Football Digest articles from July 2003

Football Digest archives from July 2003

Dare we say it? The Bengals are back. (Kickoff).
July 1, 2003... FOR THE PAST DOZEN YEARS OR so, marquee draft picks who went to the Cincinnati Bengals never were heard from again. David who? Ki-Jana who? Akili who? But quarterback Carson Palmer, the No. 1 selection in this year's draft, just might...

Barry vs. Emmitt. (The Fans Speak Out).
July 1, 2003... In the past couple issues of FOOTBALL DIGEST, fans have been debating who should be called the best running back ever. This is a tough call because there have been so many great ones. Yes, Emmitt Smith deserves to be near the top of the list...

Emmitt by numbers. (The Fans Speak Out).
July 1, 2003... Could you please print Emmitt Smith's career statistics to date? Emmitt Smith's Career Statistics Year Team G GS Atts. Yds. Avg. Lg. TDs 1990 Cowboys 16 15 241 937 3.9 48t 11...

So long, Vet. (The Fans Speak Out).
July 1, 2003... I enjoyed your article on Veterans Stadium ["It's a Hellhole," March 2003]. I've been going to games there my whole life, and I will miss the Vet and the great memories we had there. The Vet was a great place to play and gave the Philadelphia...

Style points. (The Fans Speak Out).
July 1, 2003... This is just a thank you. It is such a pleasure to read literate, grammatically correct writing. I'm a new subscriber and am impressed with both the content and style. Thanks again. Martha Beth Lewis Via e-mail I want to give you a pat...

Super Bucs? (The Fans Speak Out).
July 1, 2003... All the praise about the Buccaneers winning the Super Bowl is a bunch of bull. I saw the Oakland Raiders getting sucked into a swarm of Bucs who would scatter around to sting the quarterback time and again. Bucs coach Jon Gruden did a good job...

The Moss debate. (The Fans Speak Out).
July 1, 2003... I want to say that I agree with the analysis that was given in the article "Welcome to the Big Time" [February 2003] regarding Randy Moss and his lack of leadership on the Minnesota Vikings offense. Randy Moss has more God-given talent than any...

An assist from McNair. (The Fans Speak Out).
July 1, 2003... The article "A Titanic Turnaround" [April 2003] congratulates FOOTBALL DIGEST Coach of the Year Jeff Fisher for his phenomenal season. A congratulations also is in order for Fisher's quarterback on the Tennessee Titans, Steve McNair, who had an...

The stat sheet: college coaches.
July 1, 2003... 408 The number of victories by Gmmbling's Eddie. Robinson, the most ever by a college coach. 336 The number of victories by Penn State's Joe Paterno, the most ever by a Division I-A coach. 332 The number of victories by...

Silly money. (Uncovering the Past).
July 1, 2003... BEFORE THE NEW YORK JETS had a plan, they had Neil O'Donnell. When the Jets signed the quarterback in 1996, they were coming off of two straight last-place finishes in the AFC East. Desperate to make a splash, New York gave him a $25...

"We all have to change": that's easier said than done on the downtrodden Bengals, but the first-time head coach certainly is setting the right tone. (Interview: Marvin Lewis).
July 1, 2003... MARVIN LEWIS COULDN'T HAVE asked for a more daunting challenge in his first head-coaching job. Lewis, who earned a Super Bowl ring in 2000 as defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, spent 22 years as an assistant before being hired...

Happy days: with all 32 teams having improved themselves, this is the time of year when optimism reigns. (2003 Draft Review).
July 1, 2003... ALTHOUGH SEVERAL TEAMS--most notably the Washington Redskins, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Kansas City Chiefs--addressed their many needs in free agency, the draft still will have a major impact on the makeup and success of every NFL club this...

War of words: the season has yet to even start, but things already have gotten nasty after Washington's raid of the Jets' roster. (The Most Intriguing Free-Agent Moves of 2003).
July 1, 2003... FREE AGENCY IS SUPPOSED TO be all about business,but this year it became personal. After Washington raided the Jets' roster and signed four of their players, Redskins owner Dan Snyder and New York general manager Terry Bradway traded a...

New York stories: two young superstars--Jeremy Shockey of the Giants and Chad Pennington of the Jets--are writing a new chapter on football in the Big Apple. (Cover Story).
July 1, 2003... THE SHOCKMAN AND the Brainiac. They have revitalized New York football and carried their teams to the level of Super Bowl contenders. Never before have the New York Giants and New York Jets both headed toward the same season amid such strong...

From the top dogs to the real dogs: our five-category evaluations reveal the best and the worst the league has to offer. (Special report: NFL head coach ratings).
July 1, 2003... MIKE SHANAHAN HAS BEEN fired. Bill Parcells is coaching his fourth NFL team. Mike Holmgren won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers but has been a bust with the Seattle Seahawks. Steve Mariucci turned around a floundering, overspending San...

The gang that waited too long: for players like Elvin Bethea and Joe DeLamielleure, it's better late than never. (Hall of Fame Induction Preview).
July 1, 2003... JOE DELAMIELLEURE had given up on being elected into the Pro Football Hall of Fame so many times over the past 12 years, he just figured he had missed again. The Hall of Fame selection committee convened one morning last January to vote on a...

Tom Dempsey: the defining moment in this kicker's career was, of course, his record 63-yard field goal against the Lions in 1970. (The Game I'll Never Forget).
July 1, 2003... WHEN I LINED UP TO KICK MY record-setting 63-yard field goal in 1970, we had the ball in the closed-in area of Tulane Stadium. The winds in that stadium sometimes would swirl and push balls wide to the left or wide to the right. The stadium was...

A year too soon for the Sooners: we picked Oklahoma to finish No. 1 in 2002 and were wrong--but this season, Jason White and company will vindicate us. (2003 College Preview).
July 1, 2003... COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS A GAME of accountability. The quarterback is accountable to the coach. The coach is accountable to the university president. The president is accountable to the alumni. And the alumni are accountable to... well, that seems...

2003 Division I-A College Schedules. (Names and Numbers).
July 1, 2003... 2003 Division I-A College Schedules AIR FORCE Aug. 30 vs. Wofford Sept. 6 at Northwestern Sept. 13 vs. North Texas Sept. 20 vs. Wyoming Sept. 27...

Quick quiz.
July 1, 2003... 1. Who holds the Atlanta Falcons record for passing yards in a season: Steve Bartkowski, Chris Chandler, Michael Vick, or Jeff George? 2. True or false: Tony Dungy has never had a losing season as an NFL head coach. 3. Name the team...