In the dog days of August, it’s hard to believe football is upon us. But with the pre-season already here and the first regular season game right around the corner, it’s the perfect time to kick off our annual NFL preview. This year, writer Rudy Klancnik takes on “Turf Wars”, a look at five of the NFL’s most enduring team rivalries. He also polled players on the toughest turfs to play, lists this year’s most promising rookies, and pays homage to the game’s best vets.

Klancnik has written several sports stories for American Way, including one that highlighted 50 must-do outings for sports fans. It was highly subjective, and we knew some readers would write protesting our picks or proposing their own. Though his piece in this issue is a bit less opinionated, I’m sure a few of you will fume that we didn’t include this team or that player. Rant away; we want to hear from you.

We also want to hear from you road warriors out there. We’ve launched our second annual American Way Road Warrior Search, and are looking for savvy travelers to share their tales and tips with us. You could win the grand prize, an all-new Lincoln Navigator. Second prize is a deluxe Sanyo Fisher home theater system, plus a golf, ski, or beach getaway from AA Vacations. And three third-prize winners will receive a Sanyo digital camera, plus their choice of three AA Vacations. All winners will be featured in an upcoming special issue of American Way. Enter the Road Warrior Search today. The contest ends October 7, 2002. So open up that laptop and let us hear from you.