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The NFL Season at a Glance August 5, 2001 by Justin Waganer Senior Sports Writer Though it doesn't hold a candle to the excitement and pageantry of college football, the National Football League is by far and away the most successful, stable professional sport there is. In the last ten years the NHL, NBA, and Major League Baseball have all had work stoppages and shortened seasons, but the NFL has thrived and played through every season since the problems in the early '80's. Enough of the obvious, lets get to what will happen in the 2001 version of outdoor professional football. First, you must get the usual stories and events out of the way. Before the season starts someone will be accused of murder, someone will get caught with drugs, at least two starting quarterbacks will have season ending or threatening injuries, and someone will use the fact that someone else thinks they suck to be a motivating factor only to find out a few games later that they really do suck. On to the season. We start with the AFC East and a very intriguing division it is. The Dolphins pulled out the surprise last season with their first division title since 1994 and did it with possibly its least talented team since that year. The East was also the home of the biggest disappointment in pro football a year ago with the shocking struggles of a Colt team that was almost everyone's pick to begin another Cowboy-like dynasty. Indianapolis had struggle after struggle and had to back their way in on the last week of the season, or the winter break would have been spent at home. This season, the Colts finally put it together, though the Jets and Dolphins will make sure that they earn it. On to the AFC Central which is the home of the two best teams in the AFC and possibly, the entire league. The Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans are the two best defensive teams in football and have offenses that do just enough to win. The fact that they get to play Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh twice is a huge advantage if injuries come in to play because all three of those teams couldn't score on a blind quadriplegic. When you basically have six wins in the bag and as strong of a defense as these teams have you can overcome the fact that the quarterbacks are Steve McNair and Elvis Grbac. The AFC West finally got Oakland to wake up last season and play up to the talent that they have had for so long, this season Denver will rejoin them. The Broncos have a proven starter in Brian Griese and three backs that are capable of being starters, all three have had 1,000 yard seasons, in Terrell Davis, Olandis Gary, and Mike Anderson. Oakland will play good football again as long as Rich Gannon stays healthy, he now has Jerry Rice to throw to as well, and the addition of Charlie Garner is one that could propel this into the league's elite offenses. Kansas City, San Diego, and Seattle are all average at best teams that could jump up and bite someone if everything goes right, but don't count on it. In the 1990's the NFC East was the premier division in the NFL. The Redskins and Giants both won a Super Bowl and the Cowboys won three, but those days are long gone in a division that is now the worst in the league. The Cardinals are still horrendous, the Cowboys have now joined them, the Redskins can't decide if they are running a football team or a nursing home, the Giants don't know if they are for real or not, but the Eagles are just around the corner from joining the elite. Sound odd? It is. The only real contender for a Super Bowl spot is Philadelphia and they have questions at wide receiver and if Duce Staley can return from his injury. And who are the Giants? Are they the 41-0 NFC Championship Giants or the 7-34 Super Bowl Giants? The black and blue division is becoming just that once again, though not for its original reasons. Years ago it was called the black and blue because of everyone's tough, hard-nosed running games and tenacious defenses. Now, it's because no one can stay healthy. Brett Favre has continued to play but obviously not as he once did because he is constantly nursing something. Detroit can't keep Charlie Batch healthy, the Bears seem to have more guys on the injured list than the active roster, and Minnesota's defense is black and blue just because they're getting their butts kicked so often. Tampa Bay rules this division in 2001, they have a defense that would make anyone black and blue, and they finally have a quarterback. Finally, we come to the NFC West, which has brought us four of the league's biggest surprises over the last five years. Some five years ago the Carolina Panthers entered the NFC Championship game in just their second season. Two years later the Falcons rose from obscurity to the Super Bowl. Just two years ago the St. Louis Rams pulled a worst to first and won the Super Bowl and last season the NFL's version of the L.A. Clippers, the New Orleans Saints made it to the playoffs and even won a game. You might add a fifth surprise if you count the demise of the 49ers, but their salary cap sins made this an obvious fate a few years ago. This year the Rams and Saints shock no one by going to the playoffs again. So, you now enter the playoffs with six from each conference beginning with the AFC divisional champs, Indy from the East, Tennessee from the Central, and Denver from the West. The Wild cards are Miami, Baltimore, and Oakland. In the first round Denver will battle Miami at the new Mile High and come out quite convincingly while Baltimore shuts down Oakland. In the second round Denver will go to Tennessee and be shown the door rather rudely while Baltimore travels to Indianapolis and sends the Colts home unhappy, setting up a battle of the AFC Central in the AFC Championship, Tennessee vs. Baltimore. The NFC will shape up with the division winners being Philadelphia out of the East, Tampa Bay out of the Central, and St. Louis out of the West. The wild cards will consist of Green Bay, New Orleans, and New York. In the first round the Eagles will put Brett Favre out early on their way to an easy playoff victory and New Orleans will dispose of the defending NFC Champion Giants. The second round will feature a revenge blowout with the Rams rolling the Saints and Tampa Bay will be shocked on their home field with a loss to Philadelphia setting up the Rams/Eagles NFC Championship. Now you arrive at Championship Sunday with two tremendous matchups between the Titans/Ravens and the Rams/Eagles. The Titans and Ravens will knock heads for the third time and the second in Tennessee. The game will be incredibly low scoring, duh, but the Titans will score the game's only touchdown on the last drive of the game to win 10-6. Meanwhile, in St. Louis the Rams will jump out early on the Eagles, exposing their big-game inexperience, and hold on after Donovan McNabb provides a late surge. The Rams close the deal for a rematch in the Super Bowl with Tennessee by beating the Eagles 34-28. After the smoke clears, from the pre-game festivities as well as the murder mysteries of the season, the Titans and Rams will be standing in Super Bowl central once again. This time the first half won't suck and the entire game will be as good as the second half of the last Super Bowl matchup between these two. Unfortunately for Tennessee, the result will be much the same, Rams 28 Titans 24. That's it folks, that's exactly how the season will go. Unless, of course, I'm completely wrong and the Chargers play the Cardinals in the Super Bowl. But, don't count on it.
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