Tokyo will host its 10th NFL American Bowl on Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons take on the Dallas Cowboys at the Tokyo Dome.
The Falcons ended last season with a disappointing 5-11 record after appearing in their first Super Bowl the season before. Conversely, the five-time Super Bowl champion Cowboys had a mediocre 8-8 mark and saw head coach Chan Gailey fired after the season.
Both teams are in the rebuilding process and it will be interesting to see how they shape up this season.
I have picked out three key questions each team is facing in 2000. Pondering these can help you enjoy a preseason game where you'll see a lot more no-name players than Pro Bowlers.
Dallas Cowboys:
1) Can Dave Campo lead the Cowboys back to victory in the Super Bowl?
Last January, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones promoted then-defensive coordinator Campo to head coach to replace the fired Gailey, whose record was 18-17 during his two-year tenure at Dallas.
Jones didn't like the fact Gailey couldn't revive the struggling offense and that the team had exited the playoffs in the first round for the second straight season.
Campo's promotion was a good move. Because he's been with the organization since 1990, he knows the team's system and players, and doesn't need any transition period. That is a positive when a team is trying to improve.
The negative side is he has no head coach experience at the pro level. During the game, he will have to make the final decision on both sides of the ball, meaning he needs to have knowledge of the offense as well.
Campo, however, made a good move when he brought in ex-Patriots quarterback coach Jack Reilly as offensive coordinator. Reilly uses a similar type of the offense to the one the Cowboys used in the early 90s, when they won the Super Bowl three times. Campo hopes Reilly can improve the offense, which ranked 16th in the league last season.
Campo is the fifth head coach in club history. Each of the previous four, with the exception of Gailey, have won at least one Super Bowl. Will Campo become the fourth championship-winning head coach or the second bust the fans want to forget?
2) How much will the Cowboys miss Deion Sanders?
A lot. The Cowboys released Sanders in June not because he could no longer play well enough to deserve the nickname 'Prime Time,' but because they didn't want to pay the $23.5 million he was scheduled to make over the next two years.
Sanders is still one of the best covermen and punt return threats in the league.
The Cowboys acquired Ryan McNeil and drafted three cornerbacks. But Sanders' talent and versatility will be hard to replace.
The Cowboys will get to see Sanders in action twice during the season when they play the Washington Redskins.
3) Can Joey Galloway replace retired Michael Irvin?
The acquisition of Galloway is the biggest and best move the Cowboys made during the offseason. He is a deep threat and has big-play ability.
With the combination of Galloway and speedster Rocket Ismail, the Cowboys can take advantage of Troy Aikman's strong arm, which was almost a non-factor the past two seasons, and stretch the field to provide room for Emmitt Smith to run.
It's not too much to say that Galloway plays well enough to make up for the loss of Irvin, who quit football because of neck injury last month, on the field. But what about in the locker room?
Irvin was a vocal leader both on the field and in the locker room. That is why Irvin is missed by most of his teammates.
Atlanta Falcons:
1) How much has Jamal Anderson recovered from a torn knee ligament?
This is a major concern for the Falcons. Last year, Anderson, the NFC rushing leader in 1998, suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in Week 2 against the Cowboys and was out for the rest of the season.
Anderson insists he is ahead of rehabilitation schedule, but has had tendinitis in his right knee that has limited his practice time during offseason mini-camps. He didn't play in the Falcons' first preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts last week. There is speculation that he won't play tomorrow either. It probably wouldn't be a good idea for the Falcons to make him play on the unfamiliar turf of the Tokyo Dome, although it would be disappointing as Anderson is featured on the NFL Tokyo 2000 promotional poster along with the Cowboys' Smith.
A healthy Anderson is what the Falcons must have this season. When he rushed for 1,846 yards, second only to Terrell Davis' 2,008 yards, on an NFL-record 410 carries in 1998, the Falcons averaged 131.3 yard rushing and rumbled all the way to their first Super Bowl. Last year, with Anderson playing only five-plus quarters, the team gained only 74.8 rushing yards per game.
Anderson's tackle-breaking running and durability helps quarterback Chris Chandler keep the offense in tune. Without Anderson, the Falcons' offense was almost non-existent last season. Though the Falcons acquired former Detroit Lion back Ron Rivers and undrafted rookie Maurice Smith to press incumbent backup Byron Hanspard, there is a huge gap between Anderson and the others.
2) Can Chris Chandler stay healthy for the entire season?
In addition to Anderson's fitness, a healthy Chandler is definitely a must. Since he joined the Falcons in 1997, Atlanta has a .729 winning percentage when Chandler started and was not forced out due to injury. Last year, the Falcons were 1-7 when Chanlder didn't play or got KO'd.
Unlike Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner or Brett Favre, Chandler himself may not be a big-time playmaker. But he has a great ability to move the ball by making the best use of his weapons, namely Anderson, wide receiver Terance Mathis and newly acquired Shawn Jefferson.
Backup QB's Danny Kanel, formerly a starter for the New York Giants, and Tony Graziani need to learn how to direct the offense effectively. But with Chandler having only few seasons left at 34, they don't have much time.
3) Can the Falcons prove the 1998 season was not a fluke?
It may be coach Dan Reeves' pattern to have his team's performance fall off after a Super Bowl season. In 1990, the Reeves-coached Denver Broncos went 5-11, ironically the same record the Falcons had last season, after appearing in the Super Bowl.
Injuries to key players were an excuse for the Falcons' free fall season. But Reeves is not satisfied with just getting his players back healthy. Rather, he has chosen to rebuild the team with some new starters. Both defensive ends and the center are new faces and there has been some swapping of roles on the offensive line. Free agent acquisition, Ashley Ambrose will start at corner.
Reeves is a veteran coach who has experienced the rebuilding process many times. He has led two teams to the Super Bowl. If the new faces fit in, the Falcons can return to the playoffs this season.
It's tough to fly to Japan and play a preseason game during a four-day stay and some players may complain. But at least one player should happy to be here.
That is Dallas Cowboys linebacker Joe Bowden.
When I covered the Super Bowl this past January, I found out that Bowden, then a starting linebacker for the Tennessee Titans, is a great fan of Pokemon. I saw him wearing a bandana with Pikachu printed on it during interview sessions.
Bowden was very happy when I gave him the Pokemon trading cards I brought from Japan. Now he is in the country of Pokemon and I can only guess his baggage will be loaded with Pokemon merchandise on his way back to the United States.