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Inside THE NFL

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 9, 2007

GAME OF THE DAY

BEARS-CHARGERS

WHEN: 4:15 p.m.

WHERE: Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego

TV/CREW: WTVT, Channel 13 (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Pam Oliver)

ABOUT THE BEARS: The NFC champions are sticking with Rex Grossman at QB, but Cedric Benson replaces the departed Thomas Jones as Chicago's featured back. Lovie Smith's aggressive defense returns virtually intact, led by Pro Bowl LBs Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs. Mark Anderson, who led NFL rookies with 12 sacks despite starting only one game, replaces Alex Brown at RDE.

ABOUT THE CHARGERS: Norv Turner, 58-82-1 in stops with Washington and Oakland, succeeds Marty Schottenheimer on the sideline. He is surrounded by imposing talent on both sides of the ball. RB LaDainian Tomlinson, NT Jamal Williams, TE Antonio Gates and LB Shawne Merriman are among the best players in the league, and QB Philip Rivers went 14-2 in his first year as a starter.

KEY STAT: The Bears led the NFL with 44 takeaways in 2006, while San Diego committed a league-low 15 giveaways.

KEY MATCHUP: Chicago's Olin Kreutz, one of the NFL's most physical centers, takes on the 350-pound Williams, a disruptive run-stuffer who keys San Diego's 3-4 defense.

IRA KAUFMAN'S CALL: Chargers, 20-16

IRA's NFL PICKS

•Broncos over Bills, 24-14. Simeon Rice sacks J.P. Losman twice.

•Steelers over Browns, 17-10. Mike Tomlin opens with a road win.

•Packers over Eagles, 23-20. Green Bay's defense will be solid.

•Texans over Chiefs, 16-13. KC's offensive line has lost its luster.

•Jaguars over Titans, 31-14. David Garrard makes a vibrant opening statement.

•Falcons over Vikings, 20-10. Minnesota can't throw and Atlanta can bring the heat.

•Patriots over Jets, 28-24. Tom Brady is on a mission.

•Rams over Panthers, 23-21. St. Louis doesn't lack for weapons.

•Redskins over Dolphins, 16-10. Trent Green's Miami debut won't be pretty.

•Lions over Raiders, 20-9. Oakland's offense belongs in a Black Hole.

•Cowboys over Giants, 33-17. Come on down, Michael Strahan.

FAST STARTERS

Some running backs seem to get it right from the start. Here are the active NFL backs with the most rushing yards per game in Week 1 (minimum three games):

Player	Teams	Games	Yards	Yds./Gm.
Edgerrin James	Colts, Cardinals	8	840	105.0
LaDainian Tomlinson	Chargers	6	585	97.5
Rudi Johnson	Bengals	3	289	96.3
Clinton Portis	Broncos, Redskins	5	462	92.4
Ahman Green	Seahawks, Packers	9	793	88.1

COAST-TO-COAST CONNECTIONS

The Bucs and Seahawks each began play in 1976, and there are many connections between the teams as they meet in today's season opener at Qwest Field:

Name	Position	Current Team	Comment
Tim Ruskell	President, GM	Seahawks	Spent 17 seasons with Bucs in personnel
John Idzik	VP/football admin.	Seahawks	11 seasons in Bucs' front office
Ruston Webster	VP/player personnel	Seahawks	19 seasons with Bucs in personnel
Mike Yowarsky	East Region scouting director	Seahawks	15 years as Bucs scout
Mike Phair	Area scout	Seahawks	3 years as Bucs scout
Chuck Darby	DT	Seahawks	Four seasons with Bucs, started SB vs. Oak.
Ellis Wyms	DT	Seahawks	Started nine games in six seasons with Bucs
Will Heller	TE	Seahawks	Three starts in 19 games with Bucs
Joey Galloway	WR	Bucs	Spent first five seasons in Seattle
Jerramy Stevens	TE	Bucs	Spent first five seasons in Seattle
Bob Casullo	TEs coach	Bucs	Seattle's special teams coordinator (2005-06)

GAME OF THE DAY

IRA's NFL PICKS

FAST STARTERS

COAST-TO-COAST CONNECTIONS

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