Lineup

NFL PREVIEW 2008

42 To Serve and Protect
Dallas's O-line faces the toughest job in town
By Lee Jenkins

51 SI's All-Unit Team
These eight units, not a collection purely of All-Pros, would make an NFL juggernaut

58 Catching Heat
The Jaguars need their receivers to deliver
By Damon Hack

67 Monday Morning QB
I was thinking, This is the season for an AFC power shift. Then I stopped at Patriots camp and saw the Brady-Moss connection
By Peter King

74 Scouting Reports
Breakdowns of all 32 teams, with grades for the nine units on each team, plus projected starting lineups and players in the spotlight

OBITUARY

34 Gene Upshaw, 1945--2008
The Hall of Fame guard's sudden death from pancreatic cancer stunned friends and adversaries and left a huge void at the NFL Players Association, which he led for 25 years
By Gary Smith

Departments

6 Leading Off

15 From the Editor

18 Letters

22 Players
• Baseball players, reinvented
• Olympics medals breakdown

31 Faces in the Crowd

32 Just My Type by Dan Patrick
• Sweet Lou's expectations

182 Point After
The '72 Dolphins provided perfect relief by Selena Roberts

Inside ...

178 Baseball
• G.M.'s on the hot seat

179 College Football
• Crosstown envy for UCLA

180 High School Football
• A wideout runs his dad's route

181 Fantasy Football
• Suggestions for a bold draft

2008 OLYMPICS

156 | Sweet Redemption
With a collegiate approach, U.S. hoops reclaimed gold
By Alexander Wolff

160 | What a Finish
Usain Bolt stole the show (again) with a sprint record
By Tim Layden

164 | Hope Regained
Goalkeeper Hope Solo led the U.S. to a soccer shocker
By Grant Wahl

166 | The Final Out?
U.S. softball—and the sport—made a stunning exit
By Selena Roberts

168 | Golden Spikers
The queens of beach volleyball extended their reign
By E.M. Swift

172 | Faster, Stronger, Richer
Life-changing bonuses helped spur Chinese athletes to gold
By S.L. Price

PHOTO

BRINGING OUT THE BEST For the NFL Preview Issue, SI printed six regional covers.

FIVE PHOTOS

[See caption above]

PHOTO

SPORTING NEWS ARCHIVES/ZUMA PRESS/ICON SMI (UPSHAW)