| | | | | | | |  Thursday, September 20, 2001
Q & A with Melissa Stark
By Melissa Stark
Special to MondayNightFootball.com
A lot of people want to talk to Monday Night Football's Melissa Stark. Ten of you got the chance, courtesy of MondayNightFootball.com.
|  | | Elvis Grbac's presence on the field is imperative for the Chiefs. |
The MNF sideline reporter recently answered user questions on a variety of topics, including the up-for-grabs AFC West, Troy Aikman and the biggest NFL player she's ever seen.
Below are Stark's responses to users who e-mailed their questions.
Do you think the Kansas City Chiefs have a good chance to win the AFC West this season?
Tony Hendricks, Yokosuka Naval Base, Japan
Stark: I don't think so, Tony. The Chiefs' season so far says it all: They lost to AFC powers Indianapolis and Tennessee the first two weeks, then defeated weaker foes in San Diego and Denver without Brian Griese. Quarterback Elvis Grbac seems to be playing well, but the Chiefs just look like a middle-of-the-pack team to me. Sure, they did rally to beat Denver last week in Mile High, but I'm not sure the Chiefs could have beaten the Broncos with Griese, an emerging star, throwing bullets to those receivers.
Plus, 3-1 Oakland is the team to beat this year in the AFC West. The Raiders rallied to beat the Colts in Indianapolis 38-31 in Week 2, which was one of the most impressive wins of this early season.
Do you think Elvis Grbac can be a winner if he has to air it out due to a lack of a running game?
Ron A. Miller, Denver, Colo.
Stark: Individually, he looks like a winner, but I don't think he can carry that team. Grbac's numbers so far this season (10 TDs, four INTs) show that he's improved. What the Chiefs are doing is allowing him to cut loose a little bit. Kansas City accepts an occasional interception if the good outweighs the bad, and that philosophy has worked so far. But the Chiefs have absolutely no running game, averaging just 75.5 yards rushing per game, which ranks them 27th in the league. Not many quarterbacks in the league can carry a team without at least a serviceable rushing attack.
What is your first memory of a Monday Night Football game?
Sean Riordan, Stamford, Conn.
Stark: This is an interesting question, because my family was not a huge follower of sports. Every weekend, we would go to the Colts game because my father was the ophthalmologist for the team. But other than that, I would never watch sports on television. I really didn't start watching sports until college. In college, all of my guy friends would get together on Monday nights, and that was the thing to do. That's where it all started. Of course, it's snowballed since then.
Denny Green may not have success in the playoffs, but every quarterback he plugs into the position succeeds. It seems very similar to what Mike Shanahan is able to do with his running backs in Denver. Are these two head coaches the offensive gurus of the NFL?
Brad Skinness, Elko, Minn.
Stark: That's a good observation. Green has gotten great seasons from quarterbacks Brad Johnson, Randall Cunningham, Jeff George and now Daunte Culpepper. Of course, the receivers have been great too. Cris Carter and Randy Moss, for example, are Pro Bowlers. This points out that a being a guru not only involves creating a great scheme, but you must also gather top-notch personnel. Shanahan deserves credit for this as well, but I don't think you can talk offensive gurus without mentioning Mike Martz in St. Louis. The Rams have been the top offense in the league for the last two years.
What do you think about the quarterback situation in Dallas? I hear people calling for Troy to step down, arguing that Randall Cunningham is better suited to run the Dallas offense.
Kyle Keith, Baltimore, Md.
Stark: I think Dallas is a better team with Randall Cunningham at quarterback. Look at the Cowboys' 27-21 win over the Redskins. Randall made the game look easy back there in a tough road game. Then last week, with Aikman back there, San Francisco crushed them at Texas Stadium.
Randall is 37 years old, but he plays like he's 27 with his creative scrambling and playmaking. Aikman is a great drop-back quarterback, and with a Pro Bowl set of players around him, he's a Hall of Famer. But Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek are long gone. With a lot of unknowns in that offense, you need a wild card guy like Randall in order to score a lot.
Melissa, for years teams seemed to favor the 3-4 defense. Now it seems everyone has switched over to the 4-3. Why do you think that is?
Curtis Eichelberger, Princeton, N.J.
Stark: I think that's because teams realize you have to stop the run. Teams that have won the Super Bowl recently -- most notably Denver and all those NFC East teams (Cowboys, Redskins, Giants) -- all had big offensive lines that could ram the ball down the throat. And the 3-4 just doesn't give you the muscle up front, unless you have a guy like Lawrence Taylor. I know it's a cliché, but if you don't stop the run, you lose.
Although NFL players look impressive enough from a big-screen TV, you can only get a true sense of the speed and power of the game from field level. What player or players have impressed you the most with their athleticism from your "front-row seat?"
Jason Chilton, Munich, Germany
Stark: Tennessee defensive end Jevon Kearse is just amazing. He just gets to the quarterback faster than anyone. And when he does get there, his hits are nasty. Indianapolis running back Edgerrin James is a great guy to watch from the sidelines on offense. He just runs all over the place.
Put it in perspective, nearly every NFL player is a world-class athlete, and Kearse and James just make the rest look clumsy. Washington veteran defensive end Bruce Smith has definitely still got it too. From my vantage point two weeks ago in the Monday nighter against Dallas, I could see Smith is just a general, a true leader. Tampa Bay's Warren Sapp and Jacksonville's Tony Boselli are physically imposing, they are just the two biggest guys you'll ever see. Those are the five guys that really stick out for me right now.
Melissa, have you had any close calls on the sidelines, nearly getting run over by a 300-pound lineman?
Mike Banker, Des Moines, Iowa
Stark: (Laughs) Not yet Mike. You can tell when a play is coming your way, because about 30 people on the sidelines just start to run backwards. That's a lot of footsteps. I have had scares where you run for your life. Unfortunately though, I'm sure something will happen before this season is over.
Hi Melissa, how has being in the limelight of MNF changed your personal life?
Brian Sturdivant, Orlando, Fla.
Stark: I'm pretty much consumed by this job right now. It makes you value your private time that much more. On the street, you are more recognized. I get a lot more fan mail and calls from people for tickets to the games. I'm also on the road five days a week.
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