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Dr. Z's All-Pro Team
Posted: Friday January 07, 2000 06:03 PM
Personal prejudice always tempers your All-Pro selections, and the constant battle is to overcome it and try to do what's fair. Example: My coach of the year, based on overall achievement, probably would be Mike Martz, the Rams' offensive coordinator, with Jacksonville's defensive coordinator, Dom Capers, as runner-up. But would this really be fair? Dick Vermeil hired Martz; Tom Coughlin hired Capers. Some notice should be paid to the guys who risked the most. It filters down to positions, too. The best game I saw by a defensive player this year was the one turned in by Arizona's rightside linebacker (the Cardinals went right and left, rather than strong and weak) Rob Fredrickson against the Jets. O.K., I reasoned, he's got one spot sewed up. But when I broke the whole thing down, game by game, the Cowboys' Dexter Coakley graded higher. So what do you do? You close your eyes and project each one to your mythical team. And Coakley became the one I'd rather have. Without further explanation, here's my 1999 All-Pro team, including copouts and apologies (which appear below the chart):
Wideouts: These were the easiest picks on the board. Harrison and Carter had the numbers, plus the clutch catches. I would have dearly loved to have found a place for the Broncos' Ed McCaffrey. No one meant more to his team than he did, but he simply wasn't as productive as my top two. Tight End: Without Gonzalez the Chiefs passing attack would have been zip, and that decided it. Very few teams feature a tight end in their scheme these days. My personal preference? The Bills' Jay Riemersma, but he was hurt much of the time. Tackle: This is a strange position. All you ask of an OT these days is not to screw it up. Boselli was a lock. I picked him as a rookie, then left him off when I felt he played too heavy and lost his punch. This year he was more active. I chose three other tackles to grade. Orlando Pace of the Rams and Tarik Glenn of the Colts were quick flunks. Anderson of the Bengals dominated his man in the games I saw, but I questioned my own opinion on him. Was he really that good? I called Paul Alexander, the Bengals' line coach. Slow start, terrific finish, he told me. Graded near-perfect down the stretch. 'Nuff said. Guard: Allen and Johnson were similar -- big boomers who could wipe out a side, Johnson being a little suspect because he seemed to tire late and get a little confused on his pass blocking. There was only one challenger, and I graded him, even though I knew I wouldn't pick him: Barry Sims of the Raiders. Who? Former World Leaguer. A fill-in at LT when Mo Collins was hurt. Third in rotation at RG, but started through injuries. Terrific in the last four Raiders games I saw, really a precision blocker. Watch him in the future. Center: The Vikings' Jeff Christy was my All-Pro last year, and I graded him, along with Denver's Tom Nalen, New England's rookie, Damien Woody, San Francisco's Chris Dalman, Mawae and Dallas' Mark Stepnoski. This is the way they finished -- Stepnoski, Mawae, Nalen (who started slowly but finished strong), Woody, Christy, Dalman. So why didn't I go with my highest grader, Stepnoski? Because I'm not wild about his style, a puller and holder. Mawae comes off the line as if he means it. Plus, Stepnoski is working next to Allen, Mawae held up a middle that had a rookie on one side and a converted tackle on the other. I don't like to go against my own grades, but I just felt that Mawae was a better player this year. Quarterback: Warner vs. Peyton Manning. Warner led in every offensive category. My biggest consideration was accuracy under pressure. Manning will throw the errant pick; Warner will do it less often. Running Back: Again, a Colt vs. a Ram. Both James and Faulk were terrific. Faulk gets it on overall production, including passes caught. My sentimental favorite was Denver's Olandis Gary. And don't overlook the terrific year that the San Francisco's Charlie Garner had. Fullback: I couldn't in all honesty pick the Bucs' Mike Alstott because he's a tailback in some formations, plus his blocking is only so-so. Buffalo's Sam Gash is the best blocker, with the Redskins' Mike Sellers No. 2, but these guys are only part-timers. Richardson is on the field all the time, and he contributes in all categories, including special teams. My All-Pro last year, Atlanta's Bob Christian, was kind of lost in the wash. Defensive End: I picked the kind of players I usually don't favor, upfield rushers instead of guys sturdy at the point. Brackens was a disruptive force. Kearse, wildly unsound against the run at times, caused so many offenses to change what they do that he couldn't be overlooked, plus he was second highest on my charts. Everyone said the Rams' Kevin Carter was a lock, but I just didn't have him graded that highly in games I saw. None of my other finalists -- Buffalo's Phil Hansen, K.C.'s Dan Williams, Dallas' Greg Ellis and Detroit's Robert Porcher -- measured up, although Ellis was very close until he got hurt. Defensive tackle: Only one this year -- usually I pick two -- but since the quality at middle linebacker was so much higher I went with a 3-4. Jacksonville's Gary Walker was my early choice, but he faded down the stretch. Pryce was blocked at times, but he had a non-stop motor and made many big plays. The rest of my finalists, in the order in which I graded them -- the Rams' D'Marco Farr, Detroit's Luther Elliss, Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp, who probably got more attention than any other DT, San Diego's John Parrella, Tennessee's Jason Fisk, a sleeper and a really important free agent acquisition this year, New Orleans' La'Roi Glover, Miami's Daryl Gardener and Chicago's Jim Flanigan. Outside Linebacker: Brooks was a lock, No.1 against the run, No.1 in coverage. Coakley is a space linebacker, gifted at covering anything out of the backfield. Fredrickson was just a shade lower. My No. 4 was Kansas City's Donnie Edwards, who had a terrific year. Then came Minnesota's Dwayne Rudd, Cleveland's Jamir Miller and Indy's Cornelius Bennett. Inside Linebacker: Lewis was in a class by himself, a precise and vicious tackler who was also effective in coverage. I didn't, incidentally, consider ILB's who left the field in the nickel defense, which negated Pittsburgh's Earl Holmes, a serious run-stopper. I wanted to pick Miami's Zach Thomas, who's more effective in the passing game than any of them, as my No. 2 (and I was rooting for him as I did my grades), but honesty led me toward Biekert, a sturdy plugger who had more coverage responsibility this year than ever before. The rest of a very good group, in the order of their grades -- Detroit's Stephen Boyd, St. Louis' London Fletcher (off the field in the nickel, at times), Pittsburgh's Levon Kirkland and K.C.'s Marvcus Patton. Cornerback: My list included 10 and I'll give you their names -- Madison, Miami; Fernando Bryant, Jacksonville; Samari Rolle, Tennessee; James Hasty, K.C.; Charles Woodson, Oakland; Aeneas Williams, Arizona; Sanders, Dallas; Springs, Seattle; Donnie Abraham, Tampa Bay and Todd Lyght, St. Louis. Rolle was an early flunk. So was Lyght. What did the Pro Bowl pickers see there that I didn't? Deion had a weird year. He was beaten deep by Indy and New Orleans, but teams still were afraid to test him. Hasty was terrific, playing within himself, as an old-timer with a good knowledge of angles, but he wasn't top caliber. Woodson was excellent at times but he had lapses. Aeneas was right up there; he just wasn't as active as the guys I picked. Abraham and Bryant, the up-and-coming superstar, made a lot of plays, but got beaten on occasion. Which leaves Springs and Madison, both of whom had MDR (Most Dangerous Receiver) responsibility much of the time, and came through very well. Madison didn't actually grade out as highly as a few others but he made a lot of big plays. Strong Safety: Lynch always a ferocious blitzer and tackler. This year he added ball-hawking ability when playing in space. My runners-up? Robert Griffith, Minnesota; Tony Parrish, Chicago; and Sam Shade, Washington. Free Safety: Dawkins was an action player, forcing fumbles, blitzing, generally creating havoc. Detroit's Mark Carrier was my No. 2. Very close. I gave a very careful look to San Francisco's Lance Schulters but just didn't see what everyone else did. Kicker: Vanderjagt over Detroit's Jason Hanson on percentage plus game-winners in the clutch. My favorite kick of the year? Denver's Jason Elam's 53-yarder, under very tough conditions, that sent the Oakland game into OT. Punters: A very complicated formula at work here, including hang time when backed up, plus kicks downed inside the 10 (the league counts the inside the 20, but not me). Bennett graded highest. Kick Returner: Horne was a lock. No one was more feared. Punt Returner: Deion caused punters to change their style. Forget the antics. Who would you rather have running 'em back for you? Coverage: Close. I watch them going into the wedge, and Thomas was a
destroyer. Minnesota's Harold Morrow was also very
effective.
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