National Football League

BC-FBN--NFL Preview Digest, FBN

Published Sep. 1, 2013 3:19 p.m. ET

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Sports Editors:

The Associated Press sent Part 1 of its NFL preview package last week. Part 2 will be sent for editions of Aug. 31-Sept. 1, and thereafter.

Part 2

FBN-ALL ABOUT THE ACL

MINNEAPOLIS - Adrian Peterson's rapid recovery from ACL reconstruction surgery last year redefined, fair or not, the rehabilitation process for NFL players, who have been falling out all over the league this month with this famous injury. The next case study is Robert Griffin III, who so far is on the same fast track that Peterson took last season to win the league MVP award. By Pro Football Writer Dave Campbell.

AP Photos.

FBN--CANDLESTICK'S FAREWELL

SAN FRANCISCO - From the moment Dwight Clark leaped high to pull in Joe Montana's touchdown pass that helped send San Francisco to its first Super Bowl, Candlestick Park would always be known for that instant classic, ''The Catch.'' In a stadium that also featured spectacular catches from Hall of Fame center fielder Willie Mays, drives by home run king Barry Bonds, an earthquake that interrupted the 1989 Bay Bridge World Series and even the Beatles' final concert, the birth of Bill Walsh's football dynasty and that play from Montana to Clark against the Dallas Cowboys tops all of those iconic moments in The Stick's storied baseball and football history. By Janie McCauley.

AP Photos.

FBN--NEW VS. OLD QBS

Coaches believe it's safer for quarterbacks in the pocket. Tell that to Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers, all relatively stationary passers who have had major surgery. Then again, having your QB double as a running threat doesn't thrill most coaches, either - even when it's Michael Vick, Russell Wilson or RG3 scooting around. By Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner.

AP Photos.

FBN--COACHES TO COMMENTATORS

NEW YORK - When an NFL coaching job opens, rumors about retired Super Bowl winners Jon Gruden and Bill Cowher often surface. But they and other former coaches are in no rush to return to the sideline from their TV gigs. By Rachel Cohen.

AP Photos.

FBN--BAGGING THE NFL

MIAMI - The NFL is trying to separate people from their carry-ins, even though it might be easier to get the ball away from Tom Brady. In the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, the league has adopted new restrictions regarding the size and type of bags fans can bring to games. By Steven Wine.

AP Photos.

FBN--DISAPPEARING MIDDLE MEN

From the broadcast booth this fall, Brian Urlacher and Ray Lewis can see their legacies live on in the svelte, swift middle linebackers that roam today's NFL. Guys who race to keep up with the spread offenses, the read-option quarterbacks and the big, athletic tight ends. That is, when they're not trotting to the sideline so their teams can flood the field with extra defensive backs. By Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton.

AP Photos.

FBN-SAINTS-PAYTON'S PLACE

NEW ORLEANS - Sean Payton appreciates that the overriding story line of the 2013 New Orleans Saints is his return to coaching and the effect it will have on a club that made the playoffs in four of his first six seasons before dipping below .500 while he served his bounty suspension. If it were up to Payton, though, it would just be about football, not him. By Brett Martel

AP Photos.

Also:

-FBN--Pick 6-OWs and DWs. By Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner.

-FBN--Worst Teams. 5 things to know about the worst teams in NFL. By Pro Football Writer Barry Wilner.