Football Digest articles from December 2002

Football Digest archives from December 2002

Lightning strikes. (Kickoff).
December 1, 2002... THE NFL PRIDES ITSELF ON THE surprising twists and turns each season takes, and 2002 has brought us down the same kind of road. The St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers--widely picked, including by us, to be representing their respective...

Leader or loser? (The Fans Speak Out).
December 1, 2002... It looks as if the answer to the question you asked on your October 2002 cover about Randy Moss--"Leader or loser?"--is being answered. He is a loser. Yes, he's a gifted athlete, but he isn't the type of player who makes his teammates better...

Ready to soar. (The Fans Speak Out).
December 1, 2002... I'm an avid NFL fan living in Australia. Unfortunately, we do not receive the best NFL coverage over here. That said, I have been following the fortunes of my favorite team, the Atlanta Falcons, and am quite happy with the positive direction...

Memory lane. (The Fans Speak Out).
December 1, 2002... It was great to see the story on Lee Roy Selmon ["The Game I'll Never Forget," October 2002], but it brought up a bittersweet memory that would be a great story in your magazine: Ricky Bell. Perhaps you could write about his college career, his...

The genius. (The Fans Speak Out).
December 1, 2002... I'm glad you gave Bill Belichick his due in your story on the best coaches in the NFL ["High-Fives," November 2002]. Belichick proved last year that no one draws up a better defensive game plan than he does. And this season, he has only added...

The shams. (The Fans Speak Out).
December 1, 2002... Another player from the St. Louis Rams on your cover [Aeneas Williams, November 2002]? Has FOOTBALL DIGEST ever conducted a survey or poll to determine what team was the most hyped, overrated squad in the entire history of the sport? ...

Snubbed. (The Fans Speak Out).
December 1, 2002... I'm writing about your rankings sidebar in the November 2002 story concerning centers ["Man in the Middle"]. I was wondering why Denver's Tom Nalen isn't in your ranking of the top five centers. The man is a four-time Pro Bowler and has...

We stand corrected. (The Fans Speak Out).
December 1, 2002... I was reading Joe Donatelli's article on the Heisman Trophy ["Heisman Hype," October 2002] and noticed the statement, "No Heisman winner's team has ever lost more than four games." In 1956, Paul Hornung was awarded the trophy despite the fact...

New York Jets. (Franchise Snapshot).
December 1, 2002... * Linebacker Mo Lewis, a first degree black belt in karate and tae kwon do, became interested in martial arts when he saw a Bruce Lee movie as a child. * Lewis' other off-field hobby is bass fishing. He once collected a $25,000 award for...

He did it his way. (Uncovering the Past).
December 1, 2002... NEAL ANDERSON WAS ONE OF the best running backs you'll never remember. Maybe that's because nobody ever will forget the running back who preceded him on the Chicago Bears: Walter Payton, one of our cover subjects this month for our special...

Rising star: peerless price.
December 1, 2002... PEERLESS PRICE HAS THE date "8-18-00" tattooed on his right biceps to honor the birth date of his daughter, Caeden. He says his daughter is his inspiration. The tattoo obviously is working because Price, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills,...

Back to square one: there's nothing like a retooled offense to keep life interesting for the Hall of Fame-bound quarterback. (Interview: Brett Favre).
December 1, 2002... As a 12-YEAR VETERAN OF THE NFL, Brett Favre is in the twilight of his career. In a very real sense, though, the Green Bay Packers quarterback has started over this season. Favre, a three-time NFL most valuable player, is trying to shape a...

Lost and found: undrafted free agents face the longest of odds, but there have been plenty in recent years who have made it out of the NFL wilderness.
December 1, 2002... THEY ARE THE FORGOTTEN masses from college football, the guys who sit through two days of the NFL draft and never hear their names called. Some really don't expect to be chosen; others are crushed when none of the 32 NFL teams selects them. All...

Let the debates begin: choosing the best players of all time for every NFL franchise was a daunting task--but we had some guidelines to help us along. (Special section: hometown heroes)(Cover Story).
December 1, 2002... By the editors of FOOTBALL DIGEST ON ITS 75TH ANNIVERSARY, THE selected an all-time team--which, of course, prompted lots of debate. Joe Montana, Otto Graham, or Johnny Unitas at quarterback? Jerry Rice and Don Hutson or Steve Largent...

"This man was Babe Ruth": we pay tribute to the great Johnny Unitas, who played a pivotal role in making the NFL what it is today. (Johnny Unitas 1933-2002).
December 1, 2002... IN THE CLASSIC MOVIE "DINER," Eddie Simmons refuses to marry his girlfriend, Elyse, unless she can pass a 140-question quiz spanning the most trivial aspects of his beloved Baltimore Colts. One of the questions: How much did the Colts spend on...

School spirit: we offer up 10 stadiums that capture the very essence of college football.
December 1, 2002... A COLLEGE FOOTBALL FAN'S life spans three acts. Act I: You grow up cheering for your favorite team. Let's say it's Ohio State. Every Buckeyes victory makes your week complete. And your whole winter can be destroyed by a single loss to...

Team-by-team single-season records. (Names and Numbers).
December 1, 2002... Team-By-Team Single-Season Records ARIZONA CARDINALS Category Name, Year Record Rushing Yards Ottis Anderson, 1979 1,605 Passing Yards Neil Lomax, 1984 4,614 Passing...

2002 NFL team-by-team schedule. (Names and Numbers).
December 1, 2002... 2002 NFL Team-By-Team Schedule ARIZONA CARDINALS Oct. 20 Dallas Oct. 27 at San Francisco Nov. 3 St. Louis Nov. 10 Seattle Nov. 17 ...

2002 NFL weekly schedule. (Names and Numbers).
December 1, 2002... 2002 NFL Weekly Schedule YOUR FINAL GAME TIME GUESS SCORE WEEK 7 (Open dates: Cincinnati, New England, N.Y. Giants, and...

Quick quiz.
December 1, 2002... 1. Four NFL teams opened new stadiums this season. Name those teams. 2. Which player had the top-selling jersey for the 2001 season: Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, St. Louis Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, Dallas Cowboys running...