1. Emmitt Smith: Was the MVP and Super Bowl MVP.
He led the NFL in rushing (1486) for the third straight season. (He missed the first two games of the season due to a contract holdout).
He also had a league best 5.3 yards per carry and 1900 yards from scrimmage. Emmitt added 10 TDs.
He was consensus All-NFL and a Pro Bowler.
In two wins over the Eagles Smith totaled 409 yards rushing and averaged 7.71 yards per carry
.
Smith carried Dallas to a division title. In the final game of the regular season Dallas broke a tie in the standings with New York with an overtime victory over the Giants. Smith separated his shoulder, but still managed 168 yards on the ground, 61 yards receiving, including Dallas’ lone TD on a pass from Troy Aikman.
Smith’s dominance continued in the postseason with 173 total yards and two first half TDs to aid Dallas to a 28-7 halftime lead in their 38-21 rout of the San
Francisco.
In the Super Bowl against Buffalo he methodically pushed the Cowboys to their second straight title. With the score tied at 13-13 in the 3rd quarter, Smith accounted for 61 of 64 yards on the go ahead drive including the last 15 to the end zone.
Smith finished with 132 yards and two scores, both in the second half.
Dallas went 12-4 to win the NFC East. They finished second the NFL scoring 23.5 per game. They beat Green Bay by 10 and San Fran by 17 to win the NFC. They won their 2nd straight Super Bowl 30-13 over the Bills.
2. Steve Young: Was first team All-NFL and the starting QB for the NFC Pro Bowl team.
Led the NFL in passing (101.5 rating), and TDs (29). He was second in the league in yards (4023), and completion percentage (68). He was third with 314 completions.
He added 407 yards 2 TDs rushing.
He set a career high with 465 yards, and added 4 TDs against the Rams.
He was 17-23 for 226 yards and a TD in the
44-3 beat down of New York in the Division Playoffs.
He threw for 287 and a score while running in a touchdown in the NFC Championship Game loss to the Cowboys.
Young directed the NFL’s top offense (29.6 points per game). The 10-6 NFC West champs 49ers outscored their opponents by a league leading 144 points.
3. Sterling Sharpe: Broke his own NFL record with 112 receptions in the 1993 season. He was a consensus All-Pro and Pro Bowl starter.
He became the 1st player in NFL history with back to back 100 catch seasons.
He finished 3rd in the league with 1274 yards and 11 TDs.
He show amazing consistency with at least six catches in his final 11 games (Green Bay went 7-4).
He hauled in 11 of Brett Favre’s 19 TDs pass this season.
In the playoffs at Detroit, his first quarter TD put GB up 7-3. He scored again from 28 yards out in the third quarter. With the Packers trailing late in the 4th quarter, Sharpe blew past the Lions’ secondary for the winning TD with 55 seconds to play.
Sharpe finished the day with five catches for three touchdowns and 101 yards. In the divisional round against the Cowboys he had 6-128 and a TD. He averaged over 20 yards catch in the postseason.
Green Bay went 9-7 to earn a wild card berth. They beat Detroit 28-24 but fell to Dallas 27-17 in round two.
No arguments here. I like the inclusion of Sterling Sharpe, a name that's often forgotten these days. Especially because of how annoying his brother is.
ReplyDeleteIt really shows how dominant the NFC was.
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