As the tide turns
We sit helpless, listless in the churning
waters of the National Football League -
awaiting the tides that bring forth new
stars, new chances for teams to step
forward as contenders.
Over the past few decades the changes
in team dominancehave been gradual.
There were the haves and have-nots, the
successful programs and the floundering.
Through the 1970s and '80s the Cowboys,
Chiefs, Redskins, Giants, Vikings,
Steelers, 49ers, and Raiders continuously
drafted the best players and rolled to win
after win. The rest of the league wallowed
in their own self-pity, never seeming to be
able to figure out their own futility.
While the late 1980s and early 1990s
were seen as an era when other teams
began to make strides in getting better, it
wasn't until the arrival of free agency and
salary caps that parity became reality.
Have those personnel matters been
good for the game? Has parity forced teams
to water their rosters down so they can fit
under the cap? Has free agency taken away
any chance of building dynasties?
Probably. But what free agency and
salary caps have done for the game is now
being felt at its fullest.
These changes have allowed teams like
the Green Bay Packers, the Atlanta
Falcons, and, this year, the Washington
Redskins, St. Louis Rams, and San Diego
Chargers to become the darlings on the
block.
Their recent success has been a direct
result of the wise use of free agency,
productive drafts, and financial gurus who
know how to watch the pennies.
While it may be a different approach to
the game than was taken 10, 20, or 30
years ago, it is an approach that has been
successful and one that is here to stay.
The tide that has churned over the
Minnesota Vikings, New York Jets, and
even the Denver Broncos and Green Bay
Packers has now revealed the new kids.
Strangely, this tide, if the brief history
of the past five years is any indication, will
be short. That's the nature of parity. Today
you are good, tomorrow you are a
quarterback or linebacker short of a full
package.
When teams lose players through free
agency, the scramble to fill the spot
becomes a challenge. Bodies are brought in
to fill, but the talent isn't there. Such is the
case with all teams. The tide keeps rolling
and the teams become shapeshifters,
molding itself to a beautiful form, only to
reveal their ugly shape when the games
begin.
Fans have no control over these waves
that keep rolling in to beach, but they must
live with the thought their team may not be
as good for as long of a time as they used
to be. What is here today is gone
tomorrow.
Look at last year's Vikings. They tore
up the league after having a great draft and
building the team through free agency.
Their 2-4 record to date this year only
proves the chemistry can go sour very
quickly. Like Viking fans, Packer backers
have seen their championship team of three
years ago vanish in front of them, leaving
only a core of players.
Get used to it, fans. This is the trend. It
is the tide which will carry the game into
the next millennium.
This year, there may be two new
entrants into the Super Bowl, with a new
champion emerging. Like customers
awaiting their turn in line at the grocery
checkout, NFL fans have to be patient. For
their teams may be next.
However, like any organization there
are some who are simply better. While
parity has allowed players to move around
the league with greater ease, it is up to the
organization to make those players fit into
their plans. Some are better at it than
others, thus a better winning record over a
longer period of time.
However, for those win-starved fans like those of the Rams, Chargers, Seahawks, and Redskins, this may be the year when they see the light. But enjoy it now. For tomorrow it may be gone.