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Ravens LB
Ray Lewis
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The NFL season just completed was not short on compelling stories. Everywhere you
looked, there was something of interest. And it wasn’t always confined to the field.
It was a strange season, to say the least. Parity continued to reign, as the league
boasted six new division winners and the defending conference champion failed to win a
playoff game.
It was a season full of surprises. From broadcasters (Dennis Miller) to coaches (Jim
Fassel) to players (Daunte Culpepper), this season had it all. But only a select number of
stories could qualify for our top 10.
What follows are the top 10 stories of the 2000 season, as voted on by the PFW staff.
| 1. |
Ravens' ravenous defense |
After guiding the ’98 Vikings to an NFL record for most points scored in a 16-game
season, Brian Billick oversaw a Ravens team that set an NFL record for fewest points
allowed. But that ’98 Vikings team didn’t win a Super Bowl. Billick’s
Ravens did, and the defense led the way. Baltimore’s 165 points against bested the
’86 Bears’ mark of 187. The Ravens also set an NFL record for fewest rushing
yards permitted (970) in a 16-game season, recorded four shutouts — one shy of the
post-merger record held by the ’76 Steelers — and allowed one or fewer
touchdowns in 15-of-20 games, including the playoffs.
| 2. |
Snyder can't buy happiness |
Running the Redskins as he would a fantasy football team, owner Daniel Snyder spent
about $100 million on his team’s 2000 payroll, only to watch it fall short of a
playoff berth. Back in training camp, the Redskins were picked by many to vie for the
Super Bowl, having improved on both sides of the ball — on paper, anyway. The team
signed FS Mark Carrier, QB Jeff George, CB Deion Sanders and DE Bruce Smith in free agency
and drafted LB LaVar Arrington and OT Chris Samuels second and third overall in the draft.
The one position they failed to address was placekicker, and that cost them the playoff
berth they so desperately desired. In the end, the team that had been picked to dominate
the NFC finished 8-8 — four games out of first place.
| 3. |
Fassel delivers on guarantee |
The Giants had just lost consecutive home games to the Rams and Lions, failing to shake
the stigma of beating only inferior teams. Fans and media continued to question the
Giants’ makeup and whether they were a serious contender. Jim Fassel, the
Giants’ head coach, tried to defuse such talk by issuing his now-famous guarantee.
"This team’s going to the playoffs," Fassel declared. And so it did, all
the way to the Super Bowl, in fact. The statement put Fassel on a par with Joe Namath and
Mark Messier, two New York sports heroes who followed through on guarantees of their own.
"It’s like a fairy tale or a movie, where there’s a bad start and a
beautiful ending. But it’s real life." Those are the words of Ravens MLB Ray
Lewis, describing his tale of tragedy and triumph. Last January, Lewis was accused of a
double murder and spent 15 days in jail. Though he was later cleared of the charges in
exchange for a guilty plea to obstruction of justice, Lewis’ career was tarnished,
and the only way to regain its luster was to perform at the highest level possible. Lewis
did just that, earning Defensive MVP honors while leading one of the best defenses of all
time.
| 5. |
Saints march to first playoff win |
Rome fell in a day, but it took the Saints 34 years to win a playoff game. Behind the
no-nonsense leadership of Coach of the Year Jim Haslet, the Saints won their first NFC
West title since ’91. With Executive of the Year Randy Mueller calling the shots, the
Saints signed 30-some free agents before the season, with one notable addition coming via
trade. Mueller sent a third-round pick to the Packers for QB Aaron Brooks, who kept the
Saints’ ship afloat after starter Jeff Blake went down. And Blake wasn’t the
only casualty. RB Ricky Williams missed the last six regular-season games, and WR Joe Horn
missed almost all of the Saints’ playoff action. But Haslet never offered an excuse,
and he kept his troops focused. They responded in kind with one of the biggest turnarounds
(3-13 to 10-6) in recent memory.
| 6. |
It's (Dennis) Miller time |
Looking to give its sagging ratings a boost, ABC’s "Monday Night
Football" added comedian Dennis Miller to its broadcast team. Many decried the move
as near treason because Miller had no experience broadcasting a football game, let alone
the knowledge to do so. But the network wasn’t seeking that. ABC wanted Miller to use
his intelligent wit — which at times required the use of an encyclopedia — and
racy humor to expand the audience. The network hoped Miller could recapture the aura of
Howard Cosell, but at the end of the season, the ratings indicated otherwise. Neither
Miller nor a series of riveting games could prevent MNF from drawing its lowest ratings in
31 seasons.
| 7. |
Rams' fairy tale comes to an end |
The clock struck midnight for Kurt Warner and the Rams, who fell short in their bid for
a second straight Super Bowl title. St. Louis stormed out of the gate, winning their first
six games and scoring an average of 43.7 points per contest. But trouble struck in Kansas
City, where the Rams not only lost the game, they lost Warner for the next five weeks with
a finger injury. With Trent Green in charge, the Rams went 2-3 during the stretch, and
they didn’t fare much better when Warner returned, finishing 2-2 under his watch. In
fact, if not for the Bears’ last-second upset win over the Lions in the season
finale, St. Louis wouldn’t have made the playoffs.
| 8. |
Culpepper shows us something |
Everyone thought Dennis Green was off his rocker. Starting the untested, unproven
Daunte Culpepper at quarterback? Green had to be kidding. But he wasn’t. After
failing in attempts to sign Dan Marino and re-sign Jeff George, Green went with Culpepper,
who had yet to throw a pass in the NFL. But it didn’t take long for the second-year
pro to catch on. In his first start, Culpepper rushed 13 times for 73 yards and three
touchdowns. Then his arm took over, passing for 355 yards in Week Two. Culpepper finished
tied for the league lead with 33 TD passes, and the Vikings advanced as far as the NFC
championship game.
| 9. |
Faulk scores ... and scores ... and scores |
Rams RB Marshall Faulk didn’t repeat his 1999 performance in which he exceeded
1,000 yards both rushing and receiving, but he did find room for improvement. Faulk more
than doubled his TD output from the previous season, scoring an NFL-record 26 touchdowns,
one more than previous record-holder Emmitt Smith. Faulk scored eight touchdowns receiving
and 18 TDs rushing.
Back in training camp, the only NFC East teams anyone wanted to talk about were the
Cowboys and Redskins. These two teams, it was believed, would battle tooth and nail for
the division title. But Dallas lost WR Joey Galloway in Week One, and the Redskins
couldn’t find a kicker worth a darn. That opened the door for the Giants, who snuck
past everyone, including the upstart Eagles, whom the Giants beat three times. Riding a
solid defense and an improved offense, the division champion Giants advanced to their
first Super Bowl since the ’90 season.
For complete coverage of the season in review, purchase a copy of the Feb. 12 issue of Pro
Football Weekly, on sale at newsstands and bookstores across the country. Or you can subscribe online to
PFW's print edition, or subscribe by calling 1-800-FOOTBALL (366-8225) and charging your
subscription to a major credit card. |
