TIME NOT THE ONLY UNCERTAINTY IN WACKY AFC EAST : NFL ON TV.Byline: Norman Chad Norman Chad is a Los Angeles-based sportswriter and syndicated columnist who is frequently seen on the sports channel ESPN. Alongside sportscaster Lon McEachern, Chad is perhaps the best-known commentator on the World Series of Poker for ESPN. Parity, and unpredictability, pervade per·vade tr.v. per·vad·ed, per·vad·ing, per·vades To be present throughout; permeate. See Synonyms at charge. [Latin perv the AFC (1) (Application Foundation Classes) A class library from Microsoft that provides an application framework and graphics, graphical user interface (GUI) and multimedia routines for Java programmers. East. It's a division that could produce a Super Bowl contender - or four .500 teams. It's a division with three Super Bowl coaches - and Rich Kotite Richard Edward Kotite (born October 13, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York) is a former National Football League player and coach. Kotite was a tight end who played collegiately at Wagner College in his native Staten Island. . It's a division with four standard Eastern Time teams - and the Colts. (The current time in Indianapolis is a quarter to Bedrock.) Each AFC East team is flawed: The Bills are old. The Dolphins are young. The Colts are hurt. The Patriots are streaky streak·y adj. streak·i·er, streak·i·est 1. Marked with, characterized by, or occurring in streaks. 2. Variable or uneven in character or quality. . The Jets are in New Jersey. All of which makes for a too-close-to-call, bad weather/bad dome wild race to the finish. Bill Parcells Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941 in Englewood, New Jersey), nicknamed "The Big Tuna", is a retired American football head coach, last coaching the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. will shout at players, Marv Levy Marvin Daniel Levy (born August 3, 1925 in Chicago, Illinois) is currently the General Manager and Vice President of Football Operations for the Buffalo Bills. He is a former professional football coach, in the CFL as head coach of the Montreal Alouettes (1973–1977), and in will swear at officials, Jimmy Johnson Jimmy Johnson or Jim Johnson may refer to:
Rich Kotite will adjust his glasses and rub his eyes. And, if there is sporting justice, Jim Kelly or Dan Marino will get a trip to New Orleans in January. Here's how the final AFC East standings likely will look: Yeah, yeah, yeah, the Jets won last week; I'm still projecting them to finish without a victory. (Incidentally, here's a shorthand look at Kotite's last 32 games - that's two full seasons - of coaching: L L L L L L L L L W L L L L W L L L W L L L L L L L L L L L L W.) (Coaching Update: In his last 44 games as a head coach, Rick Venturi is 2-41-1; in his last 66 games, Bruce Coslet is 27-39; in his last 18 games, Rich Brooks is 4-14; in his last 32 games, Kotite is 4-28. If you're 50ish, white and well-connected with league honchos and losing, you, too, can head up your own NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga team today! Sam Wyche, come on down) (Campaign '96 Note: Edward DeBartolo endorsed Jack Kemp Monday; Bay Area rival Al Davis, meanwhile, continues to back Millard Fillmore.) (Random Sporting Observation: In thoroughbred racing, they assign various weights to horses according to ability to even the field. Now, if that were done in boxing - say you made Mike Tyson wear 10-pound weights around each of his wrists to slow his punches - then Evander Holyfield might have a fighting chance one dependent upon the issue of a struggle. See also: Fighting next weekend.) Boy, are we to the games already? This job gets easier every week As usual, the following picks against the point spread are for recreational purposes only: Broncos at Raiders (-2): Actual Fact: NFL fined Raiders $25,000 for denying a Sports Illustrated writer access to their locker room. On this one, The Man stands by Al Davis; I don't allow SI into my home, either. Pick: Broncos. Lions at Packers (-11): Lions coach Wayne Fontes skipped lunch all week because he couldn't reach the food from under his desk. . . . Packers activated Boyd Dowler, Carroll Dale and Max McGee Wednesday. Pick: Lions. Dolphins at Patriots (-4): Results of Dolphins' mock election: Clinton - 28 percent; Dole - 23 percent; Perot - 17 percent; no preference - 3 percent; ``Does this mean we get next Tuesday off?'' - 29 percent. Pick: Dolphins. Panthers (-1) at Falcons: Falcons fans' ``support group'' - already plagued by low attendance - disbanded after members booed each other. . . . Carolina is still Super Bowl-bound Pick: Panthers. Bengals at Ravens (-4): Bengals Coach Bruce Coslet's new conditioning drills include Tuesday triathlon. . . . Ravens G Jonathan Ogden doesn't block people, he trash-compacts them. Pick: Ravens. Cardinals at Giants (-5): Remember how those Arizona militia types, the Vipers, wanted to blow up the government? Now they're taking a hard look at the Cardinals offense. Pick: Cardinals. 49ers (-9-1/2) at Saints: Philosopher George Santayana once said, ``Life is not a spectacle or a feast; it is a predicament.'' And thus begins the Rick Venturi era in New Orleans. Pick: 49ers. Buccaneers Buccaneers can refer to:
Oilers (-3) at Seahawks: Bud Adams' latest timetable for Oilers' move: Houston in 1997, Memphis in 1998, Carnival Cruise Ship in 1999, Nashville in 2000, outer space in 2001. Pick: Oilers. Redskins Redskins can refer to:
Eagles at Cowboys (-9): Deion Sanders has three helmets - one for offense, one for defense and one for Honey Frosted Wheaties. Pick: Cowboys. Rams at Steelers (-13): Somebody pinched Steelers QB Mike Tomczak last week, but he didn't wake up. Pick: Steelers. Chiefs at Vikings (-1): Vikings' presidential straw poll ended abruptly Thursday when defensive coordinator Foge Fazio ran out of straws. Pick: Chiefs. Chargers at Colts (-4): Four scariest words in San Diego: ``Junior Seau is sidelined.'' Runner-up: ``All new Jeff Foxworthy.'' Pick: Chargers. Last week: 4-10.x Season record: 59-61. (x The Man is in such disarray, he can't even remember what it's like to be in array.) San Diego at Indianapolis, 10 a.m., Ch. 4 Philadelphia at Dallas, 10 a.m., Ch. 11 Kansas City at Minnesota, 1 p.m., Ch. 4 San Francisco at New Orleans, 5 p.m., ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network CAPTION(S): Box Box: NFL ON TV (see text) |
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