Football Digest articles from September 2004

Football Digest archives from September 2004

The NFC East is a beast.(Kickoff)
September 1, 2004... FOR YEARS, THE NFC EAST WAS dull and drab, featuring teams that only the most hardcore fans could appreciate. Not anymore. In the blink of an eye, it has been transformed into the NFL's flagship division. Every game played by the Philadelphia...

Remembering Tillman.(The Fans Speak Out)
September 1, 2004... Of every player who has played the game of professional football, no one man has ever been more of a hero than Pat Tillman was before he was tragically killed. Now words cannot ever express what he represents. The NFL should permanently retire...

Run, Curtis, run.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I've never understood why New York Jets running back Curtis Martin doesn't get more publicity. He may not be the flashiest running back there is, but you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who's more consistent. Year after year, he rushes for...

Browns bashing.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... As a longtime fan of the Cleveland Browns, it sickens me to see what's happened to them. Since coming back into the league, its been one disaster after another. It looked like they were turning the corner in 2002, when they made the playoffs....

Falcons rising?(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... Watch out for the Atlanta Falcons in 2004. Nobody is saying much about them because they were so bad last year, but I think they could be one of the season's real surprises. First of all, Michael Vick is healthy, so the whole offense will look...

A true patriot.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... "The Game I'll Never Forget" with Steve Tasker in the Summer 2004 issue was the best I've ever read. It's great to see an athlete who understands that there are more important things than football, even where the Super Bowl is concerned....

Bear with them.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I'm really excited about this season with the Chicago Bears. Their won-loss record might not be great, but they finally have a quarterback, Rex Grossman, who has some potential. It will be interesting to see how much he improves in his first...

Eli came.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... I enjoyed your cover story on Eli Manning in the Summer 2004 issue ["The Next in Line"]. It was a very thorough look at the young quarterback, but I don't agree with your assessment that he's gong to be better than his dad Archie and brother...

The AFC East rules.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... My favorite team is the Miami Dolphins. I think they're going to be great this year, but the problem is that every other team in the AFC East is great, too. I wish the Dolphins could play in a division like the AFC North, which has much less...

All-Pro snub.(The Fans Speak Out)(Letter to the Editor)
September 1, 2004... As a big-time fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, I was insulted by your 2004 All-Pro Team in the Spring 2004 issue. You selected Randy Moss and Torry Holt as your First Team receivers, but there is somebody named Hines Ward who should be in Moss'...

Into the fire.(Rising star: Carson Palmer)
September 1, 2004... CARSON PALMER HAD A mediocre college career at Southern California--until his senior season, when everything came together for the quarterback and he won the Heisman Trophy. That success, along with the measurables he brings to a league that...

Seismic shifts: we examine 10 moves that could have the biggest impact on the NFL in 2004.
September 1, 2004... THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS appeared to be sitting in the catbird seat this offseason. They were coming off their second Super Bowl title in three years and were looking at following the lead of the Dallas Cowboys (1992-95) and becoming only the...

The front-runner curse.(NFL 2004)
September 1, 2004... ITS THE KISS OF DEATH IN TODAY'S NFL. Any team that enters a season labeled as the Super Bowl favorite is all but assured of one thing: It won't win the Super Bowl. For proof, look no further than the NFC South. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers...

It's still Philly: despite major changes throughout the East, Donovan McNabb and the Eagles will win the title again.(NFL 2004: NFC East)(Cover Story)
September 1, 2004... THE NFC EAST HAS GONE RETRO. Last year former New York Giants coach Bill Parcells joined the Dallas Cowboys, and now Joe Gibbs is back in the East with his old team, the Washington Redskins. The division that produced eight Super Bowl champs in...

The Bucs are back; with linebacker Derrick Brooks leading the way in Tampa, this talented team should regain control of the South.(NFL 2004: NFC South)
September 1, 2004... THE NFC SOUTH HAS BEEN THE NFC Super recently. For the past two years, the division has produced the NFC's representative in the Super Bowl. The major surprise last season came when the Carolina Panthers ran off with both the division and...

Paint it green: once again, the Brett Favre-led Packers have the competition covered in the North.(NFL 2004: NFC North)
September 1, 2004... PICKING A WINNER IN A DIVISION where either the Green Bay Packers or Minnesota Vikings have won eight of the last 10 rifles shouldn't be difficult. Grab a coin, paint one side green and the other side purple, flip it, and get on with it, right?...

The new king of the hill: the Seahawks, led by Matt Hasselbeck, have replaced the Rams as the best of the West.(NFL 2004: NFC West)
September 1, 2004... FOR MATT HASSELBECK, THEY'RE still words to live by. "We want the ball. We're going to score," the Seattle Seahawks quarterback declared after winning the overtime coin flip in a first-round playoff game against the Packers at Green Bay last...

History in the making: Tom Brady and the Patriots have everything they need to win their third NFL title in four years.(NFL 2004: AFC East)
September 1, 2004... FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DONT believe it's possible for dynasties to exist anymore in the NFL, we present the New England Patriots. Amazingly, New England looks like it could be even stronger this year than it was in its Super Bowl-winning seasons...

QB central: this division--which grows stronger every year--is defined by talented signalcallers like Peyton Manning.(NFL 2004: AFC South)
September 1, 2004... THE TENNESSEE TITANS' STEVE McNair was the third pick in the 1995 draft and earned co-MVP honors last season with the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning, the No. 1 choice in 1998. The Houston Texans used the No. 1 pick on David Carr in 2002,...

The Baltimore blitz: with a heavy-duty defense powered by Ray Lewis, the Ravens are the team to beat in this weak division.(NFL 2004: AFC North)
September 1, 2004... THE REVIVAL OF THE CINCINNATI Bengals, coupled with the collapses of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns, made for a topsy-turvy 2003 season in the AFC North. Through it all, the Baltimore Ravens efficiently moved through their...

Who's no. 1? In a division beset by questions, Jake Plummer and the Broncos seem to be the one sure thing.(NFL 2004: AFC West)
September 1, 2004... THE AFC WEST, WHICH HAD BEEN one of the most powerful and consistent divisions in football, is hurting. All four clubs have serious question marks heading into the 2004 season. The Kansas City Chiefs, who won the division title last year,...

Jay Novacek: the former Cowboys tight end had a lot of great days in the NFL, but the best one came against the Packers in the 1994 playoffs.(The Game I'll Never Forget)
September 1, 2004... I HAD A BIG DAY AGAINST THE Green Bay Packers in the 1994 divisional playoffs. In fact, I was catching so many passes that one of my Dallas Cowboys teammates, wide receiver Michael Irvin, ran over to the Green Bay sideline during the game and...

NFL directory.(Names and Numbers)
September 1, 2004... NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE 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...

2004 NFL team-by-team schedules.(Names and Numbers)
September 1, 2004... Names and Numbers 2004 NFL Team-by-Team Schedules ARIZONA CARDINALS Date Opponent Time September 12 at St. Louis 1:00 p.m. September 19 New England 4:15 p.m. September 26 ...

2004 NFL schedule.(Names and Numbers)
September 1, 2004... 2004 NFL Schedule YOUR FINAL GAME TIME GUESS SCORE WEEK 1 Thursday, September 9 Indianapolis at New England 9:00 p.m. Sunday,...

Quick quiz.
September 1, 2004... 1. True or false: The first "Monday Night Football" game of the 2004 season is between the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots. 2. Who was the first pick overall in the 2004 draft? 3. Which Miami Dolphins defender had more sacks...