Football Digest articles from September 2002

Football Digest archives from September 2002

And the winners are ... (Kickoff).
September 1, 2002... AS YOU'LL SEE WHEN YOU PAGE through our 2002 NFL preview issue, we're picking the St. Louis Rams to go all the way. The nucleus of their roster survived the offseason, and they have some major motivation after being upset by the New England...

Green Bay's big catch. (The Fans Speak Out).
September 1, 2002... In the August 2002 issue, you listed the top 10 offseason moves ["Decision Time"]. I thought the article made some good points but also missed one. At No. 8, maybe you should have replaced "Morton Catches On With K.C." with "Green Bay Takes a...

The fans lose. (The Fans Speak Out).
September 1, 2002... The cover of your August issue indicated that you would list the winners and losers in free agency. You might have mentioned that the perennial losers in free agency are the fans. Whereas we once had dynasties like the Packers of the 1960s,...

Gruden to the rescue. (The Fans Speak Out).
September 1, 2002... I enjoyed your "Interview" with Jon Gruden in the August issue. I think he is the final ingredient for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have fallen short of expectations the past few years. The defense always has been good, but the offense has...

Is Emmitt king? (The Fans Speak Out).
September 1, 2002... Does Emmitt Smith really deserve the all-time rushing record? This fan thinks no! First off, your article in the August issue ["The Journey Nears Its End"] points out something we never want to forget: Emmitt is a great humanitarian. That...

Dan's gone, but the dream is alive. (Uncovering the Past).
September 1, 2002... DAN MARINO'S FINAL APPEARANCE on the cover of FOOTBALL DIGEST was our December 1999 issue. As fate would have it, 1999 also wound up being his final NFL season. The cover captured the desperation of the moment for the aging Miami Dolphins...

Rising star: Ahmed Plummer.
September 1, 2002... AS AHMED PLUMMER was watching yet another wide receiver make a big catch against him, he must have wondered if he'd ever figure out how to play cornerback in the NFL. That was in 2000, his rookie season after being a first-round draft pick...

Legend of the fall: the Hall-of-Famer discusses the pivotal role he has played in the evolution of pro football. (Interview: Bill Walsh).
September 1, 2002... BILL WALSH CAN'T HELP SMILING about it now. Reminiscing about his 45 years in football, Walsh recalls with a laugh that his first job not only involved coaching his young charges at Washington High School in Fremont, Calif., but also included...

A new-look league. (NFL 2002).
September 1, 2002... GET OUT YOUR MAPS, LADIES and gentlemen. You'll notice that the NFL landscape looks drastically different in 2002. With the expansion Houston Texans entering the fray, the number of teams in the league now stands at 32. And that spurred a...

Where Eagles dare: after leading Philadelphia to the NFC title game last season, Donovan McNabb has his sights set on the biggest prize of all: the Super Bowl. (NFL 2002: NFC East).
September 1, 2002... THE INK WAS BARELY DRY ON Steve Spurrier' five-year, $25 million contract with the Washington Redskins when the coach with the Fun 'N Gun offense and the celebrated golf swing decided to go for the pin. "We don't have a particularly great...

The castoffs: with the exception of the Warren Sapp-powered Buccaneers, this is a rag-tag assemblage of teams from the old NFC West. (NFL 2002: NFC South).
September 1, 2002... THE NEWLY CREATED NFC SOUTH has the feel of a varsity basketball team that just graduated its two best players. Now everyone else is looking around at each other, wondering who the next top-scorer will be. The Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans...

Back to the basics: smash-mouth football is the name of the game once again--and Brett Favre and the Packers will be the last ones standing at season's end. (NFL 2002 NFC North).
September 1, 2002... ESPN'S CHRIS BERMAN SOMEtimes called the NFC Central the NFC Norris, alluding to the name of the rugged former NHL division. Phonetically, that was a reach for the NFC Central; it's not for the NFC North True to the heart of Berman's...

The West is the best: this retooled division is more competitive than ever, but Kurt Warner and the potent Rams will continue to reign supreme. (NFL: NFC West).
September 1, 2002... ONCE THE NFL'S MOST FAR-flung division, the NFC West has regained some symmetry through realignment, along with an element of intrigue. Gone are the New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons, replaced by the more territorially...

Survival of the fittest: the sheer strength of the East will prevent Tom Brady and the Patriots from conjuring more of that amazing Super Bowl magic. (NFL 2002: AFC East).
September 1, 2002... THE EAST SEEMS DESTINED TO be the power source of the AFC, with three legitimate contenders for the conference rifle. Many observers consider the defending Super Bowl-champion New England Patriots to be the third-best club in the division,...

No more horsing around: like every team in the division, Peyton Manning and the Colts want to leave the past behind and gallop toward a brighter future. (NFL 2002: AFC South).
September 1, 2002... REVIVAL WILL BE THE THEME for the AFC South in 2002. The Indianapolis Colts, 6-10 last season, are trying to regain their form from 1999, when they were 13-3 and won the AFC East. The Jacksonville Jaguars, also 6-10 last season, are praying...

More of the same: the name of the division has changed, but Kordell Stewart and Pittsburgh should continue to dominate Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Baltimore. (NFL 2002: AFC North).
September 1, 2002... FOR A NEW DIVISION, THE AFC North is rife with history. Just two seasons ago, the Baltimore Ravens were crowned Super Bowl champions, while the Pittsburgh Steelers have won the Lombardi Trophy four times. Mostly, however, it is a division...

Hell-Bent on winning: the Raiders had another turbulent offseason, but that won't stop Jerry Rice and company from making one more run at the Super Bowl. (NFL 2002: AFC West).
September 1, 2002... THEIR FORMER HEAD COACH, the man who engineered their run to two straight AFC West rifles, finally had enough of the owner and moved from the East Bay to Tampa Bay. Their best defensive tackle seldom played last year and won't play any...

Jim Taylor: in brutal conditions at Yankee Stadium in the NFL title game in 1962, the running back paved the way for a Packers victory over the Giants. (The Game I'll Never Forget).
September 1, 2002... THE 1962 NFL CHAMPIONSHIP Game at Yankee Stadium was played in some of the most severe conditions I've ever seen. There were cold, swirling winds, and the field itself was frozen over. The conditions were just brutal, the worst you could...

2002 NFL team-by-team schedule. (Names and Numbers).
September 1, 2002... Names and Numbers 2002 NFL Team-by-Team Schedule ARIZONA CARDINALS Sept. 8 at Washington Sept. 15 at Seattle Sept. 22 San Diego Sept. 29 N.Y. Giants Oct. 6 at Carolina Oct. 20...

2002 NFL Weekly Schedule. (Names and Numbers).
September 1, 2002... 2002 NFL Weekly Schedule WEEK 1 Thursday, September 5 San Francisco at N.Y. Giants 8:30 p.m. Sunday, September 8 Arizona at Washington 1:00 p.m. Atlanta at Green Bay 1:00 p.m. Baltimore at...

2001 final NFL standings. (Names and Numbers).
September 1, 2002... 2001 Final NFL Standings AFC East W L T Pct. PF PA New England 11 5 0 .688 371 272 Miami 11 5 0 .688 344 290 NY Jets ...

Quick quiz.
September 1, 2002... 1. Who had more receptions for the Oakland Raiders in 2001: Jerry Rice or Tim Brown? 2. Which one of these former Green Bay Packers players hasn't had his number retired by the club: Jim Taylor, Tony Canadeo, Bart Starr, or Ray Nitschke?...