The participants may still be grouped in their old division, may have moved on to a new one, or may simply have a long and fractious history with each other.  But for many teams in Week 2 of the NFL season, it’s back to the "old days."

"Every time we play them, it’s a personal vendetta," says New York Jets running back CURTIS MARTIN about his team’s opponent this week, the visiting Super Bowl XXXVI-champion New England Patriots.  Martin could be describing the emotion in all of this week’s rivalry games.

One of the interesting themes of the Jets-Pats rivalry is the familiarity of the participants.  These guys know each other.  Fifteen players/coaches in Sunday’s game have bled Jets’ green and Pats’ blue.

Martin (New England, 1995-97) and Patriots head coach BILL BELICHICK (New York assistant head coach/secondary, 1997-99) are two prime examples.  Belichick has named a former Jet, defensive end ANTHONY PLEASANT, as one of his captains this season.  And he added three Jets to his Super Bowl troop this offseason – defensive linemen RICK LYLE and STEVE MARTIN, and safety VICTOR GREEN.  The Patriots have seven former Jets players on their roster – the most from one team on another team in the NFL.

You would think that all this familiarity might produce balanced games between the two.  In one way it has, in another it hasn’t.   Seven of the past nine games between the teams have been decided by 10 points or less.  But…five of those seven have been won by the Jets. 

The key for New York in most of those games has been Martin, who is nursing a left ankle sprain.  He has averaged 104 yards rushing the eight times he has faced his old mates.  "I feel like the Patriots bring out the best in me," says Martin.

Of course, the Patriots have their own rushing threat in ANTOWAIN SMITH, who himself came from a division rival last year (Buffalo) to end up as New England’s first 1,000-yard rusher (1,157) in three seasons.

The teams split last year, and the games mirrored the Patriots’ championship campaign.  New England dropped to 0-2 on September 23 with a loss to the Jets, lost their quarterback DREW BLEDSOE to injury, and had to go with unknown TOM BRADY.  Two months later, a 17-16 win over New York was the second of six consecutive Patriots victories to finish an 11-5 season, and Brady was known throughout the league and on his way to Super Bowl MVP.

NFL FACTOID

ALL-TIME "DOMERS" MEET:  When the Oakland Raiders play in Pittsburgh Sunday night, it will be a meeting of Notre Dame’s all-time NFL rusher (Steelers’ JEROME BETTIS; 10,911 yards) and all-time NFL receiving yards leader (Raiders’ TIM BROWN; 13,283 yards).

"You can turn it around in a hurry," says Belichick, coming off the Patriots’ 30-14 Monday night victory over Pittsburgh. 

 "It’s just so competitive in the NFL that it’s unpredictable.  It’s unpredictable what’s going to happen week to week." 

For unpredictability, just look at another "rivalry" game this week, one that will not be played again at Sunday’s site until 2006.  It’s the Miami Dolphins at the Indianapolis Colts – two former AFC East rivals who now live in different divisions (Miami still in the AFC East, Indianapolis now in the AFC South).

Tough playing on the road in the NFL (see Brian Billick quote below)?  Not for the Dolphins in Indy.  Miami has won for the past four years at the RCA Dome, the last three times with comeback victories.         

Of course, this is a different Colts team, one that is trying to emphasize defense to go along with its explosive offense. 

In the offseason, it brought in TONY DUNGY as head coach.  As head man of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dungy took them from a 27th NFL defensive ranking the year before he joined them (1995) to a position no lower than ninth his last five years there.

"Tony will do a good job in Indianapolis," says Dolphins head coach DAVE WANNSTEDT.  "You know how good of a defensive guy he is."

Dungy will have to prepare for something coaches have not had to really plan for recently when playing the Dolphins – a running game.  Miami’s offseason trade with New Orleans for running back RICKY WILLIAMS immediately paid dividends on Kickoff Weekend.  The former Heisman Trophy winner rushed for 111 yards and two touchdowns in his Dolphins debut.  With another 100 this week, Williams will become the first Dolphin with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since BERNIE PARMALEE in 1994.   

"When a defense knows Ricky is back there," says 335-pound Miami guard JAMIE NAILS, "not only do they have to worry about me running them over, but they have to worry about Ricky running them over."

Of course, the Dolphins have their own defensive worries – in the Colts’ "Triplets + 1."  Indy has added wide receiver QADRY ISMAIL (six catches for 84 yards and two TDs in Week 1) to go along with their basic explosive triumvirate of QB PEYTON MANNING (14th career three-TD game last Sunday), RB EDGERRIN JAMES (back from a knee injury with 26 carries for 99 yards) and WR MARVIN HARRISON (four catches, 34 yards, one TD).

The director of it all is Manning.  And Dolphins linebacker ZACH THOMAS is not at all sad to see him leave his division.  "Even when we blitz him," Thomas says, "he goes ‘hot’ and gets rid of the ball."

On Sunday night (ESPN, 8:30 PM ET), one of the all-time great NFL rivalries will be renewed in the 30th anniversary year of perhaps its most memorable game, the "Immaculate Reception."

It’s the Oakland Raiders at the Pittsburgh Steelers.  In the 1970s, the mention of these two teams meant one thing – playoff football.

In the space of an amazing five-year span from 1972-76, the teams met annually in either an AFC divisional or championship game.  The final three were for the conference championship, with the first two being taken by the Steelers and the last by the Raiders.  All three times, the winner went on to capture the Super Bowl.

But it is the 1972 matchup of the teams in an AFC Divisional Playoff game in Pittsburgh that people remember best.  The names alone are unforgettable – NOLL…MADDEN…BRADSHAW…STABLER…HARRIS…FUQUA…TATUM. 

With 22 seconds left in the game, the Steelers were down 7-6 on their own 40-yard line with a fourth-and-10.  After scrambling in the pocket, Steelers quarterback TERRY BRADSHAW rifled a pass to fullback FRENCHY FUQUA.    

The ball, Fuqua and Raiders safety JACK TATUM all collided.  The ball rebounded like a rubber ball off a house, and headed straight for Pittsburgh running back FRANCO HARRIS, who had leaked out of the backfield and tried to get open when he saw his scrambling QB looking for a receiver.

"I saw Frenchy and Tatum go up," said Harris.  "I saw the ball go up in the air and I said, ‘Oh no!’ But then I saw the ball coming toward me and I figured we’re not out of this yet."

The ball caromed nearly eight yards backwards and was caught in full stride by Harris a hair’s length from the turf.  Sixty yards later, he scored, and one of the most memorable plays ever – forevermore called the "Immaculate Reception" – and NFL games ever became etched in history.

Fast forward to this Sunday night and you’ve still got playoff teams battling.  The Raiders (Divisional) and Steelers (Championship) lost to the Patriots in the 2001 playoffs. 

For the teams’ defenses, it’s "pick your poison" night.  Gang up on the RBs (Pittsburgh’s JEROME BETTIS and Oakland’s CHARLIE GARNER) and the WRs (Raiders’ JERRY RICE and TIM BROWN; Steelers’ PLAXICO BURRESS and HINES WARD) will run you wild.  And so will the QBs – KORDELL STEWART of the Steelers and RICH GANNON of the Raiders.

On Monday night (ABC, 9:00 PM ET), let’s call it an "old-new" rivalry when two longtime NFC East foes meet in Washington when the Redskins host the Philadelphia Eagles (NFL Conference Call: Redskins LB LA VAR ARRINGTON, Thursday, September 12, 12:15 PM ET, 712/271-0329.  Passcode: NFL).      

"Old" because it’s been contested since 1934.  "New" because it -- and every other NFC East matchup this year – has a whole new aspect to it in Washington’s "ball coach" (as he calls himself), STEVE SPURRIER.

The former Florida coach (with a 122-27-1 record and 11 bowl appearances with the Gators) made his highly anticipated NFL coaching debut a successful one on Kickoff Weekend with a 31-23 win over Arizona.

And, yes, the Eagles’ pass defense – ranked No. 2 in the NFL last year – will have to be ready for that Spurrier air game (Redskins quarterback SHANE MATTHEWS threw 40 times Sunday).  But what was that coming out of the Washington backfield last week?  Running back STEPHEN DAVIS, who many thought might be an afterthought in Spurrier’s "Fun ‘n Gun" air game, but who ran 26 times for 104 yards and a TD (and added seven catches for another 46).

"Maybe you’ll see more of me as a runner and receiver," says Davis hopefully.

The Redskins will have their own hands full Monday night in trying to contain the QB who led the Eagles to the NFC Championship Game last year, DONOVAN MC NABB.  With three TD passes, he had Philadelphia up by 24-13 at the end of the third quarter last Sunday in Tennessee before the Titans rallied for a 27-24 victory.

"It’s going to be a fight," says Redskins defensive end RENALDO WYNN.  "It’s a big division rivalry, and they already lost their season opener.  They’re going to be looking forward to coming in here and winning."

No matter who wins Monday night, if the past in this series holds true, it will be a close game.  Seventeen of the past 21 meetings in the series have been decided by seven points or less.

And finally this week, it’s not a big rivalry game by description, but when the Denver Broncos visit the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, two of the rivals on the field will want to prove they’re the best – just as they have been among the five best at their position the past five years.

It will be the NFL leader in receptions in 2001 – wide receiver ROD SMITH of the Broncos (113) – against the wideout who topped the league in touchdown catches, TERRELL OWENS (16).  Since 1998, Smith and Owens have ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, in the NFL in receiving yards:  

YARD-MAKERS

Receiver (Yards)
Jimmy Smith, Jacksonville (5,558)
Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis (5,410)
Randy Moss, Minnesota (5,274)
Rod Smith, Denver (5,234)
Terrell Owens, San Francisco (4,756)

…AND YOU CAN QUOTE ME!

Interesting quotes from around the NFL

"The reason that I’m still around after 14 years is that I still have that feeling of excitement for that opportunity to get on the field and play"
Carolina Panthers quarterback RODNEY PEETE

"You look at Brett Favre and Kurt Warner and those guys – they make some unbelievable throws.  But they also make some throws that look horrible.  But they keep firing away.  That’s why they’re two of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game"
Washington Redskins quarterback SHANE MATTHEWS.

"Playing on the road in the NFL is the toughest thing in all of professional sports"
Baltimore Ravens head coach BRIAN BILLICK.

"I’ve got to depend on our line to do what they’ve got to do.  If they study and get their work in, I’ve got to go into the game feeling confident that they are going to get a hat on a hat, and I’ve got to be in proper running lanes to do what I need to do"
Dallas Cowboys running back EMMITT SMITH. 

"I was born talking.  I believe I came out of the womb talking"
– Cleveland Browns cornerback COREY FULLER.

2002 NFL STANDINGS

LAST WEEK’S RESULTS

(Home teams in caps)
N.Y. Jets 37, BUFFALO 31 (OT)
CAROLINA 10, Baltimore 7
San Francisco 16, N.Y. GIANTS 13
San Diego 34, CINCINNATI 6
MIAMI 49, Detroit 21
CHICAGO 27, Minnesota 23
Kansas City 40, CLEVELAND 39
TENNESSEE 27, Philadelphia 24
GREEN BAY 37, Atlanta 34 (OT)
Indianapolis 28, JACKSONVILLE 25
DENVER 23, St. Louis 16
WASHINGTON 31, Arizona 23
NEW ENGLAND 30, Pittsburgh 14
OAKLAND 31,Seattle 17
New Orleans 26, TAMPA BAY 20 (OT)
HOUSTON 19, Dallas 10

THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE – SEPTEMBER 15-16
(All times local)
Cincinnati at Cleveland 1:00 PM
Tampa Bay at Baltimore 1:00 PM
Chicago at Atlanta 1:00 PM
Miami at Indianapolis 12:00 PM
Tennessee at Dallas 12:00 PM
Detroit at Carolina 1:00 PM
Jacksonville at Kansas City 12:00 PM
Buffalo at Minnesota 3:15 PM
Green Bay at New Orleans 12:00
New England at N.Y. Jets 1:00 PM
Denver at San Francisco 1:15 PM
N.Y. Giants at St. Louis 3:05
Houston at San Diego 1:15 PM
Arizona at Seattle 1:05 PM
Oakland at Pittsburgh 8:30 PM (ESPN)
Philadelphia at Washington 9:00 PM (ABC)