The NFL’s master plan for competitive balance produced a surprising package of six brand-new division champions, the perfect Christmas present.
Denver replaced Kansas City in the AFC West.
The New York Jets replaced New England in the AFC East.
Jacksonville replaced Pittsburgh in the AFC Central.
Minnesota replaced Green Bay in the NFC Central.
Atlanta replaced San Francisco in the NFC West.
Dallas replaced the New York Giants in the NFC East.
Short of 30 teams with 8-8 records, this turnover of division winners represents exactly the kind of competition the NFL believes vital to its success and popularity. With so few games, fans must feel their team has a chance to win every week–or at least at the beginning of every season–or they will get turned off in a hurry.
That is why so many elements of the NFL structure are designed to keep teams evenly matched–the sharing of television revenue among big markets and small markets, the 60-40 split of gate receipts, the existence of a salary minimum as well as a salary cap, and the draft and waiver-claim system in inverse order of record.
This season free agency most helped the Jets (quarterback Vinny Testaverde), Falcons (safety Eugene Robinson) and Vikings (Randall Cunningham).
Coaching changes made a bigger difference than free agency with the Jets (Bill Parcells) and Falcons (Dan Reeves) and also with the Cowboys (Chan Gailey). Two years ago, Parcells and Reeves took over teams that were 1-15 and 3-13, respectively.
Minnesota is more a product of good drafts by longtime personnel experts Frank Gilliam and Jerry Reichow and coach Dennis Green, who didn’t hesitate a second in grabbing controversial Randy Moss. Cunningham was not the conventional free agent, as he was out of football in 1996 before the Vikings lured him back.
Win it his way: Coach Mike Ditka is getting second-guessed for passing up a short field goal with his New Orleans Saints trailing the Arizona Cardinals 13-10 in the fourth quarter Sunday. The Saints lost 19-17 after being stopped on fourth-and-1 at the 9-yard line.
“If you can’t make it, you don’t deserve to win,” Ditka said, repeating one of his favorite old refrains.
Ditka probably didn’t take a poll of players who are able to add. The loss knocked the Saints from playoff contention.
“I don’t have a problem with it. We were playing to win and who knows if we would have got back down there?” Saints General Manager Bill Kuharich said. “Don’t look back unless you’re going that way.”
Good news, Bears: The Pittsburgh Steelers were one of the most disappointing teams in the league this year, but they just sold out permanent seat licenses faster than anyone ever has, and their new stadium deal isn’t done yet.
They put 45,000 licenses on sale Nov. 5 and gave season-ticket holders a month to make deposits. They had requests for about 48,000. Prices ranged from $250 to $2,700 with a 20 percent discount. The new stadium will seat 68,000 and there will be no PSLs for the remaining seats.
This is particularly good news for older franchises such as the Bears, who might be worried about backlash from longtime season ticket-holders who resent the idea of having to buy a license for the right to buy the same season tickets they have loyally purchased for so many years.
The PSLs should raise about $37 million of the $76.5 million the Steelers pledged to contribute to building the $233 million stadium. All but the state’s share of $75 million of the funding is in place, and a vote on that is expected in February. If it comes, construction will begin next summer and the stadium should be completed for the 2001 season.
Worthy records: Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts has broken Charlie Conerly’s rookie record of 22 touchdown passes, set in 1948 with the New York Giants. In the 50 years since, the record was hardly challenged. Others on the list include Dan Marino (20 in 1983), Jim Plunkett (19 in ’71), Joe Namath (18 in ’65) and Fran Tarkenton (18 in ’61).
The record was personal for Manning because Conerly was his father Archie’s pro football hero.
“I’ve never been a big individual-records guy,” Peyton said, “but the fact that Charlie Conerly held that record. . . . it’s kind of a special honor.”
Conerly grew up in Clarksdale, Miss., 30 miles from Archie’s hometown of Drew. He was the first quarterback to play for legendary coach Johnny Vaught at Ole Miss; Archie was the last.
“I’m sorry Charlie’s not alive to see this. He’d be real pleased,” Archie said.
The perfect kicker: Minnesota’s Gary Anderson is now 32 of 32 in field goals. The only perfect season is by Tony Zendejas of the Los Angeles Rams in 1991 when he was 17 for 17.
Anderson and the Vikings aren’t babying the record, either. He connected from 48, 53 and 44 yards Sunday night, as if the Vikings needed to risk his perfection in their 50-10 slaughter of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Mind-boggling: If rookie quarterbacks Manning and Charlie Batch strung together 15 seasons of 3,500 yards passing apiece, they still wouldn’t equal the 109,224 yards Marino and John Elway put on the field Monday night in Miami.
