We've Seen The Future …

Football Digest, Oct, 2001 by Barry Wilner

Who will dictate what happens this season? We pinpoint the most important people on each team

CONTROVERSY NEARLY ALWAYS follows the most valuable player balloting. Who is more valuable, a quarterback with a bazooka for an arm or a linebacker who makes tackles all over the field?

For that matter, how exactly do we define valuable? Eddie George is the heart of the Tennessee Titans offense, as indispensable as anyone on any team. But does that make him more valuable than linebacker Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens? Or even kicker Ryan Longwell of the Green Bay Packers?

We've taken another approach as the 2001 season kicks off. Who are the most important people on each of the 31 NFL teams? The Most Important Person (MIP) can be a running back who carries a club's offense on his shoulders. He can be a cornerback who each week is charged with shutting down an impressive array of wide receivers.

He can be a head coach or an assistant whose masterful handling of his players and creation of game plans make a huge difference in a team's fortunes. Hey, he can even be an owner, particularly if the guy gets in the way of the hired hands who really know the sport.

What follows is a look at our MIPs and the runners-up. (The teams are listed by division, in their order of finish last season).

AFC EAST

MIAMI DOLPHINS

MIP: Sam Madison, cornerback

Runner-up: Zach Thomas, linebacker

Madison is that shutdown cornerback every team covets. He has good hands for a cornerback, breaks to the ball well, has the gambling instincts needed to challenge every pass, and has plenty of confidence. With a pedestrian offense, Miami must ride its powerful and quick defense. And Madison is the premier player on that D, with the super-active Thomas just behind him.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

MIP: Edgerrin James, running back

Runner-up: Peyton Manning, quarterback

It's a close call--in fact, some might throw wide receiver Marvin Harrison into the mix. But James' versatility is the critical element for a defensively weak team that wins by running up the score on opponents. James led the league in rushing in each of his first two campaigns and also had a total of 125 receptions in those seasons. He's one of those rare backs who is a threat to break a big play either as a runner or a receiver. Soon enough, Manning should be the best all-around QB in football. He already may be the smartest.

NEW YORK JETS

MIP: Kevin Mawae, center

Runner-up: Curtis Martin, running back

A team filled with leaders in the past few years (Bryan Cox, Victor Green, Wayne Chrebet, Vinny Testaverde) most often turns to Mawae for guidance. Mawae plays with passion, but he also is able to coolly analyze situations like few of his peers, which makes him akin to a coach on the offensive line. He's also the Jets' main spokesman and a popular presence in the locker room. In contrast, the quiet Martin--one of the most efficient players in the NFL--is more of a leader by example.

BUFFALO BILLS

MIP: Sam Cowart, linebacker

Runner-up: Eric Moulds, wide receiver

The next great linebacker in pro football is Cowart, who enters his fourth season in Buffalo and is primed for All-Pro consideration. Cowart--like one of his Florida State predecessors, Derrick Brooks of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers--tracks down the ball from sideline to sideline. He is a sure tackler who quickly is learning the nuances of pro pass coverages. With all of the defections on defense this offseason, Cowart must be a standout if Buffalo is to succeed. Moulds already has assumed that role on the offense. He is among the most dangerous deep threats around.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

MIP: Ted Johnson, linebacker

Runner-up: Bill Belichick, head coach

When Johnson is sidelined, which has been far too often the past few years, the Patriots show little on defense. He can be the anchor Belichick wants on a defense characterized by unusual schemes and deployments. But, again, he has to stay healthy. As for Belichick, he still must do away with the rap he has as a defensive guru who can't quite cut it as a head coach.

AFC CENTRAL

TENNESSEE TITANS

MIP: Eddie George, running back

Runner-up: Jevon Kearse, defensive end

Few players have been as pivotal to a team's fortunes as George, who figures to get another 400 carries and close to 1,700 rushing yards this year. He'll also remain a three-down player and the go to guy on fourth-down conversion attempts. Watch for more screen passes to George, too. Of course, if Kearse is as freakish in 2001 as he was two seasons ago, he could lift his worth beyond George's--and carry the Titans to another Super Bowl.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

MIP: Ray Lewis, linebacker

Runner-up: Marvin Lewis, defensive coordinator

It's a near-tie among Lewises. Marvin designs the schemes and Lewis carries them out flawlessly. It's hard to believe that Marvin is still a Ravens assistant and not a head coach somewhere. But he can enjoy at least one more year of Ray's dominance. The linebacker--aided by two massive tackles who tie up blockers (Tony Siragusa and Sam Adams)--is the best defensive player in the league. Because they have Ray in the middle, the Ravens are able to do the type of experimenting that other teams can't.