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 NFL Preview Q & A Cowboys' loss of 'Big Cat' to be big blow
Posted: Sunday September 12, 1999 03:00 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Peter King, who covers the NFL, talked with Bob Lorenz before the Week 1 games on CNN's NFL Preview broadcast Sunday morning. Bob Lorenz: We find Peter King in Nashville where the Titans are christening their new stadium today against the Bengals. Peter, give us the latest news on who is playing and who is not. Peter King: Good morning Bob and one of the big stories throughout the preseason has been what are the Dallas Cowboys going to do without Leon Lett. And barring a last minute change of mind, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue will suspend Lett early this week for eight weeks this puts him out until November 14th against Green Bay. It is going to be a really big blow for the Dallas Cowboys. They are hoping that Alonzo Spellman can reclaim his football career and take Lett's spot for the first half of the season. Let's move onto rehabbing players around the NFL. Word from Washington is that Dallas corner Deion Sanders will not play today because of that aching big toe and ditto Giants corner Jason Sehorn and his recovering hamstring in Tampa. New York coach, Jim Fassel is focusing on next week's home opener with Washington for Sehorn to play. But one recovering defensive star will play today. San Francisco Defensive tackle Bryant Young, nine months after suffering a grotesque broken leg, begged 49er coach Steve Mariucci to let him start at Jacksonville today, and he will. Now, in Cleveland, we will see Steelers running back Jerome Bettis make his 1999 debut and get about a dozen carries, but as he told me last night from Cleveland, "Hey, the million dollar question is how am I going to hold up. I haven't been tackled since last year." Finally, in New Orleans, offensive coordinator Danny Abramowicz tells me he ought to get about twenty touches rushing-receiving for the ankle-strapped running back Ricky Williams. BL: Mike Shanahan makes the quarterback switch. It was a gamble going with Griese. Do you think it will blow up in his face? PK: Well I don't know about blowing up in his face, Bob, but I'll tell you two things that are very important for Mike Shanahan. It is important for Brian Griese to look like he belongs, and it is important for Bubby Brister and to still be a member of this team and to keep that cause going. I think the real important thing now is Mike Shanahan has got a lot of guys looking at him in the locker room cross-eyed like, hey, is this guy bigger than the team. He took out a guy who he said had the starting job. Mike Shanahan has veterans in that locker room for the first time, I think in some time, that are really questioning him.
BL: Peter, despite really coming together as a team last year it seems that the Cardinals might not be as cohesive as we think this year...why? PK: Well, I think it all dates back, Bob, to a May defeat of a stadium levy in Arizona. Now, the Cardinals are unlike so many teams in the NFL just like this team right here, the Tennessee Titans, which have a brand new stadium and a bright future, so the owner Bill Bidwill has done nothing in the offseason to keep his team together. He has lost three key free agents, including left tackle Lomas Brown and now one of their best defensive lineman. Mark Smith is a holdout because Bill Bidwill will only pay him minimum salary, which is a ludicrous contract for a player of his stature. I see a lot of trouble on the horizon for the Arizona Cardinals. BL: Peter , the Raiders are kind of re-tooled this season and feeling good about themselves but what kind of shot do you think they have? PK: Well, I think this could be the upset of the day in this league. If I had to pick somebody, I'd pick the Packers, but I think the Raiders have a real good shot. First game 1995 Willie Shaw and his St. Louis Rams defense come into Lambeau field and beat the Packers. Rich Gannon, once a member of the Minnesota Vikings, has won at Lambeau field. I think there are guys on this team who are not afraid of coming into Lambeau field first game. And one other quick factor the Raiders got the biggest plane in the NFL, they've got a 747 five seats to every guy on the flight into Green Bay last night. BL: Is there an end in sight for Seattle Seahawks wide receiver holdout Joey Galloway? PK: Not very soon, I don't think, Bob, and here is the reason why. Joey Galloway's fines beginning today are going to total $333,000, and last night the negotiator for the Seahawks Randy Mueller told me they will not forgive a dime of that, and that is going to be a problem in negotiations. As is Galloway's stance that he wants to be paid equal to or more than Carl Pickens and Antonio Freeman. Looking at these numbers below, you can see there is no reason in the world why Joey Galloway deserves a dime more or even as much as Pickens and Freeman: BL: And speaking of money, teams had to get their salary cap in order this weekend, and how can that impact what goes on on the field? PK: Well, some of the teams with the most signing bonus money are going to be able to do two things teams like Chicago, with $4.4 million and Kansas City, with $3.2 million cap money available, that are really, really hungry for good young players can either sign some of their young guys who emerge as really good players or during the season they can go out and get guys who are released by other teams, those are the teams it can help. On the other hand, the teams that are in real trouble now if they have a cap need during the season, the New England Patriots for instance, with only $170,000 cap money available, will not be able to go out and get a solution for them because they are so tied up against the cap. BL: And the Broncos have won 24 straight regular season games at Mile High stadium and Peter you are the only one who thinks that streak continues tomorrow night... PK: Hey, Bob everybody is taking about the pressure that Brian Griese is going to face Monday night. Let me tell you about pressure. The average crowd that Brian Griese played in front of in college is 10,000 people more than he will play in front of tomorrow night. This is, relatively speaking, old hat for Brian Griese. He plays well and they win.
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