, but his punting skills.
He led the nation in punting that year, and if Vikings punter Mitch Berger ever gets
injured, I'd like to see Randall send one deep again.
Of course, it's been Cunningham's deep passes that have put him back among
the NFL's elite. His arm strength is remarkable, and yet he shows an
amazing touch to put the ball where only his receiver can come down with
the pass.
Renaissance man: Cunningham's 27 touchdown passes are second only to Steve Young AP | |
His detractors will say that Cunningham benefits from all the offensive
talents around him, but who doesn't? Denver's Terrell Davis is also a
solid MVP candidate, but where would he be without all of the Broncos'
other big-play threats? Choosing between the two isn't easy. If there's any
justice, they'll get to settle things head-to-head.
With Denver and Minnesota hosting games throughout the playoffs, it's hard
not to imagine a Broncos-Vikings Super Bowl in Miami. I'm just in awe of
what the Vikings can do with the ball-they go up and down the field on
everyone they face.
It's like basketball on AstroTurf, and Cunningham is their point guard,
constantly running a fast break. Even when his best offensive weapons have
been taken away, as was the case last week, he still came up with four
touchdowns and another convincing victory.
I think the difference for him is that when it's your second time around,
either as a coach or a player, you're much more relaxed. The first time you
come to the NFL, you think about everything you do, always aware of where
you are and what you need to be doing.
Now, Cunningham is so confident, so at ease with himself, both personally
and professionally, that even the interceptions don't bother him. The year
away from the game made him more attentive to detail, and he's matured a
great deal.
And he'd be the last person to campaign for the MVP-all he wants is a
Super Bowl ring. Besides, he already won an MVP in 1990, and he's on pace
for more yards and touchdowns, despite throwing about 100 fewer passes than
he did when he won the award.
Last month, he had to prove himself worthy of staying on as the Vikings'
starting quarterback. He's shown himself worthy of being the NFC's starting
quarterback in Hawaii for the Pro Bowl in Hawaii, and he has my vote for
the league's MVP. If you disagree, just watch him -- he still has a
couple of weeks, and he's more convincing every time. Forget about easing
into retirement: Cunningham is moving farther away from it with every
touchdown.
| 
