September 01, 2008 | Volume 109, Issue 8

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Texans' units.

Amobi Okoye DEFENSIVE TACKLE

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Chargers' units.

Jacob Hester RUNNING BACK

RUNNING BACK

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Broncos' units.

Selvin Young RUNNING BACK

RUNNING BACK

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Chiefs' units.

Derrick Johnson LINEBACKER

LINEBACKER

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Raiders' units

Thomas Howard LINEBACKER

LINEBACKER

EXCERPTED FROM SI September 11, 1989

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Eagles' units.

David Akers PLACEKICKER

EXCERPTED FROM SI September 11, 1989

PLACEKICKER

EXCERPTED FROM SI January 5, 1976

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Cowboys' units.

Isaiah Stanback WIDE RECEIVER

EXCERPTED FROM SI January 5, 1976

WIDE RECEIVER

Henry R. Luce 1898--1967

EXCERPTED FROM SI February 2, 1987

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Giants' units.

Ahmad Bradshaw RUNNING BACK

EXCERPTED FROM SI February 2, 1987

RUNNING BACK

EXCERPTED FROM SI November 6, 1972

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Redskins' units.

Jason Taylor DEFENSIVE END

EXCERPTED FROM SI November 6, 1972

DEFENSIVE END

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Vikings' units.

Cedric Griffin CORNERBACK

CORNERBACK

Al Harris CORNERBACK

CORNERBACK

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Lions' units.

Ernie Sims LINEBACKER

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Bears' units.

Mike Brown FREE SAFETY

FREE SAFETY

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Buccaneers' units.

Gaines Adams DEFENSIVE END

EXCERPTED FROM SI February 3, 2003 GRUDEN EXHORTED his players not to go "limp" in the wake of their upset of the Eagles in the NFC title game. That he used a part of the male anatomy to...

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Panthers' units.

Jordan Gross TACKLE

EXCERPTED FROM SI September 19, 2005

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Saints' units.

Jeremy Shockey TIGHT END

.

EXCERPTED FROM SI November 13, 1989

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Falcons' units.

Michael Turner RUNNING BACK

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Seahawks' units.

John Carlson TIGHT END

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Cardinals' units.

Antrel Rolle FREE SAFETY

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the 49ers' units.

Justin Smith LINEBACKER/END

.

The Bengals vowed to get tough on troublemakers. Then they re-signed Chris Henry

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Rams' units.

Randy McMichael TIGHT END

.

ONLINE > Get a complete wrap-up from Beijing—including favorite memories from SI's staff in China, the best photos from the Games and a video of Heinz Kleutmeier's images of Michael Phelps.

ONLINE > Get a complete wrap-up from Beijing—including favorite memories from SI's staff in China, the best photos from the Games and a video of Heinz Kleutmeier's images of Michael Phelps.

JUST DAYS after his father-in-law, Todd Bachman, was murdered, Hugh McCutcheon returned to the scene of the crime. He was accompanied by his sisters-in-law, who had flown to Beijing from Minnesota...

THE RACE was over in an instant, 36 seconds and change. In that small window of time, U.S. riders Mike Day, 23, and Donny Robinson, 25, took silver and bronze, respectively, behind world champion...

HENRY CEJUDO'S family and friends hugged, hollered and bounced in the stands so high that ushers came over repeatedly to ask them to calm down or face ejection. They listened but ignored the...

PIERCE EGAN, the 19th-century boxing journalist who coined the term , wrote that "drummers and boxers, to acquire excellence, must begin young." Deontay Wilder, the 6'7" U.S. heavyweight, was made...

A staggering sum of life-changing bonuses helped spur China to the top of the gold medal count

Theo Epstein and the player-development machine he helped build in Boston aren't going anywhere • A team that might hire Brian Cashman (if only the Yankees would let him go)

Preseason camp has not gone smoothly for several of the teams in SI's top 20, as these key injuries have coaches scrambling to adjust their lineups.

1. Trinity (Euless, Texas) Reigning 5A champs have 11 starters back, including QB Denarius McGhee (1,706 passing yards)

Reigning 5A champs have 11 starters back, including QB Denarius McGhee (1,706 passing yards)

Meet the tri-captains of my 10-foot pole team—popular draftees you should stay far, far away from.

Meet the tri-captains of my 10-foot pole team—popular draftees you should stay far, far away from.

THE PLAY unfolded in our backyard, a rural patch of north Florida invaded by the occasional possum and dotted with Vesuvian anthills, which, if you used your imagination, would suffice as blockers.

Do you favor the use of instant replay to review home runs?

Do you favor the use of instant replay to review home runs?

The U.S. Amateur championship, , who at 18 years and one month is the tournament's youngest winner. Lee, who was born in Seoul and now lives in Rotorua, New Zealand, beat Scottsdale, Ariz.,...

HOLLIE AVIL British triathlete, on competing in Beijing while feeling nauseated: "It's not great when you've got sick down your arms and your new white shoes are ruined."

A North Carolina man caught a state-record 21-pound catfish with his granddaughter's 2 1/2-foot Barbie fishing pole.

British triathlete, on competing in Beijing while feeling nauseated:

A North Carolina man caught a state-record 21-pound catfish with his granddaughter's 2 1/2-foot Barbie fishing pole.

this breaking news: Media influences kids. During the Olympic fortnight, coaches and other sports officials were flooded with inquiries from parents and young athletes who want in on potential...

around the shoulder of beach volleyball champ Kerri Walsh like a bad-idea tattoo, and it was spotted on arms and legs in the Bird's Nest, on wrestling mats and at the basketball court. That...

8 Games this season in which the Red Sox' Daisuke Matsuzaka, who leads the AL in bases on balls, has walked at least five batters.

Zavala, a Rutgers-bound graduate of Randolph High, batted .532 with 42 hits, 20 steals and 36 RBIs. He had the Newark hitting performance of the year: 5 for 5, with two home runs, four RBIs and...

.

OF COURSE, death could have him as it could have any man: any way it wanted. But an odd thing happened last week once it entered that big house, Gene Upshaw. Death . ¶ Secretive. Abrupt. Adamant....

The Eagles' starting linebackers are short on experience—only 34 combined starts—but long on talent and smarts

Elite players get the glory, the postseason awards and the video game covers, but team success depends in large part on how stars, supporting cast and coaches work together within a unit. A...

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Patriots' units.

Fernando Bryant CORNERBACK

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Jets' units.

Calvin Pace LINEBACKER

.

SI.com's personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Bills' units.

Kawika Mitchell LINEBACKER

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Dolphins' units.

Jason Ferguson NOSETACKLE

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Steelers' units.

Santonio Holmes WIDE RECEIVER

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Browns' units.

Joe Thomas LEFT TACKLE

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Ravens' units.

Jared Gaither LEFT TACKLE

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Bengals' units.

Ben Utecht TIGHT END

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Colts' units.

Marvin Harrison WIDE RECEIVER

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Jaguars' units.

Quentin Groves DEFENSIVE END

.

SI.com's NFL personnel expert Michael Lombardi evaluates the Titans' units.

.

Danny Lee becomes the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur

Danny Lee becomes the youngest winner of the U.S. Amateur

Thanks to a few tweaks to the system, a Ryder Cup subplot and an exciting A-list finish—Vijay Singh over Sergio García in overtime—the Barclays got the second edition of the playoffs off on the...

On Aug. 20, Phil Mickelson "clarified" his view on FedEx Cup scoring

Vijay Singh

"People like to see birdies. If the Tour wants to see TV ratings go up, mow the rough and shorten the courses."