| |
NOMINEE |
THE SKINNY |
| Overrated |
The 49ers |
Failing to capitalize on the worst division in
the worst conference in recent NFL history, San Francisco took a dive by the
bay. Great idea, by the way, paying relatively big money to geezer Charles Haley
and soon-to-be-on-a-post-office-wall-near-you Lawrence
Phillips. |
| Underrated |
Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis |
Peyton Manning and this
too-lightly regarded wideout from Syracuse will make beautiful music together
for the next decade. He has speed you can't teach, and he's a pro at beating the
chuck at the line. Good guy, too -- one of the most serious players in the
league at his
craft.
|
| Annoying |
Barry Sanders |
Now here's a bright idea: Retire one
season shy of breaking the all-time rushing record. Issue a statement that
explains about a tenth of the story. Disappear. Expect your team to forget you
owe them $7.5 million in signing bonuses. Try to get traded from said team.
Barry, we hardly knew
ye. |
| Breakthrough |
Kurt Warner, St. Louis |
Yes, it helped
that the Rams QB had the best supporting cast this side of Rainman. But there's
no better story in football this year than a man who went nonstop from the Arena
League to the top of the
NFL. |
| Uplifting |
Detroit Lions |
They won five last year with Barry. They
won their sixth this year without him -- in week nine. "Do not doubt the
human spirit,'' said coach Bobby Ross, a cornball throwback with a tough streak.
Do not doubt a declining conference, either. But the Lions, in mid-November,
were the NFC's best team, and that's a heck of a
feat. |
| MVP |
Peyton Manning, Indianapolis |
There is only one player in
professional sports this year who contributed as much in the clutch -- and
that's Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez. Manning is the 18th quarterback to play for
the Colts since they moved west in 1983 -- and that number should hold steady
for a long, long while. |
Storyline to
follow in 2000 |
Minority hiring |
The continued lack of progress in the hiring
of blacks for coaching positions. Union boss Gene Upshaw and commish Paul
Tagliabue both talk about all this great headway being made towards making the
hiring process color-blind, but who's buying that? Going into this offseason,
only one of the last 24 head-coaching hires was black -- and that was a retread,
Ray Rhodes, by Green Bay last |
