8 Questions For 2004
By Jerry DiPaola

How will Buffalo Bills' coach Mike Mularkey formulate a game plan that includes two potentially great running backs (Travis Henry and Willis McGahee), a solid, veteran quarterback (Drew Bledsoe) and a rookie of the year candidate (wide receiver Lee Evans), supported by an accomplished veteran (Eric Moulds)? Anyway, he'll have fun trying, but maybe only for one year. Expect Bills president Tom Donahoe to trade one of his running backs after the season for a generous return.

Who will reap the greatest benefit from the blockbuster trade of cornerback Champ Bailey (now a Denver Bronco) for running back Clinton Portis (now a Washington Redskin)? Bailey is a rare commodity: a shut-down cornerback who can be trusted to take on any wide receiver one-on-one. That allows Broncos' defensive coordinator Larry Coyer to be creative elsewhere on the field because Bailey won't need much help. Meanwhile, Portis gives Redskins' coach Joe Gibbs what he covets for his offense, a workhorse back. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry for the Broncos last season, finishing third in the AFC with 1,591 yards. How good must Bailey be for the Broncos to give up Portis to get him?

How did the New England Patriots beat everyone else to running back Corey Dillon and how much better will he make them? The Patriots won the Super Bowl with a mediocre and sometimes lazy running back in Antowain Smith, who averaged a mere 3.5 yards every time he carried the football. Cleverly, they dumped Smith in the off-season and signed Dillon, one of the league's toughest runners and a player who had gotten stale in Cincinnati. The Patriots have won two of the past three Super Bowls without much of a running game. If Dillon, a seven-year veteran, has anything left (and he probably does), then the Patriots will be even more difficult to handle.

What will become of the Miami Dolphins without Ricky Williams? Better question: What will become of Dolphins' coach Dave Wannstedt, who might lose his job if he can't secure a playoff berth this season? In the long run, the Dolphins might be well rid of Williams, who seemed to like smoking marijuana more than he liked playing football. But replacing his 1,372 yards rushing (even if he got it in only 3.5-yard increments) might be difficult when Travis Minor (who?) looks like the best alternative. Minor, a three-year veteran, has a chance to be this year's breakthrough player in the NFL, but he also could become the answer to a trivia question: Who was the first of many backs the Dolphins unsuccessfully tried when Ricky Williams retired?

Can Philadelphia Eagles' coach Andy Reid advance to his fourth consecutive NFC Championship game, and this time get it right? The additions of pain-in-the-neck wide receiver Terrell Owens and defensive end Jevon Kearse, one of the NFL's most feared pass rushers, will help. Owens desperately wanted to play for the Eagles and try to catch Donovan McNabb's sometimes-erratic tosses. So, maybe his competitive zeal will surface in Philadelphia. Kearse has battled injuries recently, but he had 9-1Ú2 sacks in the first nine games last season before suffering a high ankle sprain and finishing with, well, 9-1Ú2.

What's to become of the Tennessee Titans, now that their Eddie George era has ended? Coach Jeff Fisher likes nothing so much as a dependable running back, and George was at least that for many seasons, collecting 10,009 career yards for the Oilers/Titans. After releasing George because their salary cap had become bloated and they couldn't afford him any longer at the salary he demanded, the Titans will turn to second-year player Chris Brown, who suffered a series of injuries last season. No team has won more regular-season games than the Titans the past five seasons, but without George and Kearse, their window of opportunity appears ready to slam shut.

Will the Dallas Cowboys become the third team that coach Bill Parcells takes to the Super Bowl? There is no quick answer to that question, but the defense should be good, coming off a No. 1 ranking in 2003. Added to that mix is former Pro Bowl defensive end Marcellus Wiley, who has rushed the passer with viciousness in his best years, which may be behind him. On the other side of the ball, Drew Henson might be the quarterback of the future, but he may not be ready and Parcells may be forced to live with Vinny Testaverde for a full season. Then, he has to hope that George, who came over from the Titans, has something left and former Pitt wide receiver Antonio Bryant can stop throwing sweaty jerseys at his coach.

Can the New York Giants' coach Tom Coughlin, who has major holes elsewhere on his team, make the right decision between high-profile quarterbacks Eli Manning and Kurt Warner? Manning, like the Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger, might be one year away from being able to handle a starting job. Warner has to prove to Coughlin that he is more than someone keeping Manning's eventual throne warm. But Warner is 33 and has been injury-prone recently.