Playoffs Produce Leading Questions

The NFL regular season is over, but questions persist.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles finally get back to the Super Bowl after falling short in the last two NFC title games?

Is this the season St. Louis Coach Mike Martz escapes the long shadow of Dick Vermeil?

Can Denver’s Mike Shanahan win a playoff game without John Elway?

What’s Mike Holmgren without Green Bay? For that matter, what’s Green Bay without Holmgren?

Some answers will come in the next few weeks.

Until then, here are 20 more questions about the postseason:

* 1. Should Eagle fans do the unthinkable and root for Dallas today?

Of course they should. The Cowboys are in a position to help Philadelphia in a big way. If they win at Carolina, they move on to a conference semifinal in Philly -- one the Eagles should win with relative ease. But if Carolina wins -- and Green Bay beats Seattle -- the Eagles will play host to the Packers, and that’s a much tougher matchup. The Eagles haven’t proved they can stop the run, and the combination of Ahman Green and Brett Favre could spell doom for them. A Web site poll this week asked Eagle fans which potential playoff opponent they fear most, and 97% said Green Bay.

* 2. Are the stars aligned for any playoff team?

Yes, Green Bay. Not only did the Packers have a squishy-soft finish to the regular season -- against the Raiders, then Denver’s scout team -- but they backed into the playoffs by virtue of Arizona’s stunning, last-play victory over Minnesota. On top of that, the Packers open the playoffs against Seattle, a team they beat by three touchdowns in October.

* 3. Which Harrison will have the biggest impact on the postseason, Indianapolis receiver Marvin or New England safety Rodney?

Rodney, although both are poised for big games. Marvin caught 94 passes this season, a ho-hum total for him, and barely made a peep -- two catches -- in the finale against Houston. That’s because the Texans double- and triple-teamed him, often leaving open underneath receiver Brandon Stokley, who caught nine passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos did a pretty good job of containing Harrison two weeks ago, giving up a 63-yard reception but limiting him to 22 yards on his other five catches.

Rodney, who somehow was overlooked in Pro Bowl voting, led all NFL defensive backs in tackles this season. The last time he participated in the postseason was when the Chargers reached the 1995 Super Bowl, so he’s itching to make up for lost time.

* 4. Who’s under more pressure to win Sunday, Peyton Manning or Shanahan?

Manning. Yes, Shanahan hasn’t won a playoff game since Elway retired, and, yes, that gnaws at him. But Denver’s coach has two Super Bowl rings to salve the sting. Manning has zilch. He’s 0 for 3 in postseason appearances as the Colt quarterback, something he has been asked about all season.

* 5. Which NFL teams could break USC’s heart?

Atlanta and Arizona come to mind. The way I hear it, Pete Carroll would give serious consideration to an offer from the Falcons if the money’s right. They’ve got a good owner in Arthur Blank, a good general manager in Rich McKay (son of legendary USC coach John McKay), and a superstar in Michael Vick. St. Louis defensive coordinator Lovie Smith is the front-runner for the Falcon job, but Carroll is on the radar screen.

As for the Cardinals, they’ve been considering USC offensive coordinator Norm Chow. They’re probably thinking about him as an offensive coordinator, but his name also has come up as a head-coaching candidate, even though he has never been a head coach in college or the pros.

* 6. What about the Raiders?

Don’t rule out Rick Neuheisel. The Raiders are taking a hard look at him.

* 7. What’s the worst coaching opening out there?

It’s a tossup between Oakland and Washington. In Al Davis, the Raiders have a meddlesome owner who knows football but doesn’t pay. In Dan Snyder, the Redskins have a meddlesome owner who pays but doesn’t know football.

* 8. Which team should top-seeded New England be dreading?

Denver, which, if it wins at Indianapolis on Sunday, will advance to a conference semifinal at New England. The Broncos should worry the top-seeded team because they have a strong running game, an excellent defense and are used to playing in the cold. They won at New England last season and almost beat the Patriots in Denver this season with Danny Kanell at quarterback. Also, Denver’s Clinton Portis is the only back to run for 100 yards against New England this season.

* 9. Is having home-field advantage important to the Patriots?

You bet. Tom Brady had 12 passes intercepted this season -- all on the road. And the Patriot defense has surrendered one touchdown at home in the last six games -- by Jacksonville in garbage time. The Patriots are 17-3 in their last 20 home games.

And have you seen that field after the first quarter? It’s a muddy mess. Just as the old Celtics knew all the dead spots in the Boston Garden floor, these Patriots know where all the loose sod is on their home field.

* 10. Is Mike Vanderjagt the next Gary Anderson?

Anderson had a perfect season for the Vikings a few years back, then, in the NFC championship game against Atlanta, gagged on a kick that would have sent them to the Super Bowl. Vanderjagt broke Anderson’s NFL record last Sunday by making his 41st consecutive field goal. If he feels any pressure, he doesn’t show it. Eight of his nine game-winning kicks have come on the road, and he seems impervious to opponents’ attempts to rattle him. As Vanderjagt lined up for the game-winner at Houston -- one that gave the Colts the division title -- Texan players used a little reverse psychology. They told him that he’s the greatest kicker ever, that he never misses, that he can do no wrong. Vanderjagt responded just before the kick by rubbing his thumb and index finger together and saying, “Sorry, man. I’m money. It’s over.” And then it was.

* 11. Which little-known player could make a splash in the postseason?

Watch St. Louis’ Mike Furrey, a former Arena League player who has emerged recently as one of Marc Bulger’s favorite receivers. Furrey is a sure-handed option underneath when Torry Holt draws double coverage, which Holt usually does. Furrey and quarterback Kurt Warner have more than the Arena Football League in common. Both played at Northern Iowa.

* 12. Did the Rams lose the Super Bowl in Detroit?

Probably. By losing their regular-season finale to the Lions, the Rams also lost home-field advantage in the NFC. That’s huge, considering how well they play in their dome, one of the league’s loudest stadiums. Bulger had a 88.3 passer rating at home this season, 74.6 on the road. All four of the Rams’ losses came away from home.

* 13. Can the Panthers count on Jake Delhomme to carry them?

No, not entirely. Delhomme has been much better than most people expected, but he’s still a young quarterback who too often forces things to try to make the big play. The Panthers need to get Stephen Davis rolling to take some pressure off Delhomme. And the Cowboys usually do a pretty good job of putting the clamps on Davis.

* 14. Will Bill Parcells cry if Dallas wins today?

He welled up the last time the Cowboys beat the Panthers, and might do so again if they pull off an encore. To win, they need at least a respectable performance from Quincy Carter, the only playoff quarterback with more interceptions (21) than touchdown passes (17). Carter has struggled lately and looked horrible last Sunday in a loss to the Saints. Parcells has his personal demons to overcome too. He has 11 playoff victories, more than any active coach, but his teams are 2-4 in postseason games on the road.

* 15. What is it about Ericsson Stadium that the Cowboys would rather forget?

It’s the place where the franchise’s downward spiral started. The Cowboys lost a playoff game there in the 1996 season, a week after Barry Switzer’s team beat Minnesota in a wild-card game, 40-15. Since that loss at Carolina, the Cowboys have lost two playoff games and have had just one winning season.

* 16. Now that their top-shelf defensive backfield is in place, can the Eagles finally stop someone’s ground game?

They had better. Their inability to shut down the run could be their undoing in the playoffs, particularly if they’re facing a back such as Green Bay’s Green. Four Eagle defensive linemen who were either playing or scheduled to begin playing are now on injured reserve, as is linebacker Carlos Emmons, who suffered a broken leg two weeks ago. Really, who have the Eagles stopped this season? Well, there’s always Rock Cartwright.

* 17. Which NFL executive deserves the Close, But No Cigar Award?

Bill Polian could almost feel the Lombardi Trophy in his hands when he was an executive in Buffalo and Carolina, and that has to haunt him now that he runs the Colts. First things first: Indianapolis has to win a playoff game.

* 18. What was Brian Billick thinking when he decided to play Jamal Lewis and other starters into overtime of a meaningless game against Pittsburgh last Sunday night, knowing his team would have a short week to prepare for Tennessee’s top-ranked rush defense?

Beats me.

* 19. Who’s an underrated player looking to prove himself in the playoffs?

Seattle’s Shaun Alexander, who finished with a career-high 1,435 yards rushing, will try to upstage his good friend Green on Sunday when the Seahawks play the Packers. Alexander has a knack for playing well in big games. In his four prime-time games since 2001, he has averaged 5.4 yards rushing with seven rushing touchdowns. When he played against the Packers earlier this season, though, he fumbled on the third play, setting up the first of five Green Bay touchdowns.

* 20. Steve Spurrier and Dick Vermeil made headlines with their news conferences this week. And those headlines were?

The old ball coach is leaving. The old bawl coach is staying.