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Aug. 9, 2006 When the 2006 NFL season starts, there will be some familiar faces in different places. And a few old faces may be gone altogether before or at season’s end, if their teams don’t improve or live up to expectations. In Part III of my NFL Season Preview, I’ll highlight some of the big names who switched jerseys and some big-name coaches who may be giving up their headphones. 1. Old Faces, New Places. Few players nowadays end their careers where they started. That includes greats like the recently-retired Jerry Rice, who was last seen on the field in the regular season in Seahawk colors. Among the big names that moved during the off-season: a. Drew Brees, from the Chargers to the Saints. Instead of going with USC’s Matt Leinart, the Saints went for veteran help to try to win now. Although Brees had a great year in 2004, his 2005 was marred by a shoulder injury in a game many believed he should’ve sat out. The big question is, will Brees be healthy enough to give a backfield featuring Leinart’s teammate, Reggie Bush, stability and direction? b. Edgerrin James, from the Colts to the Cardinals. It’ll be difficult picturing James wearing red after all those years in blue. But with the Cardinals moving into a new stadium this year, and pressure on head coach Dennis Green to produce a winner, bringing in such a proven veteran should yield dividends. Arizona has some good talent, particularly at wide receiver with Anquan Bolden and Larry Fitzgerald. With a serious running game to take the pressure off whomever starts at quarterback, 2006 might be the Cardinals’ year to grab a playoff berth. c. Steve McNair, from the Titans to the Ravens. If playing in one of the greatest Super Bowls of all time is a claim to fame, then Steve McNair has certainly earned his. This grizzled warrior has been hampered by injuries the last couple seasons, but he still knows how to move a team down the field. For Brian Billick’s sake, he needs to get Baltimore deep into this year’s playoffs. d. Terrell Owens, from the Eagles to the Cowboys. No matter where T.O. goes, there’s always going to be a circus. There’s no doubt that Owens is one of the game’s best players, but does he have to remind us of that every time he turns around? Better yet, can he remain free of injuries long enough to do anything on the field? Owens could use some lessons in humility and toughness from a true all-time great, Art Monk. e. Antwaan Randle-El, from the Steelers to the Redskins. When last we saw Antwaan Randle-El, he was throwing a touchdown pass to fellow wideout Hines Ward to clinch Super Bowl XL. Despite the fact that he was an integral part of the Steelers’ success in 2005, he is now wearing his gold with burgundy instead of black. But I figure the Redskins have an ulterior motive in picking up Randle-El; he did play quarterback at Indiana, and Washington’s starter, Mark Brunell, isn’t that far away from picking up his AARP card. f. Mike Vanderjagt, from the Colts to the Cowboys. As if having T.O. on the roster isn’t enough, the Cowboys went out and signed the very good and very beleaguered Vanderjagt to kick for them. Infamous for calling out former teammate Peyton Manning and head coach Tony Dungy as being too soft to win a championship earlier in his stay in Indy, Vanderjagt pulled a major choke of his own, missing a 46-yard field goal that would have tied Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional Playoffs last season. If things get really ugly in Dallas, the Cowboys could offer T.O. vs. Vanderjagt as pay-per-view fodder. g. Adam Vinatieri, from the Patriots to the Colts. How do you reward the man upon whose foot you’ve won three Super Bowls in four years? Logic would say that the Patriots would do whatever they could to keep this guy, including handing him the keys to Rhode Island. Then again, he’s only a kicker. They’re a dime a dozen, right? This will bite New England harder than a rabid dog when things start getting cold in Foxboro. 2. On The Hot Seat To paraphrase former head coach Jerry Glanville, the NFL stands for Not For Long if things aren’t going your way. And that’s why these five head coaches are on the hot seat this season: a. Brian Billick, Ravens. Since winning Super Bowl XXXV, way back at the end of the 2000 season, Baltimore has been an up-and-down team, boasting three winning seasons, two playoff appearances and one playoff win in that span. Billick has doggedly stuck with Kyle Boller, who still hasn’t had that breakout season just yet. With a leader like Steve McNair available, though, Billick has pretty much run out of excuses. The Ravens need to win this season and get deep in the playoffs in order for him to keep his job. b. John Gruden, Buccaneers. The whispers that Tony Dungy’s team actually won Super Bowl XXXVII are beginning to ring more true than ever to those in the know. Tampa Bay missed the playoffs two straight years after winning their first title, and after winning the NFC South last year, they got stung by an upstart Washington team on Wild Card Weekend. Gruden’s mug may resemble the ultimate face of evil, the devil doll known as Chucky, but success will be the only thing keeping that mug on the sidelines beyond this year. c. Bill Parcells, Cowboys. The last two seasons represented a major step backward for Dallas. After going 10-6 in 2003 and reaching the playoffs as a wild card, the Cowboys have gone 15-17. Parcells is not happy to be saddled with Terrell Owens, but he has been determined not to undermine owner Jerry Jones’s decision to bring him in. Between Owens and new kicker Mike Vanderjagt, don’t be surprised if Parcells doesn’t remove himself from that cauldron at season’s end. d. Marty Schottenheimer, Chargers. Despite the success he’s had as a head coach, particularly in Cleveland and Kansas City, Schottenheimer’s days with the Bolts may be numbered. He’s weathered heavy criticism for playing Drew Brees in a meaningless game against Denver, only to see Brees go down with a shoulder injury. With Brees now sporting the old gold of New Orleans, Schottenheimer’s career and the Chargers’ season now rides on the arm of the untested Philip Rivers. e. Mike Shanahan, Broncos. It doesn’t seem like it’s been eight seasons since Denver won its second straight Super Bowl and sent John Elway off into a glorious sunset. And it also doesn’t seem like the Broncos have done poorly in that interval. They’ve made the playoffs five out of the last seven seasons, have only had one sub-.500 season (in 1999, during the transition from Elway), and last season played for the AFC championship. So why is Mike Shanahan on the hot seat? Two words, actually: Jake Plummer. On their drive to the AFC title, Plummer avoided the big mistakes and looked to have turned the corner in terms of maturity and experience. Beating the Patriots, the defending Super Bowl champions, in the Divisional Playoffs sure had them looking like the team to beat. But with the Jake Plummer of old leading the way, the Broncos fell to the Steelers. So Shanahan, and Denver, are out to redeem themselves this year. Nothing less than a Super Bowl bid will save Shanahan, either. In Part IV of my NFL Season Preview, I’ll share my picks for the playoffs and who I think will win it all at Super Bowl XLI. ------------ About the author: Claxton Graham has written over 100 articles for Useless Knowledge. He has also written the unpublished novels The Writer's Nightmare and Santa's Sleigh Is Missing. He works as a business analyst. Email: scifiwriter8502@email.com Comment on this article here! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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