Good Parts, Bad Teams

The best teams always get the most attention. Here are four units that quietly excelled on teams that didn't.

1) San Diego's pass rush. Quick, tell us one thing—anything—about Leslie O'Neal or Lee Williams. O.K., they're linebackers. You may have heard that O'Neal missed the '87 season and part of '88 recovering from knee surgery. But did you know that Williams and O'Neal are ranked first and fourth, respectively, in the AFC in sacks this year? And that O'Neal is playing outside linebacker for the first time after a career inside? Don't worry, you're not alone. "Nobody knows who I am," says Williams.

2) Tampa Bay's wideouts. Bruce Hill and Mark Carrier are the genuine article, and when quarterback Vinny Testaverde learns to make fewer mistakes, Carrier could become the next Steve Largent. He has great hands and has been among the receiving leaders all season. Bucs coaches have calculated that, through 15 games, Carrier caught 80 of the 87 passes he touched this year. Hill hauled in 50. Give the personnel staff a hand: Carrier was picked in the third round of the '87 draft, Hill in the fourth.

3) Detroit's special teams. Frank Gansz may not have the touch as a head coach—he led the Chiefs to an 8-22-1 record in 1987 and '88—but he sure has it as a special-teams boss. The Lions ranked 17th in kickoff-return average and 15th in punt-return average last season. This year, with Gansz in charge, they have the league leaders, Mel Gray (kickoffs) and Walter Stanley (punts), in both categories. Further, Detroit has improved from ninth in kickoff-return defense and 15th in punt-return defense to join the league leaders in each.

4) New Orleans's run defense. The Saints had been respectable against the run for a couple of years, allowing 4.0 yards per carry in 1987 and '88. But they became downright stingy this season, leading the league for much of the way with an average of around 3.5. Inside linebackers Sam Mills and Vaughan Johnson have solidified their roles as the league's premier run-stuffing tandem. But the difference this season has been nosetackle Jim Wilks. A 12th-round pick in 1981 and a defensive end until this season, Wilks won the nosetackle job in camp by default and greatly exceeded the coaches' expectations. He's durable too. Wilks has dressed for 131 of New Orleans's 132 nonstrike games in his career.