Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 1, 1994

Pro football forecast:

The Raider-San Francisco 49er game Monday night at Candlestick Park will be a preview of the Super Bowl. . . .

You won’t be able to tell half the quarterbacks in the NFL with a program. . . .

Barry Switzer will wish he had a chancellor instead of an owner. . . .

A Ram quarterback controversy will break out--Chris Chandler vs. Tommy Maddox--if Chris Miller gets hurt. . . .

The monthly refrain will be that June Jones should have kept Bobby April on the Atlanta Falcons’ coaching staff. . . .

AFC West standings: 1--Raiders, 2--Kansas City, 3--Denver, 4--San Diego, 5--Seattle. . . .

Willie Roaf will make life more comfortable for Jim Everett. . . .

The Raiders’ wide receiver corps will form one of the fastest relay teams in Coliseum history. . . .

TV commentator Jimmy Johnson will be diplomatic because he doesn’t want to upset next year’s opponents. . . .

Nobody will remark that an offensive lineman is “in the midst of a four-game slump.” . . . A special teams performer will get hurt and the new kickoff rules will be blamed. . . .

Rocket Ismail will return a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and the new rules will be praised. . . .

Cleveland Brown fans will threaten to throw Coach Bill Belichick into the dog pound. . . .

AFC Central standings: 1--Houston, 2--Pittsburgh, 3--Cleveland, 4--Cincinnati. . . .

The 49ers will have their 12th consecutive double-digit victory season and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers their 12th consecutive double-digit defeat season. . . .

The Washington Redskins will remind Jack Kent Cooke of the 1993 team. . . .

Sterling Sharpe will make a miraculous recovery from turf toe. . . .

Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Charles Johnson will be the outstanding rookie on offense. . . .

Cincinnati Bengal tackle Dan Wilkinson will be the outstanding rookie on defense. . . .

Instant replay will be forgotten until the first bad call. . . .

The New England Patriots won’t meet expectations--a playoff berth--that are unrealistic. . . .

AFC East standings: 1--Buffalo, 2--Miami, 3--New England, 4--New York Jets, 5--Indianapolis. . . .

The Buffalo Bills will win 11 regular-season games and then be described as washed up when they don’t reach the Super Bowl for the first time in five years. . . .

Jackie Slater, 40, will have more energy than athletes half his age. . . .

Nobody will remember that the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears went unbeaten during the exhibition season. . . .

A few will remember that the Rams went winless during the exhibition season. . . .

Warren Moon, not Scott Mitchell, will be the most effective new quarterback in the NFC Central. . . .

NFC West standings: 1--San Francisco, 2--Atlanta, 3--New Orleans, 4--Rams. . . .

“North Dallas Forty” will remain the best movie ever made about pro football. . . After a 17-14 loss, the Kansas City Chiefs will regret not re-signing Nick Lowery. . . .

Atlanta quarterback Jeff George will be the most improved player. . . .

Two-point conversions won’t decide many games because coaches would rather go into overtime than gamble. . . .

NFC Central standings: 1--Minnesota, 2--Green Bay, 3--Detroit, 4--Chicago, 5--Tampa Bay. . . .

George Seifert won’t get enough credit for the 49ers’ success. . . .

Rookie offensive tackles will have the toughest transition from college football. . . .

Rookie running backs will have the easiest transition. . . .

Jeff Hostetler will be the most most valuable player in the AFC. . . .

Emmitt Smith will be the most valuable player in the NFC. . . .

Dan Reeves will wish he was still coaching John Elway--or Phil Simms. . . .

NFC East standings: 1--Dallas, 2--Arizona, 3--New York Giants, 4--Philadelphia, 5--Washington. . . .

The Rams will announce they are moving to St. Louis. . . .

Coaches will blame lousy seasons on the salary cap. . . .

Buddy Ryan won’t ask Kevin Gilbride, “How’s the family?” before the Arizona-Houston game on Dec. 4 at the Astrodome. . . .

The Raiders will beat Buffalo for the AFC championship, and San Francisco will beat Dallas for the NFC championship. . . .

The Raiders will beat the 49ers, 24-17, in Super Bowl XXIX on Jan. 29, 1995, at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.