Football Digest articles from August 2002

Football Digest archives from August 2002

Here comes Cleveland. (Kickoff).
August 1, 2002... IN 2001, THE NEW ENGLAND Patriots shocked everyone by rising from the near-bottom to the top of the NFL. The year before, the Baltimore Ravens were the rags-to-riches story. And the year before that, the St. Louis Rams defied the odds and won...

Where's Brady? Right here! (The Fans Speak Out).
August 1, 2002... It is absolutely ludicrous that you had Kurt Warner on the cover of your April 2002 issue. Whether you want to accept it or not, the fact is that Tom Brady was the most valuable player of the Super Bowl and should have been on the cover. This...

An instant classic? (The Fans Speak Out).
August 1, 2002... I feel compelled to comment on William Wagner's "Kickoff," titled "An Instant Classic," in the April 2002 issue. First of all, the Patriots are the worst Super Bowl champions of an time. They had a pathetic offense and an average defense, at...

Unforgettable. (The Fans Speak Out).
August 1, 2002... I really enjoy your profiles on former NFL players in "The Game I'll Never Forget." It's interesting to hear about these important games and to learn what some of these former players are doing now. Thanks for giving today's fans a sense of the...

Don't forget us. (The Fans Speak Out).
August 1, 2002... I read an interesting but false point in your article on the Houston Texans in the February 2002 issue ["Building a Winner"]. The Texans' new Reliant Stadium is not the world's first retractable-roof football stadium. In Melbourne Australia,...

Overrated Steelers. (The Fans Speak Out).
August 1, 2002... I would like to start by saying how much I enjoy your publication. I read two articles you wrote recently, one on running backs that included Jerome Bettis of the Pittsburgh Steelers ["Their Cups Runneth Over," February 2002] and your 2001...

The journey nears its end. (Uncovering the Past).
August 1, 2002... WHEN EMMITT SMITH MADE his first appearance on the cover of FOOTBALL DIGEST in our April 1994 issue, he already was firmly established as an NFL superstar. In fact, we put him on our cover because he was our Player of the Year for the 1993...

The stat sheet: single-season rushing champions.
August 1, 2002... (1,194) The number of yards Terrell Davis has run for in the three seasons since he won the rushing title in 1998 with 2,008 yards. (576) The number of yards for the first official NFL rushing champion, Cliff Battles for the...

Baywatch: after his blockbuster move from the Raiders to the Bucs, the coach's every decision will be scrutinized. (Interview: Jon Gruden).
August 1, 2002... DON'T LET JON GRUDEN'S boyish looks deceive you. Despite being the youngest head coach in the NFL at 38, he is considered one of the best in the business, an offensive genius who has a terrific rapport with his players. Gruden guided the...

Emmit Smith within reach: Emmitt Smith is poised to become the all-time rushing king--but what really excites him is the potential resurgence of the Cowboys in 2002. (Cover Story).
August 1, 2002... HE'S LOST A STEP. HE'S NO longer the type of running back who can carry an NFL team on his back. He's not the leader he once was. Emmitt Smith has heard all of these criticisms the past few years. And now, 12 seasons and 16,187 yards since...

Decision time: every franchise had to make some tough calls this offseason--and we pinpoint 10 of the biggest ones. (Special report: the moves that will shape 2002).
August 1, 2002... THE NFL NEVER RESTS. PLAY may be suspended for a few months as players tend to their wounds and officials endure eye exams, but the front offices remain abuzz as executives study the books and take stock of their inventory. It is a time...

Starting over: now that his rocky tenure in New Orleans is history, Ricky Williams is itching to get down to business on his new team in Miami. (Special report: the moves that will shape 2002).
August 1, 2002... WHEN MIKE DITKA WAS coach of the New Orleans Saints in 1999, he believed Ricky Williams could turn around his franchise. Now Dave Wannstedt, the man who succeeded Ditka as coach of the Chicago Bears in 1993, has placed similar faith in Williams...

On solid ground: in a league that is defined by constant change in the coaching ranks, Pittsburgh's Bill Cowher has demonstrated remarkable staying power.
August 1, 2002... BILL COWHER ISN'T OLD--IT just seems that way. He's a stay-at-home type in a league dominated by men in motion. Players move, franchises move, coaches can't stand still, stadiums go up and come down, owners change, and even the divisions have...

From the sandlots to the shrine: for John Stallworth and the rest of the Class of 2002, the call to the Hall is the culmination of boyhood dreams. (Hall of Fame Induction Preview).
August 1, 2002... ALL YOU NEEDED during those fall and winter days of youth were a schoolyard or some other empty plot of land, a bunch of buddies, and a football. When you closed your eyes and imagined that you were your favorite football player, nothing short...

Cap relief: the draft provides the best way to stay strong in today's economic climate--but which teams used it wisely and which squandered their opportunity? (2002 Draft Review).
August 1, 2002... By the editors of FOOTBALL DIGEST WE KNOW THIS MUCH ABOUT the salary cap: It rips holes in NFL rosters, sparing no team. Look at what's happened to the Baltimore Ravens. The best and most economically efficient way to fill those voids...

Christian Okoye: a dynamic performance against Seattle in '89 vaulted the powerful Kansas City running back into the NFL's elite circle. (The Game I'll Never Forget).
August 1, 2002... I ALWAYS LIKED SEATTLE. WHEN we would come in from Kansas City to play the Seahawks--our AFC West rivals--I would get a chance to see a little bit of the city. Every time I went there, I liked it... except for two things: * The artificial...

The winds of change: Miami's reign will end as Bob Stoops and Oklahoma return to the top spot. (2002 College Preview).
August 1, 2002... THE GREATEST STORY GOING in college football isn't Miami or Florida State or Nebraska. It's that of the national-championship short-timer, the school that wins a title one year and fades away the next. The lone repeat Associated Press...

2002 division I-A and I-AA college schedules. (Names and Numbers).
August 1, 2002... AIR FORCE Aug. 31 Northwestern Sept. 7 New Mexico Sept. 21 at California Sept. 28 at Utah Oct. 5 Navy Oct. 12 BYU...

Quick quiz.
August 1, 2002... 1. Which one of these players led the NFL in rushing attempts in 2001: Priest Holmes, Stephen Davis, Curtis Martin, or Marshall Faulk? 2. Sam Cowart was a star linebacker for the Buffalo Bills from 1998 through 2001. Which team did Cowart...