It was 51 weeks ago that Randy Moss and the Minnesota Vikings stunned the Green Bay Packers and a national-television audience with a glimpse of 21st Century football. This week, the Vikings travel to Lambeau Field again, this time by covered wagon.
After Randall Cunningham threw a 33-yard pass to Cris Carter, a 56-yard touchdown pass to Jake Reed, a 52-yard touchdown pass to Moss, a 46-yard pass to Moss, a 44-yard touchdown pass to Moss, and a 41-yard pass to Moss in one Monday night blitz of the Pack, the Vikings figured nobody could stop them. They went on to break the NFL scoring record. The Packers decided they couldn’t cover anybody and spent their first three draft choices on cornerbacks.
Now the Vikings have scored only 34 points in two games after averaging 34.8 last season. They must find out whether it’s a trend or an aberration.
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Last year the Vikings produced 39 plays of 30 yards or more and 26 plays of 40 yards or more under coordinator Brian Billick. This year’s offense has produced no plays of 40 yards or more and just two plays of 30 yards or more.
Packers coach Ray Rhodes said he couldn’t wait to study what the Raiders defense did last week in shutting down the Vikings. The Falcons and Raiders played aggressively, trying to pressure Cunningham, who “forgets some options” under pressure, according to Raiders cornerback Eric Allen, a former Philadelphia teammate.
According to Raiders cornerback Charles Woodson, Rhodes will notice how the Raiders went to more man-to-man coverage in the second half at the suggestion of Allen and Woodson.
“He’ll see us having confidence in our corners to play with Randy and Cris and Reed that allowed us to get pressure on Randall,” Woodson said. “Get him throwing passes too high, too short, and get him kind of rattled. You’ve got to have confidence in your corners. (The Vikings) are too good. Give those guys an inch and they’ll take a mile. You’ve got to stop them early.”
Said Cunningham: “Teams are going to do that, but we’ll adjust pretty quick. I don’t know what coach (Dennis) Green is going to do offensively, but I think we’ll get to a point where we’re outsmarting teams because we know what teams are going to do now.”
Woodson’s big matchup against Moss left Woodson wondering.
“They need to run him on some more and different routes,” Woodson said. “His specialty, I guess, is run downfield and Randall throws the ball in the air, and he tries to outjump you.”
Moss’ spectacular one-handed catch over Woodson will be a highlight into the 21st Century.
“I look for that to be a poster in the near future,” Woodson lamented. “My number will be there; that’s the bad thing about it. It will be around a long time, definitely, especially with Moss wearing the Jordan logo. There will be a poster of him reaching to the moon or something with my No. 24 jersey in the bottom.”
Jamal dissed: Atlanta’s Jamal Anderson was able to dismiss his prolonged contract holdout and inquiries by coach Dan Reeves about trading him as “part of the business.”
But Reeves’ potshot at his fallen running back after a knee injury ended his season might be unforgivable.
“Seems like when guys hold out, they come back in and have the injuries,” Reeves said.
While it may be true that some players who hold out seem to get hurt, Anderson’s injury was caused by the artificial turf in Texas Stadium.
Artificial turf, according to players, is the fraud of the 20th Century. The industry defends itself with surveys and statistics, none of which asks the players what they think of it.
“If we can send a man to the moon, then we can definitely grow grass inside,” Tampa Bay defensive tackle Warren Sapp said. “Put the grass down and allow us to play the game.”
No. 1 Player: It’s early, but the votes are already coming in for best player in a league missing John Elway, Reggie White and Barry Sanders. At the moment it’s Sapp, who leads the league with 4 1/2 sacks.
Denver guard Mark Schlereth, who faces him Sunday, is injured but said: “Against this guy, I don’t know whether it’s going to help me that much whether I’m hurt or healthy. I mean this guy is a one-man wrecking crew. You watch him on film and he’s a freak of nature. He’s unbelievable. Nobody’s blocked him yet.”
Added Denver coach Mike Shanahan: “Right now, I think (Sapp) is playing better than anybody in the NFL.”
Redskins quarterback Brad Johnson also is lighting it up with a passer rating of 125.9. Bears personnel director Mark Hatley thought the best player he saw all preseason was Oakland defensive tackle Darrell Russell.
The Bears face Russell this week, New Orleans’ underrated defensive tackles LaRoi Glover and Wayne Martin next week, Sapp on Oct. 24, and Johnson Oct. 31.
Chicago Raiders: Raiders owner Al Davis, a man on the go, has this to say about Chicago: “Chicago more than any other city in America now could use a second team and support it. . . . certainly with their corporate base and their beautiful downtown. No one is suggesting that, are they?”
Coach Jon Gruden says three Raiders with Chicago ties are helping his team. Offensive coordinator and line coach Bill Callahan, a former Illinois Benedictine quarterback, gets credit for the surprising improvement in the Raiders’ offensive line.
Veteran tight end Derrick Walker from Chicago Heights was out of football last year, but signed as a blocker who has helped the running game. Defensive tackle Russell Maryland of Chicago is the leader of a defensive line that already boasts seven players with sacks in only two games.
“He’s a 25-words-or-less guy,” Gruden said. “A strong man, very determined, a big-picture guy. He realizes effort and execution on defense has as much to do with anything as individual skill.”
Holmgren on Favre: Seattle coach Mike Holmgren on Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre: “We have not actually talked since I left. Regardless of what people may write, he really does know how I feel about him. Knowing how competitive he is, he wants to take that team to a championship again without me being there. Like Joe Montana did without Bill Walsh. I don’t say that in a bad way. I just know how he is and I know how he approaches this game.”
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Driving the Fords nuts: Barry Sanders is proving as shifty in retirement as he did running. While his agents are exploring the practically impossible scenario of his returning $5.6 million in signing-bonus money and leaving the Lions, nobody has heard anything from the horse’s mouth.
Dad William Sanders on whether Barry really wants to play again: “I’m going to tell you the truth. I don’t know what he wants to do.”
Vice chairman William Clay Ford Jr.: “First of all, we’d like to have Barry back. But if Barry’s not coming back, we’d like to be repaid because we need the salary-cap room. It’s not the amount of money. It’s the salary-cap room we need to sign other players.
“It’s not the money at all. It’s what the money represents, which is the ability to go out and get better players or take care of our own players.”
Owner William Clay Ford: “I’m going by what (Sanders) said, that his desire not to play is stronger than his desire to play. Anybody would want to have Barry, but he’s history as far as we’re concerned right now.”
Coach Bobby Ross, asked if Sanders’ absence has made the 2-0 Lions a better team: “I don’t mean to downplay it but I really think it’s time to put that to rest, because our team has. That’s not even a point of discussion to them anymore. It’s never even brought up. I think this team was committed long before Barry decided to retire and I base that on the off-season preparation, which was very good.”
But are the Lions a better team without Sanders?
“You can’t say that,” Ross said. “Barry’s a great player, and in defense of Barry, I think everybody probably ought to kind of leave it alone, too. Let’s not forget what the guy did in this organization. He did some good things.”