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Monday, June 9, 1997

Predictions and Miscellaneous Ramblings

By GARY MORRIS / Guest Columnist

You know, we keep reading that Michael is demanding to be traded...this is *NOT* the case! Michael asked Jerry Jones back in January what his options were to get away from all of the hounding from the media, and others, and when Jerry told him that it wasn't an option due to the harm it would do to the team, then Michael has looked at his other options.

First he tried to stay out of the limelight, but it looks like he was being accused of evading a process server, which Michael says is not true and that he wants to stop running away from the limelight if it is going to cause him to be accused of something else again that is not true.

I hope Michael is aware that he has better options than going after the media to stop the hounding. He only has to look at Thomas "Hollywood" Henderson and some other former law-breakers and see that with his entertainment appeal, his ability to play the audience he could make millions off of the "lost sheep, that has changed his ways and wants to go on the "lecture circuit" and tell all who will listen how to overcome their bad habits and get on with their life.

Having confessed to all that he is a "changed" man, Michael would find that the world would once again beat a path to his endorsement door.

Let's look at the possible Depth Chart on Offense and Defense at this point in time.

DEFENSE

LE - Tony Tolbert, Kavika Pittman

LT - Chad Hennings, Antonio Anderson

RT - Tony Casillas, Darren Benson, Leonard Renfro RE - Broderick Thomas, Shante Carver

SLB- Randall Godfrey, Pat Fitzgerald

MLB- Fred Strickland, Odell Parks

WLB- Alan Campos, Dexter Coakley

LCB- Kevin Smith, Wendell Davis, Kenny Wheaton SS - Darren Woodson, Charlie Williams

FS - Brock Marion, Roger Harper, Omar Stoutmire RCB- Deion Sanders, Alundis Brice

OFFENSE

SE - Michael Irvin, Stepfret Williams, Macy Brooks LT - Mark Tuinei, George Hagamin

LG - Nate Newton, Shane Hannah

C - John Flannery, Clay Shriver, Dale Hellestrae RG - Larry Allen, Steve Scifres

RT - Erik Williams, George Hagamin, T.J. Washington TE - David Lafleur, Eric Bjornson, Kendell Watkins

FL - Anthony Miller, Stepfret Williams, Billy Davis QB - Troy Aikman, Wade Wilson, Jason Garrett RB - Emmitt Smith, Sherman Williams

FB - Daryl Johnston, Nicky Sualua, Dwayne Chandle

The top teams in the NFC this comming year will once again be:

1. Dallas.....14-2

2. Green Bay..13-3

3. Carolina...12-4

4. S.F........10-6

With Dallas defeating Green Bay for the right to go to the Super Bowl.

Normally, most people pick the Champion to repeat, but it is so much harder to repeat these days that I think teams will spend most of the off season looking at the teams that were the most successful and try to figure out how to emulate and also stop them. That's one reason that I pick Dallas to finish ahead of Green Bay.

I think that most teams have had enough looks at the 49ers to finally see the weaknesses in the "West Coast Offense". The problems the 49'ers will face this year will be trying to solve the puzzle of how to attack the way most smart teams will play them this year. Most teams have seen the way Dallas, Green Bay, and Carolina stopped them with their Defenses. ( Bump and run with Nickel and Dime packages to stop the 2-5 yard completions that are the heart of the offense.)

This statement is so far off base that it needs to be shouted from the mount ian tops...It usually goes "JERRY RICE is the greatest Wide Receiver Ever".

First of all, it is no more possible to compare different time periods in the NFL than it is to say ALI in his prime would have beaten TYSON in his prime. Those statements are UN-PROVE ABLE. Second of all, prior to 1991 or so, I believe that their were only 6 players that caught over 100 passes in a season, since then we have had that many in a single season. This points up the rule changes to help the offensive players. Not to mention 16 game seasons verses 12 or 14 game seasons.

Thirdly, Jerry Rice benefits greatly from the West Coast Offense. Now that some teams are starting to figure out that most of Rice's catches are 2-5 yard catches, they bump him and take away the quick hitters and his numbers are starting to look a lot different.

He is one of the best, but in the NFL, you have the ultimate TEAM sport where the performance of a player is so dependant on the performance of the TEAM. No great Passer, no great Pass Receiver. No great Offensive Line, No great Running Back. And certainly not the greatest of all time. Questions abound...how would Michael Irvin have done if Rice was here and Irvin was in S.F.? How would Barry Sanders do behind the Dallas O-Line? Get the Idea?

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