Lineup

42 | PRO FOOTBALL

Denver Broncos

With eight new defensive starters and a stress on situational football, the team that hemorrhaged points last season is giving up the fewest in the NFL

By Jim Trotter

46 | COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Fearsome Frogs

TCU coach Gary Patterson has made the Horned Frogs a perennial power by taking good high school offensive players and turning them into great college defenders

By Austin Murphy

54 | BASEBALL

Postseason Preview

There's no playoff spectacle like a start by Pedro Martinez, who is finally back in October, this time with the Phillies

By Tom Verducci

• SI's picks for each of the four Division Series

60 | PRO FOOTBALL

Kenny Washington

He was Jackie Robinson's college teammate, but today who remembers the man who broke the NFL's color barrier a year before Robinson integrated baseball?

By Alexander Wolff

Departments

4 Letters

6 Leading Off

16 Scorecard

Soccer diplomacy: U.S. at Honduras

28 Just My Type

Dancin' Michael Irvin

by Dan Patrick

30 Faces in the Crowd

34 Inside ...

• The NFL

The Saints' stingy D

• Fantasy Football

Who's up, who's down

• College Football

Stanford's shifty back

• NASCAR

Junior looks forward

72 The Vault

Walter Payton's record

76 Point After

Quit playing, Tim Tebow. (No, don't.)

by Chris Ballard

Free safety Darren Sharper keys the Saints' secondary (page 35).

ON THE COVER

Photograph by Bob Rosato

Inset: NFL Photos/AP

NOTE

With a pink logo, SI joins the NFL in promoting breast cancer awareness

Please Recycle This Magazine Remove Inserts or Samples Before Recycling

PHOTO

BILL FEIG/AP (SHARPER)

FOUR PHOTOS