NFL ready for changing of the guard

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Posted: Saturday January 09, 1999 07:53 AM

As the NFL postseason rolls along, here are five playoff musings about the questions sprouting up from last week's wild-card games:

1. Why are the Minnesota Vikings the happiest team in the playoffs?

The Vikings' path to the Super Bowl couldn't get much easier. On Sunday, they host the Cardinals, a team that barely made the playoffs, and then next week, they'll likely face the Falcons in the Metrodome. No 49ers. No Packers. Minnesota didn't match up well against the 49ers, and while they beat Green Bay twice this year, it's almost impossible to beat a team three times in the same season. The Vikings won't take Arizona for granted, but they have the talent to dominate the Cardinals. A tired 49ers team will make the long trek to Atlanta this week, so the Falcons will probably head to Minnesota next weekend. That makes for an easy road to Miami -- this Vikings team didn't need any breaks in the playoffs, but they've gotten one.

2. Why are the Jets the only team in the AFC with a chance to beat the Broncos?

First, I don't think anyone can beat the Broncos in Denver. But the Jets, with Bill Belichick's defensive schemes, match up well with the Broncos. They don't give up a lot of big plays, forcing the Broncos to drive the length of the field. The Jets have a solid, balanced offense that can keep up with the Broncos -- you would have thought Jacksonville could play that up-tempo game, but they're not the same since Mark Brunell hurt his ankle. To beat the Broncos, a team needs to play a great defensive game the whole way, and the Jets appear to be the only AFC team that can do that. They're peaking at the right time, getting healthy and rested, and that should make for the AFC Championship matchup everyone wants to see.

3. Why are the Arizona Cardinals still alive in the playoffs?

It's a great recipe for surprise postseason success -- take a young, mobile quarterback and surround him with a great supporting cast. Defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis has brought this young defense to the forefront in the team's playoff run. One subtle move was switching rookie Corey Chavous from safety to cornerback -- that's allowed Kwamie Lassiter to step up at free safety. With Chavous and Aeneas Williams at cornerback, they really like what they can do with the rest of their defense. Linebacker Jamir Miller is playing great ball and the whole team is very loose and confident. This is not a great team, but a resilient one. They'll lose at Minnesota but this franchise has come a long way this season.

4. Why was the time right for Mike Holmgren to leave Green Bay?

Green Bay is suddenly an aging team without a coach that now needs more rebuilding than people realize. This team has 18 free agents in the upcoming off-season and assistant coaches Sherm Lewis and Andy Reid could be gone, too. In the NFL, every team needs a little change every once in a while. Green Bay has a good enough foundation of players that they'll be a playoff team, but they're no longer the team to beat in the NFC Central. The players aren't losing too much sleep over Holmgren leaving -- they have enough talent left where they can start fresh in 1999.

5. Why are the Cowboys, Packers and even 49ers ready to step back from their status among the NFL's elite?

The 49ers are still alive, but last week's game against the Packers looked like two tired, veteran teams showing a lot of age. Neither has enough quality young players -- they're forced to pay their marquee players too much, and that kills team depth. All three teams are facing salary-cap problems in this off-season, enough that this season may be something of a last hurrah, much like Reggie White had. I can't envision the Cowboys being Super Bowl contenders next year, and the Packers and 49ers are now just challengers to other younger teams in their divisions. These are three distinguished, proud organizations with a tradition of greatness, so it's hard to imagine them as outsiders in any season.

 

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