Patience, Pats fans, it's not Patriots' Day yet

Sporting News, The, July 31, 1995 by Bob Glauber

Can we please dispense with all this Patriots-are-going-to-the-Super-Bowl talk already?

For crying out loud, the Pats are less than three years removed from a 2-14 disaster, and all anyone in New England can think about is going to play the NFC Conference champion in January at Phoenix.

"Everywhere you go, you hear, `You guys are going to the Super Bowl. You guys are doing this or whatever," says quarterback Drew Bledsoe, whose new seven-year, $42-million contract has done little to rein in the excitement.

But even with Coach Bill Parcells in the third year of his impressive rebuilding plan, the Patriots still aren't ready to make those Super Bowl reservations just yet.

Not with a suspect running game. Not with a defense that's not as dominant as it needs to be. Not with a group of obscure wide receivers. And not with the Dolphins standing in their way.

Now for the good news: The Patriots are going to be one hell of a team this season. Even with that monster schedule at the beginning of the season, when they open against the Browns, Dolphins and 49ers, the Patriots are going to be a major factor.

But ease up on the euphoria, Pats fans. Parcells still needs another offseason to complete the job he started in 1993, when he came out of the broadcast booth and walked into the job that had eaten up and spit out so many who had come before him.

"Hey, look, just because you win a few games doesn't mean that things are perfect," Parcells says. "There's a lot to do here. This is no finished product. But right now, we have an opportunity to try to continue on and do something. That's why you coach, and that's why you play."

Even with last year's impressive run into the AFC wild-card playoffs, it is difficult to understand why the Patriots' Super Bowl '95 bandwagon has suddenly become so crowded. After all, there are some serious deficiencies on this roster.

For starters, there is the backfield situation, where Parcells appears ready to establish a running-backs-by-committee approach. With Marion Butts playing himself off the roster last year, Parcells now goes to a quicker backfield with David Meggett, Corey Croom and rookie Curtis Martin.

Sure, it helps to have the best young quarterback in football. But let's face it, Parcells is a Northeast coach, someone who is more comfortable having a big back for when the weather gets nasty.

And what about those renowned receivers - Vincent Brisby, Ray Crittenden and Kevin Lee? Tight end Ben Coates can't do it alone.

As for the defense, it's too bad Parcells couldn't get his hands on the "real" Reggie White. Instead, he had to settle for the Chargers castoff with the same name, as well as journeymen Jon Hand, Mike Jones and Tim Roberts. The linebackers and secondary are above average, but let's not confuse this defense with Parcells' old Giants teams.

Parcells has done a magnificent job pulling the Patriots off the ledge in only 30 months on the job. It is one of the most stunning turnarounds you will see, and one that will result in a Super Bowl championship before long.

Now is not the time, though. Not just yet.

Deion a 49er?

Word broke in the 49ers' locker room a few minutes after last Friday afternoon's practice: Deion Sanders was coming back to San Francisco.

Even if it was only to play baseball for the Giants, in the 49ers' minds, the trade between the Reds and Giants was the first step in his eventual arrival with the team he helped capture the Super Bowl in January.

"Marvelous. It's great," fullback William Floyd says. "Hopefully, we'll get him back."

While it might appear on the surface that Sanders' trade from the Reds to the Giants will enhance the 49ers' chances of signing him, this by no means a done deal. "The only problem that comes out of it is the fact the Giants might not make the playoffs," says Dwight Clark, the 49ers' director of operations. "Therefore, Deion could play more football games and would cost more money, which we don't have."

If the Giants don't make the playoffs, Sanders would be available for the 49ers' sixth game; he would have missed up to nine games depending on how far the Reds got in the postseason. Sanders' asking price for eight NFL games is already a sky-high $4 million, and he would feel no hesitation in asking for more if he plays additional games.

The Niners having serious salary-cap problems and are making several attempts to make room for Sanders, as well as unsigned defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield, who is also looking for a $4-million-a-year deal. Two star players, strong safety Tim McDonald and wide receiver John Taylor, have already taken substantial pay cuts, and third-year defensive end Todd Kelly was waived last Friday, partly because of cap concerns.

But somehow, the 49ers continue trying to figure out a way to get Sanders back.

Trouble in Minnesota

Item: In a frantic call to 911 last week, the wife of Vikings quarterback Warren Moon complains he hit and choked her during a heated argument. Moon agrees to counseling after he and his wife make up.