This story appears in ESPN The Magazines October 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!In July 2014, I ran into Chris Petersen after his first-ever go-round at Pac-12 media days as he waited for his flight back to Seattle. Eight months earlier, hed taken over as Washingtons head coach for Seven-Win Steve Sarkisian, who had replaced Tyrone Willingham, who once went winless at U-Dub. Still, Petersen had a simple blueprint to return the Huskies to prominence after a quarter century of obscurity. Bringing it back to a championship level will be dictated by our ability to recruit and to develop defensive linemen, Petersen told me. Two and a half years later, he has proved prophetic. Heres why the Petersen principles work.He hoards homegrown talentOn Dec. 20, 2013, Washington native and ESPN 300 safety Budda Baker committed to Oregon. But nearly three years later, on Oct. 8, 2016, on the first play from scrimmage, Baker intercepted those same Ducks to set up a three-play touchdown drive -- the first of 10 scores for his Huskies offense.That play was made possible in February 2014, when, two months into his tenure, Petersen persuaded Baker to abandon his Oregon pledge, stay local and become a Husky. At the time, Baker was a four-star defensive back and the top-ranked prep in the state of Washington -- and top-ranked Washington preps did not stay home. In 2013, QB Max Browne fled to SoCal (USC). In 2012, O-lineman Joshua Garnett headed to NorCal (Stanford). So Petersen set out to do what his predecessors -- Rick Neuheisel, Keith Gilbertson, Willingham and even Sarkisian -- failed to consistently do: build a hedge around Washington to keep top recruits home, then dip into California, Oregon and Hawaii, as necessary.In all, Petersen kept four of Washingtons top 10 recruits in-state for his first recruiting class in 2014, six in 2015, four in 2016 and four and counting for next year (compared with two and three, respectively, in Sarks last two years). And it all began with a D-back from nearby Bellevue, the Swiss Army knife of the Huskies secondary, who intercepted the very program he spurned for his hometown team.No one is bigger than the team ... no oneNine months after landing Baker, his first marquee prep, Petersen dismissed Marcus Peters, his marquee holdover from Sarkisian. Peters was a long, athletic D-back who could shut down anyone. (The Kansas City Chiefs would go on to draft him in the first round in 2015.) But he also shut out Petersens brand of discipline. Peters clashed with the new staff, and in early November 2014, Petersen booted the three-year starter. He was the eighth player suspended or dismissed in Petersens first year in Seattle.Nearly two years later, UW still feels the aftershock of Peters departure. Case in point: In Husky Stadium after a workout in the summer -- 21 months later -- several upperclassmen told me they cite Petersens dismissal of their star player as the moment the program began to mend itself after the chaotic, undisciplined end to the Sarkisian era.He found a right-handed Kellen MooreLike Moore, the winningest quarterback in FBS history (50-3 as a starter for Petersen at Boise State), sophomore QB Jake Browning withstood early whispers of arm-strength concerns. Also like Moore, Brownings prolific numbers have quelled doubts. Through six weeks, he was the most efficient FBS passer (204.9 rating) and second only to Louisvilles Lamar Jackson in QBR (89.7), with 23 touchdowns and two interceptions. Browning, of course, is not the first talented QB to come through Seattle this decade (see: Jake Locker). But what elevates him is a Moore-like chemistry with Petersen.From the jump, in the season-opening 48-13 win over Rutgers, Petersen gave Browning autonomy in the huddle and the freedom to adjust to defensive looks. In QB parlance? He gave the gift of advantage reads. There were a handful of [checks] that he left alone, that he needed to leave alone because they werent showing a different look, Petersen said after Browning torched Rutgers for 287 yards and a 94.6 QBR. There were a lot of checks going on out there. Even Sark, a former QB, never shared that level of trust with his triggermen.Hes a master of trench warfareOutside of that gang in Tuscaloosa, there isnt a front in the country better than D-coordinator Pete Kwiatkowskis war daddies: In all, his line has 18? of UWs Power 5-leading 24 sacks. The front fours dominance is so complete -- in the bloodbath vs. Stanford, the Huskies made all eight sacks without ever rushing more than four men -- Kwiatkowski is sending an extra defender on only 5.7 percent of snaps. And the math behind Petersens success is the same in Seattle as it was in Boise: mixing high-profile names (Sarkisian-era legacy recruits like Vita Vea and Elijah Qualls) with lower-visibility projects (onetime Broncos commit Greg Gaines).As disruptive as the unit has been thus far in 2016, it has proved similarly versatile. Against Stanford, the Pac-12s physical, smashmouth bully, the Huskies played in a phone booth ... and allowed 0.97 of a yard per rush. In Eugene, taking on Oregons blur attack, they prevailed in space and allowed 5.3 yards a play, the Ducks worst clip all year. USCs pro style and Wazzus air raid still loom, but Petersens ability to develop his trenches has produced the Huskies best line in -- count em -- 25 years.Welcome to an NFL huddle, Mr. Goff .Your assignment, as No. 1 overall pick in Aprils draft who has not gotten on the field yet, but starts Sunday for the Rams against the Dolphins, is simple: win.Doing so against a Miami team that has won four straight makes your task a bit tougher. But never mind, Jared, go out and play like fellow rookie quarterbacks Dak Prescott in Dallas and Carson Wentz in Philadelphia.Its been a long time, it feels like, since Ive gotten out there and played, says Goff, and hes right -- it was the preseason when he last took a meaningful snap. Im excited to get back out there and play.Ive been working hard to get to that point. Im glad its finally come, glad theyve given me that vote of confidence and the nod. Im ready to go and proving them right.The Rams (4-5) come off a 9-6 victory at the Jets, hardly a boost of confidence for the offense. So coach Jeff Fisher made the switch.The opponent has looked formidable the past month. After winning last weekend at San Diego, the Dolphins (5-4 ) stayed in California this week to train.Its a different week for us just being away from home and being out of our normal facility, quarterback Ryan Tannehill says. Its definitely a challenge for us, but I think we have the focus to get it done the right way.I think thats one of the benefits of being out here together is we have time to spend together, to go to dinner, to hang out and build that team unity.The action began with Carolinas 23-20 home victory over New Orleans.Cam Newton threw for 192 yards and a touchdown in the game marred by injuries to key players. Newton was 14 of 33 and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Ted Ginn Jr. to help the Panthers (4-6) pull even with the Saints for third place in the NFC South.The Panthers lost former NFL Defensive Player of the Year Luke Kuechly (concussion), two-time All-Pro center Ryan Kalil (shoulder), defensive end Mario Addison (foot) and cornerback Leonard Johnson (chest) to injuries. Kuechly left the field on a cart while tears streamed down his face. The Saints lost running back Mark Ingram to a concussion in the third quarter.Off this week are the Falcons (6-4), Chargers (4-6), Jets (3-7) and Broncos (7-3).Houston (6-3) vs. Oakland (7-2) at Mexico CityFootball returns to a mecca of futbol, when the Raiders host the Texans at Azteca Stadium -- the first regular-season game south of the border in 11 years.I like to watch soccer, so Im wondering is it going to be like a soccer atmosphere where they have the horns playing and stuff like that, Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye says. I looked at the field just to see what its like and everything. Im already visualizing everything on what its going to be like.At the end of the day, you just got to expect the unexpected, you know, packed crowd. You dont know what type of atmosphere youre going to have or how loud its going to be, so its exciting and you try not to think about it. At the same time, you just try to focus on the task at hand.The Raiders have impressed with their high-powered offense and opportunism in the leagues best division, the AFC West. Dont expect Houstons Brock Osweiler, averaging a league-low 5.6 yards per pass, to keep up with that.Pittsburgh (4-5) at Cleveland (0-10)Sure, the Steelers have lost four in a row. In Cleveland, they are saying So what!The Browns never have been 0-10 i n a season and they enter the game with a 416-416-10 record for the two installments of the franchise. They have never been below .500, but are 14-44 since Jimmy and Dee Haslam took over as owners.To get off this schneid, they must figure out how to beat Ohio native Ben Roethlisberger, who is 20-2 against them overall. The Steelers are 28-6 against the Browns since Cleveland returned to the league in 1999.Baltimore (5-4) at Dallas (8-1)The Ravens and Cowboys each are division leaders. Similarities end there.Dallas is the NFLs hottest team, not having lost since the opener. It has that dynamic offense led by the leagues best line and sensational rookies Ezekiel Elliott and Prescott. Home-field advantage in the NFC is there for the taking.Baltimores only reason for being on top in the AFC North is how poorly the other division members have performed. The Ravens are too streaky, winning three, losing four, then winning two.Jacksonville (2-7) at Detroit (5-4)Detroit is another first-place team with few credentials to be thinking January success. Again, a weak division, the NFC North, has helped the Lions, who play nothing but tight games. All nine this season have been decided by seven points or fewer and Detroit has been trailing or tied at some point in the final two minutes of regulation in each of them.Jacksonville has struggled in great part because it has not had a takeaway in the past five games. Thats tied for the longest drought since the 1970 merger. The Jaguars are an NFL-worst minus-14 in turnover differential.Philadelphia (5-4) at Seattle (6-2-1)Both come off impressive victories, and Pete Carroll could get his 100th NFL win on Sunday. It looks as if hell have regular RB Thomas Rawls back from a Week 2 leg injury, and rookie C.J. Prosise gained 153 yards from scrimmage inn the win at New England.dddddddddddd They could provide balance to an offense that QB Russell Wilson had humming against the Patriots.Philadelphia won its fourth straight at home by beating Atlanta, but is 1-4 on the road. Wentz has been up and down, though the team has scored at least 20 points in 11 straight games, the longest streak in the league. Defense and special teams have been solid for the Eagles.Green Bay (4-5) at Washington (5-3-1)The previous time they met, the Packers won a playoff game here in January. Now, Green Bay is reeling, losing three straight, the ground game mediocre, the blocking unsteady and the defense keeping them competitive much of the time.Eddie Lacy has missed four games with an ankle injury, and the Packers signed running back Christine Michael after Seattle waived him.Aaron Rodgers will need for his line to come together this week because Washington has three sacks in five consecutive games. Redskins tight end Jordan Reed had nine receptions for 120 yards and a TD in that wild-card game.Tennessee (5-5) at Indianapolis (4-5)Some good things are happening in Nashville, and to punctuate that, the Titans also could end a 10-game slide against the Colts. Marcus Mariota and DeMarco Murray have the offense hopping -- Tennessee has scored 35 or more points in three consecutive games for the first time in a single season in franchise history. Mariota has thrown an NFL-high 17 TD passes over the past six weeks and Murray is second in the NFL with 930 yards rushing.Indianapolis was off last week. It won the Week 7 matchup when TE Jack Doyle caught a 7-yard TD pass with 1:55 to go. The Colts will honor the 10-year anniversary of their 2006 Super Bowl championship team.New England (7-2) at San Francisco (1-8)Coming off that bruising home loss to Seattle, the Patriots might take out their frustrations on the 49ers. Tom Brady, who grew up in the Bay Area, has never played at San Francisco. With a win over a team that has dropped eight in a row, Brady would tie Brett Favre for second in victories by a quarterback with 199. Peyton Manning holds the record with 200.The 49ers come off a strong but losing performance at Arizona. QB Colin Kaepernick should have fond memories of the Patriots: Kaepernick threw four TD passes in his only meeting with them, in 2012, a season the 49ers went to the Super Bowl.Buffalo (4-5) at Cincinnati (3-5-1)Two slumpers. Buffalo has dropped three straight and comes off a bye. The Bungles, uh, Bengals, have won only one of their past five, against inept Cleveland.The Bills have found ways to score, getting at least 25 points in each of the past five games, and are second in rushing behind Dallas with 155 yards per game. QB Tyrod Taylor comes off a strong outing in a loss to Seattle.Since opening last season 8-0, the Bengals are 7-10-1, including a playoff meltdown loss to Pittsburgh. Of note, though: A.J. Green is 36 yards shy of joining Randy Moss as the only NFL receivers with 1,000 yards in each of their first six seasons. Green ranks second in the league with 964 yards and third with 66 catches.Chicago (2-7) at New York Giants (6-3)New York has taken four in a row and has shown a penchant for big plays on offense, defense and special teams. The previous time the Giants won five straight, they also won the championship in 2011.Safety Landon Collins has sparked the defense with four interceptions in the past three games and excellent pass coverage and run support.Chicago has shown nothing on the road, dropping all five contests. The Bears seem to have found a running back, however, in Jordan Howard, who rushed for 100 yards in a loss to Tampa Bay last week. Howard ranks second among rookies with 605 yards rushing.Arizona (4-4-1) at Minnesota (5-4)Whats the deal with these two 2015 playoff teams?For Minnesota, awful blocking and injuries have contributed to four straight defeats. A defense that looked impenetrable earlier this season now looks vulnerable at times, and the kicking game has been woeful.Still, the Vikings are tied with Detroit atop the NFC North.The Cardinals have lost all eight meetings in Minnesota since their move to Arizona in 1988, and havent won at the Vikings since 1977 as the St. Louis Cardinals. For them to make any headway in the NFC playoff race after being a preseason favorite, they must prosper on the road: five of their final seven games are away from Arizona.Tampa Bay (4-5) at Kansas City (7-2)Dont look now, but the Chiefs are tied for the AFCs best record. And they could get back their star pass rusher, Justin Houston from a lengthy injury rehab. Regardless, they are getting major contributions from safety Eric Berry, who had his fourth career interception return for a TD in last weeks win at Carolina, and LB Dee Ford, whose 10 sacks are tied with Buffalos Lorenzo Alexander for the NFL lead. KC leads the NFL with a plus-14 turnover margin.The Buccaneers have won four straight in this series.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '
