The season of truth
08/13/2000
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The 2000 NFL season will be a big one for several of the members of 1999's quarterback draft class. Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Shaun King, Cade McNown and Donovan McNabb now have a year of seasoning on their resumes as they look to lead their teams to successful seasons, while Daunte Culpepper, who doesn't have a single regular season NFL pass attempt, will step into the Vikings' starting lineup this year. All six are carrying some high expectations as they each will start the season under center.
Couch played in 15 games for the Cleveland Browns last season, and although the team managed to win only two of those, the future looks bright for the former Kentucky star. Despite having no offensive help besides fellow rookie wideout Kevin Johnson, Couch still threw for over 2,400 yards and 15 touchdowns. Those aren't remarkable numbers by any means, but the Browns' leading rusher last season, Terry Kirby, amassed a whopping 446 yards and the second-leading receiver was Darrin Chiaverini with 493 yards and four scores. But this season, there may actually be two productive runners in Cleveland's backfield, Errict Rhett and rookie Travis Prentice. Either would give Couch much more support than Kirby did last year, which alone should give the young QB's numbers a boost. Plus, Cleveland upgraded at receiver in the draft. Things are looking up for Couch and the Dawg Pound, and with a better supporting cast to work with, the 23 year old looks to prove that he was worthy of his first overall selection two years ago.
Smith, who many say was the best quarterback in that 1999 draft, received perhaps the best news of the season when Cincinnati signed star running back Corey Dillon to a one-year contract. With Dillon in the backfield, Smith doesn't have to worry about putting the Bengals on his back, which is a good thing since he's probably not quite ready to lead the team by himself. But while the Dillon signing was great news, the broken leg wideout Darnay Scott suffered this preseason was terrible news. With Carl Pickens bolting for Tennessee, Scott figured to be Smith's main weapon, but now the team will have to rely on rookies Peter Warrick and Ron Dugans to carry the receiving load. While both wideouts may be future All-Pros, you can bet that Cincy really isn't too thrilled about having an inexperienced 24-year-old QB throwing to two rookie receivers. Maybe Boomer and Chris Collinsworth still have some juice left in the tank. This is a glimpse of the future for the Bengals (Smith, Warrick and Dugans, not Boomer and Collinsworth), so you can bet Akili's feeling the pressure to perform.
King enjoyed the national spotlight for a while when he was thrown into the starting lineup in the Buc's playoff run last year. Everyone raved about this guy, but come on - he replaced Trent Dilfer for crying out loud, who is now in Baltimore backing up Tony Banks. What a power-packed combo that is. Anyway, King's not nearly in the same class as these other quarterbacks. What should help him, though, is the arrival of Keyshawn Johnson and the fact that he is playing in a system that prefers to run more than throw, meaning he really won't be tested all that much, which is a very good thing for the Bucs and their postseason hopes. He has decent pocket presence and awareness, but King seems to lack the arm strength and field vision to really become a top quarterback. When it was time to shine in the playoffs, King threw for only one touchdown and three interceptions while ringing up a nasty 45.9 completion percentage. Tony Dungy somehow has gone from one below average quarterback to another, which means another season of the league's most boring football being played in Tampa.
If King's season will be boring, McNown's should be electrifying. This lefty QB has probably the best shot at having a sensational season if only because of the personnel surrounding him. With receivers like Marcus Robinson and Bobby Engram to throw to and Curtis Enis to hand the ball off to, McNown most certainly won't be the focal point of any defense's game plan. The Bears are eyeing the playoffs this year and McNown will be a key to their success. While Jim Miller, before his "accidental" steroid abuse (whatever the hell that means), proved he could light up defenses in Chicago's wide-open offense last year, the Bears didn't draft McNown in the first round to come off the bench. And if Robinson and Enis can be the Gault and Payton to McNown's McMahon (okay, that may be stretching it a little), he should be fine.
In Philly, the fans booed when the Eagles selected McNabb instead of RB Ricky Williams in the draft, but they'll be cheering this guy in 2000. He may have the best arm in the class, but one thing's for sure: He definitely is the best all-round athlete of this group. He's lightning quick, he has exceptional leaping abilities, he can launch the ball dowfield and he can take a hit. Philly fans love quarterbacks like this - remember Bubby Brister? Wait, no, I meant remember Randall Cunningham? McNabb has all the tools to be as good, if not better, than Cunningham, and since the Eagles went out and signed a prime offensive lineman in Jon Runyan, McNabb and running back Duce Staley should both enjoy improved numbers. But McNabb's main problem will be with his receivers. Charles Johnson has always had talent but has never been able to put it all together and the Eagles' second wideout, Torrance Small, isn't anything great. The Eagles are a couple of years and a couple of drafts away from competing for the NFC East title, but in McNabb they definitely have their QB of the future.
Culpepper may be in for some trouble. These other guys got used to NFL life last season while Daunte was carrying the clipboard for Cunningham and Jeff George, but now Dennis Green wants him to come right in and give Randy Moss and Chris Carter their 1,000 receiving yards? He's a good athlete who may someday be a good NFL signal caller, but I have a feeling we'll all feel sorry for Culpepper this season, especially since the offensive line lost a few key players during the offseason. It'll be a long year for Minnesota fans.
My predictions? McNown will probably enjoy the most success, while Couch and McNabb seem to be a step or two behind. Smith will have decent numbers but the Bengals are in trouble. Culpepper will be replaced by our good friend Bubby Brister by mid-season, which should kill Minnessota's playoff hopes. King's in for a rough ride, though. He looks like a Kordell Stewart waiting to happen, which, if you pay attention to football, is about the last person you want to be compared to right now. When it's all said and done, this group may not compare to Marino, Elway and the rest of the great quarterback class of the 1984 draft, but these guys lead a promising youth movement in the NFL.
In the Bullz-Eye:
The Atlanta Braves. While they have the best team in the National League, the Mets are playing great baseball right now and are slowly creeping up on Team Turner. Atlanta has no excuse for being a wild card winner, but if MVP Mike Piazza keeps knocking the snot out of the ball, the Mets could actually pull that off. The scary thing is, Robin Ventura has been somewhat ineffective this season. If he turns it on, the Braves are in serious trouble. Either way, it'll be a great playoff race.