September 15, 2008 Table Of Contents
SI.com
SI Players: LIFE ON AND OFF THE FIELD
His stay may be short, but Wisconsin fans are loving CC Sabathia anyway
By Luke Winn
Hell was being a backup, so Culpepper quit
By Jim Trotter
For a school shaped by Katrina, the sky's the limit
What to watch and watch for
By Sarah Kwak
By Dan Patrick
PRO FOOTBALL
The stellar Jets debut of Brett Favre was one of many fresh starts on the NFL's opening weekend. But while hope was in ample supply, Tom Brady's injury cast a long shadow over the race for the Super Bowl
By Damon Hack
In a replay of sorts, the Patriots' QB goes down with an injury and an untested backup takes over. It worked out fine last time
By Peter King
Touted as the next Kurt Warner, the 49ers' J.T. O'Sullivan got a lesson from the original
By Jim Trotter
In a suddenly wide-open AFC, Pittsburgh-Cleveland takes on added urgency
COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Who wins the showdown between Ohio State and USC could hinge on which of the nation's top linebackers—James Laurinaitis or Rey Maualuga—takes control
TENNIS
Defying reports that his years of tennis greatness are over, Roger Federer redeemed a disappointing season by beating two of his top young rivals to win his fifth straight U.S. Open
BASEBALL
Speedsters (and even a few sluggers) have ushered in a new era of base thieving, a crime wave that could pay off big come October
NASCAR CHASE PREVIEW 2008
Strip away the car and the team, and what enables a driver to excel? Sprint Cup favorite KYLE BUSCH and his closest rivals offer thoughts on what it really takes to get up to speed
Eyes on the road? Sure, but NASCAR's best drivers have clearly been sizing up their competition as well
Four former champions are in the Sprint Cup hunt, but a pair of hot young guns leads the field into the postseason
By Mark Beech
From ballyhooed debuts and last hurrahs to redemption and desperation, the season's last 10 races offer plenty of drama beyond the Chase
By Mark Beech
Inside
The new spread offense at Penn State has an unconventional name—and so far, it has been close to unstoppable
By Mark Beech
Stewart Mandel's Three-Point Stance
Playing its first match in Cuba in 61 years, the U.S. scratched out a victory but flashed few signs of life on offense
By Grant Wahl
Defying all preseason expectations, a takeaway message from Week 1 is, Pick up an Eagles receiver
By David Sabino
Point After
By Phil Taylor
