Columnist Sal DeFilippo: More and more NFL backups starting to become key players

Sal DeFilippo

Friday, Dec. 1, 2000 | 10:04 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or 259-4076.

A few decades ago, it was the greatest job in sports.

Work hard in practice, dress up on Sundays, kick back on the sidelines and make hand signals for four quarters.

Ah, the life of an NFL backup used to be great.

Yeah, occasionally you would see Don Strock come in and throw a pass or two. Pat Ryan would hand the ball off a few times. Gary Kubiak would take a knee here and there. Vince Evans would get some snaps, too. All just to show they knew how.

These days, though, backups do more than wear the opposing colors in practice. If the guy starting ahead of them isn't named Favre, chances are they'll see more than mop-up duty. And this year, the second-teamers are first-rate.

Last week, three teams without their starters at quarterback and tailback still won on the road -- Miami won at Indy with Jay Fielder and Lamar Smith hurt; Denver won at Seattle with Brian Griese and Terrell Davis on the sidelines; and in the biggest upset of the week, New Orleans went into St. Louis and emerged victorious, even sans Jeff Blake and Ricky Williams.

Several other teams have overcome injuries and poor play from their starting QB and RB and flourished this season. Duce Staley-less Philadelphia leads the NFC East with a 9-4 mark; Doug Flutie won three straight for Buffalo while Rob Johnson was injured; Ahman Green rushed for more than 130 yards in consecutive weeks for Green Bay,who has been without Dorsey Levens for most of the year; Trent Dilfer stepped in for Tony Banks in Baltimore as has sparked the Ravens to a 9-4 mark; and Jeff George, playing for injured Brad Johnson, led Washington to a Monday night win at St. Louis.

When reigning NFL most valuable player Kurt Warner went down with a broken finger, Trent Green stepped in and was the league's second-rated passer -- behind Warner.

To cap it off, Monday night, some guy named Brad Hoover ran for 117 yards and scored a touchdown in Carolina's win over the Packers. Hoover, an undrafted rookie from Western Carolina, was subbing for Tshimanga Biakabatuka, who presumably is out nursing an injured consonant.

In the fast-paced NFL, where oftentimes emphasis is put on a player's height or even width, it's really a team's depth that makes the difference.

Last week

Despite missing by a scant three touchdowns in the Rams' game, I managed a 3-2 mark against the spread. The Raiders and Broncos covered and I picked the underdog Eagles to win straight-up at Washington, which they did. I'd like to forget the Titans, who lost at Jacksonville.

My top five

DALLAS +10 at Tampa Bay -- History certainly is on my side here. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have never beaten the Dallas Cowboys, let alone by 10 points. Of course, they haven't played in 10 years, either, but the Cowboys are 22-10 in their first game after playing on Thanksgiving Day, and the extra rest couldn't hurt this veteran squad. Tampa Bay 16, Dallas 10.

BUFFALO -3 1/2 vs. Miami -- The overachieving Dolphins could take a big step toward winning the AFC East if they can leave Orchard Park with a victory. If Buffalo defensive end Marcellus Wiley can sack Miami's Jay Fielder, it would be the first time an Ivy League player sacked another Ivy league player in an NFL game since 1984. Even so, Fielder is still smarting from a shoulder injury, and Buffalo's defense could be poison for the Dolphins. Buffalo 26, Miami 10.

PHILADELPHIA +3 vs. Tennessee -- Another game in which history backs me -- The Eagles are 6-0 lifetime against the Oilers/Titans. Philadelphia is looking for its fifth straight win and should be tough at home. Tennessee, despite a 9-3 record, is only 4-8 against the point spread. Philadelphia 19, Tennessee 17.

SAN FRANCISCO -2 1/2 at San Diego -- Yes, these teams actually played in a game with a Roman numeral as a suffix only six seasons ago. The Chargers are finally in the win column, but don't expect the Lightning Bolts to strike twice -- at least not in a row. San Francisco 29, San Diego 20.

JACKSONVILLE -14 at Cleveland -- The Jaguars have shown some pride in recent weeks. The Browns have only shown more weaknesses. Jacksonville 20, Cleveland 3.