Football Digest articles from March 2004

Football Digest archives from March 2004

Bring on the 2004 Season.
March 22, 2004... THE 2003 SEASON HAS ONLY just ended, but we're already focused on 2004. We're jacked up about it. Why wouldn't we be, what with Joe Gibbs and Dan Marino back in the NFL mix? The return of those two legends adds a heavy dose of intrigue to the...

A different take.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
March 22, 2004... I lost all respect for Brett Favre when he played the Monday night game against the Oakland Raiders. He should have gone home to his family when his father passed away. At least Dana Stubblefield went home to his family when his mother passed...

America's Team?(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
March 22, 2004... I just had to e-mail you folks. I absolutely love your magazine, but could you please, please stop referring to the Dallas Cowboys as America's Team? There are so many fans for so many other teams who believe their teams are just as important...

Holding out for Holt.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
March 22, 2004... I have just started as a subscriber and fell in love with this magazine. I think that Torry Holt would be an excellent pick for the Most Valuable Player award. A lot of receivers, when they drop the football, show anger on their faces. Torry...

A true Titan.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
March 22, 2004... I got a kick out of Larry Woody's article on Steve McNair ["Putting the Air in McNair," February 2004]. I think Mr. Woody smiled up the man perfectly. McNair is the ultiminately gamer--he plays through all sorts of pain. If McNair had been...

A legend returns.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
March 22, 2004... As a longtime fan of the Washington Redskins, I was beyond excited when I found out Joe Gibbs was coming back to coach the team. The Redskins' best seasons ever came with Gibbs. But I'm also worried that things won't work out for Gibbs. Now...

A star in Cincy.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
March 22, 2004... Before this season, I knew very little about Cincinnati Bougals wide receiver Chad Johnson. I had a chance to watch the Bengals a couple times and was struck by how good Johnson is. He's is as talented as any wide receiver in football. If the...

School snapshot: USC.
March 22, 2004... * USC, which ended its 2003 season with a victory over Michigan in the Rose Bowl, was ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press pen. It had been 25 years since that happened. * Three out of 63 coaches that participated in the USA...

A punch line again.(Uncovering the Past)
March 22, 2004... HOW CRUEL THE NFL CAN BE. Last year at this lime, we were celebrating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Super Bowl title with a headline that roared, "From Punch Line to Powerhouse." Now? They're ancient history. Tampa Bay's defense of its...

Cream of the crop: although he'll never admit it, the Rams wide receiver has emerged as one of the game's true superstars.(Interview: Torry Holt)
March 22, 2004... BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THERE were some critics when the St. Louis Rams made North Carolina State wide receiver Torry Holt the No. 6 selection overall in the 1999 draft. The team had needs at cornerback, and in taking Holt it left two pretty good...

Two and counting: with their second Super Bowl title in three years, the Patriots have built a dynasty in an era when that isn't supposed to be possible.
March 22, 2004... NOW THAT NEW ENGland has concluded one of the most remarkable runs in NFL history, it's time to ask for a pertinent question: Are the Patriots a dynasty in these days of short-term winners? The accepted theory in today's NFL is that free...

The perfect touch: Colts quarterback Peyton Manning pushed all the right buttons in the best season of his career.(Football Digest's 203 NFL Awards: Player of the Year)
March 22, 2004... PEYTON MANNING ISN'T MERELY a quarterback--he's an artist. In an era when quarterbacks are programmed to run the play that's sent in from the sideline, Manning is a throwback to the days when they ran the game on the field. The plays still...

"He's a rock": those words from a teammate aptly describe Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, a player without equal.(Football Digest's 203 NFL Awards: Defensive Player of the Year)
March 22, 2004... RAY LEWIS IS FEARSOME. HE IS driven. He is uncompromising. In fact, he just might be the best damn football player in the world. The Baltimore Ravens' star middle line-backer is a runaway choice for FOOTBALL DIGEST's 2003 NFL Defensive...

Something for everyone: with 16 different teams represented here, almost every football fan will find a reason to cheer.(All-Pro Team)
March 22, 2004... THE 2003 SEASON CERTAINLY WAS one of the most congruent in recent NFL history. Eight of the 12 teams that reach the playoffs in 2002 did not return. At times in '03, the Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams, New England Patriots, Indianapolis...

Do you believe in miracles? Unfazed by a rash of injuries and a lack of superstars, Bill Belichick lifted the Patriots higher than anyone could have possibly expected.(Football Digest's 203 NFL Awards: Coach of the Year)
March 22, 2004... NO ONE HAS DONE MORE WITH less than Bill Belichick. The Patriots' head coach, who two years ago led New England to an improbable Super Bowl title, was back at it in 2003--but with fewer playmakers and a succession of injuries. Belichick's...

Instant gratification: it took Cardinals wide receiver Anquan Boldin exactly four quarters to let the world know that he was the cream of the rookie crop.(Football Digest's 203 NFL Awards: Offensive Rookie of the Year)
March 22, 2004... TALK ABOUT A QUICK STARTER. In Anquan Boldin's very first game, he made the boldest statement possible. His 217 yards, on 10 receptions, were the most ever for a player in his NFL debut. Right then, it was clear to everyone that Boldin was...

In their corner: the Bears feel blessed that they wound up with cornerback Charles Tillman, who will be in the Pro Bowl before long.(Football Digest's 203 NFL Awards: Defensive Rookie of the Year)
March 22, 2004... IN HIS FIVE SEASONS AS DEFENsive coordinator of the Chicago Bears, Greg Blache never hid his disdain for playing rookies. "They have no experience, they have nothing to draw on, and rookies generally know more about GameBoy than game plans," he...

First impressios: all indications are that players such as Houston's Andrea Johnson are destined to become stars.(Football Digest's 203 NFL Awards: All-Rookie Team)
March 22, 2004... GAME-BREAKING PLAYS DEFINE FOOTBALL DIGEST'S 2003 All-Rookie Team. From wide receivers Anquan Boldin of the Arizona Cardinals and Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans to cornerback Charles Tillman of the Chicago Bears and defensive...

2003 team-by-team individual statistics.(Names and Numbers)
March 22, 2004... 2003 Team-by-Team Individual Statistics ARIZONA CARDINALS Passing Player Atts. Comp. Yds. Pct. Yds./Att. TDs TD% Jeff Blake 367 208 2,247 56.7 6.1 13 3.5 Josh McCown 166...

Quick quiz.
March 22, 2004... 1. How many consecutive Seasons has head coach Andy Reid taken the Philadelphia Eagles to the playoffs? 2. Name all the players who have rushed for 2,000 yards in a season. 3. When was the last time the Seattle Seahawks won a playoff...