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- NY Giants82
- Rep: 26
Re: 2008 NFL season
I dont think so. I believe they chose to keep Gonzalez. I guess they didnt get enough of an offer from anyone.
- Communist China
- Rep: 130
Re: 2008 NFL season
No trade for Gonzalez, I remember there being some talk in Buffalo talking to KC about him, but I'm fine not having him.
Cowboys gave up their 1st, 3rd, and 6th round pick for Williams and Detroit's 7th round pick. Steep price, especially when TO and Williams could have friction, both wanting the ball.
Re: 2008 NFL season
Guess we're at that point of the year where Power Rankings aren't a complete joke.
1. Tennessee Titans (5-0). The Titans were in the last year of being the Oilers in '˜98, but they're hoping this season will more resemble '˜99, when they also had a terrific defense and came up about a yard short in the Super Bowl.
2. New York Giants (4-1). The Giants are looking to follow the blueprint of the '˜98 Broncos. Like Denver that season, they shocked a heavily-favored opponent in the most recent Super Bowl as a wild-card team (trade New England for Green Bay), and have come back strong with a fair chance to repeat.
3. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-1). The '˜98 season marked roughly the halfway point of Bill Cowher's 15-year run as head coach. With the job Mike Tomlin has done, he's looking like he will be around for a decade and a half, too.
4. Buffalo Bills (4-1). Ah yes, '˜98 was a year for some Flutie Magic. It was also Wade Phillips' first of three seasons as their coach. Dick Jauron has a good chance to be the first coach that gets them back into the playoffs since Phillips.
5. Washington Redskins (4-2). Phillips of course coaches the Cowboys now, and Norv Turner, the Redskins' coach in '˜98, is also still active in San Diego. The '˜Skins have had five coaches in the decade since. Jim Zorn, despite the hiccup against the Rams, has a good grasp of what it takes to be successful on the sidelines.
6. Dallas Cowboys (4-2). Last week, the Cowboys lost plenty at Arizona: The game, their quarterback, their punter and their dynamic rookie running back. In '˜98, the Cardinals beat them, too, in an NFC wild-card matchup. That also was Brad Johnson's last season in his first stint with the Vikings'”he will start for his fourth NFL team this week.
7. Indianapolis Colts (3-2). In '˜98, the big combination was Peyton Manning and Marshall Faulk, as Marvin Harrison put up only modest numbers as a third-year receiver. Since then Manning and Harrison have hooked up 110 times for touchdowns, including twice last week.
8. Denver Broncos (4-2). John Elway hung it up after the '˜98 season and Super Bowl 33, and finally, the Broncos have found their next great franchise QB in Jay Cutler. Cutler needs big help from his defense, or this year's Broncos are headed for a big fall.
9. San Diego Chargers (3-3). The '˜98 Chargers thought they had a long-term franchise QB with Ryan Leaf. Oops. At least Philip Rivers has become a keeper now, and their firepower is something to fear in the AFC.
10. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3). Tom Coughlin delivered the '˜98 Jaguars to the divisional playoff round. A big win at Denver has the Jags alive and well in the race to make it three playoff trips under Jack Del Rio.
11. New England Patriots (3-2). Before Bill Belichick took over in 2000, two years earlier it was still Pete Carroll, who went on to coach current Patriots QB Matt Cassel at USC. Cassel's inconsistent play makes it hard to know where to place the Pats every week.
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-2). Since '˜98, the Bucs have been in the playoffs in six of the past nine seasons. The common denominator: Monte Kiffin's defense being consistently stingy when it comes to allowing points.
13. Carolina Panthers (4-2). Just like '˜98, Muhsin Muhammad and John Kasay are current Panthers. They've figured out how to win at home again, but now they need to find a way to maintain offense on the road against tough defenses.
14. Arizona Cardinals (4-2). The Cards would love a little more of '˜98 this season. It's the last time they both made the playoffs and won a wild-card game (over Dallas). If they just keep Kurt Warner upright and healthy, the NFC West crown is all theirs.
15. Atlanta Falcons (4-2). The '˜98 Falcons did the Dirty Bird all the way to Super Bowl 33. Now that the up-and-down Michael Vick ride is behind them, Matt Ryan looks like a quarterback who can lead them to the big game again sometime soon.
16. Chicago Bears (3-3). The top quarterbacks for the Bears since '˜98: Erik Kramer, Shane Matthews, Cade McNown, Jim Miller, Kordell Stewart, Chad Hutchinson, Rex Grossman, Brian Griese and for the second time, Kyle Orton. Orton looks like a potential keeper in an improved passing game. The pass defense, however, is a big concern.
17. Philadelphia Eagles (3-3). The Eagles hit a 3-13 low in '˜98, a year before the Andy Reid-Donovan McNabb era. The combination of a pass-happy offense and aggressive defense has been their staples. Now they need to execute more consistently if they are to challenge for the NFC East title.
18. Green Bay Packers (3-3). Brett Favre's seventh season with the Pack ended when a young Niner named Terrell Owens burned them for a last-second game-winning TD. Aaron Rodgers has shown a flair for making big plays with his big arm already, but the injuries are mounting around him, and how much longer can his shoulder hold up?
19. New York Jets (3-2). Jets faithful were hoping Favre could get the team where it was in '˜98, led to the AFC title game by Bill Parcells and Vinny Testaverde. The reality is there is still a big gap between this team and the true conference contenders.
20. Minnesota Vikings (3-3). The Vikings set a then-record by scoring 556 points in '˜98, until the Patriots broke the record last season. In winning two straight, they've gotten a spark from Gus Frerotte, who has been with six teams since leaving the Redskins in '˜98.
21. New Orleans Saints (3-3). Drew Brees first made his name as a prolific quarterback in his sophomore season at Purdue in '˜98. Now he's on pace to break Dan Marino's single-season passing yardage record (5,084). But that won't mean much if the Saints stay fourth in the tough NFC South and can't win on the road.
22. Miami Dolphins (2-3). Marino was in his penultimate NFL season in '˜98. Since then, at QB, it's been Jay Fiedler, A.J. Feeley, Frerotte, Joey Harrington and Cleo Lemon as the team's leading passers. Now with Chad Pennington playing well under center and feeding off that wacky Wildcat formation, they have a chance every week.
23. Baltimore Ravens (2-3). Back in '˜98, the franchise's third season, its leader on the field was Jim Harbaugh. Now its leader on the sidelines is his brother, John. John's loss to another of Jim's former teams, Indianapolis, was tough to take, but those are the kind of lumps a reworked team sometimes takes with a rookie coach and a rookie QB.
24. Cleveland Browns (2-3). In '˜98, it was the last of three years between relocation and expansion for this franchise. This '˜08 season was supposed to be the most promising of the Browns' reincarnation, yet it remains more brown paper bag worthy.
25. San Francisco 49ers (2-4). Yep, it was just 10 years ago when Steve Young threw for a career-high 36 TD passes in his last full NFL season. Also in '˜98, some guy named Gore did some running. Now Frank Gore is helping San Fran score points in bunches again, but unfortunately, the defense is giving up more.
26. Houston Texans (1-4). This team was still four years from existing in '˜98, so we can focus on this year's version. Thanks to Matt Schaub's last-second run, they are no longer the best winless team in the NFL. Now they're the best one-win team.
27. Seattle Seahawks (1-4). The last time Mike Holmgren wasn't their coach? 1998. They will experience that feeling again in '˜09, but injuries have hurt their chances of a fifth-straight division title under Holmgren. They better get healthy in a hurry before the Cards run away with the West.
28. St. Louis Rams (1-4). The Rams were 4-12, tied for last in the NFC West in '˜98, only to improve by nine games and win the Super Bowl a season later. That kind of quick turnaround is unrealistic, but they certainly have enough talent to be as competitive as they were in winning at Washington on Sunday.
29. Oakland Raiders (1-4). Ten years ago, the Raiders had this intense, only 35-year-old rookie head coach named Jon Gruden. If only they had kept him a little more than four years. You get this feeling another team, pro or college, will benefit greatly by them letting Lane Kiffin go in the middle of this season.
30. Kansas City Chiefs (1-4). Martyball came to a close in Kansas City in 1998. After Herman Edwards got to the playoffs in his first year in K.C., the big question is whether he will get to see through what is clearly a longterm rebuilding project.
31. Detroit Lions (0-5). They finished 5-11 in '˜98, good enough to stay out of the last place in the five-time old NFC Central. It also marked the surprising final NFL season for Barry Sanders, and the team has struggled to get on the marquee since.
32. Cincinnati Bengals (0-6). The Bungles are trying to avoid remembering the '90s at all, when they posted 3-13 records four times, including '˜98. It will be a miracle to get to 8-8, like they've done under Marvin Lewis three times.
- NY Giants82
- Rep: 26
