September 05, 2005 | Volume 103, Issue 9

It's business as usual for Peyton Manning and the high-scoring offense, but for this team to get past the Patriots, the defense has to raise its game

A new coordinator takes the chains off the offense, installing a quick-strike attack that emphasizes long passes and putting a lot of points on the board

Having ably played the role of expansion-team celebrity, it's time for David Carr to fulfill his promise on the field by getting into the playoffs

After 32 years and great success in the college game, new offensive coordinator Norm Chow is daring to make a difference in the NFL

A new arrival, elite corner Patrick Surtain, gives the revamped defense an identity--and the team the jolt it needs to finally get to the Super Bowl

Rejuvenated linebacker Steve Foley and the defending division champions are bent on proving that their startling 2004 was no fluke

In a city where expectations run mile-high, the pressure is mounting on passer Jake Plummer to lead his team deep into the postseason

All eyes are on Randy Moss, but success could hinge on whether another new player, former Jet LaMont Jordan, can revive the ground game

A lesser team would wilt from the heat and tension of this summer soap opera, but Andy Reid will get his fractious bunch back to the playoffs

Bill Parcells hopes to re-create some of his old magic with a return to his preferred defensive scheme and the addition of some hungry players

They'll go as far as their franchise quarterback takes them--just don't expect Eli Manning to play like his famous brother. At least, not yet

The ball is still in Patrick Ramsey's hands, but there are two other options at quarterback if the offense sputters as it did a year ago

The defense has been fortified and a major distraction is gone, but Mike Tice & Co. still have to prove they can finish what they start

The front office underwent a shake-up, but the defense--which was in dire need of one, too--will have to get better with the same players

Whether he'll admit it or not, Joey Harrington is entering a make-or-break season for a team that needs his arm to make the jump to the playoffs

All-Pro wideout Muhsin Muhammad is a major addition to an offense that was the league's worst in '04, but who's going to get him the ball?

Defensive end extraordinaire Julius Peppers and the return to health of a handful of stars make this club the team to beat in the NFC

If young deep threats Michael Jenkins and Roddy White get open and make plays, they will add another dimension to Michael Vick's game

Coach Jim Haslett is getting back to the basics with the emphasis on a ground game bolstered by two new faces on the right side of the line

A rejuvenated Brian Griese and a new Cadillac will drive the offense, but the lanes may be clogged because of a suspect offensive line

With bruising back Steven Jackson and other talented young starters getting comfortable in the offense, Mike Martz's team has its swagger back

The quick development of a young secondary, including converted safety Michael Boulware, will be key to a defensive turnaround

There's reason for optimism in the desert, starting with veteran passer Kurt Warner and an explosive set of young wideouts

This up-and-down franchise is counting on its new-look defense to lay the groundwork for a return to respectability. It may take a while

PLAYER VALUE RANKING

The cruelest joke in sports history has to be the one that fate played on a skinny sunbeam named Joe Kay.

School Days

LETTERS

Happily, there are still two places on earth where cellphones must be surrendered at the door: prison and PGA Tour events.

A French paper has joined the chorus of critics who say Lance Armstrong cheated his way to those Tour de France titles. Expect the Texan to weather the storm

WHO'S HOT

Resigned

2

After a horrific year, James Blake bounces back in New Haven

When Felix Escalona stroked a single to give the Yankees a 5--4 win over the Blue Jays last week, many fans were asking themselves, "Who is that guy?" Good question. Escalona is so anonymous that...

The fifth season of the comedian and Dodgers fan's sitcom, George Lopez, starts on Sept. 28 on ABC

It was a busy week for Cincinnati native Nick Lachey. He wrote an angry column in The Cincinnati Enquirer protesting the firing of basketball coach Bob Huggins. (Sample musing: "The bottom line...

No wonder the U.S.-Mexico border is so difficult to guard: It's 2,000 miles long, and people are willing to get shot across it. Last Saturday, David (the Human Cannonball) Smith was launched from...

A New York City gallery is displaying a work the artist says is Ted Williams's death mask.

Dodgers outfielder, on his legacy: "I want people to say Milton Bradley was a pretty good ballplayer and a pretty good person. Anybody who is going to stand between me getting there, then they...

What to watch and watch for

Breaking news, scores, schedules and fresh, original Web-only stories and columns 24/7

Shauna McCullough

The Week In Sports

Twelve (contenders) doesn't go into five (postseason spots up for grabs), so which teams will make the cut?

DODGERS BLUE

The walk-off win by Ewa Beach, Hawaii, over Curaçao immediately joins the four triumphs below on the list of the most memorable Little League World Series championship games. --Albert Chen

A walk-off homer capped hustling Hawaii's comeback win over Curaçao in the Little League World Series

The sharpshooting of newcomer Nicole Powell could decide whether Sacramento finally makes the finals

Detroit versus Connecticut

After sitting behind David Greene for four years, quarterback D.J. Shockley finally gets the chance to lead Georgia

<Auburn CB David Irons vs. Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson>

Their bibles are team-issued binders crammed with hundreds of meticulously designed plays. Their mission is to change their teams' fortunes in the blink of an eye. They stretch to the first-down...

So you think playbooks are just diagrams with lines going this way and that? You'll be amazed at what coaches stuff in them and how much the poor player has to learn

Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel doesn't waste any time, installing one of his favorites, PFB Double Square Out, on Day One

They're bold and brash, and with the trend toward multireceiver sets, there are more of them than ever--and they all want the ball. When the pass arrives, be it on a slant or a deep post,...

He is the NFL's accidental All-Pro, a 27-year-old class clown with gaudy jewelry and detachable gold teeth, someone whose rise to the top of his sport required more serendipity than Tom Arnold's...

They are the new wave of defensive stars, delivering bone-jarring hits in run support and patrolling the middle of the field in coverage. And when they get their hands on the ball, watch out!

Outside a movie theater in La Place, La., a middle-aged white woman was ranting at a police officer, inching closer and closer as if bent on getting arrested. Jeanne Hall rarely exploded in rage,...

• For daily Web-only galleries, go to SI.com/photos.

Never mind that both coordinators and a pair of starting linebackers had to be replaced. Nothing seems to rattle the two-time defending champs

Chad Pennington's tender shoulder ... a big hole at nosetackle.... Such pivotal issues will decide whether this club goes far in the postseason

After finishing strong in '04, a team with savvy veterans puts its fate in the hands of a 24-year-old quarterback who has thrown five NFL passes

Trying to jump-start the run game, Nick Saban hired a respected line coach, welcomed back a familiar face and added a versatile rookie

Everybody is terrified of their defense, but can Kyle Boller strike fear into opposing secondaries? He finally has the receiving weapons to do it

After his sensational rookie season, what can Ben Roethlisberger possibly do for an encore? Well, there is one thing ... get to the Super Bowl

Marvin Lewis is rebuilding his porous defense on the same foundation that brought him success elsewhere: bruising linebackers

Still trying to get its act together, the six-year-old franchise looks for leadership from a rookie coach and a veteran quarterback with Super Bowl savvy

NFL PREVIEW

That's what being black in the first half of the 20th century meant for Oscar Charleston, the greatest baseball player you've never heard of

Dr. Z's Power Rankings