Most Washington Redskins fans would probably prefer to forget your two-year stint as their Ol' Ball Coach, but I'll remember the good times. Like the 2002 preseason, when your star players led to blowout victories against other team's third strings and had me predicting Super Bowl. And who could forget when you mocked Saints coach Jim Haslett for forgoing hours of sleep in favor of building a game plan?

Gator Steve, you did so much for Washington. Your Fun 'N Gun offense produced 1,000-yard seasons from wide receivers Rod Gardner and Laveranues Coles. So what if they didn't manage to do it in the same year like receivers in the Joe Gibbs or even Norv Turner eras.

And you were right on about running back Stephen Davis being over the hill after he only managed 820 yards over 12 games in 2002. It's not like that geriatric 30-year-old has proven himself with any other team since the 'Skins let him go.

More than the stats, though, it was the attitude you instilled that made a difference, Coach Spurrier. Under your reign, veterans like Bruce Smith weren't complaining about rigorous offseasons and Oklahoma drills, because there were no Oklahoma drills. The offensive linemen found muscles they didn't know they had, bending down to pick up quarterback Patrick Ramsey after every play.

And Coach, I must say you did more for the visor look than anybody since my mother's gardening heyday in the mid-1980s.

Most of all Coach Spurrier, I'd like to thank you for the 7-9 and 5-11 seasons that brought about the return of Gibbs, but not before my number on the season-ticket waiting list came up.

For some reason I hold you, Gator Steve, more responsible than anyone else for knocking my wait for tickets down from around 25 years to something closer to five. Gibbs surely will never be able to claim those results as the waiting list climbs over 100,000 since his return.

So as I sat in my seat on the last row of FedEx Field for the first time during a preseason game Saturday night against the Panthers, I was thinking of you Coach Spurrier. And I just wanted to say thanks.

Sleeper time

Becoming a season ticket holder will definitely be my biggest surprise of the NFL season, but there are bound to be many other shockers. Here are some sleepers to watch for:

Ron Dayne, running back. Once buried on the Giants' depth chart, Dayne has come to camp in great shape and should be new coach Tom Coughlin's choice for goal-line carries. Tiki Barber will still enter as the top back, but look for Coughlin, a stickler for turnovers, to make changes if the former Virginia and Cave Spring star repeats his nine-fumble performance of last year.

Thomas Jones, running back. New coach Lovie Smith named Jones, another ex-UVa star, the starter during Chicago's first offseason workout and don't expect a position battle to emerge. Smith brings in a new offense similar to what the Rams and Chiefs use, which hasn't turned out too bad for Marshall Faulk and Priest Holmes.

Jerry Porter, wide receiver. After a horrible season in which he started just once and had 361 yards receiving mostly because of a hernia injury, Porter is ready to bounce back. With Tim Brown gone from the Raiders, Porter will definitely see more starts this year and should have a breakout performance.

Justin McCareins, wide receiver. Last year, McCareins proved himself as a strong red-zone receiver by snagging seven touchdowns for the Titans. This year, he is the Jets' No.2 receiver behind Santana Moss and should eclipse last season's career highs of 47 catches and 813 yards.

Chris Brown, running back. Part of the reason the Titans dumped Eddie George, Brown enters the season as the team's starter. A six-carry, 46-yard performance in Tennessee's preseason opener has coach Jeff Fisher high on Brown and having MVP Steve McNair at quarterback should lessen the focus on the second-year back.

Kyle Boller, quarterback. The Ravens' second-year QB has all the skills to become a top player and with Baltimore's addition of Kevin Johnson, he has someone to throw to. Though a loss of legally troubled running back Jamal Lewis for any period of time will negatively impact Boller.

Travis Minor, running back. Barring a preseason deal for Anthony Thomas or another similar back, Minor will enter the season as the Dolphins' starter. He won't be an elite runner, especially with Miami's starless offense, but Minor could be a strong No.2 fantasy back.

Andre Davis, wide receiver. The third year is a breakout season for many receivers, and the pieces are in place for Davis to emerge for the Browns. The arrival of QB Jeff Garcia and a short-passing attack should benefit the former Virginia Tech wideout.

Byron Leftwich, quarterback. The Jaguars gave their QB of the future 13 starts as a rookie, and Leftwich looked great at times (19 of 28, 336 yards, 2 TDs in Week 5) but was inconsistent overall (14 TDs, 16 INTs). But no matter how up and down it was, that year of experience could help make Leftwich a star.