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 | | Rookie of the year predictions
 ESPN's Chris Mortensen gives his Rookie of the year prediction.
wav: 203 k
Real: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
2000 NFC Champion
ESPN's Chris Mortensen gives his NFC predictions.
wav: 162 k
Real: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
2000 AFC Champion
ESPN's Chris Mortensen gives his AFC predictions.
wav: 110 k
Real: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Super Bowl XXXV
ESPN's Chris Mortensen gives his Super Bowl XXXV.
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Real: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
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Five questions for Keyshawn Johnson
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Keyshawn Johnson answered five questions from ESPN NFL reporter Chris Mortensen on Aug. 30:
|  | | Keyshawn Johnson expects Shaun King to get him the ball. |
Mort: So, the Bucs have you, they have Jeff Christy and Randall McDaniel, and
Mike Alstott and Warrick Dunn, but doesn't it still come down to Shaun King?
Keyshawn: As he goes, the team goes, offensively. I know that. I mean, just look at my situation I had with the Jets, when we lost Vinny Testaverde and we had
to go with second and third guys until we figured it out. Now, with Shaun,
he's as important as Vinny was to us ... you know, one injury from disaster.
Mort: Yeah, but you must admit that physically Shaun does not really
measure up to a Vinny Testaverde, does he?
Keyshawn: No, but he's a lot like Ray Lucas, and once Ray settled into his
position, we won games. Shaun's ahead of Ray at a similar stage because he's
got, what, eight starts under his belt going into this season?
Mort: I noticed in training camp that you spent a lot of time talking to
Shaun, almost like a coach. Was there a big point you were trying to hammer
home with him?
Keyshawn: With Shaun, you just try to get him to understand exactly where you
like (passes) to be thrown. He's never played with a guy like me before, so
he really doesn't know that if I run in there where the linebacker's at, he
may say, "Oh, I don't want to throw it there because that linebacker's close to
him." And I just tell him, "Don't worry. Put it there. Don't worry about it.
I'll take the abuse."
Mort: I know you've got your money, but I also know you still want the ball.
On the day you signed the new contract, you told me you didn't have to catch
100 passes, that just 70 would satisfy you. Plus, this is still "Dungy-ball"; it's still a run-oriented offense. So, are you really going to be content?
Keyshawn: I don't have to catch a 100 balls, but according to (head coach Tony) Dungy, he said I will.
Mort: Oh, he did?
Keyshawn: Well, he said something like that -- 80 to 100 balls I should catch
this year, so he went out on a limb. At an average, I've probably had seven
balls thrown to me a game since I've been in the league. So, you know, that's
fine. I mean, if you get seven balls thrown, you catch five, and one's a pass
interference, and the other sails, hits the ground, or whatever. And, that's
fine. I understand that. I can do plenty with seven balls thrown in my
direction every game.
Mort's analysis
The one thing I really believe about Keyshawn Johnson is that he's a winner. One reason I think he and Bill Parcells hit it off
(which surprised some people) is that they realized they had the same agenda
-- winning.
Johnson brings a terrific dynamic to the Bucs. He's a genuine
superstar, sort of the way that Warren Sapp is on Tampa Bay's defense. The thing I wonder
about is whether the other Bucs receivers can present enough of a threat for
Johnson to get a little breathing room now and then. Jacquez Green gives the
Bucs a deep threat, but Andre Hastings was really their second-best receiver
in training camp.
King's arm is not very impressive, but he can be accurate. The key for King and Keyshawn remains the running game. If Alstott and Dunn are real threats, the play-action game is there. In other words, I don't believe the Bucs can just stand back in throw the football, at will, even
with a great player like Keyshawn Johnson.
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