End of an era for the Pack?


'Step up or step out' time for Cowboys


TJ's Take on wild-card weekend


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The teams that have won five of the last six Super Bowls are no longer the NFL's ruling class.

	Mike Holmgren's time with Brett Favre and the Packers might soon come to an end.

The Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are not the elite anymore, even though San Francisco remains alive in the playoffs.

"Everybody wants to think this is the same Cowboys as the old days and it's not," Troy Aikman said after Dallas was thumped by the Cardinals, whom they had beaten in 16 of their last 17 meetings.

"It's not. We rely on different people now, and for a few of the people the door of opportunity is shut. We are looking through a different window now."

There's no blame to be affixed, not in an era when the salary cap precludes teams from assembling a panoply of stars, such as the 49ers of the '80s, the Steelers, Cowboys and Dolphins of the '70s and the Packers of the '60s.

The 49ers have had a two-decade run, largely because Bill Walsh had the foresight to acquire Steve Young, who continued after 1990 what Joe Montana started in the '80s. But they are $27 million over the salary cap and have no strong front-office leader -- Carmen Policy has gone to Cleveland, Eddie DeBartolo is in limbo because of legal problems and coach Steve Mariucci isn't sure he wants to sign a contract extension.

So the end is in sight. Young is 37, Jerry Rice is 36 and young stars such as Terrell Owens and J.J. Stokes could get offers they can't refuse and that the 49ers can't match, as Dana Stubblefield did after last season. To beat the Packers, they even had to bring back Charles Haley, run out of town nearly a decade ago because of his quirky off-field behavior.

The core of the Cowboys remains -- Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith and Deion Sanders. But all are on the downside of their careers and many of the role players so important in three Super Bowl triumphs have moved on to bigger bucks.

The Packers will lose Reggie White to retirement, could lose Antonio Freeman to free agency unless they make him the franchise player and might very well lose Mike Holmgren to another team -- perhaps even the 49ers.

They'll remain competitive as long as Brett Favre is the quarterback -- his regression this year was due primarily to injuries in the supporting cast. And Ron Wolf has shown the ability to draft standouts even with relatively low picks, as he did this year with Vonnie Holliday.

"If Mike leaves, it doesn't change the way I play," Favre said.

But at this point, Green Bay is only the second-best team in its division -- Minnesota is clearly on top.

In fact, the Vikings have assumed the mantle of the NFC's dominant team -- it would be an upset if anyone else represents the conference in the Super Bowl.

Atlanta has come along wonderfully but still has to prove itself in the long run and could lose a couple of assistants, Rich Brooks and Art Shell, to head coaching jobs. That can hurt -- as was proved in Pittsburgh this season when Chan Gailey left for Dallas and the offense fell apart.

The Cardinals think they might be the future -- and they might be, with Jake Plummer. But they have a history of misfortune and misjudgment and still need help on the offensive line and more depth.

The Bucs and Giants, surprises in 1997, started badly in 1998, but finished well, just missing the playoffs.

Both have defenses as good as any in the league, particularly if cornerback Jason Sehorn of the Giants and linebacker Hardy Nickerson of the Bucs come back healthy next year. Anyone else?

Look to the AFC.

As the Jets showed in going from 1-15 to 12-4 under Bill Parcells in two seasons, the right coaching and the right organization can work miracles.

Someone just has to clone Parcells.

Here we go again
Maybe instant replay should have come back for the playoffs: The first round proved that putting the so-called top officials in the postseason didn't end the bad calls.

The first one naturally went against Buffalo in a season in which the zebras have killed the Bills. Replays showed Andre Reed might have crossed the goal line late in the game at Miami, but he was ruled down on the 1.

Worse, Reed was penalized 15 yards and ejected for jumping up and bumping an official, and the Bills had to settle for a field goal. That was critical because it forced them to try for a touchdown after they recovered the onside kick.

"The worst officiating in 20 years," is how Reed described this year's events, which included two consecutive bad calls that cost them a game in New England and, eventually, a home playoff game.

Then there was Sunday's noncall, when the 49ers' Jerry Rice clearly lost a fumble during the winning touchdown drive.

"It's tough to lose no matter how you do it," Green Bay general manager Ron Wolf said. "But when you make a play in a championship game, and it's not awarded to you, there's something wrong with the whole system. It's something that has to be addressed."

Most people want to address it with replay.

There's another way.

In the playoffs, the crews are "all-stars" -- the highest-rated officials at each position get playoff games.

But most haven't worked with each other during the year, and there is usually some miscommunication.

So why not rate crews and let them work playoff games intact?

The league office said that's been considered but rejected because it would leave inexperienced officials -- often rookies -- working conference championships and Super Bowls. Officiating crews, like teams, are blends of experience and youth.

True, but rookies play in the Super Bowl.

Uncoordinated officiating was obvious this weekend.

In the Miami-Buffalo game, referee Mike Carey, who had a very smooth season, was working with new teammates and it showed -- things were choppy and sloppy.

So why not take the best crew?