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Saturday, February 5, 2000
Rams contingent brings
Changing of the Guard
championship aura to NFC
AFC: Short on vets, but loaded with vigor.
Depth charts: Who's playing at each position.
Stats & Rosters: History & who's represented.
Parking & shuttle service By Paul Arnett
Star-BulletinThe Super Bowl champions were conspicuous by their absence.
At Tuesday's opening practice, the eight St. Louis Rams were delayed a day or two by a postseason parade held in their honor. The result was a skeleton crew for NFC head coach Tony Dungy, who treated it accordingly.
When the world champions rode into Ihilani Resort in time for Wednesday's session, the congratulatory handshakes and pats on the backs from their Pro Bowl peers were the truest rewards of winning a Super Bowl.
"It's great to come in here and have everybody congratulating you," league and Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner said. "You can't really describe to people what that's like. It's hard to put into words."
The NFC will try to keep all the titles in its court by winning the 50th annual Pro Bowl tomorrow at Aloha Stadium. With so many young players flying around, hoping to leave a lasting impression on one another, look for the hitting to be a bit more intense.
Warner will be one of six Rams starting in the National Football League's final act of the past millennium. He can only hope he and wide receiver Isaac Bruce hook up for a big play to close things out.
Bruce didn't practice until Wednesday, but he and Warner are already on the same page. The two-time Pro Bowl receiver caught a 73-yard touchdown pass to lift the Rams to a 23-16 win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Warner has tossed several long bombs in Bruce's direction during the light NFC workouts.
"This game is a reward for all these great players," Dungy said. "These games don't always start out that heated, but come the fourth quarter, the intensity gets turned up."
Tampa Bay has several defensive standouts playing in this year's Pro Bowl, including a dominant Warren Sapp up front and perhaps the hardest-hitting safety in John Lynch. Add linebackers Derrick Brooks and Hardy Nickerson to the mix and it's easy to see the Buccaneers being Super Bowl contenders once more.
"We had a great season, just came up a little short in the NFC championship game," Sapp said of the last-minute loss to the St. Louis Rams. "But give credit to the Rams. To win the Super Bowl, you have to make big plays. And they did in both games."
There are a lot of new kids on the NFC block, but there are some very recognizable veterans as well. Minnesota Vikings guard Randall McDaniel is making his 11th Pro Bowl appearance. The only man within five of him is eight-time Pro Bowl running back Emmitt Smith.
Despite some critics proclaiming Smith was on the downside of 30, the 10-year Dallas Cowboys running back finished second in the NFC in rushing with 1,397 yards and 11 touchdowns. Not even starter Marshall Faulk matched those figures on the ground.
"Your hat goes off to a quality back like Emmitt Smith," Faulk said. "He is a pro. I think he might stick around long enough to make a run at Walter Payton's record."
Smith isn't the only 30-something player in the game. Quarterbacks Steve Beuerlein and Brad Johnson have 21 years of experience between them. But this is their first trip to Hawaii.
"We're kind of the rookies around here," Johnson said. "So, we're a little nervous. But it's great to be here around all these awesome athletes. I'm looking forward to Sunday's game."
