Wednesday, April 12, 2000

Checkmate

The Buccaneers may have locked up the NFC title by acquiring Keyshawn Johnson

By Michael Lev, Senior editor

Check.

However, by acquiring Keyshawn Johnson — the best all-around wide receiver in football, in this author’s opinion — the Buccaneers may have one-upped the Redskins in the race for NFC supremacy. By giving their second-year quarterback, Shaun King, a new toy to play with, the Bucs have cornered the opponent’s king. He’s got nowhere to go, nowhere to hide.

Checkmate.

The NFC title chase isn’t over, of course; many things can happen between now and next January, such as a rash of injuries or the second coming of Kurt Warner. But dealing with the Jets for Keyshawn is a bold, bright move for the Bucs, who had to do something to catch up with the defending Super Bowl champion Rams and keep pace with the big-move-a-day Redskins.

In an earlier "In Our Opinion …" column for ProFootballWeekly.com, I tabbed Washington as the favorite to win the NFC. That was then — in the B.K. Period (Before Keyshawn).

With Keyshawn aboard, the Bucs will have the one thing they didn’t have last season (when, incidentally, they came within a play or two of defeating the eventual champion Rams at their place): a legitimate passing-game weapon. Opponents will be very reluctant to put eight men in the box against Tampa Bay for fear that Keyshawn will beat them in one-on-one coverage. They also may be hesitant to blitz King, even though it’s the smart play against a young quarterback. Heading into his fifth season, Keyshawn has seen every blitz in the book. Unlike the Bucs’ other wide receivers — a collection of injury-prone underachievers — Keyshawn can take a short, hot-read pass and take it a long way by bowling over smaller defensive backs. As they used to say about Michael Irvin, Keyshawn is a playmaker.

Keyshawn’s arrival — all but a done deal as of this writing — brings much-needed balance to a Tampa offense that already excelled in the running game. He should make King’s potentially rocky ride go that much smoother. If the Bucs’ offense is half as good as their defense — which is arguably the best in football — Tampa Bay should roll through the NFC Central and land in the NFC championship game.

The Redskins are the most likely opposition. They have made themselves stronger through free agency — I particularly like the Jeff George signing, which gives them insurance against a Brad Johnson injury — and they will become even better in the draft. Player for player, the Redskins are more impressive than the Bucs. But titles aren’t won on paper. Washington has potential team-chemistry problems, with difficult-to-handle egos such as George and Bruce Smith joining a locker room that already included Michael Westbrook, who hasn’t always ingratiated himself to the coaching staff. Many of the Buccaneers, especially on defense, have been together for the duration of the Tony Dungy regime. Their big offseason acquisitions — Keyshawn and OLs Jeff Christy and Randall McDaniel — are veteran-leader types. About the only locker-room trouble the Bucs have had is the occasional complaint by the defense that the offense isn’t holding up its end of the bargain. With Keyshawn, in theory, the offense will hold its own.

You may have noticed that I did not include the Rams in my NFC-title discussion. I don’t foresee them falling apart, as the Falcons, their NFC West neighbors, did a year ago. However, I am inclined to dismiss them because they’ve taken a few hits this offseason and because it’s so darned hard to repeat these days. Just about every break went the Rams’ way last season. That isn’t likely to happen two years in a row.

The Bucs-Redskins divisional playoff game this past season was a classic battle; a rematch in the NFC championship game should be an all-out war. Keyshawn gives the Bucs sufficient ammunition to win the war — for now. As you finish this, Daniel Snyder is probably planning his next move.

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