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 Staying on top always tough
Posted: Thursday September 23, 1999 04:42 PM
It's really not surprising that some of the teams with the best records in 1998 are now struggling. I predicted in August on NFL Preview that the Atlanta Falcons would have problems and listed three reasons: 1) They inherited a tough schedule and could not sneak up on anyone this year. 2) They lost Tony Martin, who was their deep threat, and they can't keep teams from pressing the line of scrimmage. 3) Chris Chandler walked between raindrops last season and was likely to be injured at some point, because that's his history. Of course, no one could foresee the untimely injury to Jamal Anderson, who's out for the season with a torn ACL. Add that to Chandler's hamstring injury, which will hamper him for weeks, and you've got a team that will struggle to make the playoffs -- much less advance. The Denver Broncos improved themselves with the acquisition of Dale Carter in the offseason, but there is no way they can overcome the loss of John Elway. You can make the case that he was the greatest quarterback ever to play. Two times he takes a team to the Super Bowl that wouldn't even have gotten to the playoffs without him. When he finally got a team, two tremendous Super Bowl victories resulted.He was the heart and soul, and brought to the field much more than great talent. He had all the intangibles -- leadership, confidence and the ability to inspire his teammates. Now, they are going through the growing pains with a young quarterback, Brian Griese. Although I was surprised as anyone that Mike Shanahan went with him, he will eventually be a very fine quarterback. Switching from Bubby Brister probably caused some division among the team. But Brister is 37, and this is the NFL. He had to know during the preseason that he was playing for a job. As for the Minnesota Vikings, they lost Brian Billick, a fine offensive coordinator. He was to be replaced by Chip Myers, but unfortunately he passed away. Now, they have a new coordinator, Ray Sherman, who is better than the credit he gets. Unfortunately for him, he got tagged with failing at Pittsburgh and that may have carried over to Minnesota. Players aren't going to blame themselves when things go wrong. Randall Cunningham performed incredibly last year, but he is not infallible. Football is a very humbling game. But of the teams I've written about here, Minnesota has the best chance to make a real run. They have a credible backup quarterback, which is something you've got to have. I predict that Jeff George, when they decide to go with him, will be a surprise to a lot of people. The Vikings have lots of receiving weapons. The San Francisco 49ers are getting age on them, but I still look for them to get to the playoffs -- although not go too far. Steve Young is still there, but what's becoming apparent is that their running game is non-existent. It appears that until they take some pressure off Young, they will struggle in every game. In New York, the Jets are destined for failure this year. Rick Mirer can't do it. Tom Tupa is a punter, and he should stay as a punter. I don't think they will make the playoffs. That's what losing your quarterback will do, especially when you don't have a capable backup. That's why I like Minnesota. Ron Meyer, a former NFL head coach, is a pro football analyst with CNN/SI and appears weekly on NFL Preview.
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