The NFL Preview Issue of ESPN The Magazine, on newsstands Friday, August 22, provides new insights and unique analysis to prepare sports fans for one of the most anticipated NFL seasons in recent memory.
On the Cover
Seth Wickersham profiles LeSean McCoy, the Eagles running back who led the NFL in both carries (314) and rushing yards (1,607) last season under first-year head coach Chip Kelly, who may have figured out a way to revive the concept of a workhorse running back at a time when every team – except Minnesota – is fleeing from the very notion.
Running Away from the Running Back
Despite the counter strategies of Chip Kelly and the anomaly that is Adrian Peterson, fans have heard the narrative that NFL teams are valuing the running back less and less. Now The Mag’s Igor Guryashkin has the numbers to prove it.
In-Depth Previews of All 32 NFL Teams
The Mag previews all 32 teams with help from the ESPN.com’s NFL Nation writers, who name the most emblematic moments of their teams’ off-seasons; Pro Football Focus, who identifies a “secret superstar;” and Field Yates, who gives each team’s best and worst case scenarios.
The 53-man Super Squad
Mark Dominik assembles the ultimate 53-man roster, taking into consideration star players, role players, cap room – everything. Alongside the piece will be an “as told to” from Patrick Peterson, the Arizona Cardinals cornerback and a member of Dominik’s 53-man roster.
Ray Rice
Kevin Van Valkenburg takes a look at Ray Rice and the depth and breadth of the different responses to his situation through the lens of people with specific connections to the event, such as his coach and teammates, as well as those involved in domestic violence prevention organizations.
NFL Nation Confidential
ESPN.com’s 32 NFL Nation bloggers spoke to 82 NFL players across the league about Johnny Football, Jay Cutler, Super Bowl favorites and painkillers.
The Pillsbury Throwboy
Jared Lorenzen was Hefty Lefty, the Pillsbury Throwboy – 280 pounds, but a talented enough quarterback to break Tim Couch’s records at Kentucky and back up Eli Manning on his first Super Bowl team. Tommy Tomlinson profiles Lorenzen and how he ate his way out of the NFL and even the Arena League, and then broke his leg playing for the Ultimate Indoor Football League. Now rehabbing, Lorenzen describes what it’s like when your appetite for the game and your appetite for the table intersect in career-changing ways.
Additional highlights from the NFL Preview issue:
MLB: In the first year of instant replay, MLB is on pace for 600 overturned calls. Eddie Matz and Dan Szymborski break down the umpires who get it wrong the most and the least – and which of those guys will be working the postseason. We also project how some of the newly formed pitching staffs changed at the trade deadline and how they’ll finish out the season.
College Football: Has the Pac-12 caught up to the SEC? Andrew Lewellen explores this question, comparing factors like returning quarterbacks, FPI, coaches, recruiting and on-the-field talent to determine just how close—or not—the Pac-12 is to the country’s premier conference.Also, The Mag takes a look at the four coaches taking over new programs, comparing their coaching philosophies to their new schools’ rosters, and we make the Heisman case for Navy QB Keenan Reynolds.
NBA: Looking ahead to the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Jordan Brenner identifies the three biggest weaknesses of this year’s U.S. team, as well as three teams primed and ready to take advantage.
Tennis: Using Hawk-Eye technology, Shaun Assael explores how the top players’ positioning adjustments will change as they begin play at the U.S. Open—whether they return serves from a different spot on the court at Wimbledon than in New York, and whether they make errors in different points.
Golf: Scott Miller helps readers identify their rooting interest in the upcoming FedEx Cup—in flowchart form.
Trending: Sam Alipour takes a look at the best movies, books, apps and games coming out this fall.
Columns
Peter Keating explores how a particular stat can reveal how fully and awfully a player has declined—in this case, Albert Pujols and his plunging walk rate. He also shows how free, easy-to-use data is turning even armchair fans into sabermaticians.
Mina Kimes attended a Texas Rangers game with several hundred Korean Americans to cheer on Shin Soo Choo. Despite his slump this year, he’s still warmly received by Korean fans.
Howard Bryant examines how Andy Dalton got himself plenty of money in a nice new deal, but one thing he didn’t get is what the NFL will never give: control. While the NBA is king of the top-out clause, no in-his-prime, top-line NFL QB has ever been a free agent.