1. John Elway returns for his 16th and final season: Who can forget Elway's reckless, headfirst lunge into a crowd of Green Bay Packers just before Denver scored a go-ahead touchdown in Super Bowl XXXII? That set the tone for the Broncos' 31-24 upset. It also served as the exclamation point to how badly
Elway wanted to win that night and shake his streak of three straight Super Bowl defeats.
Now Elway, 38, is back to pursue a second ring. His place in the Hall of Fame long since secure, Elway needs 22 touchdown passes to reach 300 for his career, 87 completions for a total of 4,000, and 1,331 passing yards to join Dan Marino as the only quarterbacks in history with 50,000 yards. One question remains: Would he have won a Super Bowl in Baltimore?
2. Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf arrive: Just as Elway is leaving, a pair of hotshot quarterbacks arrive this season. Manning went to the Indianapolis Colts with the first pick in the 1998 draft, and Leaf to the San Diego Chargers with the second choice. Both will be expected to play right away.
Who is better? The consensus says that Manning is more polished, more ready to play in the NFL as a rookie, although the strong-armed Leaf could turn out to be the better long-range quarterback. While Elway and Marino meet one last time in Week 16, Manning and Leaf could face each other for the first time in the regular season in Week 5. Unlike Elway and Marino in their early years, these two youngsters are being asked to revive two down-and-out franchises.
3. Packers coach Mike Holmgren restless for power: Bill Parcells has it. So does Jimmy Johnson. And so do Dan Reeves and Dick Vermeil, for some reason. Ultimate power, dual titles, the chance to make personnel decisions and third-down calls. Holmgren admitted last year he also lusted for total control of a team. If it can't be in Green Bay, where Ron Wolf runs the club, then somewhere else.
Last April, the Packers gave Holmgren the opening he needs to bolt for a power position. They gave him a contractual clause that will permit him to talk after the season with other teams about the dual role of general manager/coach. But they also insisted on draft choices in return. Holmgren, a native of San Francisco and a former 49ers assistant, could be headed home if the stars align right.
4. 49ers dynasty shudders in transition: They survived the departures of Bill Walsh and Joe Montana, but can the San Francisco 49ers overcome the loss of chief executive Carmen Policy? The organization has been in a state of management flux since owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. relinquished control to his sister late in 1997. Just as DeBartolo was taking steps to regain the 49ers, the highly respected Policy resigned to join Cleveland's expansion effort. Policy was the mastermind behind many of the club's innovative salary-cap moves.
These are transitional times for the 49ers. Quarterback Steve Young is almost 37, wide receiver Jerry Rice is coming off two knee surgeries, and second-year coach Steve Mariucci must replace six starters from a team that lost the NFC championship game at home to the Packers last season. One thing remains the same: The 49ers play in perhaps the worst division in football.
5. Cowboys reload with Chan Gailey: The Evil Empire, once known as America's Team, collapsed under the weight of bad drafts, an uninterested coach and the aging process last season. As if Barry Switzer wasn't hard enough to take when the Dallas Cowboys were winning, the situation became intolerable when they sleepwalked through a 6-10 season.
Enter Gailey, former offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The new coach will give the Cowboys discipline, direction and offense, all of which they lacked under Switzer. At least, that's the plan. It doesn't help that quarterback Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith have been in a two-year funk, or that defenses suddenly can take wide receiver Michael Irvin out of the game.
6. Ravens unveil their new roost: The stadium that Bob Irsay wanted and Bill Bidwill could have had is finally finished, and it belongs to Art Modell. After two losing seasons in dilapidated Memorial Stadium, the Ravens will try to cultivate their own identity and create home-field advantage in their new digs.
Sitting in tandem with Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the football stadium has 69,426 seats, 108 luxury suites, two state-of-the-art scoreboards and 66 restrooms. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers also will open a new stadium this season.
7. Barry Sanders chases Payton, history: Sanders became the third running back in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards last season when he inspired the Detroit Lions' playoff run. After nine Pro Bowl seasons and four rushing titles, he is within distance of a much greater accomplishment - the all-time rushing record.
That, of course, belongs to Walter Payton, who gained 16,726 for the Chicago Bears. Sanders has accumulated 13,778 yards so far, just 2,948 behind Payton. Even though Sanders turned 30 this summer, he has never run better; witness his 14 consecutive 100-yard games in 1997. This year's challenge: No 30-year-old running back has ever won an NFL rushing title.
8. Denting the color line: Fourteen head coaches have been hired in the NFL since Tony Dungy was chosen by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1996, and not one of them is black. This is true despite the fact that Dungy, Minnesota's Dennis Green and Philadelphia's Ray Rhodes have taken their teams to the playoffs in the past two years. The league's deplorable record for minority hiring continues to grow like a fungus.
The good news, though, is that four blacks were named to coordinator positions this season. Jimmy Raye was promoted from running backs coach to offensive coordinator in Kansas City, where he will diversify the Chiefs' predictable attack. Ray Sherman moves from Minnesota to Pittsburgh, where he will be the offensive coordinator in charge of expediting quarterback Kordell Stewart's development. Miami's Kippy Brown was promoted to offensive coordinator with the mandate he must develop a running game. And Willie Shaw takes over as defensive coordinator on Oakland's new staff.
9. The war on quarterbacks: With the zone blitz as a primary weapon, defenses took a heavy toll on quarterbacks in 1997. At least 12 times during the season, a quarterback was knocked out of a game with a concussion. Victims included Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Chris Chandler and Kordell Stewart. Kerry Collins endured a broken jaw in the preseason on a helmet-to-helmet hit and suffered a concussion during the regular season.
Defensive players are inspired by the knowledge that taking out a quarterback enhances their team's chance to win. But the repercussions reach beyond one game. San Diego quarterback Stan Humphries suffered two concussions in 18 days. The second, on a late hit by Cincinnati's Reinard Wilson in Week 10, sent him into premature retirement.
10. Bambi returns: Doug Flutie, once mockingly nicknamed "Bambi" by Chicago quarterback (and teammate) Jim McMahon, back in the NFL after an eight-year absence. The Heisman Trophy winner of 1984 returns as a backup to Rob Johnson in Buffalo, just across the border from the Canadian Football League, where he was voted the league's outstanding player six times and won the Grey Cup three times.
Only 5 feet 10, Flutie accepted an incentive-laden, two-year contract worth $550,000. In Canada, he made as much as $1 million a year. Flutie played in a total of 21 games for the Bears and New England Patriots between 1986 and 1989, with a record of 9-5 in 14 starts. But he will always be most remembered for the famous Hail Mary pass that lifted Boston College over Miami in 1984.
Making a splash
These are the free agents who figure to make the biggest impact for their new teams:
Jaguars OLB Bryce Paup (Bills): Gives Jacksonville an edge it hasn't had.
Redskins DT Dana Stubblefield (49ers): They're going to love his ability as a pass rusher, too.
Bucs WR Bert Emanuel (Falcons): Trent Dilfer finally has a go-to guy.
Jets RB Curtis Martin (Patriots): And he gets to play the Patriots twice.
Dolphins S Brock Marion (Cowboys): Jimmy Johnson knows talent.
Dolphins G Kevin Donnalley (Oilers): Here is a guy Miami can run behind.
49ers LB Winfred Tubbs (Saints): Will keep the defense at a high level.
Chiefs WR Derrick Alexander (Ravens): Reunited with his college quarterback, Elvis Grbac.
Panthers CB Doug Evans (Packers): A perfect fit for Carolina's pressure defense.
Seahawks C Kevin Glover (Lions): They won't miss Kevin Mawae in Seattle.
These are the free agents who most likely will disappoint their new teams:
49ers DE Gabe Wilkins (Packers): Knee was hurting before he signed.
Panthers DT Sean Gilbert (Redskins): Showed what he thought of the team concept.
Chargers RB Natrone Means (Jaguars): They already ran him out of town once.
Oilers WR Yancey Thigpen (Steelers): Flashy but not consistent.
Colts CB Jeff Burris (Bills): Not in Doug Evans' class.
Rams DE Ray Agnew (Giants): No one else was interested.
Cowboys G Everett McIver (Dolphins): See Brock Marion.
Bears RB Edgar Bennett (Packers): It's bad enough to have an Achilles' injury, but the Bears, too?
Ravens CB Rod Woodson (49ers): A great player past his prime.
49ers CB Antonio Langham (Ravens): Won't the Niners be surprised?
Here are the two extremes on season-ticket pricing this season:
* The Super Bowl champion Broncos will keep prices the same for the second straight year, averaging $32.70 per ticket.
* The Bengals, who haven't reached the playoffs since 1990, are raising ticket prices an average of $3 per seat.
Fine tuning
Here are 10 games you'll want to see in 1998:
Steelers at Ravens, Sept. 6: Baltimore claims home-field advantage at its new stadium.
Bucs at Packers, Sept. 13: Trent Dilfer won't have to endure the Lambeau freeze this time.
Chargers at Colts, Oct. 4: Is Ryan Leaf vs. Peyton Manning a matchup for the ages?
Jets at Patriots, Oct. 19: Bill Parcells brings the chip on his shoulder to "Monday Night Football."
49ers at Packers, Nov. 1: The 49ers are still green with envy.
Packers at Steelers, Nov. 9: Could this be the Super Bowl preview?
Bucs at Jaguars, Nov. 15: The state title is on the line.
Colts at Ravens, Nov. 29: This is the one we've been waiting for.
Broncos at Dolphins, Dec. 21: One last time, John Elway vs. Dan Marino.
Steelers at Jaguars, Dec. 28: Will this game be the Jaguars' coronation?
Sack happy
These defenders are best at rushing the passer:
Bills DE Bruce Smith: Has outlasted Reggie White.
Vikings DT John Randle: Plays in a frenzy.
Bucs DT Warren Sapp: Even taunts Brett Favre.
Chiefs LB Derrick Thomas: Played hurt all last year.
Ravens LB Peter Boulware: Wait until he learns the league.
Closing time
These future Hall of Famers could be taking a farewell tour through the league this season:
Broncos QB John Elway: Could've gone out on top.
Dolphins QB Dan Marino: Jimmy Johnson doesn't play favorites.
Packers DE Reggie White: Leaving a year too late.
Bills RB Thurman Thomas: Probably won't get the credit he's due.
Oilers G Bruce Matthews: Hasn't missed a start in 11 seasons.
These coaches are on the hot seat:
Chargers' Kevin Gilbride: They don't want to ruin Ryan Leaf.
Bears' Dave Wannstedt: The Teflon man is exposed.
Seahawks' Dennis Erickson: Soon to be a micro-chip.
Vikings' Dennis Green: All that offense and only one playoff win?
Ravens' Ted Marchibroda: There's nothing elite about his team.
Redskins' Norv Turner: There are no excuses now.
Canned heat
The bottom could drop out on these coaches this year.
L Eagles' Ray Rhodes: Could pay for the Eagles' woeful drafts.
L Rams' Dick Vermeil: Thought he could save Lawrence Phillips.
49ers' Steve Mariucci: If the 49ers had their way, they'd rather have Mike Holmgren.
Coaching gold mine
These are the top-paid coaches, per season:
Broncos' Mike Shanahan: $2.4 million
Jets' Bill Parcells: $2.4 million
Dolphins' Jimmy Johnson: $2 million
Packers' Mike Holmgren: $2 million
Steelers' Bill Cowher: $2 million
Bucs' Tony Dungy: $1.3 million
Pub Date: 9/04/98