Ready for Kickoff

Each Sunday in the fall, SI photographer John Biever is on the
sidelines in an NFL stadium, trying to come up with one memorable
image that will define the game he is shooting. He has proved to
be good at it. His shots have appeared on the cover of SI 101
times (32 of them NFL photos) in the 17 years he has worked for
the magazine. "I'm always moving around on the sidelines, looking
for something different that will capture the emotions of the
players," he says.

The job of putting the words to those photos is overseen by
senior editor Mark Godich, who supervised the production of SI's
92-page NFL preview package (page 65). This is Godich's seventh
year on the pro football beat, but he still has the enthusiasm of
a wide-eyed rookie. "We've made the training camp rounds and are
revved up and ready to go," Godich says.

Senior writer Michael Silver, who has been covering the NFL for
SI since 1994, follows players beyond the practice field, into
limos and onto dance floors in pursuit of the story. In this
issue he profiles controversial Minnesota Vikings wideout Randy
Moss. After spending time with the man who shocked football last
year by saying he didn't always give it his all, Silver says, "I
believe he's passionate about football."

INSIDE THE NFL columnist Peter King, an SI writer for 13 years,
spent a long day with Cleveland Browns coach Butch Davis to
examine the phenomenon of coaches who demand--and get--full control
of football operations. King was surprised at what he saw. "It's
less of a daunting task than I expected," he says, "if you have
competent people to do your dirty work."

Rounding out the senior writing team is X's-and-O's expert Paul
Zimmerman, who has covered the NFL for SI since 1979. Dr. Z makes
his predictions for this season, including the playoffs and the
Super Bowl.

The one constant in the NFL in recent years has been change, and
that will remain the case this fall. Says Godich, "With
realignment, the addition of an expansion team, and marquee
players and coaches in new places, this season promises to be as
unpredictable and exciting as ever."

COLOR PHOTO: BOB ROSATO (BIEVER) FOCUSED Biever shoots about 1,200 photos at each NFL game.

COLOR PHOTO: DAVID BERGMAN (GODICH) Godich

COLOR PHOTO: COURTESY OF MIKE SILVER Silver

COLOR PHOTO King

COLOR PHOTO: HEINZ KLUETMEIER (ZIMMERMAN) Zimmerman