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Houston's Mario Williams on the Cover of Latest ESPN The Magazine - Part of the 2008 Football Preview

NEW YORK-(Business Wire)-August 29, 2008 - Are you ready for some football? ESPN The Magazine is. Its annual NFL Preview issue hits newsstands today and is highlighted by The Texans, who have never finished a season with a winning record. But The Magazine thinks they'll break through in 2008. In "Hey it Could Happen," writer David Fleming spends a few days with the team's "it factor" Mario Williams at the Texans training camp. From nap time to night sessions, the loose energetic Texans are looking to shake up the league hierarchy.

— "For the first time, when I left Houston I felt like I was missing something. Growing up, I was always extremely happy and at peace in the woods, and that's where I am now with football. When you're the first pick overall, there is a sense of chasing it, the pressure of living up to what you know you can do. I've stopped chasing it. Football is coming to me, and I'm running with it." - Mario Williams

Go to ESPNthemag.com for exclusive behind the scenes footage of Williams cover shoot.

After winning the past two Super Bowls, it's fair to say that Peyton and Eli Manning have changed some during their NFL careers. In "Black Coffee, F-Bombs, Cell Phones & Super Bowls" writer Seth Wickersham compares each brother's past and present, one thing becomes evident: they are not as different from one another as you thought they were.

Other features in the NFL Preview include:

WE'RE ALL JUST DAY TO DAY. Inside NFL locker rooms, nothing is more valuable than a player's ability to play through pain. Players must follow an unwritten toughness code - or end up rehabbing their reps. Seth Wickersham reports on the six unwritten rules of the culture of hurt.

LOVE POTION NO. XLIII. What do the 2007 Niners, 2006 Cardinals, the 2005 Jets and the 2004 Lions all have in common? Everyone thought they would be breakout teams, but they went bust instead. The Mag's friends at Football Outsiders looked at the recent history of "It" teams - those that went from .500-or-under to the playoffs over the course of two seasons - and discovered six "It" factors these squads shared. By applying these "It" factors, The Mag names this season's "It" team ... The Texans. Aaron Schatz report.

ROAD Kill. The most dangerous place on the field is between Marion Barber and the end zone. Barber's friends, family and opponents tell The Mag how he went from overlooked fourth-round pick in 2004 to the most feared RB in the NFL. Eddie Matz reports.

TELL US HOW YOU REALLY FEEL. Our experts join NFL scouts and players for a 3-D preview of all 32 teams

Super Bowl match-up and Champ picks: -0- *T — ESPN The Magazine Chargers vs. Saints Winner: Chargers — Marcellus Wiley, ESPN Jaguars vs. Cowboys Winner: Jaguars Analyst — Merril Hoge, ESPN Jaguars vs. Seahawks Winner: Jaguars Analyst — Mark Schlereth, ESPN Chargers vs. Cowboys Winner: Chargers Analyst *T

Playoff contenders are only as strong as their bullpens. In "No Bull" writer Buster Olney ranks 14 contending MLB team bullpens. The Cubs are looking real good - the Marlins, not so much.

Rick Reilly weighs in on how lots of minor leaguer baseball players got hosed by steroids - and that they should sue.

Other features in the latest issue of ESPN The Magazine include:

3 UP 3 DOWN. The Angels' Francisco Rodriquez is on pace to break Bobby Thigpen's single-season save record and rake in bundles of free agent cash. How did baseball's best closer get so good? Eric Neel reports.

TREADING WATER. The Chinese gave us fair warning. If we don't start growing our talent pool, America's time atop Olympic medal counts may be over. Plus: where you can get an athlete's sperm. Tom Farrey reports.

COUNTDOWN ... TO U.S. VS. CUBA. En route to South Africa 2010, this embargo-defying World Cup qualifier in Havana may prove historic - on and off the field. Doug McIntyre reports.

WHERE ... has Oregon State wide receiver Sammie Stroughter been? And where doe she goes from here? The Pac-10's most dynamic talent is ready to answer tough questions. Tim Keown reports.

THE COACH WILL SEE YOU NOW. Bill Curry has coached Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Alabama, but none of those programs posed the challenge that he faces at Georgia State - building a program from scratch in just two years. The Mag checks in with him on Day 1, in the first part of a series of stories called "How to Build a Program in Two Short Years." Justin Heckert reports. ***ESPN THE MAGAZINE COVERS AVAILABLE BUSINESSWIRE.COM AND ESPNMEDIAZONE.COM ***

Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN's latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.

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