Football Digest: Seismic shifts: we examine 10 moves that could have the biggest impact on the NFL i

THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS appeared to be sitting in the catbird seat this offseason. They were coming off their second Super Bowl title in three years and were looking at following the lead of the Dallas Cowboys (1992-95) and becoming only the second team to win three in four years. However, New England actually was walking a tightrope.

In this era of the salary cap, it's exceedingly difficult to sustain success. And sure enough, cornerback Ty Law began complaining that the Patriots weren't offering him a new contract. He even suggested Bill Belichick had lied to him, but the coach wisely ignored his disgruntled player. Law is under contract, and the Patriots aren't going to dump him the way they did safety Lawyer Milloy on the eve of last season.

Maintaining their focus is one of the strengths of the Patriots. They lost their opener last season, 31-0, against the Bills in Buffalo amid the flap over Milloy's abrupt departure. but got back on track and dropped only one game the rest of the season.

They'll enter this season with 15 consecutive victories, and if they beat the Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, Bills, and Miami Dolphins in their first four games, they'll set an all-time record with 19 straight wins, including the playoffs. The Patriots' bid to stay on top will be the most compelling story of the upcoming season, but there are plenty of others worth watching.

What follows are 10 offseason events that could have the biggest impact on 2004.

1. NEW ENGLAND SNAGS RUNNING BACK COREY DILLON

The trademark of most Super Bowl teams is that they have a franchise-type running back. Yet the Patriots won the Super Bowl last season without one. Antowain Smith, with 642 yards, and Kevin Faulk, with 638, shared the running back duties. The addition of Dillon appears to change all that. He's the type of big-time running back the Patriots haven't had in the past.

Yet Dillon doesn't come without risk. He spent much of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals griping about one thing or the other. The Patriots are gambling that Dillon will have a different attitude now that he's playing on a winning team. Dillon will either make them even better or damage their chemistry.

2. JOE GIBBS RETURNS

In his first run with the Washington Redskins from 1981 through 1992, Gibbs established himself as a Hall of Fame coach. He's one of only six coaches since World War II to win more than two rifles (Paul Brown, Weeb Ewbank, Vince Lombardi, Bill Walsh, and Chuck Noll are the other five), and he's the only one to do it with three different quarterbacks. Now he wants to prove Thomas Wolfe wrong and show that you can go home again.

But here's the problem: Except for their name, the Redskins in no way resemble the team he once coached. They're now owned by Dan Snyder, who fires coaches the way some men change ties and tosses around money as if it were confetti. Trying to win while keeping the impatient Snyder at bay will be quite a challenge for Gibbs.

3. PHILADELPHIA OPENS ITS WALLET

The Eagles have been noted for being a model team in the salary cap era. Although they paid big money for quarterback Donovan McNabb, they generally identify their key players early and lock them up with long-term deals. Then they let their aging, high-priced veterans go. The Eagles are a thrifty bunch, to be sure.

But after three straight losses in the NFC title game, they took the big-money plunge by obtaining defensive end Jevon Kearse and wide receiver Terrell Owens. These signings could make or break the Eagles. Kearse has been plagued by injuries, and Owens is noted for attitude problems. Still, if Kearse and Owns pan out, the Eagles may finally reach the Super Bowl.

4. DENVER TRADES CLINTON PORTIS TO WASHINGTON FOR CHAMP BAILEY

The Broncos didn't want to give Portis a new deal because he had two years left on his rookie contract. As a result, they traded him to the Redskins for Bailey. They gave Bailey a seven-year, $63 million deal, while Portis got an eight-year, $50.5 million pact from Washington. Portis is a good fit for the one-back offense that Gibbs likes in Washington. But it remains to be seen whether the move will backfire on the Broncos. Coach Mike Shanahan has an impressive history of developing 1,000-yard running backs, but Portis is a uniquely talented player. Finding a fill-in for him isn't going to be easy.

5. PEYTON MANNING SCORES A RECORD CONTRACT FROM THE COLTS

Since the Colts had failed to redo Manning's contract before it reached the final year, they found themselves in a bind this spring. They couldn't take the salary cap hit of putting the franchise tag on him and they couldn't afford to lose him, so they gave the quarterback a seven-year, $98 million deal that included an NFL-record 834.5 million signing bonus. The Colts note that the deal is salary cap-friendly in the early years; they'll worry about those late years when they arrive. Still, the contract may ultimately hinder the Colts' attempt to put a good team around Manning, particularly on defense. Manning has the green, but it remains to be seen if he'll ever get the ring.

6. THE DROWNS SIGN JEFF GARCIA

This decision could help or hurt both the Browns and Garcia's former team, the San Francisco 49ers. The Browns are gambling that, at age 34, the QB is still at the top of the game and can make the Browns a contender. Last year, his quarterback rating was only 80.1, ninth-best in the NFC. The 49ers decided they could do without him when he refused to take a paycut. It didn't help that San Francisco's new starling quarterback, Tim Rattay, got injured shortly after Garcia departed. Now it's up to Garcia to prove that the Browns made the right decision and the 49ers made the wrong one.

7. THE CHARGERS TRADE ELI MANNING TO THE GIANTS

The Chargers have a long history of misfiring at the quarterback position. In 1983, they had three first-round picks and wouldn't give them up to acquire John Elway. And in the past six years, they selected Ryan Leaf, passed on Michael Vick, and traded away Eli Manning. The Chargers' spin on the Manning deal is that they acquired the quarterback they really coveted, anyway, in Philip Rivers and got rid of a player who didn't want to play for them. But if Manning is a star for the Giants and Rivers turns out to be a bust, San Diego will regret this move. The Chargers, who are trying to win the fans over so that they can build a new stadium, just can't afford to miss on another quarterback.

8. THE COWBOYS TAKE A FLYING ON DREW HENSON

Would Henson have become another Tom Brady, his former teammate at Michigan, if he hadn't decided to give baseball a shot? That's something we'll never know. What we do know is that Brady won two Super Bowl rings while Henson was a flop in the minors. Now Henson is going to try to become another Roger Staubach for the Cowboys. Staubach got a late start on his career because he had to serve out his Navy obligation after graduating from the Naval Academy. It's difficult for a quarterback to make up for all that lost time, but the Cowboys are willing to take the chance. For coach Bill Parcells' rebuilding plan to come to fruition, they have to have a big-time quarterback.

9. A.J. Fm FY GOES TO THE DOLPHINS

The Dolphins, who've been looking for a quarterback since Dan Marino was pushed out the door after the 1999 season. decided Feeley was the answer, even though he spent last year at the Eagles' third-team quarterback and never appeared in a game. Miami is counting on Feeley to repeat his 2002 season, when he had a 75.4 quarterback rating while filling in for the injured Donovan McNabb and Koy Detmer. But there's no guarantee that Feeley is an upgrade on Jay Fiedler, or will even beat him out in training camp. Coach Dave Wannstedt is virtually betting his job that Feeley will take the Dolphins to the playoffs and win some games once he gets them there. That's a tall order.

10. WARREN SAPP AND TED WASHINGTON BECOME RAIDERS

It figured that Oakland would try to rebuild their defensive line by signing the 31-year-old Sapp and the 36-year-old Washington. The Raiders are noted for acquiring aging players who still have some gas left in theft tanks. The strategy worked superbly when the Raiders went to the Super Bowl two years ago, but the team looked old last year when it went 4-12. If Sapp and Washington can contribute, the Raiders' defense will be greatly improved. The team ranked dead-last in 2004 in rush defense. That unit needs some backbone, and now it's up to Sapp and Washington to provide it.