Will Pack Be Back? Improving Carolina Could Make Green Bay Work Hard For Repeat

Thirteen and counting. That’s where the NFC’s winning streak in the Super Bowl stands.

So will it be the defending champion Green Bay Packers who extend that incredible string next January? Maybe the San Francisco 49ers or Dallas Cowboys are ready to grab an unprecedented sixth Super Bowl crown.

How about the upstart Carolina Panthers? Teams don’t win league titles in just their third season, right? Well, teams don’t make the conference championship game in their second, either, and the Panthers did that.

Oh, and one other thing about Carolina: It’s a better team than last season.

In fact, the Panthers are good enough to win the NFC West again, beat the Cowboys in the playoffs once more and, this time, carry the conference’s dominance on Jan. 25 in San Diego.

“We will always be proud and feel good about what the 1996 team accomplished,” says NFL coach of the year Dom Capers. “We also know we must continue to build on the foundation established last year.”

They’ve done so by signing linebacker Micheal Barrow, a perfect fit for Capers’ attacking defense; by adding Ray Seals to a defensive line that had a league-high 60 sacks last season; by getting back ‘96 top draft choice Tshimanga Biakabutuka from injury to push 1,000-yard rusher Anthony Johnson; and by upgrading the speed at receiver with rookie Rae Carruth.

Then there’s the added experience of quarterback Kerry Collins, whose broken jaw will sideline him until mid-September, receiver Muhsin Muhammad, cornerback Tyrone Poole, safety Chad Cota and most of the offensive line.

Have we mentioned sack demons Kevin Greene, if he ever ends his holdout, and Lamar Lathon? Or Sam Mills, still the best run-stopping linebacker around at age 38? Or superb cornerback Eric Davis?

Have we mentioned Pro Bowl tight end Wesley Walls? Or solid backup quarterback Steve Beuerlein? Or top-notch placekicker John Kasay?

“I like what I see with our team,” Capers says. “Everything’s run smooth. I think we have a lot of guys who are on the same page. I feel like we’ve made real progress in camp, and I’m looking forward to taking the next step.”

That step won’t be easy for the Panthers, who not only must stay ahead of the formidable 49ers in the division, but ahead of Green Bay in the conference to secure home field for the entire playoffs. Carolina was 9-0 at home a year ago, including the playoff victory against Dallas. It will need every win in Ericsson Stadium and at least a 5-3 mark on the road to avoid visiting the frozen tundra for the NFC title game.

The Packers, also unbeaten at home in ‘96, lost three veteran members of their first championship team in 29 years when Sean Jones, Keith Jackson and Jim McMahon retired. Then Edgar Bennett, their all-purpose running back, tore his Achilles’ tendon in the preseason.

Kick returner Desmond Howard had a major impact a year ago and now is in Oakland and reliable kicker Chris Jacke now kicks for Pittsburgh. But Green Bay wasn’t raided the way most Super Bowl champs are. The Packers have depth, they have the most valuable player in the league in Brett Favre, and they are superbly coached.

“I think we’ll be even stronger than we were,” says Favre, who goes for his third straight MVP award. “We’ve got the knowledge of having won a championship and what it takes, and I think we have the players who will dedicate themselves to doing it again.”

No question that Favre, Reggie White, LeRoy Butler, Robert Brooks (back from knee reconstruction), Antonio Freeman, Gilbert Brown, Eugene Robinson and Mark Chmura can lead them to another crown - especially if all challengers must come to Green Bay in January.

San Francisco might have one more great run left. Certainly Steve Young, if he gets any protection, and Jerry Rice still rank among the best. Garrison Hearst could provide the ground game missing since Ricky Watters left as a free agent. The defense is dynamic, built around star tackles Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield, a strong linebacking corps and safeties Tim McDonald and Merton Hanks.

But the strange decision to force out George Seifert as coach could backfire. Steve Mariucci is unproven, and he takes over an organization that feels 10 wins is a bad season.

Ten wins is about right for Dallas and Philadelphia. The winner of the East will be decided nearly two months after the Cowboys and Eagles finish with each other on Oct. 26.

The schedule could play a significant role in the East. Philadelphia has Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, the Giants, Falcons and Redskins as its final six games. Dallas also has the Bengals, Giants and Washington - plus Green Bay, Tennessee and Carolina in a span of 15 days.

It’s difficult to believe all the attrition in Big D won’t cause a Big C (collapse) soon. Maybe not this year, but unless Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin return to form, the Cowboys could be hurting. They still have too many weapons for most teams, although the defense is more vulnerable after so many defections the last two years.

The Eagles, who won at Dallas a year ago, aren’t afraid of America’s Team. Philly filled some holes on the offensive line - center Steve Everitt was a terrific addition - and if DT Andy Harmon can stay healthy, losing first-rate DE William Fuller won’t hurt much.

The Eagles spent wisely in free agency and also hurt Dallas by signing Cowboys linebacker Darrin Smith and placekicker Chris Boniol.

Now if Ty Detmer doesn’t make major mistakes, and Watters doesn’t pout…

The rest of the NFC is, well, the rest.