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Mass retirement and an unusually virulent injury bug made for one of the most
entertaining and utterly unpredictable starts in NFL history. With John Elway
retired, Terrell Davis, Jamal Anderson and Vinny Testaverde out with injuries
and Randall Cunningham suddenly ineffective, the NFL's defending Final Four
began the season 1-11. Meanwhile the Colts came together, the Titans turned
terrific and, oh, those pesky Rams! So strange was '99 that Miami's Damon Huard
seamlessly replaced the injured Dan Marino; Barry Sanders's retirement seemingly
made playoff contenders out of the Lions; and Dallas played a game without any
of its Big Three superstars -- Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin --
for the first time in 10 years ... and beat the Packers going away. Elway,
Sanders, Chris Spielman and Reggie White are collecting pensions. Steve Young,
Mark Chmura, Daryl Johnston, Marino and even Aikman may not be far behind. Cue
Peyton Manning, Kurt Warner and Charlie Batch: the meek have inherited the
turf.
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