Until we meet again

By: Jamey Codding (jameycodding@bullz-eye.com)

02/04/2003

Codding Home / Sports Channel / Bullz-Eye Home

Wow, quite an exciting Pro Bowl, huh? Made you forget that week one of the 2003 NFL season is now seven months away, didn't it?

Liar.

Honestly, I think I saw about 47 seconds of Sunday's Pro Bowl, and that was only because I happened to glance into the Red Lobster bar as we waited for our table.

All-you-can-eat shrimp, in case you're wondering. And yes, I had all I could eat. And then some. In fact, I actually tried to smuggle a couple extra plates of shrimp scampi but our waitress shut me down.

I mean, it's not all-you-can-eat-in-one-sitting shrimp, is it?

Anyway, the fact that I'm writing about my meal at Red Lobster must mean the sports world is pretty dreary right now. I guess I could talk about sports history aficionado LeBron James and his ongoing relationship with the OHSAA, but I try to set myself apart from all the other columnists who are doing the exact same thing right now.

Because that's about the only way I can get you perverts to leave our Featured Model and Girl Next Door sections for a few minutes.

Last week, I looked back on the 10 things I thought I knew heading into the NFL season last August, and now this week I'll review the 10 things I didn't know and 10 things I still may never know. I got some positive feedback from last week's installment.

Mostly because I looked like a fool.

Hopefully I fare better this week. Doubtful, I know, but I've got to remain positive, right?

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10 Things We Didn't Know

1. Who's going to be the first player arrested this year for drugs, guns and/or beating up a woman? 
Initial observation: I don't really have anybody in mind right now, but I'm willing to bet it won't be Jay Fiedler.
Hindsight: Either it was a pretty boring year on the police blotter or some incidents have slipped my mind, because the only two arrests I remember were the DUI for Chicago Bears defensive end Bryan Robinson in October and the "traffic altercation" with Randy Moss. Fortunately, Moss had drugs in his car, which he used to hit a female traffic officer. And as the portly Meatloaf once said, "Two out of three ain't bad."

2. Who is going to be this year's New England Patriots? 
Initial observation: Some darkhorse favorites this year are the Browns, Bills, Chiefs and maybe, just maybe, the Arizona Cardinals.
Hindsight: Well, nobody was surprised to see the Buccaneers and Raiders in the Super Bowl but the Browns did advance to the playoffs. In fact, three of the four teams I pinpointed finished the year with a combined 25-23 record, though just one made the postseason. As for the Cardinals pick... come on, I said "maybe." I must've had a little too much vodka with my orange juice that morning.

3. When this season's over, what will stand as the worst marquee free-agent signing of the year? 
Initial observation: My early choice would probably be Terry Glenn in Green Bay... and don't be surprised if La'Roi Glover (Dallas) and Az-Zahir Hakim (Lions) both flop with their new teams.
Hindsight: Glenn finished with a mundane 56 catches for 817 yards and just two touchdowns, and Hakim was even worse, totaling just 37 receptions for 541 yards and three touchdowns. As for Glover, who had 17 sacks with New Orleans in 2000, he got to the quarterback a mere seven times in Dallas this season. Some other offensive busts included Gus Frerotte, who was paid $1.5 million to start just three games for the Bengals, Tampa's Michael Pittman (718 rushing yards, 1 TD; $1.75 million), Minnesota receiver Derrick Alexander (14 rec., 134 yards, 1 TD; $1.7 million), New England's Donald Hayes (12 rec., 133 yards, 2 TD; $2 million) and Arizona tight end Freddie Jones (44 rec., 358 yards, 2 TD; $1.7 million). But the winner has to be Kansas City receiver Johnnie Morton, who made $3.67 million last year for his 29 catches, 397 yards and one score, or $126,551.72 per reception. Now that's bang for your buck.

4. Who's going to go down with an injury first, Terrell Davis or Jamal Anderson? 
Initial observation: I guarantee at least one of these guys blows out a knee or breaks an ankle at some point this year -- the question is who hits the sidelines first?
Hindsight: This was a draw because Anderson never played a down after getting cut by the Atlanta Falcons and Davis also missed the entire season after apparently retiring due to a recurring knee problem. But now there's talk of a possible return for the former MVP, which leads us to just one question: Why? 

5. How will Steve Spurrier's first year in the NFL unfold? 
Initial observation: He'll have some decent talent on the field so Spurrier's transition could be somewhat smooth... though I doubt the road will be completely bump-free.
Hindsight: The 'Skins were 7-9, which wouldn't be bad if they weren't 8-8 the year before. Spurrier changed quarterbacks more often than Shawn Kemp procreates, from Matthews to Ramsey to Matthews to Theismann to Wuerffel to Matthews to Rypien and back to Ramsey again, and his team went 1-5 against rival NFC East teams with the only win coming in week 17 over Dallas. Not exactly what Danny Boy had in mind.

6. Is head coach Jon Gruden seriously considering using Warren Sapp on the offensive side of the ball in Tampa Bay? 
Initial observation: Reports say the Bucs may occasionally use the Pro Bowl defensive tackle as a guard, fullback or even a tight end. Great, this guy never shuts up on defense -- imagine what's going to happen if he scores a touchdown... .
Hindsight: Luckily, Sapp never found the end zone but he was used quite often in Tampa's goal line offensive formations. In fact, Sapp was lined up as a tight end on Mike Alstott's two-yard touchdown run during the Super Bowl.

7. Will Ricky Williams stay out of trouble in Miami and, more important, can he lead his new team to the top of the AFC? 
Initial observation: If his well-publicized run-ins with Ft. Lauderdale police are any indication, the former Heisman winner could be in for a long season off the field, but perhaps his "extra-curricular" activities will subside once the season starts.
Hindsight: Ricky was silent off the field but he was a yardage monster between the sidelines, leading football with 1,853 rushing yards and adding 17 total touchdowns. Unfortunately for Miami fans, it wasn't enough to propel the 9-7 'Phins into the playoffs, but it was enough to force Miami to send the Saints a first-round pick as part of last year's blockbuster trade.

8. They won the NFC East last year and advanced to the NFC Championship game, but with their current meager set of receivers, can the Eagles be considered an elite team? 
Initial observation: ... with Todd Pinkston and James Thrash starting at receiver for the Eagles, I just don't see Andy Reid's squad earning that "elite" status.
Hindsight: Despite Donovan McNabb's questionable supporting cast and the quarterback's six-week absence due to an ankle injury, the Eagles still finished the year as the NFC's top seed at 12-4 and made it to the conference championship game for the second-straight season before succumbing to the Buccaneers. To get over the hump, it's obvious that Philly's going to have to give McNabb some more offensive help.

9. Which unheralded rookies will have the biggest impact this season? 
Initial observation: Josh Reed in Buffalo and Brian Westbrook in Philadelphia could both fit the description by season's end.
Hindsight: Reed was mediocre in his rookie season and Westbrook was invisible, finishing with just 193 yards on 46 carries, so I missed out there. The obvious choice here, of course, is Denver's Clinton Portis who, despite being the 51st overall selection and entering camp behind a trio of veteran Denver running backs, rushed for 1,508 yards and 15 touchdowns on his way to Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. Just what Denver needed -- another mid-round jackpot in the backfield. 

10. Conversely, which highly touted rookies will be the season's biggest busts?
Initial observation: Denver's Ashley Lelie and Giants rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey caught my attention. I'm probably way off, but half the fun is making these unfounded, potentially foolish predictions.
Hindsight: Okay, so I was way off on Shockey, who finished second behind college teammate Portis for top offensive rookie honors with his 74 receptions, 894 yards and a memorable ice-flinging episode, but Lelie put up an average 525 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Other candidates included Atlanta's tragically underused T.J. Duckett and two tight ends, New England's Daniel Graham and Seattle's Jerramy Stevens, who combined for just 41 receptions and 402 yards. Cleveland running back William Green looked like the biggest first-round bust through the first nine weeks of the season, running for a total of 161 yards on 71 carries (2.26 yards/carry), but he exploded for 726 yards on 172 attempts (4.22 yards/carry) in his final seven games.

10 Things We (Still) May Never Know

1. Speaking of busts, just how good could Ryan Leaf have been? 
Initial observation: From the second-overall pick in 1998 to a retired crybaby at the age of 26, Leaf is the definition of the word "loser."
Hindsight: Thankfully, Leaf decided to remain a retired crybaby all season. Unfortunately, we can't say the same thing about Jeff George.

2. Why does Saints receiver Joe Horn always talk in the third person? 
Initial observation: God, that's annoying.
Hindsight: Can anybody explain this phenomenon to me? At least Horn wasn't accused of fathering one of his teammate's children -- again -- this season.

3. Why do the Jets insist on sticking with the ancient Vinny Testaverde at quarterback? 
Initial observation: Former Marshall standout Chad Pennington has been watching from the sidelines for two years now -- it's time to give him a shot. Besides, Vinny threw for just 2,752 yards last season with 15 touchdowns and 14 picks -- I'm pretty sure Pennington, 12 years younger than Testaverde, could put up those numbers with his helmet on backwards.
Hindsight: Luckily for Jets fans, Vinny's decrepit ass was riding the pine after New York started the year 1-3. Twelve games later, the Jets were AFC East champs and Pennington was the highest-rated quarterback in football. I think I deserve bonus points for this one.

4. What the heck does Angie Harmon see in Jason Sehorn anyway? 
Initial observation: Doesn't she watch him get schooled by opposing receivers every weekend?
Hindsight: Angie hasn't filed for divorce yet and Jason continues to get abused worse than Ted Kennedy's liver.

5. How far could the Raiders have gone last year had they not been robbed by the rulebook against the Pats in the playoffs? 
Initial observation: Jon Gruden had his team playing real well in the postseason when the infamous "tuck rule" knocked them out of Super Bowl contention for good. 
Hindsight: Say it with me: "Isn't it ironic? Don't ya think?"

6. Will Al Davis ever get rid of that stupid sweatsuit? 
Initial observation: I mean, come on. It's getting a little old, AD.
Hindsight: Apparently not.

7. What the hell is Rodney Peete doing on an NFL roster right now? 
Initial observation: Peete, who believe it or not is now 36, could actually beat out Stanford rookie Randy Fasani for the honor of being Chris Weinke's primary backup in Carolina.
Hindsight: Not only did Peete beat out Fasani, he also passed Weinke on Carolina's depth chart, starting 14 games and throwing for 2,630 yards with 15 touchdowns and a somewhat respectable 77.4 QB rating, higher than the likes of Drew Brees, Tim Couch, Daunte Culpepper, Jake Plummer and the two rookies, David Carr and Joey Harrington. Whether that's praise for Peete or a knock on those other six quarterbacks, I'm still not sure. Could be both.

8. After signing Warrick Dunn this offseason, why did the Falcons select Michigan State's T.J. Duckett with the 18th-overall pick in the draft? 
Initial observation: You've got Dunn in place... and you're handing the ball to your inexperienced franchise player this year, quarterback Michael Vick. Too bad you didn't spend your first round pick on a young, explosive wideout... .
Hindsight: Duckett, as noted above, wasn't used nearly enough in the Atlanta game plan, gaining 507 yards on 130 carries with just four touchdowns. And while Dunn had a solid season, Vick really could've used a go-to guy in the passing game -- his top receiver was Brian Finneran with 56 catches for 838 yards, followed by Alge Crumpler's 36 receptions and 455 yards. The Falcons made the playoffs but the offense still needs a downfield weapon.

9. Why do the Ravens insist on running onto the field every week with the ugliest uniforms on the planet? 
Initial observation: You've gutted your team, Art, now it's time to burn those grotesque unis.
Hindsight: The Ravens were better than expected in '02... but the uniforms definitely weren't.

10. Could somebody please tell me how to pronounce Dolphins defensive end Adewale Ogunleye's name? 
Initial observation: Because I have no idea. Seriously. I'm not even sure I spelled it correctly.
Hindsight: Dude had 9.5 sacks this year, good for sixth in the AFC... and I still can't pronounce his name.

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So there it is, my own year-in-review of sorts. Maybe it wasn't as comprehensive as some others you've read, and I definitely don't look as good in a thong as the girls on our site.

Just trust me on that one, okay?

But it's my way of bidding farewell to the 2002 NFL season, five months that featured end zone autograph sessions, a coach choosing the wind in overtime, a Rodney Peete revival, special teams touchdowns from a beer truck driver, a three-way tie atop the AFC East, a Super Bowl with a ripe soap opera storyline and even a quarterback calling his kicker an idiot.

Ah yes, good times... and now they're all gone. Almost makes you miss the XFL... .

Almost.

In the Bullz-Eye

The Sacramento Kings. All Star forward Chris Webber is out for at least three weeks with a sprained ankle, leaving the Kings without their team leader just when Portland, San Antonio, Minnesota and, don't look now, the Lakers are starting to heat up. In the four games following the injury, Sacramento struggled with a 1-3 record, including a 95-77 loss in Seattle on January 30, but Tuesday night the Kings pulled out an important 110-109 win over the Mavericks. Still, it'll be tough for Rick Adelman's team to keep pace in the West with his most valuable King on the sidelines.

Questions/comments? Send all e-mails to jcodding@bullz-eye.com.