LINEUP

DEPARTMENTS

6 Leading Off

13 Letters

15 Scorecard

The NFL one year after Black Sunday

24 Faces in the Crowd

26 Just My Type

Nick Saban on acting in and watching movies

BY DAN PATRICK

30 Inside ...

College Football

A final four is shaping up

NFL

Alex Smith's ascent

Soccer

New coach, slow start

76 Point After

Do you believe in Tim Tebow?

BY PHIL TAYLOR

FEATURES

WORLD SERIES PREVIEW

The Rangers-Cardinals matchup will feature big bats, lockdown bullpens and ... more big bats

By Tom Verducci

P. 40

This week SI has two covers

46 PRO FOOTBALL

GUESSING GAME

Good luck trying to separate contenders from pretenders

By Tim Layden

50 COLLEGE FOOTBALL

KELLEN MOORE

He's about to become the winningest QB in history

By Austin Murphy

56 IN MEMORIAM

DAN WHELDON

The sport mourns the loss of the two-time Indy champion

By Lars Anderson

58 PRO HOCKEY

JAROMIR JAGR

The winger has given Philly more than an offensive boost

By Brian Cazeneuve

BASKETBALL WAS THE EASY PART

Jerry West reveals the sources of his drive—and of the depression that haunted him

By Gary Smith

Plus an excerpt from WEST BY WEST

P. 64

"The Flyers appear to have found in Jagr both what they expected and what they could have never guessed: a source of joyful purpose in what had been a damaged locker room.

—Brian Cazeneuve on Philadelphia winger Jaromir Jagr (left)

P. 58

ON THE COVER

PHOTOGRAPHS BY GREG NELSON (CRUZ); JOHN BIEVER (PUJOLS); JAMES DRAKE (WEST)

Please Recycle This Magazine Remove Inserts or Samples Before Recycling

PHOTO

FRED VUICH (JAGR)

PHOTO

SIMON BRUTY (VICK)

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO In the topsy-turvy NFL, Michael Vick and the "Dream Team" Eagles are just 2--4 after slipping past Washington.

FIVE PHOTOS