Most Teams Better Knock on Woodley

EVEN THE LOSERS GET LUCKY SOMETIMES

In the beginning, there were Bart Starr and Len Dawson, the quarterbacks who took the first center snaps in Super Bowl history and handed off to Daryle Lamonica, who pitched to Joe Namath and Earl Morrall, who lateraled to Joe Kapp, who tossed to Johnny Unitas and Craig Morton, who passed to Roger Staubach and Bob Griese, who gave to Billy Kilmer, who lobbed to Fran Tarkenton and Terry Bradshaw, who threw to Kenny Stabler, who fired to Vince Ferragamo, who underhanded to Jim Plunkett and Ron Jaworski, who went over the top to Joe Montana and Ken Anderson.

And for XVI years of Super Sundays, all was right with the world. When it came to quarterbacks and the NFL’s championship game, security was tight and no frauds were allowed. Your quarterback served as your Super Bowl credential. You’d better have a good one--future Hall of Famers preferred, Pro Bowl veterans also accepted--or you weren’t getting in.

Then came Jan. 30, 1983, and Super Bowl XVII, otherwise known in NFL lore as the day David Woodley crashed the gate.

Woodley, whose six seasons in the NFL resulted in 48 touchdown passes and 63 interceptions, is best known as the answer to the all-time Miami Dolphins’ trivia question: Who quarterbacked the Dolphins between Bob Griese and Dan Marino?

In a cruel cosmic joke, Woodley started as many Super Bowls in his career as Marino--one--and finished with the same Super Bowl record, 0-1. Woodley lost, as expected, to Joe Theismann and the Washington Redskins, 27-17, but by then the damage had been done and the mystique shattered.

Three years later, Tony Eason was a starting Super Bowl quarterback, eventually to be followed by the likes of Neil O’Donnell, Stan Humphries and Chris Chandler, and by 2000, the floodgates were open. Right now, there are millions of NFL fans who think it entirely reasonable that teams quarterbacked by Aaron Brooks, Kerry Collins, Trent Dilfer, Jay Fiedler and/or Shaun King could wind up in Tampa on Jan. 28 playing for the sport’s ultimate prize.

If you’re one of those fans, here are four reasons to keep hope alive:

* Woodley--NFL purists take solace in the fact that this was a product of the strike-torn 1982 regular season, which was shortened to nine games. Woodley, a third-year pro from Louisiana State, quarterbacked the Dolphins to a 7-2 record, which is a little like saying Dilfer led Baltimore to the AFC’s No. 3 seeding this season. Woodley threw eight interceptions and only five touchdown passes before riding the Killer B’s defense to playoff victories over New England, San Diego and the Jets.

In the AFC championship game, Woodley was nine for 21 for 87 yards and threw three interceptions, but Miami linebacker A.J. Duhe returned an interception for a touchdown and the Dolphins advanced in spite of their offense, 14-0.

* Eason--He was part of the vaunted college quarterback class of ‘83, which also included John Elway, Marino and Jim Kelly. Strange but true: Eason reached the Super Bowl before Elway and Kelly, although with regular-season numbers--11 touchdown passes, 17 interceptions--that would confuse him with neither.

New England qualified for the 1985 playoffs as a third-place wild-card team, requiring the Patriots to win three consecutive road games against the New York Jets, the Los Angeles Raiders and Miami to reach the Super Bowl. Improbably, New England won all three, with Eason passing for 75, 117 and 71 yards. In the Super Bowl against Chicago, Eason failed to complete a pass in six attempts and was replaced by Steve Grogan en route to a 46-10 defeat.

* O’Donnell--Steve McNair’s backup in last year’s Super Bowl, O’Donnell started for the Pittsburgh Steelers against Dallas in Super Bowl XXX, having held it together reasonably well through a 7-1 season-ending run and playoff victories over Buffalo and Indianapolis. Not so in the Super Bowl. O’Donnell threw three interceptions, two to Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown, who looked as if he were the primary receiver on one of them. O’Donnell and the Steelers went down to a 27-17 defeat and Brown went on to unjustified riches as a free-agent signee with the Raiders.

* Chandler--After wreaking havoc in Indianapolis, Tampa Bay and Arizona and quarterbacking the Rams out of Anaheim and the Oilers out of Houston, Chandler, somewhat miraculously, landed another starting job in Atlanta, where the Falcons in 1998 took advantage of a weak schedule and 1,846 yards rushing by Jamal Anderson to land in their first Super Bowl. Once there, Chandler reminded all why he was a man of many addresses, throwing three interceptions in a 34-19 loss to Denver.

QB 2000: RATING THE FIELD

CAN WIN A SUPER BOWL

Kurt Warner--The inspirational fable for every quarterback in the playoffs: From the Arena League to the St. Louis bench to the Super Bowl MVP trophy in one blur of a fantasy season.

Peyton Manning--Young Indianapolis quarterback just hitting his stride, with the right pedigree (dad Archie Manning) and the proper accouterments (Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison). Now, if the Colts only had a defense.

Rich Gannon--Not a mad bomber in the classic Lamonica-Stabler tradition, but good enough for 28 touchdowns, the Raiders’ first division title in a decade and AFC MVP consideration.

McNair--Almost did it last season. Still rough around the edges, but with the home-field advantage through the playoffs and against anyone but Warner in the Super Bowl, you’d have to like his chances.

CAN GET YOU TO A SUPER BOWL

Daunte Culpepper--Made the Pro Bowl in his first season as a starter and looked like the prototype for the 21st century through November. But the Vikings have lost three in a row, Culpepper has a sprained ankle and the Twin Cities spend the bye week doubting and fretting.

Brian Griese--Another young quarterback with the correct pedigree. Concern over his shoulder injury, however, has prompted Bronco coaches to close practice and Bronco fans to worry about a playoff run with Gus Frerotte behind the wheel.

Donovan McNabb--His kingdom for a running back and/or a wide receiver.

REMEMBER DAVID WOODLEY!

Kerry Collins--Has the support of Giant Coach Jim Fassel, the admiration of blue-collar New Yorkers and home-field advantage through the playoffs. Still, he’s only two seasons removed from blowing out in New Orleans.

Fiedler--Quarterback rating of 74.5 ranks him two notches below Jon Kitna.

King--He can’t throw against the Ram defense every week, and this week, he gets the Eagle defense, on a slippery field, maybe in the snow.

Brooks--The only rookie left in the field--and looked every bit the part last Sunday against the Rams.

Dilfer--Would you trust your Super Bowl contender with this man?