I should clarify a point I made about Cunningham's ability...
Randall Cunningham had real ability, and can be considered a really good (if not great) quarterback. His '98 team did what only three other teams had done previously... to go 15-1 in the regular season. It was the best year of his career... no question.
His success I attribute to the team as a whole though... I mean, let's be honest. Robert Smith behind him, Chris Carter and Randy Moss to his right, Andrew Glover to his left, Derrick Alexander, Duane Rudd, John Randal on the other side of the ball, and the almost legendary Gary Anderson kicking field goals at a 100% success rate all through the regular season (and NO, I didn't forget that his missed field goal in the NFC Championship game that gave the Falcons the chance they needed to win in overtime... his abilities STAND even with the one missed 38-yarder when they needed it most). With that kind of support staff, I think I could have thrown 30 touchdowns in a year and finished over .500!
What Randall Cunningham COULDN'T do was repeat the success. He was old, he got injured, and he failed to inspire the sort of determination that "winning" had given them the year before. '98 was a GREAT year for the Vikes... but '99 sucked from the start, and that is why Jeff George got the nod after only six games in the regular season. They needed leadership when they LOST just as badly as they needed ability when they were WINNING... and Cunningham couldn't deliver.
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