NFL: When The Dollar Isn't So Almighty

Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has finally found one thing money can't buy … a clearly paved path to the Super Bowl.

The Redskins, who are seemingly living within their own salary cap with an NFL record $100 million payroll, enter the fourth week of the NFL season tied for last place in the NFC East with a 1-2 record. The road for the Redskins gets no smoother. Washington visits the undefeated New York Giants (3-0) Sunday night before hosting unblemished Tampa Bay (3-0) the following week. Battles with AFC playoff contenders Baltimore (2-1), Jacksonville (2-1) and Tennessee (1-1) loom on the horizon - quite a daunting road for the team many, including the deep-pocketed Snyder, pegged as a lock for the Super Bowl.

It turns out that money isn't everything in the world of sports, and that is refreshing. Teams like the Redskins, and in baseball the Baltimore Orioles, aren't necessarily guaranteed unimpeded success just because of their astronomical payrolls. There is more to the equation than mere dollars and cents and sports fans should be thankful.

Chemistry can't be taught, injuries can't be predicted, and all the nuances of the drama that unfolds from week to week are good for the game.

The 1999 NFL season was arguably one of the greatest seasons in the history of the league. That wasn't the case because of the presence of one team expected to dominate from week one through the playoffs, but rather due to the emergence of teams such as the St. Louis Rams and Tennessee Titans that had been mired in mediocrity for a number of years. After all, who could have written a better script for Kurt Warner, the former grocery store employee who, via the Arena League, entered the season as Trent Green's backup in St. Louis and ended up as the NFL's Most Valuable Player after leading the Rams to the Super Bowl title?

From the perspective of the average fan, there is something to be said for the parity present in the NFL. The more teams that reasonably have a chance to compete for a playoff berth, the greater the excitement for a greater number of fans in a greater number of cities across the nation. Baseball hasn't experienced the parity that exists in football largely due to the absence of a salary cap, but the wild card has had a similar effect in generating additional excitement in many cities in September and October.

An NFL season reads like a good book with each week a new chapter. Storylines develop through the course of the season as heroes rise, villains fall, plot twists occur, and teams with the greatest talent and chemistry overcome adversity in their quest for glory.

Snyder's Redskins tried to write the ending of the NFL 2000 saga before the preface was penned.

Maybe the Redskins will recover and storm to the Super Bowl title. Or, maybe they won't. At least there's a reason to read on to the next chapter.