September 4, 1998
Debuts… farewells… openings… achievements… anniversaries —and a revised look on TV— will highlight the 1998 NFL season that begins on Kickoff '98 Weekend, September 6-7.
In a season that celebrates perhaps the most pivotal game in NFL history — "The Greatest Game Ever Played" 40 years ago— the NFL in its 79th year will once again present its unique regular season: 16 games per team, each one vitally important.
"You have to look at the whole picture," says Kansas City Chiefs head coach MARTY SCHOTTENHEIMER. "The whole picture is 16 games."
Those 16 games for 30 teams start Sunday with 10 divisional matchups:
NFL KICKOFF '98
WEEKEND
Sunday, September 6
Atlanta Falcons at Carolina Panthers - 10:01 AM
Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers - 10:01 AM
Jacksonville Jaguars at Chicago Bears - 10:01 AM
New Orleans Saints at St. Louis Ram - 10:01 AM
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens - 10:01 AM
Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles - 10:01 AM
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Minnesota Vikings - 10:01 AM
Tennessee Oilers at Cincinnati Bengals - 10:01 AM
Washington Redskins at New York Giants - 10:01 AM
Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys - 1:05 PM
Buffalo Bills at San Diego Chargers - 1:15 PM
Miami Dolphins at Indianapolis Colts - 1:15 PM
New York Jets at San Francisco 49ers - 1:15 PM
Oakland Raiders at Kansas City Chiefs - 5:20 PM
Monday, September 7
New England Patriots at Denver Broncos - 5:20 PM
Kickoff Weekend concludes with the beginning of a quest. The Denver Broncos, just seven months ago winners of Super Bowl XXXII, begin defense of that crown on Monday night (ABC-TV, 8:20 PM ET) when they host the New England Patriots. It marks the first time in 14 years that an AFC team is defending a Super Bowl title.
"We know it's tough to stay on top when everyone is going to be gunning for us," says Broncos quarterback JOHN ELWAY, who will start his 16th - and last - NFL season. "But it's nice to have everybody gunning for you."
It will be the first time Denver kicks off a season on Monday night and the first time since 1981 (San Diego at Cleveland) that two AFC teams begin the season on ABC's NFL Monday Night Football.
Kickoff '98 Weekend has many other firsts.
Four new head coaches will debut — CHAN GAILEY (Dallas), JON GRUDEN (Oakland), JIM MORA (Indianapolis) and WADE PHILLIPS (Buffalo). The "rookies" of the group (first NFL head-coaching position) are Gailey, who received his first pro head-coaching experience in the World League (now called the NFL Europe League), and Gruden, at 35 the youngest head coach in the league and the 10th youngest ever appointed (34 years, five months).
"Youth is associated with inexperience and immaturity, and there's nothing I can do about that," says Gruden. "I consider it a plus."
The plus of youth also will be seen on the field starting on Kickoff Weekend. Sprinkled throughout the NFL will be rookie starters — some high draft choices, some low. None come higher than two rookie quarterbacks who make their pro debuts this weekend — PEYTON MANNING of the Indianapolis Colts and RYAN LEAF of the San Diego Chargers.
The two were selected first and second overall, respectively, in the 1998 NFL Draft, only the fourth quarterback duo so chosen. With the Colts hosting the Miami Dolphins, Manning, fittingly, faces one of the key graduates of the heralded "Quarterback Class of '83," the Dolphins' DAN MARINO. Manning will be only the fifth rookie quarterback to start an opener for the Colts.
Leaf will be the first rookie quarterback in Chargers history to start an opener and goes against a young quarterback starter also new to a team, ROB JOHNSON of the Buffalo Bills.
Several rookies had impressive enough training camps to have earned starting positions on Kickoff Weekend, including cornerback CHARLES WOODSON, Oakland (first round); punt returner R.W. MC QUARTERS, San Francisco (first); safety ERIC BROWN, Denver (second); safety TONY PARRISH, Chicago (second); center OLIN KREUTZ, Chicago (third); and tackle JASON FABINI of the New York Jets (fourth).
The opening of the season is also highlighted by a grand opening in downtown Baltimore, as the Baltimore Ravens officially christen their new 68,400-purple seat (Ravens colors) stadium when they play the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In Week 2, the Tennessee Oilers, now based in their new home city of Nashville, will play their first home game of the season at Vand-erbilt Stadium, their venue this year until they move into a new 67,000-seat stadium in 1999. And in Week 3, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers open their new stadium, 65,000-seat Raymond James Stadium.
Fans at home should enjoy the view from their seats this year, too. The NFL will continue to be the only league that televises all of its regular season and postseason games on free, over-the-air television. But with the new eight-year TV agreements with four networks come some new ways to follow America's favorite sport:
START TIMES - They have been adjusted to give fans a better opportunity to see all the action. On Sundays, the "late" games of network doubleheaders will now kick off at 4:15 PM ET instead of 4:05 PM, allowing extra time for late-running early games.
Prime-time games on Sunday and Monday nights will begin at 8:20 PM ET. On Mondays, the approximately 50 percent of the nation that lives in the Eastern time zone and the combined 80 percent that live in the Eastern and Central zones will be able to see the entire game before it's time to "turn out the lights."
CHARGER NOTES
FIRST MEETING since 1988.... BILLS: Club boasts NFL-best 24-7 (.774) September mark in '90s & 82-46 (.641) overall record in '90s is second-best in AFC (Chiefs 86-42, .672)… Bills new QB starter is ROB JOHNSON (Trade, Jaguars)... RB AN-TOWAIN SMITH ranked second among AFC rookie rushers with 840 yards and eight touchdowns in '97… WR ANDRE REED (11,764) needs 71 receiving yards to pass DON MAYNARD in 7th all-time. Reed (80) needs 2 TD catches to pass ART POWELL in 10th all-time… Pass defense (191.3) 3rd in AFC in '97… Pro Bowl DT TED WASHINGTON led team with 105 solo tackles last season… DE BRUCE SMITH has topped AFC in sacks in each of past 2 seasons. Smith has six straight 10-or-more sack seasons… CHARGERS: Rookie QB RYAN LEAF set Washington St. record for career TD passes (58) & ranks 2nd in passing yards (7,102)… RB NATRONE MEANS (Jaguars) returns to club. Had club record 1,350 rush yards in S.D.'s SB XXIX season (1994)… Rookie WR MIK-HAEL RICKS had 11 catches for 135 yards, 1 TD for 12.3 avg. in preseason. FREDDIE JONES' 41 catches (505 yards, 2 TDs) most by Chargers TE since 1987 (KELLEN WINSLOW, 53)… OL adds T JOHN JACKSON (Steelers), G AARON TAYLOR (Packers) & C ROMAN FORTIN (Falcons)… LB JUNIOR SEAU has at least 1 sack in 6 of his last 9 Aug./Sept. games… Club's 10 return TDs (3 INT, 3 FR, 3 PR, 1 KOR) tied with Broncos for tops in NFL in '97… K JOHN CARNEY ranks 3rd in NFL history with 80.34 percent FG conversion rate (min. 100 FGs).
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