Football Digest articles from January 2005

Football Digest archives from January 2005

The beat goes on.(Kickoff)
January 1, 2005... THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS reached uncharted territory this season, winning their record 21st game. The streak ended against the Pittsburgh Steelers on November 1, but it was truly amazing that they racked up that many consecutive victories. ...

Deion.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... Great job on your article on Deion Sanders ["A Flick of the Switch," December 2004]. In his prime, Sanders was the most electrifying player in football, and he still shows flashes of it now that he's on the Baltimore Ravens. The NFL is a better...

The Game I'll Never Forget.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I found your "Game I'll Never Forget" with Bobby Hebert to be very interesting [December 2004]. I always found the USFL to be a very interesting league. There were a lot of great players in it, and I wish it had lasted longer. I'm glad Hebert...

These Bears bite.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I can't believe I'm watching yet another terrible Chicago Bears football team. With the exception of their 2001 season, which was a fluke, they haven't been any good since the late 1980s. Every years, it's something different. This year, it's...

As for the Cowboys....(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I really thought the Cowboys were turning the corner last year under Bill Parcells. Now, though, it looks like they've taken a step backward--a big step backward. That's because they don't have a running back who can move the offense forward....

A Manning fan.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
January 1, 2005... I really hope Peyton Manning finally gets to the Super Bowl this year with the Indianapolis Colts. He is such a pleasure to watch. He seems like he really enjoys playing the game, and he always is so prepared for whatever happens. Plus, he's an...

This Jaguar has bite.(Rising star: Rashean Mathis)
January 1, 2005... RASHEAN MATHIS IS A JAGUAR. He s also a bulldog. The second-year defensive back for Jacksonville started six games as a rookie at free safety and 10 at cornerback as coach Jack Del Rio's defense began to take shape in 2003. This season,...

All heart: where there's a will there's a way--just ask this Cowboys linebacker.(Interview: Dan Nguyen)
January 1, 2005... DAT NGUYEN WAS TO0 SMALL TO play college football, the critics said. Yet he won the Lombardi Trophy as a senior at Texas A&M and left as the school's all-time leader in starts and tackles. He was too small to play in the NFL, too. Yet he...

Oh, how the mighty have fallen: the 49ers, once synonymous with success in the NFL, have hit rock-bottom.
January 1, 2005... STEVE WALLACE DOESN'T GO around bragging about his past association with the San Francisco 49ers as much as he used to. Nowadays, the former 49ers offensive tackle says there's just not much to brag about as the 49ers struggle through some...

Carrying the load: Clinton Portis, the main man on the Redskins, never has had such a high-profile job.
January 1, 2005... HE'S THE NEW HIGH-profile Clinton in Washington D.C. And Clinton Portis plans to stay around at least as long as the last Clinton did. When Washington Redskins new running back arrived on the scene in the spring of 2004, he had T-shirts printed...

10 ways to improve the NFL: it's already the best pro league there is, but that doesn't mean it can't get even better.
January 1, 2005... By the editors of FOOTBALL DIGEST THE NFL DOES NOT NEED SAVING. Already the most popular sport in the United States, as well as a big winner in the boardrooms of corporate America and in Madison Avenue's advertising offices, it soon will...

Growing pains: the Titans have been forced to rebuild their front four on defense--and so far, the results have been mixed.
January 1, 2005... DURING A FIRST-QUARTER series in Week 3, Tennessee Titans defensive end Antwan Odom drove the Jacksonville Jaguars' Maurice Williams seven yards back, where the right tackle collided with quarterback Byron Leftwich. With the pocket collapsing,...

The quiet superstar: Curtis Martin does it all on the football field, but those accomplishments aren't what give him the most pride.(Cover Story)
January 1, 2005... CURTIS MARTIN IS A MAN ON A mission. Not a mission to win rushing titles or become the career rushing leader or anything so mundane. Oh sure, he wants to win a Super Bowl as much as any player on any team, but his goals hardly involve...

Eye-catching: the NFL is awash in quality wide receivers--it's the deepest position in pro football. What follows is a peek at some of the best in the business.(Photo Essay)
January 1, 2005... Amani Toomer * New York Giants Andre Johnson * Houston Texans Marvin Harrison * Indianapolis Rod Smith * Denver Broncos Hines Ward * Pittsburgh Steelers Darrell Jackson * Seattle Seahawks Joe Horn * New Orleans Saints...

One of the best ever? If the Patriots prevail in this season's Super Bowl, they'll certainly begin to fall into that category.
January 1, 2005... WITH THE BEST COACHING staff in pro football, one of the smartest and influential owners, a terrific new stadium, and players who commit to the team concept, what more could the New England Patriots and their fans ask for? Well, perhaps...

Mark Clayton: on the final day of the 1984 season, the Dolphins wide receiver made history.(The Game I'll Never Forget)
January 1, 2005... THE DALLAS COWBOYS GOT A huge break with less than two minutes left in the last regular-season game of the 1984 season. We had this game in the bag, but they threw a ball downfield that our cornerback, Don McNeal, should have intercepted. It...

A renaissance: the tight end position was all but dead, but players like Tony Gonzalez have led it back to the forefront.
January 1, 2005... WHO NEEDS A TIGHT END? FOR years in the 1980s and '90s, the prevailing opinion of NFL personnel directors, GMs, and coaches was to avoid drafting tight ends. The colleges weren't developing the kinds of players needed for the position on the...

2004 NFL rosters.(Names and Numbers)
January 1, 2005... 2004 NFL Rosters ARIZONA CARDINALS No. Name Position Height Weight 30 Ayanbadejo, Obafemi FB 6'2" 235 92 Berry, Bert DE 6'3" 250 81...

NFL directory.(Names and Numbers)
January 1, 2005... NATIONAL FOOTBALL 280 Park Avenue New York, NY 10017 (212) 450-2000 ARIZONA CARDINALS PO Box 888 Phoenix, AZ 85001 (602) 379-0101 Coach: Dennis Green Sun Devil Stadium 72,273 capacity, grass ...

Remaining 2004 NFL schedule.(Names and Numbers)(Calendar)
January 1, 2005... Remaining 2004 NFL Schedule YOUR FINAL GAME TIME GUESS SCORE WEEK 11 Sunday, November 21 Dallas at Baltimore 1:00 p.m. -- --...

Quick quiz.
January 1, 2005... 1. True or false: Current Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis used to be the coach of the University of Miami. 2. With which team is former wide receiving great Henry Ellard currently an assistant coach: the Arizona Cardinals, Chicago Bears,...