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POSTED 12:00 p.m. EDT, October 31, 2006

BRAIN INJURY GROUP WANTS TO SIC CONGRESS ON NFL

The president of the Brain Injury Association of New York has called upon the U.S. Congress to "conduct hearings regarding the fraudulent medical research on concussions conducted, reported and relied upon by the National Football League in determining when injured players can return to play," according to a press release issued on Monday.

The release cites the recent ESPN The Large Booklet With Pretty Pictures article in which Peter Keating reports on apparent shenanigans in the studies conducted under the auspices of the NFL's "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee," which is chaired by Dr. Elliot Pellman. Keating's article, as we explained on October 27, also rankled trainers and doctors with various teams, who think that they have been unfairly lumped in with Pellman and his committee.

Says the release: "When the NFL conducts fraudulent medical research by questionable medical professionals this exposes their own players to further life long brain injury. But a far greater risk . . . is presented to all children participating in contact sports who might also be suffering from the effects of concussions. This mushrooming umbrella of oblivion to the pervasive consequences emanating from sports concussion injuries creates an epidemic of indifference." (Did Tiki Barber write that last sentence?)

In our view, something definitely needs to be done. The only problem, as we see it, is that the release reads like a thinly-veiled advertisement for the president of the Brain Injury Association of New York, who also happens to be a lawyer specializing in concussions and brain injuries -- and thus needs to harvest clients who have had concussions and brain injuries.

So he'd prefer that the call for Congressional action come from someone who has less of a personal financial stake in characterizing himself as a crusader for cranial cohesiveness.

And we think that someone with the appropriate qualifications should be standing up and questioning the work of Pellman's committee. If for no reason other than the fact that Pellman still chairs it.

The guy has been exposed for exaggerating his educational and professional credentials, yet still chairs an important NFL committee.

Said one league source in response: "Hey, Commish Goodell. While you're cleaning things up on Park Avenue, review this asshole's resume and value to the league. [Pellman is] on the banquet circuit and speaking tour circuit as the NFL's guru on head injuries and is padding his wallet pretty strongly based on the 'NFL's brand.' I'm not sure why the owners and the league are putting up with that."

We agree, and we think there's no way that anyone will take the league's research on concussions seriously with Pellman on the committee. Sadly, it appears that Pellman will remain on the committee until Congress or some other entity with jurisdiction over the situation starts poking around.

POSTED 8:14 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 10:48 a.m. EST, October 31, 2006

CHIEFS WON'T FRANCHISE GONZALEZ

Word out of Kansas City is that the Chiefs won't place the franchise tag on tight end Tony Gonzalez, who is expected to void the final two years of his current contract after the 2006 season and become a free agent.

Jay Glazer of FOX reported on Sunday that Gonzalez can leave Kansas City after the season if he so chooses. The rest of the "real" media, however, has ignored the story.

Although the franchise tender for tight ends is low (it was only $3.3 million for 2006), the CBA states that the amount that the team must put on the table to trigger the franchise rights (i.e., first refusal on any other offers and compensation in the amount of two first-round draft picks) is either the average of the top five salaries at the position or 120 percent of the player's salary for the prior year, whichever is greater.

And although some league insiders believe that "salary" means Paragraph 5 base salary only, it actually means the player's full cap number, which is base salary plus bonus proration and any other payments made in a given season.

In Gonzalez's case, we've learned that his cap number for 2006 is $6.53 million. Thus, the Chiefs would be required to offer Gonzalez $7.83 million in order to hold his rights for 2007.

Given the magnitude of the number, we're told that the Chiefs won't use the tag on Gonzalez.

Moving forward, our guess is that Gonzalez will become a free agent in March 2007, and that he will strongly consider leaving for another team if he gets an offer significantly higher than what the Chiefs will pay.

The Redskins can always be counted on to throw cash at a recognizable name. The Raiders are an intriguing possibility, given that Gonzalez played college ball at Berkeley. Other potential destinations (in our view) include the Jets, the Texans, the Vikings, the Lions, the Panthers, the Saints, and the Seahawks.

TITANS TO SUSPEND PACMAN

The Tennessee Titans are expected to suspend cornerback Pacman Jones, according to the Nashville Tennessean.

Per the report, the suspension could be for the Jacksonville game on Sunday "and beyond."

The maximum suspension that a team can impose is four games, per Article VIII of the CBA, which authorizes such action in response to "conduct detrimental to the team."

Based on his current salary, a suspension without pay would cost nearly $50,000 per game. It also could subject Jones to a claim that he is required to refund a portion of his signing bonus and/or option bonus.

The only apparent basis for the suspension is Jones' most recent brush with the law. On Saturday, he was cited for misdemeanor assault after allegedly spitting in a woman's face at a Nashville nightclub on Thursday.

And if the suspension is imposed solely as a result of the arrest, Jones and the NFL Players Association most likely will fight the move, based on the argument that the Commissioner has the exclusive jurisdiction to impose discipline for off-field incidents, under the Personal Conduct Policy. Typically, the Commissioner imposes a fine or a suspension after the player is convicted or pleads guilty to criminal charges.

If Jones is suspended, he'll be the third former member of the West Virginia University football program to be sidelined this season, joining receiver Jerry Porter and receiver Chris Henry. On a brighter note, the Mountaineers have by all appearances managed to clear out most of the turds -- and we're convinced that last year's Sugar Bowl championship would not have occurred if either Jones or Henry had opted to stick around for another year of eligibility.

ANOTHER TITAN PLEADS GUILTY

Titans linebacker Robert Reynolds, who got himself in hot water during a return visit to Columbus -- via an argument with his estranged wife -- has pleaded guilty to "criminal damaging" and disorderly conduct. He initially faced charges of domestic violence.

Reynolds was suspended by the Titans for Sunday's game against the Texans, and he will now return to the team. His agent doesn't expect any further discipline from the league in the wake of the guilty plea.

But maybe his agent should ask around a bit about what the new Commissioner has been doing in the discipline department, before making such proclamations.

Our guess? Reynolds will be fined at least one game check under the Personal Conduct Policy.

Meanwhile, when is someone in Tennessee going to be fired for reeling in so many turds? Albert Haynesworth, Pacman Jones, Robert Reynolds. And it was no secret that each of them had question marks coming out of college.

Hadn't heard of Reynolds? He's the guy who once tried to turn Jim Sorgi's windpipe into a toothpick.

RADIO TUESDAY

We had to bump all radio spots for Monday because of a pre-existing law practice engagement, but we're kicking back into high gear on Tuesday with appearances on KFAN in Minneapolis (12:25 p.m. EST or so), Triple X ESPN Radio in D.C. (12:10 p.m. EST), the Dino Costa Show in every nook and cranny of Colorado (2:15 p.m. EST or so we think), WDAE in Tampa (5:15 p.m. EST), and Sporting News Radio (10:25 p.m. EST).

And we're now booking radio visits for our Wednesday All-Day Five-Year Anniversary Bash, in which we're hoping to set an all-time site traffic record as everyone who has ever come to the site returns for a 24-hour celebration in which the Purple Drank and nandrolone will be flowing like Rip Van Winkle's morning stream. We'll post more details about the Wednesday radio spots later in the day.

FIVE-YEAR PARTY TOMORROW

Yeah, we already mentioned it. But we need to say it again. If for no reason other than to fill up some space.

Tomorrow, November 1, is the five-year anniversary of PFT. We're hoping that all of our readers will visit on the same day, so that we can generate our highest single traffic day ever.

We're also hoping to hear from all of our friends, acquaintances, well-wishers, etc. on Wednesday. (All seven of them.)

We plan to post some of the e-mails that we receive right here. (And we've got our fingers crossed that a few of them come from some folks with recognizable names, if only by coincidence, like that stupid NFL Films piece we saw the other night about non-football people named Joe Namath and Joe Montana.)

We're actually hoping secretly for a watershed moment (so much for keeping it a secret), like when Mr. Martini busted the juke box to help George Bailey avoid spending the next 20 Christmases observing a slightly different mistletoe ritual in federal prison. You know, a constant wave of e-mails from people with real clout and juice that will make all of our critics and doubters says, "Wow. Maybe those guys really aren't completely full of crap."

But we'll take whatever we can get. From anyone who wants to drop us a line. Even if it's only the real Joe Namath.

TUESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

The Big Show says that the Big Dough won't be back for Monday's game against the Raiders.

Five key Redskins missed most of practice on Monday due to injury -- QB Mark Brunell, RB Clinton Portis, WR Santana Moss, WR Antwaan Randle El, and LB Lemar Marshall.

With Brunell dinged up, Redskins QB Jason Campbell has been getting more reps in practice.

ESPN has yanked the dude who said "kinda gay" on the air over the weekend.

"We're still in our Super Bowl reign," WR Santonio Holmes of the 2-5 Steelers said on Monday. (Um, 'Turdio, are you allowed to say things like that when you weren't, you know, on the team last season?)

"That's the NFC for you," a member of the Patriots said after the team thumped the Vikings on Monday night; the Bears head to Gillette Stadium on November 26.

Is Andy Reid losing his team?

Tiki Barber is the only guy among the top 35 rushers with no touchdowns.

Piss men of the world, unite!

The Bucs could be placing QB Chris Simms on IR to create a roster spot for QB Luke McCown.

The Packers will be without RB Vernand Morency for two games, due to a back injury.

The Cardinals have 3.75 million reasons to not fire Dennis Green.

Chargers LB Shawne Merriman has until noon Tuesday to decide whether to turn the "Lights Out" on his appeal.

The Lions have cut WR Az Hakim, and have benched LB Boss Bailey.

The Nicktator's 55th birthday present from the team was to get dumped with ice water, courtesy of DE Jason Taylor. ("I don't have the salary cap number to be able to do something like that," C Rex Hadnot said.)

Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck (knee) is still on track to return on November 19.

The Eagles are bringing in CB Will Peterson for a physical.

Panthers WR Steve Smith says he won't be returning punts again.

For more breaking NFL news and information, check out the PFT Fantasy Mill, powered by Fanball.com.

POSTED 8:27 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 9:18 a.m. EST, October 30, 2006

RAVENS BULLIED BUSH

At least one member of the Baltimore Ravens defense had some choice words for Saints running back Reggie Bush after Sunday's win at New Orleans, and it almost sounds like Bush's sprained ankle was intentionally inflicted.

"The media darling, [a/k/a] the golden boy of the NFL, tried to take a cheap shot at me," said linebacker Bart Scott, "so I told him I was going to put some extra on it. He must be used to playing against these guys in practice. He can do all those shakes he wants, but I wasn't going anywhere. I put a little hot sauce on that ankle."

In all, Scott wasn't impressed with the 2005 Heisman winner. "He's just a guy, simple as that. What did he get this week? He played like a kid who got chased from school."

Meanwhile, Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun suggests that Bush "quit" in the second quarter of Sunday's game, at one point taking a dive to avoid a big hit from linebacker Ray Lewis.

In all, Bush's day was indeed his worst as a pro. Five caries for 16 yards, four catches for five yards, and one interception thrown on a halfback option pass. FOX analyst Terry Bradshaw, whose crush on Bush is second only to Kornholio's man-love for James Denton of Desperate Housewives, actually called the throw "beautiful."

Yeah. It was beautiful. For the Ravens.

ROONEY FINE, POLIAN WRIST SLAP RAISE EYEBROWS

Although the $25,000 fine imposed on Friday against Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has helped to promote the notion that Commissioner Roger Goodell is a no-nonsense guy who will enforce and apply the rules even if it means slapping around the man who was instrumental in his selection, some league insiders aren't happy that Rooney was fined for criticizing officials while at the same time Colts president Bill Polian received no real sanction for roughing up a Jets employee earlier this month.

"Now let me get this straight," said one league source. "Dan Rooney criticizes the officials and gets hit for $25,000. Bill Polian publicly criticizes the rules, yells obscenities in the press box, yells 'break his leg' in a press box, and then slaps the sh-t out of some guy from the New York Jets and he continues to skate free?"

So while on one hand it looks like Goodell is willing to enforce the rules consistently and fairly, on the other hand Goodell and the league office apparently recognize that certain issues are better off buried from view, even if the root of the matter is something for which someone should be fined, or worse.

And as to the Rooney fine, it's really not that shocking that Goodell took action. How could the Commish have brushed it under the rug? Rooney's comments were made in the presence of a journalist from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and as soon as the words were published it should have been a no-brainer that Rooney would be fined. Indeed, if Rooney hadn't been fined then every other coach or front office guy who ripped the zebras would have been able to point to the absence of enforcement against Rooney in support of a challenge to the punishment.

VICK OFFERED JERSEY TO ANDERSEN?

One of our Danish readers has found a Morten Andersen blog in which the veteran kicker suggests that Falcons quarterback Mike Vick offered to give Andersen the No. 7 jersey when Andersen re-joined the team earlier this season.

The reader translates the paragraph in the middle of the entry that begins with the words "Michael Vick" as follows:

"I've actually had a lot of contact with Michael Vick. It was absolutely amazing when he in the middle of the week, absolutely dead serious offered me his jersey number 7, which I had joked about wanting. I was totally shocked, and asked him, why in the world he'd offer that. 'Out of respect for your career', was his reply to my great amazement. It's somewhat of a gesture I have to say, but I said that I couldn't accept it, but that I wouldn't mind a cut on the profits of his jerseys with the number 7. But it's totally crazy for him to offer up his number. A beautiful thought by a young guy, but that jersey naturally belongs to him."

Our guess is that Vick was, at most, having some fun with his new friend who speaks English as a second language, and that Andersen might not have realized that Vick was probably yanking his frank.

Besides, why would Andersen want 7? Sure, he wore the number during his tenure with the Saints. But he wore number 5 in his initial six-season stint with the Falcons from 1995 through 2000, number 8 in his season with the Giants, number 8 in his two years with the Chiefs, and number 7 in his one season with the Vikings.

Vick, meanwhile, has worn number 7 in high school, college, and during his six NFL seasons.

So was Vick serious about letting a 46-year-old dude have No. 7 for what likely will be his one and only final season with the team? We tend to doubt it.

POSTED 7:59 p.m. EST, October 29, 2006

GONZALEZ FRANCHISE TENDER WOULD BE SKY HIGH?

Though the Chiefs would retain the ability to slap the franchise tag on tight end Tony Gonzalez, we're hearing that the tender could be so high that the Chiefs would choose not to do it.

We're trying to track down the information necessary for doing the calculation, but it's possible that the franchise number will be in the eight figures.

Stay tuned.

POSTED 5:54 p.m. EST, October 29, 2006

BUSH INJURES ANKLE

Saints running back Reggie Bush injured an ankle in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 35-22 loss to the Ravens, and did not return. No further information has been released regarding his condition.

Bush had the worst game of his career, with five carries for 16 yards and four catches for five yards. He also threw an interception.

Meanwhile, the rookie running back (Wali Lundy) drafted by the team that passed on Bush (the Texans) had 116 yards rushing against the Titans on Sunday.

POSTED 12:31 p.m. EST; UPDATED 1:04 p.m. EST, October 29, 2006

GONZALEZ HITTING THE MARKET?

Jay Glazer of FOX reports that Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez has achieved the ability to void the final two years of his contract, and that he plans to become a free agent in March.

"I would love to end my career here but I'm a realist and know there is a real possibility I could end up hitting the open market," said Gonzalez. "We've had some talks, we both gave proposals recently but we're pretty far apart. At this point I've told my agent I don't really want it to be a distraction during the season."

But unless the Chiefs also have promised not to apply the franchise tag to Gonzalez, there's an easy solution to the problem for the team if the deal can't get done.

Because the franchise tender for tight ends was only (only?) $3.327 million in 2006, Gonzalez's value will be determined by increasing his 2006 cap number by 20 percent. His base salary was $3.6 million, and the cap number will be even higher based on any signing bonus proration, roster bonuses, etc.

MORE SUNDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Raiders WR Jerry Porter is expected to play on Sunday.

Colts S Bob Sanders won't play on Sunday against the Broncos.

As expected, Titans CB Pacman Jones was cited on Saturday for spitting in a woman's face, but will play on Sunday.

The Packers aren't saying anything about the health of incoming president John Jones, who had heart surgery earlier this year.

Vikings coach Brad Childress says that he didn't include more players on the injury list as a slap at Pats coach Bill Belichick.

He's not yet at Reggie Bush levels, but Uncle Rico is in position to make some good money off of the field.

Drew boo-hoos about being lied to.

Great response from Gary Myers of the New York Daily News in response to being called an "idiot" by Giants RB Tiki Barber: "If Barber is going to make the media his next career, he must develop thicker skin. How will he survive in this business if he can't do it without resorting to name-calling? Can he criticize somebody on television without calling them an idiot? He will be smart enough to figure it out. Barber and I exchanged several E-mails Wednesday. I told him I never thought he would stoop to the level of calling me an 'idiot' for simply expressing an opinion he didn't like. He indicated he was referring more to ESPN's Michael Irvin and Tom Jackson than me, but in listening to the Sirius tape, he mentioned me first. I just want to go on record that I am not an idiot, although it is an argument I have with my wife all the time."

Myers also suggests that Tiki could end up pontificating, bloviating, and/or otherwise talking smugly and/or condescendingly to his audience on Monday Night Football in 2007. [Editor's note: Noooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!]

POSTED 12:16 p.m. EST, October 29, 2006

RETURN OF THE SHAUN?

Jay Glazer of FOX reports that Seattle running back Shaun Alexander plans to return next week, if an MRI shows that the bone in his foot has healed.

"I'll be back in full practice by Wednesday and I'll go next week," Alexander said. "I ran on a treadmill this week and it felt fine. I've felt fine for a while. My conditioning is fine — I never let myself get out of good shape. As long as the MRI doesn't show anything drastic I'll be back this week."

Alexander, the 2005 NFL MVP, has played in only three games this season, rushing for only 187 yards. He initially thought that the power of prayer had healed him completely, allowing him to continue to perform without missing a game.

POSTED 11:55 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 12:21 p.m. EST, October 29, 2006

RIVERA TO CARDS?

There's an increasing belief in some league circles that Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera will be the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Other names we've heard in the past week are former Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil and current Cards defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

If Rivera were to get the job, the thinking is that Cardinals V.P. of football operations Rod Graves would keep his job. Rivera and Graves crossed paths for a season with the Bears, and Graves is credited for managing the team's salary cap effectively over the past several years.

And although Vermeil has said that he's not interested in the Cardinals job, we're hearing rumblings from folks who know Vermeil that he would respond with interest, if/when he were approached by the franchise.

Meanwhile, Arizona's current coach, Dennis Green, returns to Lambeau Field for perhaps the final time (at least as a head coach). Green's head coaching career started with a three-point win over the Packers at Lambeau in 1992.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Preliminary word is that QB Damon Huard gets the start today for the Chiefs.

Curt Menefee gets another week as the FOX pregame host; he notes that producer Scott Ackerson suggested that he dress as "Rerun" from What's Happening!! (For anyone who might have forgotten, Rerun passed away in October 2003.)

Charley Casserly of CBS says that Cowboys QB Drew Bledsoe was benched because of an ongoing freelancing habit.

Casserly also notes that Jets quarterback Chad Pennington is earning back a lot of the money he gave up in the offseason by meeting his incentives.

Casserly comments on the "resignation" of Browns offensive coordinator Mo Carthon with a straight face.

POSTED 11:29 a.m. EST; LAST UPDATED 11:45 a.m. EST, October 29, 2006

DUNN DOESN'T FEAR AN EXODUS

Although 49ers running back Frank Gore has bolted from agent David Dunn's firm, Athletes First, to Drew Rosenhaus, we're told that Dunn and company aren't concerned that the loss of Gore is the first drop in a tidal wave of departures.

Per a league source, Gore has been in contact with other agents for weeks, and the thinking in Dunn's camp is that even if Dunn weren't facing a two-year suspension Gore would have left.

The source also says that Dunn's shop believes that several Rosenhaus clients had been working hard on Gore to change to Rosenhaus. The thinking is that Gore didn't initially sign with Rosenhaus because the Miami-based agent was already representing running back Vernand Morency prior to the 2005 draft.

LIVE BLOG TONIGHT, MONDAY NIGHT

We're expanding the Live Blog thing from Monday to Sunday, and we'll open things up with the Cowboys at the Panthers.

Tomorrow night, we'll be blogging the Pats at the Vikings.

Check back with us later on, say at 7:30 p.m. EST or so, and be ready to send in you're e-mails. It'll be harder to come up with good content given that we won't have Clarence Thomas or Joey Sunshine or Kornholio or Michelle "What Was Going Through Your Mind?" Tafoya or Sammy Kolber to pick on, but we'll do our best.

SUNDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Chris Mortensen of ESPN says that he won't be surprised if Chargers LB Shawne Merriman drops the appeal of his four-game suspension this week, and that lawyer David Cornwell has been in touch with the FDA regarding the question of whether supplements that Merriman said he wasn't taking were tainted with steroids.

Sal Paolantonio of ESPN, reporting from the Meadowlands at the Bucs-Giants game, says that there's a lingering sense of "abandonment and betrayal" among Giants fans regarding the decision of running back Tiki Barber to retire after the 2006 season.

Ron Jaworski of ESPN has finally ditched his eyeglass frames from the Gloria Vanderbilt collection.

POSTED 3:44 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 4:54 p.m. EDT, October 28, 2006

KEENAN IN LINE TO TAKE OVER THE BROWNS?

In response to a report that Browns G.M. Phil Savage could be looking to slide into a role that entails only scouting and player personnel functions, there's talk in league circles that Browns C.F.O. Michael Keenan could be in line to assume Savage's job.

Keenan is a salary cap specialist who was hired by the team from the league office in 2005.

If the move happens, it will be similar to the elevation of Jets' cap guy Mike Tannenbaum in New York, who displaced earlier this year former G.M. Terry Bradway. Bradway continues to have a key role with the team.

Another name that is being mentioned in connection with the possible reassignment of Savage is Scott Pioli, the V.P. of player personnel in New England. Pioli worked for the Browns in the 1990s. Though he has rebuffed past opportunities with other teams and is by all appearances happy in his current position, some think that Cleveland is one of the few teams that would pique his interest. Under league rules, he could leave for another team without the blessing of the Patriots only if the new job involves final say over the composition of the roster.

WEEK EIGHT FANTASY PICKS AND PUNKS

It's time again to look at the guys to start and the guys to sit for the upcoming slate of NFL games.

Matt Leinart, quarterback, Cardinals: Faced the No. 1 pass defense last week -- will face the No. 32 pass defense this week.

Rex Grossman, quarterback, Bears: Plenty of fantasy owners are soured on Grossman based on one bad showing in Arizona. But with a week off to settle down and the No. 30 passing defense coming to town, Grossman will have a big day.

Reuben Droughns, running back, Browns: The Jets have allowed the most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns; if you don't use him now, you never will.

Travis Henry, running back, Titans: Houston is allowing nearly 200 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns to running backs.

Bryant Johnson, wide receiver, Cardinals: The Packers have struggled against opponents' No. 2 receivers, and Johnson has done well in place of Larry Fitzgerald.

Muhsin Muhammad, wide receiver, Bears: San Francisco has allowed receiver touchdowns in every game but one, and Muhammad is still a solid option at wideout.

Next, the guys to maybe, possibly avoid:

Jake Plummer, quarterback, Broncos: Though the Colts have been porous against the pass, Plummer is at any time one interception away from getting Bledsoed.

Brad Johnson, quarterback, Vikings: Though Johnson could become a fantasy stud once the schedule softens up, don't expect Johnson to do much of anything against the Pats, especially with receivers Troy Williamson and Marcus Robinson possibly on the sidelines with injuries.

Deuce McAllister/Reggie Bush, running backs, Saints: No running back has scored or topped 100 yards this season, and no tailback has gained more than 33 yards receiving.

Rudi Johnson, running back, Bengals: The Falcons have allowed only one rushing touchdown all season, and the Bengals offense isn't what it was a year ago.

Randy Moss, receiver, Raiders: Sure, he was solid last week. But the Steelers have put the clamps on wideouts for much of the season.

Andre Johnson, receiver, Texas: He's having a good year, but he has been shut down historically by the Titans. Go figure.

KORDOZA LINE UPDATE

It's Saturday, and that means it's time to take another look at the list of NFL starters whose passer ratings are beneath the 70.7 career mark generated by Kordell Stewart.

This week, the guys on the wrong side of the line are: Charlie Frye, Browns (67.3); Joey Harrington, Dolphins (64.1); Steve McNair, Ravens (64.1); Jake Plummer, Broncos (60.4); Vince Young, Titans (56.5); Andrew Walter, Raiders (52.3).

Temporary starters on the list, due to injury, include Seneca Wallace, Seahawks (39.1) and Brodie Croyle, Chiefs (11.9).

Graduating from the list this week are Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and Falcons quarterback Mike Vick, who both had big days in Atlanta's 41-38 overtime win over Pittsburgh. Drew Bledsoe has been dropped from the list because he's been sent to the bench.

HERE'S WHY WE QUIT PICKING GAMES

We decided early in the 2006 season not to try to pick the winners of NFL games because, frankly, we weren't very good at it.

And we've realized this year that, well, no one is.

On one hand, it's the beauty of the NFL. No one knows what really will happen on any given Sunday, ergo the cliche. And the ignorance extends to the folks who think they know.

Want an example? Dr. Z of Sports Illustrated picks select games each week, and through seven weeks he's 26 up . . . and 27 down.

Basically, Zimmerman would be doing better on the year if he'd pulled a Costanza and picked the exact opposite team in each of his 53 games.

And the difference between Dr. Z and PFT is that our e-mail addresses are readily available. So if we, for example, had picked the Steelers to beat the Falcons (as Dr. Z did last week) or the Panthers to beat the Bengals (as Dr. Z did last week) or the Chargers to beat the Chiefs (as Dr. Z did last week) or the Seahawks to beat the Vikings (as Dr. Z did last week) or the Dolphins to beat the Packers (as Dr. Z did last week), we would have had at least 150 e-mails from strident Falcons, Bengals, Chiefs, Vikings, and/or Packers fans telling us that we should stick to making up rumors because we don't know sh-t about picking games.

Well, at least Dr. Z is smarter than us in one way. His e-mail address doesn't appear in his SI column.

Thus, we're not picking games anymore. Ever.

So we don't like the Packers over the Cardinals. Or the Falcons over the Bengals. Or the Titans over the Texans. Or the Eagles over the Jaguars. Or the Bears over the Niners. Or the Giants over the Bucs. Or the Panthers over the Cowboys.

POSTED 11:56 a.m. EDT, October 28, 2006

REESE, MARA TO FILL ACCORSI'S SHOES

Multiple league sources have told us that Giants director of player personnel Jerry Reese will replace G.M. Ernie Accorsi when, as widely expected, Accorsi retires following the 2006 season. Among other things, Reese has been running the team's draft since 2003.

We're also told that Chris Mara will have an increased role in the post-Accorsi regime, and that Mara essentially will be running the football operations hand-in-hand with Reese.

Mara has been the team's V.P. of player evaluation since 2003, and previously worked as a scout with the team for 14 years. He worked in 2001 and 2002 as the president/G.M. of the New Jersey Gladiators of the Arena Football League.

Mara is also a member of the family that has owned the team since its inception, and is the son of the late Wellington Mara. Chris Mara's daughter, 23-year-old actress Kate Mara, holds the unique distinction of being the great-granddaughter of Giants founder Tim Mara and the great-granddaughter of Steelers founder Art Rooney. She'll also appear in We Are Marshall, a film about the aftermath of the 1970 plane crash that claimed the lives of most of the members of the Marshall University football team and coaching staff.

As we mentioned in Monday night's Live Blog of the Giants-Cowboys game, a cousin of the Poobah's wife was on that flight (Frank Loria, a former All-American defensive back/kick returner at Virginia Tech). Two of her other cousins were on the team but did not make the fateful trip to East Carolina due to injuries. So, yeah, we'll be talking about that movie a lot over the next couple of months.

POSTED 10:55 a.m. EDT, October 28, 2006

PACMAN ACCUSED OF SPITTING ON WOMAN

On the same day that Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth used his cleat as a cheese grater on the face of Cowboys center Andre "Gouda" Gurode, cornerback Pacman Jones said that the team needs to get "more thugs."

Maybe his plan in the interim is to become more thuggish.

Per the Nashville Tennessean, Jones is under investigation for "suspicion of misdemeanor assault" after a Tennessee State student accused him of spitting in her face at a nightclub early Thursday.

Krystal Webb, 21, claims that Jones sprayed her with saliva after he tried to dance with one of Webb's friends, and Webb pulled the friend away.

"Jones then cursed and yelled at Webb, walked away, then returned and yelled again, at which time he spit in Webb's face," says the Tennessean.

(There's no confirmation as to whether Jones said, "I'm Hank Williams, Jr., bitch.")

Shockingly, Jones' lawyer says that his client is innocent.

"I think there may be a case of mistaken identity here,'' said Worrick Robinson. "It is my understanding that there were some girls involved at a private party at Club Mystic. I think Pacman was there for maybe an hour, but it was early. The girls had been involved in a verbal altercation with someone, but I don't think it was Pacman Jones. There was an allegation that someone had spit on one of the girls, and Pacman, he did not spit on anybody.''

(You know what they say -- if there is no spit, you must acquit.)

Jones is still facing charges from August of public intoxication and disorderly conduct, and he is accused of spitting on another woman in that incident. Jones is scheduled to appear in court on January 11 in connection with those charges.

The most amazing aspect of this story, as we see it, is that the powers-that-be in Nashville are going to devote resources to a he said/she said question of whether Pacman spit on a woman, while at the same time no action was taken against a guy who ripped the flesh off of another man's face in plain view and on camera, and then admitted to doing so thereafter.

We're not defending Pacman, who in our view deserves pretty much anything he gets, but something is very wrong when a guy who might or might not have spewed some saliva is prosecuted and a guy who clearly and obviously gave another man 30-plus stitches to his face gets off without even a slap on the fleshies.

POSTED 9:19 a.m. EDT, October 28, 2006

DUNN EXODUS STARTING?

We've previously heard that agent David Dunn was largely unconcerned by the prospect of being suspended by the NFLPA for two years because Dunn has worked hard in anticipation of the move to ensure that his clients will be handed off to other agents in his firm, Athletes First.

At a minimum, Dunn won't be keeping every one of them in place.

A league source tells us that 49ers running back Frank Gore has defected from Dunn, and has signed with agent Drew Rosenhaus.

Gore, a former Miami tailback, is one of the few ball-carriers from the "U" (or the "M" if your adopted last name rhymes with "Moonshine") who wasn't already in the Rosenhaus stable. The Miami-based agent already represent Edgerrin James, Willis McGahee, and Clinton Portis.

Word is that Gore is angling for an extension with the 49ers (and that the team has expressed interest in doing so), and that Gore was uncomfortable with the uncertainty surrounding Dunn.

Gore was a third-round pick in 2005, and is signed through 2007. He's earning $350,000 this year and will make $385,000 next year.

POSTED 8:10 p.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

BROWNS BATTLING STAPH INFECTIONS

In an era in which teams are faced every year with the challenge of luring free agents who can sign anywhere they choose, the Cleveland Browns are acknowledging the existence of a problem that surely will be used by every other NFL franchise that is competing with the Browns for the services of an available player.

G.M. Phil Savage acknowledged on Friday that the team is battling a "staph infection outbreak."

Center LeCharles Bentley, receiver Braylon Edwards, tight end Kellen Winslow, linebacker Ben Taylor, and safety Brian Russell have had staph infections since 2003.

Bentley, according to Savage, was hospitalized "for a significant amount of time" following surgery to repair his torn patellar tendon. (This week, cornerback Gary Baxter had surgery to repair both of his patellar tendons.)

Meanwhile, guard Ryan Tucker hasn't been with the team since Sunday's loss to the Broncos, and Savage is ominously tight-lipped about the reason for his absence.

"We're not at liberty to discuss it," Savage said. "You start breaking laws when you talk about these medical and injury situations."

As to the staph infections, could it be that the Browns are taking the bullet for their medical partner/sponsor, the Cleveland Clinic? Because Bentley, for example, had surgery at the Cleveland Clinic and then presumably was recuperating when the infection occurred, is it a problem at the team's facility -- or is it a problem at the Cleveland Clinic?

And it was the Cleveland Clinic that reviewed the team's facilities and concluded that all was fine.

"We asked them to review our building, our practices, their facilities, a full review," Savage said. "They have since come back to us and informed us that their conclusion is that any of the cases we've had have been unrelated and the Browns have done everything possible to prevent any kind of infections in our locker room, on the field, in the indoor [facility], all those things."

Okay, so if that's the case, why is Savage acknowledging a problem? On one hand, he might be doing it because the conclusion is inescapable -- and because players and league observers have been talking more loudly about it. On the other hand, it might be further evidence that Savage really is better off merely working as a scout, and not as the face of the front office.

Bottom line? Whoever is in charge of the team's P.R. efforts could have and should have handled this one better, because Savage's own mouth provided a headline suggesting a problem that's much greater than the team thinks it really is.

POSTED 7:40 p.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

GOODELL CONTINUES TO MAKE HIS MARK

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney was instrumental in getting Roger Goodell elected by the 32 NFL owners as the successor to Commissioner Paul Tagliabue.

And Goodell proved on Friday that he's capable of setting aside past favors in fining Rooney $25,000 for comments critical of the officials who worked Sunday's game between the Falcons and the Steelers.

"Those officials should be ashamed of themselves," Rooney said after the game.

Regarding the fine, Rooney said: "I don't care. They need to know."

The fine, we think, was justified. If Rooney has complaints about the officiating, there are private avenues for raising them.

And good for Goodell in dispensing discipline fairly and evenly. Let's hope that same approach applies to matters like tampering and other rules that aren't enforced consistently, if at all.

POSTED 3:36 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 4:12 p.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

SAVAGE LOOKING TO PULL A BRADWAY?

Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News reports that Browns G.M. Phil Savage "is growing increasingly unhappy with the many duties of his job," and has asked owner Randy Lerner about possibly splitting up the position.

Savage would, under such an approach, be responsible only for scouting and player personnel.

Domowitch bases the report on the ambiguous phrase "sources say." (Though we don't doubt Domowitch on this one, his failure to provide a more solid footing for the story is the kind of thing that gets us accused of making sh-t up, but that is apparently fine-'n'-dandy for media companies that still have line items in the budget for ink and paper.)

It meshes with things we've been hearing from various sources over the past year or so. Savage is, first and foremost, a scout. He butted heads in late 2005 with team president John Collins, who among other things thought that Savage wasn't spending enough time in the building. Collins, of course, was too inexperienced or stupid -- or both -- to realize that Savage's primary function was to travel to various colleges in preparation for the 2006 draft.

Collins also was too inexperienced or stupid -- or both -- to survive the ensuing brawl with Savage.

If the adjustment to Savage's job happens, the move will closely resemble the transition made by former Jets G.M. Terry Bradway, who was displaced by Mike Tannenbaum but remains a key cog in the scouting and player personnel apparatus.

A similar development in Cleveland could open the door for a cap-and-contracts guy to become the Browns' new G.M., in the same way that Tannenbaum (a cap-and-contracts guy) became the boss in New York.

VERMEIL SAYS HE'S NOT INTERESTED IN CARDS' JOB

Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News also reports that former Eagles and Rams and Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil has no interest in coaching the Arizona Cardinals.

Domowitch apparently thought enough of our recent report on rumors linking Vermeil and Arizona to track the coach down for a reaction, but not enough of our report to actually mention the site by name. (Thanks for that.)

"It's not true as far as I know," Vermeil said. "I don't know anything about it. No one's contacted me, nor should they. It's behind me. I don't want to get back into coaching."

Fine, we'll accept that. But it doesn't change the fact that there are rumors on the NFL grapevine, linking Vermeil to the job. And it also doesn't change the fact that Vermeil has unretired twice before.

MAAS WATCH: WEEK FIVE

After FOX analyst Bill Maas spent the first three weeks of the season in the booth at NFL games, this Sunday will be the fifth straight week in which there will be no Maas on the boob tube.

We suspect that Maas will be back on November 12, the first week in which all 32 teams play again.

Meanwhile, FOX has had its share of surprises for us lately. Last week, Tony Siragusa provided in-booth color commentary for the Cardinals-Raiders game.

This week, Pat Summerall will handle the play-by-play for the 49ers-Bears game at Soldier Field. Brian Baldinger (my kid thinks that guy's name is hilarious) will provide the analysis.

We'll admit it. We don't like many of the sock puppets, but we love Summerall. Maybe it's because the team of Summerall and Tom Brookshire was the premiere broadcasting tandem in the era in which we first discovered the sport. Or maybe it's because Summerall handled his somewhat unceremonious phasing out of the profession with grace. Or maybe it's because Summerall was excellent during a short-term stint on ESPN when Mike Patrick was recovering from heart surgery.

Regardless, we feel like we've found an old friend, and we'll continue to watch Sunday's game even after the Bears are up by 54 points or more against the Niners.

POSTED 12:56 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 3:07 p.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

HUARD HURT IN PRACTICE

There are multiple reports that Chiefs interim starter Damon Huard injured a groin in practice on Friday, and might miss Sunday's game against Seattle.

The Kansas City Star first reported that Huard was hurt, and John Clayton of ESPN reported that it was a groin injury.

If Huard can't play, rookie Brodie Croyle will most likely get the nod. Trent Green has been out since suffering a severe concussion in Week One. He was cleared to practice this week, but has not been cleared to play.

RAT SALAD LAWSUIT SEEMS OVERBLOWN

Thanks to a reader, we've gotten our mitts on the rat salad lawsuit filed by Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley and his wife, and we've studied the thing in detail.

Our opinion? It seems to be a bit much. We understand that finding a dead rat in a salad isn't the best way to spend a Monday afternoon. But we also think that some of the specific allegations made smack of overreaching by the plaintiffs, which is a dangerous exercise in an era where juries are always on the lookout for scam artists.

We're not suggesting that the rat was planted in the salad, or any other foul play. But sometimes folks who have bad things happen to them allow their eyes to light up with dollar signs, and they become incapable of objectivity.

As to Haley, we think he never, ever should have attached his name to the proceedings. And at a minimum he should have waited to file suit until after he signed his next coaching contract.

Why, you ask? Because he'll now be forever known as the rat salad lawsuit guy in coaching circles, and the typically conservative members of the NFL ownership club might not be too keen on hiring a guy who might have Jackie Chiles on retainer. Sure, Haley still might have been slapped with some of that same stigma if only his wife had pursued the matter, but it might not have been as big of a deal.

Indeed, it possibly wouldn't have even received much, if any, national attention. Suits against fast-food restaurants for stuff in the food aren't all that uncommon. The Wendy's thing with the false claim of a severed human finger in the chili got a ton of attention because, well, it involved a severed human finger in the chili.

And just as we have concerns that lawyer David Cornwell might be placing a desire to gain notoriety over and above the interests of his NFL clients faced with alleged violations of the NFL substance abuse and steroids policies, the guy representing the Haleys, Cecil Casterline of Dallas, might merely be angling for a way to enhance his visibility.

But Casterline has cobbled together an entertaining legal document. Consider these excerpts:

1. "They sue for injuries . . . suffered when a salad Chrissy [Haley] purchased on June 5, 2006 at McDonald's contained a whole, dead rodent, believed to be a juvenile roof rat. They ate some of the salad before their forks uncovered the rodent; they instantaneously gagged, heaved and vomited. They have been ill, off and on, since that sickening afternoon."

2. "Katy [the live-in au pair] opened the salad, opened the enclosed salad dressing package, squeezed the dressing into and closed the plastic container, shook the salad to disperse the salad dressing, and reopened the container. Then both women began eating from the container with their utensils. As they were eating they uncovered a rodent lying dead on its back within the salad. Face up, mouth open. The dead rodent, whole and in place, whiskers, feet, open-mouth and all, caused Chrissy and Katy to become violently ill."

3. "They telephoned McDonald's owner-operator, and he drove to their home in Southlake to view the salad and the rodent. He gave neither woman a comfort level; nor did he display any acts of human kindness. . . . He said rather wryly that a dead rat in a salad could have happened to them at Ruth's Chris Steak House in Dallas. That perverse attitude gave no comfort to Chrissy and Katy."

4. "He simply insisted that he be allowed to take the salad and the rodent. . . . They refused his request to get the rat and the salad principally because he could not tell them why he wanted the nasty salad and equally despicable dead rodent."

5. "When the ladies see food, for the most part, they re-live the rodent-in-the-McDonald's-salad horror, and their extreme nausea arises again. . . . A dead rodent in food being eaten causes a distress and trauma level not encountered elsewhere in a dining experience."

The suit claims that the two women have undergone medical treatment to determine whether they have contracted any infectious diseases from the rodent, and that they have undergone counseling.

And as we surmised on Thursday, Mr. Haley's claim is for loss of marital consortium. In other words, his marriage has been harmed via the injuries suffered by his wife.

As one reader speculated, perhaps the Haleys' love life has been impacted because Mrs. Haley is now completely avoiding any and all five-inch hairy objects.

POSTED 10:31 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 12:37 p.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

LEAGUE, UNION CONCERNED ABOUT MERRIMAN LEAK

The New York Times reports that the NFL and the NFL Players Association are concerned about the fact that news of the impending four-game suspension of linebacker Shawne Merriman was leaked to the media before the matter was resolved.

As a result, Merriman will play the next two games of the season before his appeal is heard.

"That should not have been revealed," NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw said. "Normally, nobody knows about it until we go all the way through the appeal. This is a breach in the confidentiality."

(Editor's note: Upshaw also said that he can't recall a similar situation. As one reader has reminded us, a Denver television station somehow knew back in February that Miami running back Ricky Williams was facing a one-year suspension. The information was reported before the appeal hearing.)

Indeed, our initial reaction to the news was that the Chargers were in line for a fine of up to $500,000, since the initial report (from Chris Mortensen of ESPN) was attributed to "league and team sources."

The NFL's steroids policy states that "[a]ny Club or Club employee that publicly divulges, directly or indirectly, information concerning positive drug tests or other violation of this Policy (including numerical summaries or specific names of persons) or otherwise breaches the confidentiality provisions of this Policy is subject to a fine of up to $500,000 by the Commissioner."

But we've heard that the leak in this case traces to Merriman himself. Merriman has no agent. So, as we surmised on Monday, when Merriman received a letter from the league office, he started asking around the locker room about how to deal with the situation.

And when the other players heard about it, one of them eventually told Mortensen, we believe.

So how does the confidentiality clause apply in this case? Is a player a "Club employee" that is subject to a fine of up to $500,000? Is Merriman himself subject to a fine, either for talking about the situation in the locker room or for conducting a press conference?

As to the press conference, which also featured lawyer David Cornwell claiming that Merriman took a supplement that was spiked with steroids, we continue to hear from league insiders who believe that there's no way that Merriman will beat this one.

So why would Cornwell float such a lame excuse? To help sway public opinion in Merriman's favor. If Cornwell had said, "Yeah, Shawne is a juicer and he got caught," Merriman's ability to generate revenue via sources other than his salary would take a potentially devastating hit. (See Bonds, Barry.) So instead Cornwell says what he has to say, and the hope is that after Merriman serves his four games the issue will fade -- just like it did after Julius Peppers was popped for ephedra in 2002.

17-GAME SEASON NOT SO STOOPID, AFTER ALL?

We mentioned on Thursday that one possible solution to the problem of lifting a home game from two teams per year in order to aid in the foreign growth of the NFL would be to expand the season to 17 games. Such an approach would also get rid of the annoying problem of teams that finish not above .500 or below .500 but on .500.

We then realized how dumb that is, since it would mean that the 30 other teams that don't play a home game in another country would end up with an unequal number of home and road games each year.

But maybe we've discovered plutonium by accident.

Why not play 17 games, and then use each team's extra home game as a way to play 16 games per year at a neutral site?

Under this approach, each team would be involved in eight home games, eight road games, and one neutral site game. And the 16 games wouldn't have to be played exclusively in other countries.

How about a game in Ohio Stadium in Columbus?

Or at Penn State? Or at South Bend? Or in the Big House at Ann Arbor?

We know, we know. There would be all sorts of logistical issues. At many college stadiums beer can't be sold, by law.

Still, the possibilities are fascinating (at least to football dweebs like us). And we think that if the foreign games are successful the next step could be a 17-game season, with 16 games per year on neutral turf.

UPDATE: Several readers have suggested that the NFL's L.A. dilemma could be solved by playing multiple "neutral site" games per year at the Los Angeles Coliseum. We like it.

POSTED 9:21 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:06 a.m. EDT, October 27, 2006

TRAINERS TICKED OFF OVER PELLMAN STORY

A league source tells us that multiple NFL trainers are pissed off regarding a recent ESPN The Magazine article regarding the "work" of Dr. Elliot Pellman, who chairs the NFL's "Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Committee."

The trainers, we're told, are upset by the fact that the article implies that the individual teams are inept when it comes to treating players who have suffered concussions.

"The story is not that team doctors don't know what their doing, it's that Pellman is the head of the concussion committee and he may not know what he's doing," said the source.

"The story was originally all about Pellman but now [Merril] Hoge and others are ripping doctors, and I really don't think there is an issue with 99 percent of team doctors. But there are plenty of issues with Pellman at least with the trainers."

But the problem, as we see it, is that the league office has opted to appoint a guy who got his medical degree in Mexico as the head of the committee on brain injuries. And based on the detailed (i.e., way too long for someone with adult ADHD to read) story written by Peter Keating, a fair conclusion to be drawn is that Pellman truly doesn't know what he's doing, and that he's possibly focused more on protecting the league than protecting the players.

In cases like this, the only way to force change at the top is to push up from the bottom. So if the trainers and the team doctors think that Pellman is unfit to chair the committee, they need to organize their voices and make their beliefs known.

And why in the hell would the league make Pellman the top guy on this committee? Even if the unspoken goal of the committee is to engineer studies in a manner that will protect the league and its teams from liability due to situations in which players are allowed to get back on the field soon after getting whacked in the head, wouldn't it make sense to persuade someone with better objective credentials to sell his soul for the cause?

Hell, it's like the tobacco companies hiring Dr. Nick Riviera to tell people that nicotine isn't addictive.

With all that said, we'd like to think that the NFL's ultimate objective in this regard is to protect the players. But Keating's story paints a starkly different picture -- and we're amazed (and impressed) that the company that bowed to pressure from the league to kill Playmakers was willing to shoot an arrow toward such a sensitive spot on the league's underbelly.

BYRON'S PAYDAY GOING BYE-BYE?

One of the collateral consequences of the possible benching of quarterback Byron Leftwich is that his long-term financial prospects could be taking a big hit.

Leftwich is due to become a free agent after the 2007 season. But if he's not even the No. 1 quarterback on his team, chances are that he won't command the kind of coin on the free-agent market that others have earned in the past.

And it makes us wonder whether the team is more inclined to give backup David Garrard playing time because there have been failed behind-the-scenes efforts to extend Leftwich's deal. If, as we'd heard, the team justified sticking with Leftwich in the past because he was the guy in which the team had invested a ton of money, we can easily see the team opting to bench him now in order to avoid having to make a similar commitment to him in the not-too-distant future.

In fact, we wouldn't be surprised at all if the team trades or cuts Leftwich after the 2006, since due to escalators his salary likely will be in the range of $4 million next season.

Meanwhile, Leftwich was held out of practice on Thursday, due supposedly to his injured ankle. But we think the move might have been influenced in part by the decision of Leftwich to publicly take issue with coach Jack Del Rio's conclusion that Leftwich's ankle injury contributed to his subpar play on Sunday against the Texans.

If so, the message has been received. A reportedly dejected Leftwich was far less loquacious on Thursday: "I don't know anything," he said regarding his status for the upcoming game at Philly. "I guess I'll find out whenever Sunday or pre-game. . . . I'll be ready for any situation. I don't want to say too much."

IT'S THE LAST SPRINT NFL FAN DAY

As the saying goes, all good things must end.

Sprint launched its NFL Fan Day promotion for Fridays in September, and extended the package into October. But, alas, October is ending, and so are the Sprint NFL Fan Days.

But it's not too late. Today, customers in selected areas can obtain a $50 service credit on a voice plan when activating a Sprint phone, and also can take advantage of exclusive NFL-themed offers.

Sprint NFL Fan Days are available at Sprint stores, Sprint-branded authorized retailers, and Sprint kiosks in the following markets: all NFL cities; Los Angeles; Columbus, Ohio; Louisville/Lexington, Kentucky; Evansville, Indiana; Youngstown, Ohio; Canton/Akron, Ohio; Providence, Rhode Island; Western Michigan; Northern New Jersey; Central New Jersey; Long Island; Southern and Northern Connecticut.

For October, the program was expanded to include Sprint stores, Sprint-branded authorized retailers, and Sprint kiosks in Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Austin (Texas), San Antonio, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Orlando, and Birmingham (Alabama).

So show your support for the site by supporting our exclusive telecommunications sponsor. For a true NFL fan, there's no reason not to choose Sprint, since Sprint is the only wireless carrier that offers NFL Mobile, a free service that provides stats, real-time game updates, news alerts, game highlights, and NFL Network content.

POSTED 10:58 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

HALEY SUES McDONALD'S FOR RAT SALAD

In a football season that has been as bizarre as any football season we can remember, Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley has sued McDonald's, claiming that his wife and the family's live-in babysitter found a rat in a salad they were eating in June.

The women began eating the salad before the rat was found, and then allegedly became violently ill.

Haley's claim likely arises from the concept known under the law as loss of marital consortium. The argument is that the injuries suffered by his wife impacted his marriage. Haley's wife and the babysitter are also plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

In our view, it would have made more sense for Haley to not add his name to the lawsuit. Whether the plaintiffs are only Mrs. Haley or both husband and wife, the jury is likely to award the same total amount, if any, for the alleged injuries. Given that Haley has a relatively high-profile profession, he should have taken a low profile in the lawsuit.

And our guess is that the lawsuit isn't against McDonald's Corporation, but against the local company that owns and operates the McDonald's-franchised restaurant. So even though the suit is against McDonald's, it's not actually against McDonald's.

Meanwhile, we're hearing that Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens assisted the family in identifying the creature that was in the salad.

As Owens said: "If it looks like a rat and smells like a rat, by golly, it is a rat."

POSTED 8:04 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

TIKI WON'T BE MISSED BY SOME IN NEW YORK

An industry source with knowledge of the New York Giants tells us that there is a group of players in the locker room that can't stand running back Tiki Barber.

"They say he's smug and condescending and complains a lot," said the source.

This reinforces our belief that, while Barber's stated plan to retire after the season isn't a distraction in and of itself, there could be a problem if the Tiki World Farewell Tour stokes the smoldering resentment that already exists within the building.

Meanwhile, Tiki is still using ten-dollar words on television. During a Thursday night appearance on NFLN's Total Access, he broke out the term "bloviate" regarding the folks who are criticizing him. (We looked it up. It's a term that's most commonly used by those who bloviate.)

Tiki, pal, you've got to drop the fancy-shmancy talk. It doesn't connect with the kinds of folks who'll comprise the TV audience you ultimately aspire to have.

And it reminds us of something that a good friend once said to his class of eighth graders when their vocabulary book included the term "supersensitive."

"If you ever use that word," he told the students, "people will think you're gay." (Not that there's anything wrong with it.)

POSTED 4:01 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 5:00 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

JONES SAYS TEAM HAS TAKEN A "STEP BACK"

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is "disappointed" that a season he believed could be "special" has been derailed by substandard quarterback play from former starter Drew Bledsoe. Bledsoe has been benched in favor of Tony Romo, a former Division I-AA player who was not drafted.

"I'm disappointed at the reason we're having to make this change," Jones said Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

"I have to be a realist," he said. "I hadn't thought or hoped that we'd be sitting here after the sixth game making these adjustments. . . . I did not want to this year go to an inexperienced quarterback. I wanted to have the benefit of Drew Bledsoe. It hasn't worked out as of today. It just hasn't worked out. That to me is a step back."

Jerry, baby, what the hell are you doing?

Here's what's wrong with what Jones is saying: He is providing an excuse for the team to take a step back.

It's no different, in our view, than a team that has suffered a rash of injuries. If the front office spouts off the "woe is us" routine, the players will suddenly have a built-in excuse to fail.

And based on our discussions over the years with league insiders who "get it" and those who don't, we think that these messages that are propagated by the powers-that-be have a huge impact on whether and to what extent the team meets and/or exceeds expectations.

Jones also defended the team's revolving door at quarterback since Troy Aikman retired, explaining that the team "consciously tried not to go to the top of the draft to get a quarterback."

Yeah, you'd hate to go to the top of the draft and get a guy like, say, Troy Aikman, who was the No. 1 overall pick in 1989, and who delivered three championships in his first seven seasons.

Obviously, however, a top-ten pedigree isn't mandatory. Tom Brady parlayed a sixth-round selection spot into three Lombardis in five NFL seasons. Kurt Warner won one and lost one despite being undrafted. Brad Johnson led the Bucs to a title in 2002 despite being a ninth-round pick a decade earlier.

But it's still more than a bit ironic for a guy like Jones, whose biggest success in Big D came with a team captained by a No. 1 draft choice, to resist trying to get another quarterback that way.

And, really, it won't matter who the quarterback is this year if Jones is going to declare to the world (and thus to the team) that he's now expecting less of them than he previously did.

MORE DETAILS ON FOREIGN GAMES

We've talked with some of our league sources regarding the recently-conducted ownership meetings in New Orleans, and we've picked up some more details as to the decision to begin playing two regular-season games per season on foreign soil.

One of the topics that was discussed, we're told, is whether divisional games would be included in the mix of contests that are exported to other countries. Despite a belief by some that divisional games should be exempt, a consensus was reached that divisional contests are eligible, but only if the two teams agree to do it.

With that said, we can't imagine any team agreeing to give up a home game against one of its arch-rivals.

It's also our understanding that any team required to play a game out of the country (as the "home" team or as the "away" team) will be scheduled to be at home the week before the foreign trip -- and will have a bye the week after it.

Also, although some owners have been a bit cryptic in their public statements regarding the financial impact of the lost home games, we're told that a team that loses a home game will be "made whole" by the league. The team that gives up a game will, in other words, receive a guaranteed amount of money to cover for the lost revenues resulting from the lost game.

With all that said, there are lingering issues that will need to be addressed. Some teams have leases that prevent "home" games from being played in any location other than the home stadium. There are issues with stadium sponsorship, with partial refunds possibly going to companies that pay a yearly fee for a ten-game package (preseason included) that shrinks to nine.

Regardless, the league is making a clear commitment to expanding the pie beyond U.S. borders, in the hopes of making the NFL a sport with a truly global following.

WE IS STOOPID, PART 24

We mentioned earlier on Thursday the possibility of expanding the regular season to 17 games, in order to defray the periodic loss of a home game due to the NFL's new foreign initiative.

The problem? Some teams would get nine home games a year, and some would get eight.

Then again, we're not the only ones who squeaked out a brain fart on Thursday. A few of our readers suggested that the problem of teams being required to give up a home game to accommodate the league's desire to play in other countries could easily be solved if the NFL schedules on foreign soil only games involving two road teams.

We didn't make that up.

POSTED 12:51 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 3:41 p.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

TIKI TAKES ON IRVIN, OTHERS

Giants running back Tiki Barber used his Sirius NFL Radio show as a platform for criticizing those who have criticized him for creating a possible locker room distraction by announcing his impending retirement in the middle of the football season.

On Tuesday night, Barber said this: "I will call them 'idiots' because they have neither spoken to me nor any one of my teammates or any of my coaches, yet all they do is criticize me for being a distraction with this retirement thing. That includes [New York Daily News columnist] Gary Myers, that includes Tom Jackson on ESPN, that includes the ultimate character guy, facetiously speaking, of course, Michael Irvin [of ESPN], please get a clue how to be a journalist. Don't make blanket assumptions about it."

At first, we were inclined to agree (and it kills us to say that) with Irvin on this one, because we understand Irvin's position that Barber's stated intention to pack it in could hamper his ability to lead younger players on the team who now know that there is no long-term attachment or accountability to the veteran tailback.

But then we heard Irvin explaining himself during Thursday's Man-Girl & Meatball in the Morning on ESPN Radio. Irvin argued that Barber's decision to drop his plans on the team in October is a distraction, and it's no different than the perceived distractions that Terrell Owens causes in Dallas. Meatball disagreed with Irvin, arguing that Barber's plans have no impact on the preparation or the play of the other guys on the team.

In our view, there's a big difference between guys like Barber and guys like Owens. For Barber, his issue relates only to himself; it's a distraction then only if it distracts him from finishing the season strong and hard. For Owens, his constant stream of issues and gripes and problems affects others because he is always looking for others to blame. And his antics cause resentment in the locker room, which at some point can and will affect team chemistry -- and which likewise will make it harder for the players on the field to achieve and maintain complete harmony.

So we think that the fact that Barber says he's retiring won't in and of itself be a distraction. Instead, it could provide some additional incentive for the team to come together despite a mismatched collection of strong personalities (with the exception of quarterback Eli Manning, who has all the personality of a soft-boiled egg). The Steelers had extra motivation in 2005 to win a Super Bowl for running back Jerome Bettis, and they delivered. Heck, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger basically promised a championship to Bettis when he decided to come back after a devastating AFC title game loss following 2004's 15-1 regular season.

But there's a caveat here. If the locker room perceives that Barber is getting (or desiring) too much attention for his looming retirement, and if he continues to come off (as he did on Monday night) like he's enjoying the attention way too much, there could be a backlash.

Remember when Barber made some comments in the media about defensive end Michael Strahan and his contractual demands? Anyone who thinks that Strahan won't eventually get tired of the Tiki love-fest doesn't understand the nature of the human animal.

And the irony here is that, when Strahan was talking about possibly leaving the team after his contract expired, it was Barber who said publicly that Strahan "should just be quiet."

So now it's Barber who's saying (over and over again) that he'll leave the Giants after the season. When will Strahan turn the tables on Tiki and use his own quote against him?

As to Barber's squabble with Irvin, we think the heart of the matter is that Barber is leaving the game while still healthy, and that Irvin left the game because his body would no longer let him play. Love him or hate him, Irvin strikes us as a guy who would have played football for as long as physically possible -- and we think that guys who have that genuine passion for the game are offended when someone who still has the ability to play decides not to.

Meanwhile, anyone who plans to hire Tiki for a network gig should do some careful research on how he's perceived beyond the borders of Manhattan. Though the execs presumably will enjoy the ability to sniff Tiki's jock, we think (with all due respect to Tiki) that he's not going to play in Peoria until he: (1) quits using ten-dollar words gratuitously; and (2) removes that smug look from his face whenever he is being interviewed.

Based on one of the anecdotes that the sock puppets shared during Monday night's broadcast, it appears that Tiki grew up with a chip on his shoulder because all of the white kids in town just assumed he was a dumb jock. The challenge he now faces is dumping the facade of a forced intellectual and just being himself.

RADIO UPDATE

We got busy on Tuesday night and Wednesday and we weren't able to provide in advance the usual rundown of radio appearances.

We had a busier-than-usual slate on Wednesday, starting with visits with Howard Balzer of ESPN Radio in St. Louis at 9:20 a.m. EDT, and continuing with Greg Gaston and Eli Savoie of WHBQ in Memphis at 12:20 p.m. EDT, Chris McClain of WFNZ in Charlotte at 2:25 p.m. EDT, Jody McDonald of SportsTalk 950 in Philly at 5:00 p.m. EDT, Ryan Chambers and Terry Harvin of ESPN Radio in Macon, Georgia. We wrapped up with one of our favorite segments of the week -- a breakdown of our PFT Ten-Pack with Glen Macnow of WIP in Philly, at 10:30 p.m. EDT.

Thursday will be pretty quiet, with only a 6:00 p.m. EDT visit with Matt Perrault of Big Sports 590 in Omaha on the books for now.

On Friday, we'll possibly hear from our pals at WNST in Baltimore during the 8:00 a.m. EDT hour, and we're scheduled to make our weekly visits to the Terry Bowden Show at 4:30 p.m. EDT, and with Mike Dempsey and Tom McManus of ESPN Radio in Jacksonville at 5:20 p.m. EDT.

POSTED 10:05 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:08 a.m. EDT, October 26, 2006

FAT ALBERT HEADING TO BENCH?

We're hearing increased rumblings in league circles that the Jacksonville Jaguars could soon be benching quarterback Byron Leftwich (known lovingly in these circles as "Fat Albert").

And not because of his ankle, or any other injury.

Per a league source, there is some suspicion that coach Jack Del Rio's attribution of Leftwich's poor play on Sunday to a supposedly renewed ankle problem is a pretext for sitting him down in favor of backup David Garrard. Such a move would be similar to the initial strategy employed by Dolphins coach Nick Saban to ease Daunte Culpepper out of the starting lineup. In Miami's case, Saban at first attributed the benching to a shoulder injury, but after backup Joey Harrington showed that he could perform reasonably well the party line became that Culpepper was down until he regained his "explosion" in a knee that was exploded on October 30, 2005.

In this case, Del Rio initially said that Leftwich's ankle wasn't a factor in the former first-rounder's 14-for-28, 125-yard performance in a 27-7 loss to the Texans on Sunday. Then Del Rio said that it was.

Now, Leftwich disagrees with his coach. "I've been worse with all the injuries I've had in my life," Leftwich said Wednesday, according to Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union. "I've played in more pain than that, so I will not allow myself that excuse. I missed a few balls, but I don't think my ankle had anything to do with it. That's just my opinion."

And there's also a discrepancy as to the source of his present ankle injury. When the ankle "flared up" last Friday, it was attributed to the broken ankle that Leftwich suffered in 2005. But Leftwich now says that he hurt the ankle on October 1 against the Redskins. He played against the Jets on October 8, and practiced on Wednesday and Thursday after the team's October 15 bye.

Garrard played in six games last season, starting five. He generated a passer rating of 83.9. But Leftwich returned for the playoffs, which entailed a 28-0 drubbing by the Patriots.

Leftwich's passer rating in 2006 is 79.0.

Before Garrard's short-term stint as the starter, there had been a school of thought within the building that Garrard was the better choice for the position, given his mobility (and Fat Albert's lack thereof). However, the organization (as we'd heard it) ultimately concluded that it needed to justify the decision to invest a top-ten draft pick and a pile of money in the former Marshall quarterback.

JAGS LYING ON INJURY REPORT?

The other issue raised by the he said/he said thing going on between Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio and quarterback Byron Leftwich is that Leftwich's explanation -- he says he suffered a fresh ankle injury on October 1 -- suggests that the team had improperly concealed the condition on its weekly injury reports.

Leftwich did not appear on the injury report prior to the October 8 game against the Jets, and he was a late addition to the report last week.

Because the term "probable" as used in the injury reports technically means that there is a "virtual certainty" that the player will be available for normal duty, Leftwich's ankle injury probable-y should have been reported.

The internal discussion might have gone like this:

Jack Del Rio: "How's Byron's ankle, doc?"

Doctor: "Well, it looks like he sprained it."

Jack Del Rio: "So he's got an ankle injury?"

Doctor: "Yes, he does."

Jack Del Rio: "Will he be able to play?"

Doctor: "I'd say it's a virtual certainty."

Under league rules, that's all it takes for a guy to show up on the report as "probable."

If nothing else, this example is another reason why the league needs to reconfigure its injury reporting categories. Under a literal application of the term "probable," half of a team would be listed in November and December. But with the next level of severity above "virtual certainty" being the 50-50 standard of "questionable," we think there should be something between 95 and 50 percent.

PENDERGAST IN MIX FOR CARDINALS JOB?

Though the far sexier name on the rumor mill regarding potential new hires in Arizona is that of former Eagles, Rams, and Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil, one guy to watch closely in this regard is Cardinals defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, whose unit's solid effort ten days ago in shutting down the Bears' offense was overshadowed by the collapse of his own team's offense and special teams down the stretch.

Pendergast is a member of the family whose land was purchased for the Cardinals' new stadium, and it is believed that Pendergast enjoys a solid relationship with the Bidwills.

And because Pendergast likely would not attempt to command total control of the football operations (see Carroll, Pete), he might be a far more attractive candidate for an owner who doesn't want to sacrifice said control.

Of course, whether sacrifice of control might actually help the team to emerge from a decades-long morass is a different issue.

There was a report a couple of weeks back from Jay Glazer of FOX that defensive players walked out of a recent meeting with Pendergast, and that safety Robert Griffith and the coach were nose-to-nose in the meeting room. Our own sources tell us that the incident was overblown by some of the players in the room, and that the matter has since blown over.

The other knock on Pendergast is that he likes to yell a lot.

Our suggestion for the Cardinals? Make a run at Vermeil, and allow Vermeil to groom Pendergast to be his successor. Maybe Dick will be able to persuade Pendergast that a coach attracts less flies with vinegar than with tears.

MORE THOUGHTS ON FOREIGN GAMES

We've heard from several readers in response to our musings regarding the league's plan to play two games per year in other countries, and as usual our readers often have better insights than we do on matters of this nature.

Multiple readers have pointed out the issue of the "personal seat licenses" or "PSLs". Several teams impose on season ticket holders a charge over and above the cost of admission to the stadium for the ability to sit in the seat. These transactions arguably imply that there will be a certain number of games per year in which the fan will find the sitting in the licensed seat more desirable than other sitting devices that the fan owns, leases, and/or uses with permission.

(For anyone who'd like to buy or to sell a PSL, there's actually a web site at which PSLs can be bought and sold.)

So if a home game is lost, there arguably should be some compensation for the holder of the PSL, since the purchaser assumed when buying the PSL that there would be eight regular-season home games per year. (Then again, our guess is that the lawyers who drafted the PSL agreements included language to protect the team against situations in which home games are lost for any number of reasons; we suspect, however, that such clauses would not be applicable where the game has been lost because a sufficient number of owners have voted to yank games away from us Yanks.)

Another reader suggested that owners will try to prepare for the looming loss of a home game by charging a flat rate per year for "season tickets" -- with a disclaimer that there is a possibility that one or more of the games could be moved to another country. (We also think that some owners will recoup the once-in-16-year loss of a home game by increasing ticket prices; with every stadium sold out for the first seven weeks of the season, basic economics suggest that a price increase would likely fly.)

Yet another reader suggested that the first team required to give up a game should be the New York Giants, since they picked up a free home game in 2005 due to Hurricane Katrina, which forced the late September game between the Saints and Giants to be moved to the Meadowlands. (We like that idea -- and along those same lines we think the Saints should be exempted from giving up a game for at least 25 years due to the havoc that was wreaked on the franchise last season.)

Maybe the best approach is to expand the regular season from 16 to 17 games, keeping the preseason at four. That way, no one would ever have less than eight regular season games, and even more games per year could be sent to Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, China, Japan, Australia, Antarctica, and/or the moon.

Really, 17 games makes a lot of sense. It's one more week of television money. It's one more week of sold-out stadiums. It's more money for the "Total Football Revenues" that drive the salary cap. And it'd get rid of that sister-kissing category of 8-8 in the final standings.

POSTED 8:57 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:33 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2006

BIG BEN BOO-HOOS

We've said it before, we'll say it again.

Ben Roethlisberger is a drama queen.

Latest evidence? Roethlisberger claims that Falcons players said (sniff) mean things to him after he was busted in the head on Sunday, regarding the facial injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident in June.

Yeah, Ben. It's called trash talk. And when you choose to drive around town on a crotch rocket without a helmet and when you smash your head into a Chrysler and when you get back onto a football field with 11 guys on the other team who are trying to get into your head, you'll have that.

Roethlisberger didn't say what was said and wouldn't say who said it, but as to the player involved he said, "I'll remember his number."

That's good, Ben. Because you won't play the Falcons again until 2010. And if you keep getting busted in the head and/or face, you'll forget the guy's number before you ever see him again.

PORTER BACK TO WORK

A compromise between the NFL and the NFLPA has resulted in the reinstatement of Raiders receiver Jerry Porter after serving only two games of a four-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.

Pursuant to the new CBA, NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw and NFL V.P. for labor relations Harold Henderson have the authority to resolve grievances without a hearing.

We wonder whether the players were told about that one before they voted for the CBA. We also wonder whether that whole "Once a Raider, Always a Raider" deal influenced former/current Raider Upshaw's willingness to do a deal.

Porter was deactivated for the first four games of the season and then suspended for four more games without pay. The suspension cost Porter $117,647 of his $1 million salary. Based on the specific language of his 2005 contract extension, the Raiders also might be able to pursue a portion of his eight-figure signing bonus.

OVERSEAS GAMES A GOOD THING . . . AS LONG AS THEY'RE NOT OURS

We love the idea of the NFL exporting its regular-season games to other countries.

For purely selfish reasons.

Like the NFL, we realize that the world is a lot bigger than the United States. Like the NFL, we realize that if pro football can catch on in other countries, our cash flow will improve.

Really, there's only so much money than can be squeezed out of the American audience. The best way to expand profits on a long-term basis? Take the product to a bigger store.

The only problem, as we see it? Selling the concept of a lost home game in two cities every year. Apart from the lost ticket revenue and concessions revenue and suite revenue and parking revenue and all of the other revenue that is raked in by the home team that is faced with losing 1/8th of its slate of games, the collateral impact on local hotels, bars, restaurants, and other businesses will be significant. And even though the owners who lose a game will likely be compensated by the league at large, there will be no gratuities given to the folks who rely on that money to pay wages to the local citizens whom they employ.

The NFL, in our view, will likely choose its targets strategically, starting with cities that would be less likely to revolt -- and then working its way up to the Pittsburghs and New Englands and Washingtons and Dallases of the league.

It won't be pretty, even if it's something that will happen once every 16 years for each NFL city. And a good way to help compensate for the loss of one of eight home games could be to give each team a ninth home game by cutting the preseason from four games to two, and expanding the regular season to 18.

Speaking of the preseason, we also are expecting plenty of grousing from fans who are forced to buy tickets to two meaningless games in order to purchase seats for only seven meaningful games.

And as explained in this week's PFT Ten-Pack, we still think that the most fair approach is to require any team that hosts a Super Bowl to give up two home games -- one during the season in which the Super Bowl is played there and one the next season.

Our guess? Plenty of cities would be willing to part with a couple of home games if it meant scoring the biggest game of them all.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Cardinals QB Matt Leinart is a daddy.

The Bengals won't say whether WR Chris Henry will play this weekend after a two-game suspension.

The Bucs have placed CB Brian Kelly on IR.

Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams (ankle) practiced on Wednesday and is questionable for Sunday.

Eagles WR Donte' Stallworth (hamstring) is listed as probable for Sunday.

Seahawks RB Shaun Alexander (broken foot) ran on a treadmill on Tuesday.

The Colts plan to keep DT Montae Reagor on the active roster as he recovers from a car accident. (Are they sure he doesn't have polyarthritis?)

The Chiefs have signed OL Chris Terry.

Ravens QB Steve McNair (Grade 2 concussion) says he feels "rejuvenated." (He then asked what the word "rejuvenated" means.)

POSTED 4:16 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2006

ROMO TO START ON SUNDAY

Cowboys coach Bill Parcells said in a Wednesday press conference that Tony Romo will be the starting quarterback for Sunday night's game against the Carolina Panthers.

"Any time you do something like this, it's not without a lot of consideration," Parcells said. "I've been thinking about it for some time. . . . Hopefully, maybe as the team is comprised right now, he might be able to do a couple of things that assist us."

As we remarked in Monday night's Live Blog of the Giants-Cowboys game, Romo is a young Brett Favre. And that's both a compliment and an insult.

Favre circa 1992 was thrilling and reckless. Poised and green. Fascinating and frustrating. Only after the efforts and patience of Mike Holmgren did Favre reach his potential.

Romo today, just like Favre 14 years ago, isn't the right kind of quarterback for a coach in the twilight of his career. Instead, Romo is a guy that Sean Payton or Brad Childress or someone else on a longer leash should be breaking in.

Of course, if Romo can lead the Cowboys to victory on Sunday night, we'll forget about the Monday debacle in Big D almost as quickly as we forgot about the prior weekend's thrashing of the Texans.

POSTED 3:35 p.m. EDT, October 25, 2006

REDSKINS SOURCE CALLS FISHER RUMOR "NONSENSE"

A Redskins source has responded to the rumor that owner Dan Snyder will pursue Titans coach Jeff Fisher if Joe Gibbs packs it in after the season by calling the rumor "nonsense."

Fisher previously has been linked to the potential vacancy with the Cowboys.

Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has a clause in his contract that promises to pay him $1 million if he is not hired as the successor to Gibbs.

We've heard rumors over the past several months, primarily coming from some of our contacts in the world of NASCAR, that Gibbs' wife is pushing him to get out of coaching. When Gibbs returned to the Redskins in 2004, there were rumors that Mrs. Gibbs was in favor of the move because it helped get son Coy out from behind the wheel of vehicles that sometimes crash and burn and into the world of football coaching.

POSTED 9:15 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:59 a.m. EDT, October 25, 2006

TUG-O-WAR COMING FOR FISHER?

We mentioned in this space on Tuesday rumors that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been making overtures toward Titans coach Jeff Fisher as the potential successor to Bill Parcells.

We've now been informed by an industry source of talk that Redskins owner Dan Snyder also has his eye on Fisher.

Per the source, the rumor is that Snyder would buy out the provision in the contract of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams that promises him a seven-figure sum if he's not the next head coach, and then go after Fisher -- if, of course, Joe Gibbs doesn't come back for 2007.

Though the interest in the coach of a 1-5 team doesn't mesh with the traditional concept of "hot" coaches getting jobs, Fisher is well respected in league circles. Also, there's a strong case to be made that his team has struggled in recent years not because of Fisher's coaching, but because of poor salary cap management by the front office, which has forced the franchise to release multiple key players.

Still, the Titans hold an option on Fisher for 2007, so it's by no means a done deal that he'll be available. If he is, however, it looks like he'll have some suitors.

BEN BACK THIS WEEKEND?

The signs apparently are pointing to a quick return to action by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, the star-crossed signal-caller who must be feeling like he's running from the Grim Reaper.

Morbid? Sure. But this is a guy who slammed without a helmet at 35 miles per hour or so into a moving car and nearly died (if you believe his account of it), had an appendectomy a week before the season opener, and most recently has been sangwiched (as some say in the 'Burgh) between a couple of Falcons defenders and, by all appearances, took a Steve Young-style nap on the field on Sunday.

"He had an MRI done on his brain and neck. Both of those came back normal," coach Bill Cowher said on Tuesday. "We also did the impact test, the concussion test. We're very encouraged by the results. We'll monitor his progress as the week goes on."

But recovery from the most recent concussion is one thing. The potential consequences of future concussions is another. One plus one can equal five when it comes to the long-term effects of multiple brain-bruisings, and plenty of guys have been forced to the sidelines for extended periods (Dan Morgan) and/or permanently (Al Toon) because of the cumulative effect of head trauma.

Roethlisberger has had at least two concussions. He's possibly had more over the years that were either untreated or undiagnosed. So regardless of when he returns, he's now officially one blow to the bubble closer to being forced out of the game -- the only unknown is how many total shots he can take before he has to shut it down.

PLAY HOOKY WITH PFT NEXT WEDNESDAY

Wednesday, November 1 is the five-year anniversary of PFT. Here's what we looked like way back when:

Pretty pathetic, huh?

And to celebrate our anniversary, we're not asking for cards or candy or money or footwear. We request only that, for one day, you spend even less time working and more time on the site.

The Poobah will be taking the entire day off from his "real" job on November 1 and working full-time, all-day, non-stop on the site. There will be constant updates. And if we run out of rumors, news, and analysis, we'll start making stuff up. Or we'll roll out some of Dante's limericks about leprechauns.

Our goal? To have the highest single day of traffic in the history of the site. It'll be a challenge, given that the Live Blogs unexpectedly have been generating huge numbers on Mondays. But if everyone who comes by the site in the course of a week can make a point to pay us a visit for our 24-hour anniversary party next Wednesday, we just might manage to crash the servers.

And as to anyone out there in the league or in the real media (print or broadcast) who'd like to drop us a genuine or sarcastic note of praise or derision for publication next Wednesday, we say "go for it." Gone are the days that it's considered a bad thing within NFL circles to get your PFT on.

So we look forward to hearing from some of the folks in the league and in the media, and we look forward to cramming as many readers as possible into the room for next Wednesday's shindig.

IRVIN RAISING EYEBROWS

Several readers have raised with us their opinions that something wasn't right with ESPN's Michael Irvin during a Tuesday appearance on SportsCenter.

And this isn't the first time that we've heard whispers about Irvin's demeanor during a midweek SportsCenter broadcast. When Irvin appeared with Bob Ley during the T.O. accidental suicide attempt a few weeks back, a high-level guy with one of the teams expressed concern to us that something was wrong with Irvin.

Irvin's history is well documented, but we're not suggesting that these opinions and observations that we're receiving are the result of anything medicinal or chemical. Even though Irvin was arrested last year for having drug paraphernalia in his car, we accept his version that the pipe belonged to a "friend." And we've generally seen nothing on Sundays or Mondays that causes us to conclude that something is out of sorts with Irvin.

But the situation bears watching, in light of his history and his inexplicably high profile on ESPN.

WEDNESDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Edgerrin "No Gain" James apparently is forgetting about those 40 million reasons why he joined a bad team.

If Denny Green goes during the season, who takes his place?

Falcons coach Jim Mora says that DE Chauncey Davis shouldn't be fined for knocking out Big Ben.

Ravens QB Steve McNair suffered a "Grade 2" concussion on October 15, but is expected to play on Sunday against the Saints.

The Bills are moving Jason Peters from right tackle to left tackle, and Mike Gandy moves from left tackle to left guard.

J.P. Losman will continue to be the Bills starting quarterback.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones might favor Drew Bledsoe over Tony Romo.

The Bears and Giants will get a musical intro from a woman who could kick Brian Urlacher's ass.

Free-agent WR Peter Warrick has worked out for the Bengals. (Who's next? Ki-Jana Carter, Akili Smith, and David Klingler?)

Thanks to the reader who tracked down the reason why NFL players who test positive for steroids can no longer say that their supplements ate their homework.

So Mo Carthon "resigned"? Yeah, so did Charley Casserly. And Abraham Lincoln.

Matt Mosley of the Dallas Morning News thinks that Tony Romo will keep the gig in Dallas.

Coach Kevlar says that QB Jay Cutler won't play . . . on Sunday against the Colts; beyond that, who in the hell knows?

Lions WR Roy Williams thinks that the 1-6 Lions can be 10-6. (So do we . . . in 2009.)

Mr. Laura Quinn is one of the nominees for Rookie of the Week.

The Texans' offensive line is starting to come together.

Colts DT Montae Reagor will undergo surgery on Wednesday for injuries suffered in a car accident. (Corey Simon wants to know when Reagor will be put on the NFI list.)

Jags coach Jack Del Rio says that Fat Albert's bad ankle affected his performance on Sunday.

The Chiefs have brought back OT John Welbourn, who "retired" and then was suspended for six games.

Butch Davis wants to return to coaching and says he won't rule out any college or NFL job (but most NFL teams have already ruled him out).

POSTED 11:10 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:40 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2006

DICK HEADING TO THE DESERT?

There are rumors flying in league circles that if/when the Cardinals part ways with coach Dennis Green one of the short-list choices to replace Green will be former Eagles and Rams and Chiefs head coach Dick Vermeil.

Vermeil retired from the Chiefs after the 2005 season, but he also "retired" from the Rams after the 1999 season.

It's only a rumor at this point, not a prediction or a report or anything else of any substance. But stay tuned.

We're also hearing that Chiefs V.P. of Player Personnel Bill Kuharich could get strong consideration for the G.M. job in Arizona, if/when the Bidwills are looking to fill it.

Again, it's rumor at this point. Again, stay tuned.

MERRIMAN FACES AN UPHILL CLIMB

In response to news that the hearing on linebacker Shawne Merriman's appeal will be held on November 7, league sources are increasingly skeptical about Merriman's chances of avoiding a four-game suspension.

"To the best of my knowledge," a league source told us on Tuesday night, "no one has ever won an appeal for steroid use. The league says the player is responsible for everything that goes into his body and if he is not sure, then have it checked. Merriman's excuse (or rather [David] Cornwell's) is a crock."

Meanwhile, we're hearing opinions from more and more league insiders who noticed that Merriman seemed to grow rapidly in the weeks and months leading up to the 2005 draft. Though it's hard to discern differences in upper body mass based on pictures in pads, Merriman looks a lot smaller in the midsection, based on photos from his days as a Terp and snapshots from his time with the Chargers.

Whether any portions of Merriman's mass is medicinal remains to be seen. But even if he beats the current rap, he'll always be tainted with the stigma of steroids.

NEW TEN-PACK IS UP

We used to park the Ten-Pack in this space, but in order to keep the size of the rolling 15-16 day Rumor Mill under control we've given each week's entry its own spot.

This time around, we look at matters such as whether Nick Saban is doing a better job in the NFL than Steve Spurrier did, and we give out another Bill Maas award for broadcasting ineptitude.

We'll be visiting with Glen Macnow of WIP radio in Philly on Wednesday night to review several of the ten takes. Until then, check 'em out.

POSTED 3:01 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2006

CARDS DARING DENNY TO QUIT?

Arizona Cardinals V.P. and general counsel Mike Bidwill says that the team's 1-6 start is "unacceptable," but that head coach Dennis Green won't be fired.

Our interpretation of Bidwill's uncharacteristically public comments? The notoriously skin-flinted ownership family is putting Green firmly on notice that they're not going to fall for the banana in the tailpipe routine that Green and then-agent Ray Anderson finagled in Minnesota several years back, when Green (as we believe) decided that he wanted out and managed to get himself both fired and paid.

The key is the severance package. Coaches who are fired get it. Coaches who quit don't. Some of the multi-multi-millionaires who own teams don't have the desire to get into a pissing match with a coach over whose decision it was, and will give the guy his severance even when the move technically could be called a resignation (e.g., former Browns coach Butch Davis in 2004).

But for the Bidwills a penny saved feels like 20 earned, and we think that the message to Green is this: quit if you want, but we ain't paying you to do it.

Need proof that the Bidwills will do what they can to conserve coin, even if it means screwing up concepts like team chemistry? Former offensive coordinator Keith Rowen was relieved of his duties last week but not fired. Why? In the hopes that he'd quit -- and be owed nothing. (Rowen has since filed a grievance seeking a ruling that he has indeed been fired, so that he can walk away and get paid.)

Meanwhile, look for Bidwill to increase the heat on Green and V.P. of football operations Rod Graves. Indeed, he's already taking them to task -- and talking publicly about it. "What I asked them, frankly, was, 'How in the hell did we get to 1-6?' Close losses don't count. We're 1-6, and we shouldn't be. I wanted to know what we were doing to correct it."

Make no mistake about it. The Bidwills are trying to get Green to throw up his hands, punch a microphone or two, and walk away.

They may not know much about building a winning football program, but when it comes to keeping money in their pockets, the Bidwills are among the best in the league.

HELP US HELP YOU (AND US)

As you might have noticed lately, the site is really taking off. We're gaining more and more acceptance in the mainstream press, we're popping up on radio shows throughout the country, and our traffic has been through the roof this season, thanks in large part to the highly popular Live Blog of Monday night games -- which is now being expanded to include Sunday nights, too.

And with our five-year anniversary coming up next week, we're hoping to take the thing to yet another new level from a revenue standpoint.

We're not planning to charge for content, so you can put down your change purse. Instead, we want to expand our pool of national sponsors, with the assistance of a skilled and motivated liaison who would be compensated for his or her time on a commission basis.

Currently, we feature ads for Sprint and Nextel, Adam Archuleta's Freak of Training video (which Shawne Merriman would have been better off using than those nandrolone-tainted supplements), and Fanball.com. Next week, we'll begin a campaign for Mike Freeman's new book on Jim Brown.

We're reluctant to employ this approach, because we suspect that we'll get at least 500 e-mails that contain phrases like "I've never done anything like that before, but since I have so much free time while I live in my Grandpa's basement I'm willing to try." We're looking to partner with one -- and only one -- experienced professional who is a familiar with the site and shares our passion about it.

For anyone out there who fits this description, contact us via aligeri@profootballtalk.com.

That's right, the ever-pleasant and always cordial Dante is in charge of this process; thus, willingness to deal with him is the first test that any applicants will have to pass. (And if/when no one applies, we'll know why.)

[UPDATE: Dante here. Florio was, as usual, being way too friggin' nice. Let me clarify. We don't want slap-asses with no job and no experience and no prospects to apply. We are not mommy or daddy. We're glad you come to the site but this gig ain't a paper route. We're looking for a company that's in the business of finding and securing national advertisers. It can be a big company. It can be a small company. We just want a company that knows what it's doing and who can convince us of that fact.]

POSTED 1:00 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:28 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2006

ABRAHAM OUT 3-4 WEEKS

Falcons defensive end John Abraham will miss three-to-four weeks due to surgery to repair a tear in a lower abdominal muscle. The injury reportedly is "related to, but not solely linked to" a groin injury that has caused Abraham to miss four of the team's six games this season.

"He came in and said it was sore and wasn't getting better," coach Jim Mora said on Tuesday. "We sent him to get a second opinion to see if there was anything we could find. They saw the tear and said, 'Let's fix it.' John felt comfortable doing it now rather than waiting to go through another week and hoping it would get better. I think it gave him some peace of mind."

Chauncey Davis will start in Abraham's absence.

Abraham signed a six-year, $45 million contract with the Falcons in the offseason. He had been designated as the Jets' franchise player, and was traded to the Falcons as part of a three-way transaction that involved Atlanta sending the No. 15 overall pick to the Broncos, who sent the No. 29 overall pick and a three and a four to Atlanta. The Falcons then sent the No. 29 overall pick to the Jets for Abraham.

SAUERBRUN HEADING FOR MOTOWN

A league source tells us that punter Todd Sauerbrun was not signed by the Buccaneers on Tuesday, and that the veteran ball-booter is now on his way to Detroit.

The look-see in Tampa, as we understand it, wasn't necessarily for a job in 2006. Instead, it's believed that Tampa wanted to check out Sauerbrun now, in the event that they decide to pursue him in 2007, when current punter Josh Bidwell will be a free agent.

Because Bidwell is a vested veteran, cutting him now would have required the Bucs to pay out the balance of his $585,000 salary, if Bidwell had elected to accept the amount as termination pay. Under the CBA, a player is allowed to receive termination pay once in his career.

The Lions, however, will be in the same boat if they cut six-year veteran Nick Harris, who also is earning a base salary of $585,000.

POSTED 12:08 p.m. EDT, October 24, 2006

RESET THE ARREST CALENDAR (AGAIN)

Well, our "days without an NFL arrest" calendar didn't even get back to one.

A day after Jaguars defensive end Bobby McCray was busted for reckless driving and possession of a controlled substance, the Nashville Tennessean reports that a warrant has been issued for Titans linebacker Robert Reynolds in Ohio.

Technically, the calendar should continue to run, because Reynolds hasn't actually been arrested yet.

Reynolds is wanted on "suspicion of domestic violence, assault and criminal damaging involving Reynolds’ former wife." He was in Columbus over the weekend for the Ohio State-Indiana game.

"The warrants are still active," said Sgt. Jon Wilhelm of the Upper Arlington Police Department. "We don't know where he is at right now."

Titans coach Jeff Fisher told the Tennessean that he is aware of the situation, but he declined further comment.

POSTED 8:30 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 10:33 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2006

FISHER BACK TO TEXAS?

There is increasing talk/rumor/speculation in league circles that the next coach of the Dallas Cowboys could be current Titans coach Jeff Fisher.

As one league source told us late Monday night, one of the rumors making the rounds is that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has promised Fisher the job once current coach Bill Parcells leaves. There's also talk that Fisher has spoken informally with potential candidates to join him in Dallas.

The only potential glitch? The Titans hold a 2007 option on Fisher, whose team has been playing better over the past few weeks.

The other potential glitch? The so-called "Rooney Rule," which prevents a team from hiring a head coach without interviewing at least one minority candidate. Jones once took advantage of a loophole to the rule by conducting a phone interview of Dennis Green. Since then, the rule has been modified to require face-to-face interviews.

Fisher has been with the Tennessee Titans since they were the Houston Oilers. He has the second-longest tenure among current NFL coaches with the same team, trailing only Bill Cowher of the Steelers.

Showing that Fisher can beat the Redskins with inferior talent likely didn't diminish the veteran coach in Jones' eyes, if the rumors are accurate. Likewise, the possible arrival of Fisher in Big D makes the fact that he fell all over himself to apologize after defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth applied the cheese grater to the face of Cowboys center Andre Gurode even more understandable.

Stay tuned. We're not reporting it's going to happen. We're just sharing one of the rumors that definitely is working its way through the NFL grapevine.

MERRIMAN HIRES DAVID "ONE YEAR" CORNWELL

Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has hired lawyer David Cornwell to handle the appeal of the 2005 defensive rookie of the year's four-game suspension.

The good news for Cornwell is that it's extremely unlikely that the ultimate outcome of this case will be a one-year suspension of his client.

We say that because Cornwell's three most recent high-profile clients -- Onterrio Smith, Ricky Williams, and Koren Robinson -- all ended up with one-year suspensions, despite Cornwell's involvement.

Though it's possible that those cases were each lost causes, a lawyer's reputation depends in part upon the results he or she can, or can't, get. A factor in every case that a lawyer takes on, then, should be whether the lawyer thinks that the lawyer can win.

In this specific context, the reality is that there are a relatively small number of cases to be handled each year, and that if Cornwell rejects the representation it gives someone else the opportunity to develop expertise and, perhaps more importantly, to get his or her name in the paper as someone who handles high-profile NFL athletes in such matters.

But as one league insider told us on Monday, the lawyers who get the best results in cases of this nature are generally unknown in the media because: (1) the lawyer ensures that news of a pending suspension is not leaked; and (2) the final disposition of the case is not a suspension.

In fairness to Cornwell, folks knew about the potential suspensions of Smith and Robinson because Smith was found in an airport with a fake doohickey in his luggage and Robinson was arrested after playing some real-life Need for Speed Underground. For Merriman, the fact that he had no agent when he received the letter notifying him of the pending suspension made if far more likely that word of the development would make its way out, given that Merriman (as we've surmised, and we hear our instincts were accurate) told teammates about the situation in an effort to figure out what to do.

But maybe the fact that Smith was using the Original Whizzinator (not to be confused with the New and Improved Whizzinator) and Robinson was driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour in order to avoid getting popped (again) for DUI and Merriman inexplicably didn't have an agent in place to deal with this kind of stuff should have been signs to Cornwell that he shouldn't offer representation.

We also suggest that Cornwell do a little more objective research and homework before taking on one of these cases. Though lawyers generally are regarded as "mouthpieces" for their clients, it's also important that lawyers resist the urge to follow the path of least resistance that comes with taking their client's word at face value. For lawyers, credibility is critical -- and if a lawyer is going to merely parrot the excuse that his client feeds him, then the lawyer simply won't have much credibility. With anyone.

In this case, Cornwell says that the anabolic steroid nandrolone somehow was present in one of Merriman's supplements, and that Merriman unwittingly ingested it. Sorry, but that sounds to us a lot like a member of the "I was at a rock concert" family of excuses.

"That's why this is such an evil process," Cornwell said. "He has been playing, unwittingly, Russian roulette with his career because he's been taking the same supplements, and it has been subjected to testing, and hasn't yielded a positive test. So he thought the supplements that he was taking were as safe."

Again, it's a story we've heard over and over again. "I'm responsible for what I put in my body, but I somehow didn't know what I was putting in my body." And if that excuse ever has been true, why hasn't anyone sued the manufacturer of the tainted supplements for compensation for the lost earnings and other damages resulting from the fact that the guys at the supplements plant hadn't closed the valve on the steroids hose? (We vaguely recall hearing about that happening once, but based on the number of times we've heard the excuse it should be happening more often.)

Moreover, Cornwell's explanation that Merriman has "been taking the same supplements" conflicts with statements that came directly from Merriman on his own web site. (Thanks to the several readers who pointed it out to us.)

In a fan Q&A column, which apparently was prepared in the 2006 offseason, Merriman is asked: "What's the name of the gym where you train in Mission Valley ? Is your trainer available to the public? What supliments [sic] do you take if any? Is there anywhere on your website that I could find one of your daily workouts?"

Answer: "Well I actually train in La Jolla and at the Chargers Facility. I am not taking any supplements at this time."

Regardless, it doesn't matter. As one league insider explained to us, the standard in the NFL is strict liability. If it's in your body, you're in violation of the policy. Period.

If ignorance were a defense, wouldn't everyone use it? The only way to make it fly, as one league insider told us, is to be able to produce an unopened bottle of the same supplement from the same production lot and show that it was tainted.

All things considered, we wonder whether Cornwell's goals in holding press conferences regarding such sensitive subjects is to help each of his clients or to draw attention to himself as a lawyer who can be hired to handle future cases of this nature. "It's not about you, David," said one league insider. "It's about your client, and about getting your winning percentage higher than Matt Millen's."

SAUERBRUN RETURNS?

Our friends at PewterReport.com, who break more news about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than any of the local newspapers, report that free-agent punter Todd Sauerbrun will work out today with the Bucs. If Tampa doesn't sign him, Sauerbrun will next head for Detroit.

Tampa's current punter, Josh Bidwell, is in the final year of his contract with the team.

Sauerbrun was released by the Broncos after serving a four-game suspension for violation of the league's policy on anabolic steroids and related substances. He also has kicked for the Bears, Chiefs, and Panthers, and he has qualified for the Pro Bowl three times. Chicago selected him in the second round of the 1995 draft, as the 56th overall player taken.

At Carolina, he allegedly obtained steroids from Dr. James Shortt, along with other Panthers players.

The former West Virginia punter (who as legend has it rooted against the offense in his senior year so he could showcase his skills) also is a sworn enemy of anyone named "Gramatica," and for that alone we are willing to forgive any of his actual or perceived transgressions.

RADIO TUESDAY

It'll be a busy Tuesday for the PFT phone lines. We'll be visiting at 12:25 p.m. EDT (or thereabouts) with Larry Michael and Bram Weinstein of Redskins Lunch on Triple X ESPN Radio in the D.C. area. At 2:15 p.m. EDT, we'll stop by the Dino Costa radio conglomerate in Colorado.

At 5:15 p.m. EDT, we'll do our weekly duty with Steve Duemig of WDAE in Tampa. And at 10:45 p.m. EDT, we'll wrap up the day with Todd Wright on Sporting News Radio.

Our chat with with Chris McClain of WFNZ in Charlotte has been moved to Wednesday at 2:25 p.m. EDT.

Most if not all of these stations stream live over the Internet. And we usually post the full clip of the SNR segment on Wednesdays, for those of you who need your beauty rest.

POSTED 12:03 a.m. EDT, October 24, 2006

CARTHON OUT IN CLEVELAND

Multiple media outlets are reporting that the Cleveland Browns have fired offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon.

Two weeks ago, we reported that there was a strong push inside the building to get rid of Carthon, and that he would likely be fired if the Browns struggled against the Broncos in their first game after the bye week.

Stay tuned for more details.

POSTED 5:58 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

PAYTON PULLED A NAPOLIAN?

Multiple industry sources tell us that Saints coach Sean Payton had a couple of "incidents" with camera men during the October 8 game between New Orleans and Tampa Bay.

We initially heard (and have since confirmed) that Payton made contact with an NFL Films employee who was shooting footage at the game. It's been described to us as a "shove." Word is that the camera man made a bigger deal about it than it really was.

Payton also shoved (we've been told by two sources) a FOX camera man as the guy was poking into a sideline huddle as the broadcast was coming out of a break.

What do we make of it? It's not like Payton threw a Jets employee against a wall or anything, and we like the idea that the man who reminds us (and others) of Frankie Muniz is full of "piss and vinegar," to borrow a phrase that Suzy Kolber once uttered during a Sunday night ESPN broadcast.

POSTED 5:46 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

HASSELBECK OUT TWO-TO-FOUR WEEKS

When Seahawks quaterback Matt Hasselbeck was hit low on Sunday by Vikings linebacker E.J. Henderson, it looked to us like Hasselbeck had suffered a torn ACL.

Though he didn't sustain a season-ending injury, he reportedly will miss the next two-to-four weeks with a strained MCL.

Seneca Wallace will start in Hasselbeck's absence. The team also is missing running back Shaun Alexander, who has missed three games with a broken bone in his foot.

The 4-2 Seahawks travel to Kansas City on Sunday, then host the Raiders and the Rams.

POSTED 5:26 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

NEWS FLASH: BIG BEN HAS A CONCUSSION

ESPN's Merril Hoge reports that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger suffered a concussion on Sunday.

Hoge also reports that the sky is mostly blue, that a bear does indeed sh-t in the woods, and that Hoge sometimes wears ugly clothes that don't really match.

For crying out loud, Roethlisberger was, by all appearances, knocked out! (And since we almost never use exclamation points, you can tell that we really feel strongly about that last statement.)

Even if he wasn't, does it take an MRI to conclude that the guy's brain got banged around on Sunday?

The irony here is that the report is coming from a former player whose career ended due to the cumulative effect of multiple concussions, and who secured $1.55 million in a lawsuit against the Bears' team physician after the doctor allegedly failed to re-evaluate him for post-concussion syndrome following a major concussion, and did not warn him of the dangers of returning to the field too quickly.

For Roethlisberger, it's the second concussion that he has suffered in less than six months. The other one occurred in June, when his helmetless head bounced off of a Chrysler at 35 miles per hour.

And he wasn't knocked out.

Given that he apparently was knocked out on Sunday, maybe Ben shouldn't wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle -- and when playing football.

POSTED 5:10 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

DENNY DONE?

There are rumors making the rounds that Cardinals coach Dennis Green could be out within the next 48 hours.

We're not saying it's definitely going to happen, but we wouldn't be shocked if it does, either. And if Green is "fired," it could be that it's something Green has finagled, just like he did in 2001 when Green and then-agent Ray Anderson engineered (by all appearances) a terminations -- and a severance package -- for the veteran coach from then-Vikings owner Red McCombs, who was shell-shocked by the speed with which the relationship disintegrated.

If the Cardinals pull the plug on Green, it would be the fourth time in franchise history that the team dumped a coach during a season. Bud Wilkinson was released in 1979 after 13 games, Gene Stalling was dumped in 1989 after 11 games, and Vince Tobin was bounced in 2000 after seven games.

The Cards have had a whopping 13 head coaches since the AFL-NFL merger, and a total of 42 guys have held the title since the franchise was founded in 1920.

In 2003, the Cardinals kept coach Dave McGinnis until the end of the season -- and then were forced to cut him loose in the wake of a stirring season-ending win over the Vikings, which knocked Minnesota out of the playoffs. That most recent experience might be enough to persuade the Bidwills that their best move is to move once they make the decision to make a change.

Even if Green survives until the end of the season, we can't imagine him coming back in 2007. No one has coached the team for more than six seasons ever (Jim Hanifan, 1980 through 1985), and barring a nine-game winning streak to end the season Green most likely will be gone.

Our guess? Green will at some point bring the matter to a head, perhaps by saying to ownership something like: "If you're gonna fire me, then fire my ass."

POSTED 2:26 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 4:06 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

BAXTER BLOWS OUT BOTH KNEES

Browns cornerback Gary Baxter tore patellar tendons in both knees on Sunday while trying to break up a pass, according to the Associated Press.

It's the first time such an injury has occurred, in our recollection, since former Bears receiver Wendell Davis tore two patella tendons on the old green cement surface of Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia, way back in 1993. [Editor's note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that Davis tore both ACLs, based on an erroneous statement in a USA Today item from a few years back listing the worst . . . knee . . . injuries . . . ever. We apologize to Wendell's ACLs.]

Baxter will have surgery on Tuesday, and is expected to be sidelined for an entire year. He joined the Browns in 2005 as a free agent, after jumping to Cleveland from the Ravens. Though we can't remember all of the details (and we're feeling too lazy right now to research it), we vaguely recall that Baxter had a verbal agreement in place with the Ravens before bolting for the Browns.

Said one league source in response to the news: "[Baxter] has never been durable. He's a tight athlete. That was why some people thought [the Browns] overpaid. Guys who get hurt a lot usually get hurt a lot."

POSTED 12:02 p.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

RESET THE ARREST CALENDAR TO ZERO

Well, the unofficial "days since last arrest of NFL player" calendar made it to double digits, but not very far into the teens.

According to First Coast News in Jacksonville, Jags defensive end Bobby McCray was busted Sunday night for reckless driving and possession of a controlled substance.

And proving that there is an unlimited supply of stupid ways that people can get arrested, McRay's SUV raced past a vehicle driven by a Sheriff's deputy. McCray's SUV was then followed by two other speeding vehicles.

McCray's SUV had flashing blue-and-white lights, which initially prompted the officer to conclude that it was an emergency vehicle.

When arrested, McCray had a hydrocodone tablet in his front pocket. He said that the team's trainer gave it to him after the Jaguars returned from a loss at Houston.

Frankly, we don't know what troubles us more: An NFL player endangering the lives of others by playing Speed Racer on a freeway, or a trainer that gives out narcotics like they were after-dinner mints.

POSTED 11:08 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:43 a.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

BIG SHOW MIGHT BE WISHING THAT TRADE DEADLINE WAS LATER

With Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck facing a Monday MRI to determine the extent of an injury to his right knee, Seattle coach Mike Holmgren could eventually be wishing that the NFL's trade deadline came in November, not October.

Why? Because if Hasselbeck's injury is what it appeared to be when he grabbed in pain at his knee on Sunday (i.e., a torn ACL), then the Big Show could have dialed up the Packers and swung a deal for quarterback Brett Favre.

But with the trade deadline expiring last week, it's too late.

Or is it? Favre and Holmgren (who coached the Packers to a Super Bowl win a decade ago) would be able to reunite in 2006 if the Packers were to release Favre -- and if no one else were to claim him on waivers. Vested veterans (that is, players with four or more years of service) cut after the trade deadline are subject to the waiver system.

With that said, we doubt that anyone would pick up the prorated portion of Favre's 2006 salary of $7 million, which roughly equates to $4.12 million over the final ten weeks of the season. So if Favre asked the Packers to let him go, and if they did, he'd likely clear waivers.

So it raises an interesting situation for Favre. If Hasselbeck is done, does he ask the team to let him leave so that he can ride out his final season with Holmgren, in the hopes of pulling an Elway? Without Hasselbeck, landing a guy like Favre might be the team's only chance to return to the Super Bowl.

And landing in Seattle would likely be Favre's only chance to get back there, too.

MERRIMAN HAS NO AGENT?

In response to reports that Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman has been notified by the league of a four-game suspension for violating the league's steroids policy, we thought we'd give his agent a call to confirm that the news is true.

But, as it turns out, Merriman apparently has no agent.

We'd previously heard that he parted ways with the Postons, who undoubtedly were recommended to him by Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington, a Merriman mentor. But a list of players and agents maintained by the NFLPA omits Merriman's name, which causes us to conclude that he has no agent.

Then again, another high-profile player who represents himself appears on the list, with his own name listed in the spot where the agent's name would be. With that said, we can't imagine that the omission of Merriman's name was an oversight, especially since he was the league's defensive rookie of the year in 2005.

The apparent fact that he has no agent is significant. Agents don't only negotiate contracts. They also quarterback the process when there is a proposed suspension. The letter notifying a player of a suspension typically arrives on Monday (in fact, the players refer to the first day of the normal work week as "Drug Monday"). And the letter says that the player has five days to appeal.

So what happened here? As a league insider speculates, Merriman had no one to file the appeal on his behalf, so he started asking around the locker room for assistance. Maybe he got it, maybe he didn't. But it likely prompted the news of the suspension to mushroom, making it easier to be detected by the media.

The best advice to any player who gets a letter on Drug Monday? Shut your mouth, and talk only to your agent about it. If you don't have an agent, get one. But don't tell anyone why you need one.

Meanwhile, the action against Merriman is being viewed in some circles as further evidence that new Commissioner Roger Goodell is serious about enforcing the rules strictly and aggressively. We're not suggesting that guys like Merriman got a pass in the past, but the fact that a player of Merriman's profile hasn't been popped in the past few years (or ever) hint that maybe the league has been more inclined to exercise discretion when it comes to marquee players.

Remember Ricky Williams' un-retirement? Under a strict application of the substance abuse policy, he should have been suspended for a full year once he tried to come back. But the league, which was in the process of nailing down some of the new broadcast deals, allowed Williams to return with only a four-game suspension.

The new message to all players, as we see it: If you cheat and get caught, you'll pay the price -- no matter who you are.

Good for the new Commish.

RADIO MONDAY

For anyone interested in listening to the Poobah drone on endlessly about the weekend that was, check out AOL's Sports Bloggers Live later today. Also, we'll visit with KFAN in Minneapolis during the back half of the 12:30 p.m. EDT hour and Dino Costa in Colorado in the 2:00 p.m. EDT hour. [UPDATE: We got bumped to Tuesday for the Costa show. Tune in at 1:35 p.m. EDT.]

Finally, we're happy to announce another NFL city to our growing list of radio spots. On Wednesday at 9:20 a.m. EDT, we'll visit with our pal Howard Balzer on 1380 ESPN Radio in St. Louis.

You know the drill. They support us, so we support them, so you support them. And us. Please.

POSTED 8:42 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:58 a.m. EDT, October 23, 2006

CORROBORATION OF DONATELL-KNAPP FLAP

In the past, we'd be a tad rankled (to say the least) to see a member of the "real" media publish a "report" as to a subject on which we've previously reported without acknowledging that we've already reported on it. But we've matured. Or we've just gotten used to it. Sort of like Bart Simpson's belief that Hell is no different than a really hot bath tub.

But we digress.

Today, we don't really care if guys like Don Banks of SI.com cobble out something that we addressed a week ago, because we're just happy to see corroboration for a report that the powers-that-be in Atlanta have decided to deny.

We've conferred with multiple members of the media about the situation in the past week, and most of them told us that the official party line has indeed been denial. One member of the national media, however, told us late last week that the folks in Falconland were flummoxed by the story of a brouhaha within the coaching staff.

Here's what Banks has to say on the subject, as of Sunday night: "According to a source close to the situation, Falcons offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell engaged in a heated exchange in the wake of the team's second-half meltdown against the Giants, a dispute that Falcons owner Arthur Blank felt strongly enough about to call both men into his office last week for a face-to-face, clear-the-air session. Interestingly, Mora was not invited to the meeting."

Here's what we had to say, as of last Monday night: "The issue arose shortly after the 27-14 loss to the Giants, when defensive coordinator Ed Donatell got in offensive coordinator Greg Knapp's face regarding the inability of the offense to sustain drives, which resulted in the defense being on the field for too long. Word is that Donatell blamed several injuries sustained by his troops on the poor play of the offense, because the defensive players were exhausted late in the game. We're also told that, on Monday, owner Arthur Blank summoned Donatell and Knapp to his office, and that Blank wouldn't allow head coach Jim Mora inside the room until Blank had a chance to talk with them."

So does Sunday's thrilling, roller-coaster win change anything in Atlanta? No more, in our opinion, that T.O.'s three touchdowns were a tonic for a troubled Cowboys' campaign. It provides short-term relief, but the deeper problems are still there.

Indeed, despite his solid performance on Sunday, quarterback Mike Vick didn't suddenly become Peyton Manning. Most of Vick's good throws came, as usual, when he rolled out of the pocket and found tight end Alge Crumpler. Vick is only effective from the pocket when he throws the ball to his first or second read. After that, he uses his legs -- and looks for his tight end.

On Sunday, it worked. And worked well. The Falcons will reach their maximum potential only if they embrace what Vick is, and try to maximize his strengths and conceal his weaknesses.

Still, in the up-and-down world of life in the NFL, a team can disintegrate in just one week from musing about Miami in February, to yanking a knuckle-swinging Buddy Ryan off of Kevin Gilbride.

LIGHTS OUT FOR MERRIMAN

According to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, the NFL has suspended Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman four games for violating the league's steroids policy.

A source told Mortensen that the report was "definitely for steroids . . . not one of those supplement deals." The policy, officially known as the "National Football League Policy on Anabolic Steroids and Related Substances," is more commonly violated when a player takes a supplement that includes a banned ingredient, such as ephedra.

We're also intrigued, frankly, by the fact that Mortensen cited both league and "team" sources in support of his report. Per the NFL's steroids policy, "[a]ny Club or Club employee that publicly divulges, directly or indirectly, information concerning positive drug tests or other violation of this Policy (including numerical summaries or specific names of persons) or otherwise breaches the confidentiality provisions of this Policy is subject to a fine of up to $500,000 by the Commissioner." Though Mort's report doesn't mention anyone on the team by name, the mere fact that someone spilled the beans should be enough to draw a fine.

Back to Merriman, the suspension does little to alleviate concerns that the Chargers are one of the thuggiest teams in the NFL. On the field, the absence of Merriman is another blow to a defense reeling from injuries, both from incidents on the field (Igor Olshansky) . . . and incidents off of it (Steve Foley).

Maybe, in the end, the Cowboys knew what they were doing when they surprisingly passed on Merriman in the 2005 draft.

POSTED 9:00 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

DUNN HEARING SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 15

A league source tells us that the arbitration hearing regarding the two-year suspension imposed on agent David Dunn is scheduled to be conducted on November 15, 2006.

Per the source, the matter will be adjudicated by arbitrator Roger Kaplan, and the NFLPA's case in favor of the suspension will be presented by Richard Berthelsen, the union's general counsel.

As we've previously heard, league insiders do not believe that Dunn is concerned by the potential suspension, since plans already have been made to transfer Dunn's various clients to other members of his firm, Athletes First. Although Dunn cannot receive any portion of the fees generated, there is no prohibition on Dunn receiving distributions from general firm resources funded in part by fees from the very clients whom he is not allowed to represent, if the suspension is indeed upheld.

The conduct at issue relates to the manner in which Dunn separated from Leigh Steinberg. Dunn carried several high-profile clients with him, in alleged violation of his contract with Steinberg -- and in alleged violation of applicable NFLPA regulations. Several years ago, a civil trial resulted in a verdict in excess of $40 million, and provided the fuel for an initial two-year ban. The disciplinary process, however, was stayed after Dunn filed bankruptcy.

Earlier this year, the lawsuit was resolved after the verdict was thrown out, and the union and Dunn agreed that the NFLPA would start the disciplinary process from scratch.

POSTED 6:17 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

HASSELBECK GETS KIMO'ED

Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck suffered a sprained knee on the opening drive of the third quarter of Sunday afternoon's home game against the Vikings. Hasselbeck's right knee buckled and he grabbed at it in pain after Minnesota linebacker E.J. Henderson hit him low following a throw.

It was a scene eerily similar to Carson Palmer's torn ACL suffered in a January playoff game, when then-Steelers defensive end Kimo von Oelhoffen hit Palmer in the leg after he threw a long pass to receiver Chris Henry.

In contrast to the Palmer play, Henderson appeared to have been blocked into Hasselbeck's knee. At this point, it's not known whether Hasselbeck has any torn ligaments.

Backup Seneca Wallace threw an interception in his first time on the field after Hasselbeck was hurt.

POSTED 4:36 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

FALCONS, STEELERS HEAD BACK TO OVERTIME

The Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers are heading back to overtime, nearly four years since their last meeting, which also went to overtime.

On November 10, 2002, the Falcons and the Steelers met at Heinz Field. Down 17 points in the fourth quarter, the Falcons knotted the game at 34, and then both teams were held scoreless in the fifth period.

It was the last tie in the NFL.

The Falcons will get the first crack at winning the game this time around.

POSTED 3:49 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

REAGOR IN "SERIOUS ACCIDENT"

Colts defensive tackle Montae Reagor has been involved in a "serious accident" on Sunday afternoon. A vehicle slammed into Reagor's SUV, causing it to flip over. He suffered what is being described as a "severe cut" to the head.

Reagor was taken to the hospital. The Colts are scheduled to play the Redskins at 4:15 p.m. EDT.

The Colts already are shorthanded at the position, due to the absence of Corey Simon. And Indy has had much difficulty stopping the run this season.

POSTED 3:21 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

BIG BEN BANGED UP

Caught in a barnburner with the Atlanta Falcons, the Pittsburgh Steelers might have to finish the day without starting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Roethlisberger, whose offseason escapades featured a near-fatal motorcycle accident and an appendectomy, was hit hard by multiple Falcons after a pass attempt in the third quarter, and was clearly groggy as he was helped off of the field.

Charlie Batch has entered the game in place of Roethlisberger.

POSTED 1:10 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

"PULL-MY-HAIRDO" LETS IT FLOW

Okay, ignore our prior story. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu has let his locks loose, as usual.

Apparently, he keeps the hair contained in the pregame and then opens it up once the thing gets going.

Though we love the guy as a player, we think it's a tad metrosexualish for Taz to use the long hair as a fashion statement.

Meanwhile, Santurdio fumbled a punt and the Falcons converted it into six on the first play after the turnover. Maybe Polamalu really should return kicks and punts.

POSTED 1:00 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

TROY "PULL-MY-HAIRDO" GOING WITH A SHORTER LOOK

Though we can't tell whether Steelers safety Troy Polamalu has gotten a haircut or is wearing a hair net, his flowing mane is definitely not flowing on Sunday.

The move comes a week after Polamalu (who is being called "Pull-my-hairdo" by some; we can't take credit for making it up) was dragged to the ground by Chiefs running back Larry Johnson after an interception.

It's a smart move by Polamalu. Though he rarely gets his hands on the ball, he is one of the best broken field runners in football. We argued in early February that the Steelers should use him to return kicks and punts in the Super Bowl.

POSTED 12:17 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

TIKI SAYS MONEY WON'T BRING HIM BACK

Though some league insiders believe that Giants running back Tiki Barber would refrain from retiring if the Giants were to pony up a ton of cash, FOX's Jay Glazer reports that Barber has said he won't come back even if the team offers him a bunch of new money.

But Glazer also says that Tiki's twin brother, cornerback Ronde Barber of the Buccaneers, thinks that Tiki won't follow through on his stated intentions to pack it in.

Still, Glazer has made his intentions as clear as he can. He's walking. Without question.

And given the unequivocal nature of Barber's words, which have only gotten more clear as the week unfolded, he'll look like a doofis is he doesn't go through with it at this point.

POSTED 11:22 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 12:54 p.m. EDT, October 22, 2006

CUTLER ERA COULD BE STARTING AT ANY TIME

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that the adequate-to-good performance of rookie quarterbacks Matt Leinart, Bruce Gradkowski, and Vince Young has Broncos coach Mike Shanahan thinking about giving his first-round rookie a shot, due to the fact that current starter Jake Plummer has been inadequate-to-sh-tty.

Per Mort, Cutler could play as early as Sunday at Cleveland if Plummer struggles (again).

It apparently wouldn't be a permanent benching of Plummer; instead, it would be a relief appearance. Still, if Cutler can breathe life into an offense that has been sluggish at best, the pressure will mount to give Cutler the job now.

And if Plummer at any point gets the hook this season for Cutler, even if it's only temporary, there should be absolutely no doubt that Jake won't be back in 2007, and that the eleventh overall pick in the 2006 draft will be "the guy."

COACH DONUT COULD BE CASHING IN

Despite persistent denials and reports that Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis a/k/a Coach Donut won't be leaving Notre Dame after 2006 due to a high-dollar buyout clause, ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that the "book is not closed" on Weis heading back to the NFL, even though he has a contract with the Irish that extends deep into the next decade.

Though we didn't mention this last week, we were confused by a report from Charley Casserly of CBS, who said on the NFL Today that Weis would have to pay back all "future earnings" under his Notre Dame contract if he fled for a pro team.

We didn't understand it then, and we don't understand it now. If an NFL owner with deep pockets and/or high revenues decides to offer enough to take care of the buyout and fairly compensate Weis, it can be done.

The real reason for the official position that Weis won't leave? No college coach can afford to have his name linked to an NFL job, especially during recruiting season. If, for example, Weis was inclined to leave but the numbers couldn't get worked out, his potential incoming players could scatter for other programs during his period of indecision.

So Weis is always in play, and like Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban before him Weis will remain in play until he makes the jump.

And jump he will (well, he can't really jump, but you know what we mean). The NFL is still the highest level of the sport, and like a box full of Krispy Kremes he simply won't be able to resist it.

Until it happens, though, you can count on a continuous stream of denials.

GREEN'S RETURN TO GAME ACTION STILL SEVERAL WEEKS AWAY

To any fantasy owners out there who jumped on Chiefs quarterback Trent Green amid news that he has been cleared to return to practice (yours truly included), it still might be a while before Green plays again.

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that it will still be 10 days until Green is checked again by a neurologist for the purposes of possibly clearing him to play, and that Green's return to action could still be three or four games away.

Green suffered a severe concussion in the first week of the season. He was hit hard while starting into a slide.

SUNDAY MORNING/AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS/KINDA-SORTA LIVE BLOG THING

ESPN's Chris Berman says that Jags QB Byron Leftwich (ankle) won't play, but then clarifies several minutes later that no final decision has been made.

Berman does a very lame Austin Powers impression.

Seahawks TE Jerramy Stevens will get a chance to drop some more passes on Sunday.

ESPN's Wendy Nix has draped herself in velvet.

Jaws loves the Chargers -- and those ladies glasses.

Speaking of bad glasses, has anyone seen ESPN's Fred Hickman and his latest selection from the Jerry Lewis line? Schmelding!

ESPN's Tom Jackson is letting his Bronco-homerish tendencies come through regarding the Chargers.

Coach Ditka tells Irvin to wake up.

Ditka grabs the Playmaker's arm when he's talking, turning the tables on Irvin.

The Raiders have activated RB Adimchinobe Echemandu (or is it Echemandu Adimchinobe?) for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

ESPN bleeped Dennis Green saying "ass" -- but it's okay for viewers to hear fans in Philly chant "f--k you, T.O." behind the Monday night set.

On ESPN, Warren Sapp says he'd like to "slit his wrists" at times; we predict he'll be getting a couple thousand razor blades in the mail this week.

Raiders coach Art Shell, in response to a question regarding whether the team could go winless: "Please don't insult me with that question . . . . Why would I even think about such things?" (Yeah, Art, why would anyone think that your excellent team might not be able to win a single game this year?)

Farewell to ESPN -- time to watch the pregame shows on the networks that actually will be airing games today.

Rich Gannon of CBS has a new hairdo.

FOX's Jimmy Johnson says that Tiki Barber wants to have some fun.

FOX's Howie Long says that Pat and Kevin Williams are the best two defensive tackles in football.

Charley Casserly of CBS isn't breaking much new ground today; the only stuff that was new to us was his info regarding games out of the country, and the issues that would have to be considered.

Casserly also says that the Cardinals have told former offensive coordinator Keith Rowen to stay home this weekend.

Terry Bradshaw is feeling up Reggie Bush.

FOX's Curt Menefee is every bit as good as James Brown, and better than Joe Buck.

"Pulling hair is okay, even when it's not a chick fight," says the voice-over into a FOX commercial.

Mike Vick interview begins -- he admits that "sometimes" he doesn't throw an accurate ball. Since when does "sometimes" mean "all the time"?

Vick now says that throwing 30 or 40 times a game isn't the best way to handle his talents -- but isn't that what Vick said he wants?

This CBS interview of Vick is merely an effort to clarify the record after Vick torpedoed his coaches and his receivers on HBO.

And James Brown has his entire face in Vick's ass; when James gets a cold sore in a few weeks, he shouldn't be surprised.

Based on her interview with several Panthers, it looks like FOX's Pam Oliver has gotten into Joey Sunshine's makeup.

Nice video of Panthers owner Jerry Richardson kissing Steve Smith right on the head. (Not that one.)

Terry Bradshaw and Jimmy Johnson do a pretty funny impression of Denny Green SHOUTING AND YELLING.

The ticking clock on FOX's "Rapid Fire" segment is making us nervous.

Terry Bradshaw says Mike Vick "needs to shut up."

FOX guys talking about hair pulling; someone told us this week that Steelers S Troy Polamalu is being referred to in some circles of the 'Net as Troy "Pullmyhairdo."

"Hello, FOX -- this is the FCC. We think that shot of the Lions getting fired up for the game included someone saying 'mutherf--kers.' We know it's not your fault, though. Who would think that football players might curse prior to a game?"

Great video on CBS of Paul Hornung losing his pants while at a podium for a Notre Dame pep rally. Reminded us of a scene from one of the old Police Academy movies.

It's gonna be a hot one in Tampa today -- 90 degrees.

We think Terry Bradshaw has a Kornholio-James Denton man-crush on Reggie Bush.

Okay, why does Chris Rose do the game updates from the studio when Curt Menefee is anchoring the FOX show from the studio? Did they not want to make Chris cry?

POSTED 7:34 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 8:13 p.m. EDT, October 21, 2006

RED LIGHT REMOVED FROM GREEN

Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, who was cold-cocked six weeks ago Sunday by Bengals defensive end Robert Geathers, has been cleared to return to practice, according to the Kansas City Star.

The news broke at the same time there were unsubstantiated rumors migrating through the Internet that Green was suffering from bleeding on the brain.

"Based on what they’ve seen this week, they’re going to let him start practicing and [doing] pretty much everything we do in practice during the week," Chiefs G.M. Carl Peterson told the Star. "That does not mean he’s been cleared yet to play, but it’s a big step, and I, for one, know he's anxious to get started."

Green has been attending meetings, and traveled with the team to games at Arizona and Pittsburgh. Backup Damon Huard is expected to start next Sunday against the Seahawks, but it's possible that Green will play.

LIVE BLOG UPDATE

We're looking forward to this week's Live Blog, featuring the Cowboys at Giants on Monday night.

Looking ahead, we're seriously considering doing a Live Blog on Sunday night and on Monday night for the balance of the season, with the exception of the Christmas Day and New Year's Eve games.

We'll take it week-to-week for now, but that's where we're leaning.

We're also thinking about doing a Live Blog for every playoff game, but probably not for the Super Bowl. Stay tuned.

SATURDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

Though we still can't find video of that stirring GMC commercial featuring a smorgasbord of football images over the tune of John Mellencamp's "Our Country," the song can be heard for free right here.

The 'Hawks miss Hutch.

How can an AP story that explores whether Falcons QB Mike Vick is regressing as a quarterback ignore his inflammatory remarks made earlier this week on HBO's Inside the NFL?

The Packers don't know whether CB Charles Woodson will be able to play on Sunday.

Seahawks WR Nate Burleson says he was recognized more in Minnesota than he is in his hometown of Seattle. (Nate, it's only because you ain't done sh-t with the Seahawks.)

RB Najeh "Dookie" Davenport reportedly likes the Steelers' approach to football. (Apparently, Coach Chin doesn't frown upon taking a dump in a clothes hamper.)

Steelers G Kendall Simmons might be able to play on Sunday after treating his foot like a bag of peas two weeks ago.

Steelers LB Joey Porter (hamstring) won't be playing on Sunday; we wonder whether that hamstring would heal more quickly if Porter got a pay raise.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs can't recall his 'Skins ever being a 9.5-point underdog.

The resurgence of Titans RB Travis Henry might be due in large part to the performance of rookie FB Ahmard Hall, a former Marine who signed with Tennessee as an undrafted free agent.

Browns C LeCharles Bentley is making slow progress from a torn knee tendon, and might not be ready for 2007.

Does Browns TE Kellen Winslow feel that he's being properly utilized? "Sometimes."

Pat Tillman's brother speaks out.

POSTED 11:06 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 3:26 p.m. EDT, October 21, 2006

COLTS-PATS FEUD HITTING NEW HEIGHTS

The upcoming regular-season Sunday night game between the Indianapolis Colts and the New England Patriots might have more intrigue off of the field than on it.

As reported earlier this week by Tom Curran of NBCSports.com, the Patriots have asked the league to ensure the safety of team employees when the Colts come to Gillette Stadium for a November 5 showdown. The move is a direct slap at Colts president Bill Polian, who reportedly threw a Jets' employee against a wall on October 1 at the Meadowlands.

And Curran's latest item mentions several of the points of contention over the years between the two franchises, from the Colts crying to the league about their receivers being allegedly manhandled in a playoff loss to the Patriots to Polian having a hissyfit in the press box after New England coach Bill Belichick threw a challenge flag following a touchdown merely to get the right defensive personnel on the field for the two-point conversion attempt to Polian appearing on WEEI radio in Boston for a 20-minute spot after the Colts signed kicker Adam Vinatieri.

"Do we go on Indianapolis radio every time we beat them in the playoffs?" a Patriots source told Curran.

Further increasing tensions between the teams are comments from Pats coach Bill Belichick, who took an indirect swipe at Polian in talking about the failure of the Bills to win a Super Bowl despite four straight trips to the NFL championship game.

Here are the relevant excerpts, via Mike Felger of the Boston Herald:

"I guess it's good to be there and not be eliminated earlier. . . . I guess that's good. But when you play in that game, there's only one champion. I'm sure for whatever good feelings they had about getting there, they had more disappointment about not winning those games. . . . I’m not saying it’s better to not be there. It's better to have loved and lost than not loved at all. . . . But I don't think there's anyone I've talked to who has lost that game -- and I've been a part of it one time -- you still don’t get a very good feeling. To come up short is a tremendous disappointment in that situation.

"They had a talented team, but only one of those games was a real competitive game, right?" Belichick said. "The rest of them were, what, 55-10, or whatever they were."

Maybe the Pats' employee who'll need the greatest protection from Napolian is Belichick himself.

So what'll be the next indignity between these two enemies? We have a feeling that we'll all find out on November 5, if not sooner.

NAPOLIAN APPARENTLY DOESN'T LIKE THE 'SKINS, EITHER

When the Colts listed 21 players as questionable on Wednesday (nearly 40 percent of the roster), we just assumed it was another example of Napolian being Napolian.

But thanks to a reader who has a better recollection of the events than we do, it appears to us that Colts president Bill Polian is looking for ways to stick it to the team from the NFC East that Indy plays only once every four years.

The first indignity? With the Colts bent over by Peyton Manning in free agency in 2004, the Redskins swooped in and swiped linebacker Marcus Washington. "Unfortunately, Marcus had to make a decision before we were able to. When he signed with the Redskins," Polian said at the time, "it broke my heart."

Fast forward to 2006. Receiver Reggie Wayne is poised to become an unrestricted free agent. There are rumors that the Redskins will make a run at him. Though the Colts could have franchised Wayne, Dan Snyder's "I get what I want" mindset might have prompted him to sacrifice a couple of first-round picks in order to sign Wayne away.

Thus, the Colts arguably were forced to overpay Wayne in order to keep the 'Skins from getting a crack at him. (And we wouldn't be shocked to learn that Wayne's agent, David Dunn, was fully aware of the package that the Redskins would have offer if Wayne had hit the market.)

In the end, however, the Colts had to make good on the declaration made by Napolian in early February: "I can say one thing about Reggie Wayne, and it's he won't be a Redskin."

So with Sunday being the first meeting between the two teams since 2002 (which Washington won, 26-21), it's Polian's first chance to kick the Redskins in the loincloths, and the first arrow (in our opinion) was an injury report deliberately manipulated to prevent the opponents from figuring out who's really hurt, and who isn't.

WEEK SEVEN FANTASY PICKS AND PUNKS

Another week, another look at the guys to use and the guys to lose in the ever-growing world of fantasy football, courtesy of our buddy Charch of Fanball.com.

First, the guys we like this week:

Chad Pennington, quarterback, Jets: Pennington has faded a bit after a strong start to the season, but he's going against the third-worst passing defense, which also has allowed 2.2 passing touchdowns per game.

Brad Johnson, quarterback, Vikings: Although Johnson has thrown only three touchdown passes all season, Seattle has allowed nine passing touchdowns in five games.

Fred Taylor/Maurice Jones-Drew, running backs, Jaguars: The Texans are, on average, allowing 196 rushing yards per game. With Byron Leftwich suddenly hobbled, the two tailbacks from a town in Florida not named Tallahassee could tear up the Texans.

Kevan Barlow, running back, Jets: He quietly has rushed for four touchdowns, and the Lions are missing defensive tackles Shaun Cody and Shaun Rogers.

Kevin Jones, running back, Lions: Jones got his first 100-yard rushing game in 19 tries despite three missing offensive linemen, and the Jets aren't very good against the run.

Chris Chambers, receiver, Dolphins: The Packers are getting burned by the speed receivers, and the former Badger is returning to Wisconsin for the first time in his pro career.

[Editor's note: Oh man, I'm a dumbass. The Fins play at home this weekend. Said one reader in response to our gaffe, borrowing from a recent rip-job we did on Joey Sunshine:

"This has to be the most egregious error we've seen any broadcaster/sportswriter commit. It suggests to us that Florio is doing the bare minimum, or less, to get ready for the games. And it suggests that he is sleepwalking during meetings with the teams that he is covering. Most importantly, Florio's statement confirms that the guy simply talks out of his ass, and that he assumes that no one will be smart enough to figure it all out. It wasn't a slip of the tongue or an innocent mistake; Florio's statement suggests that he has an unacceptably low level of 'walking around' knowledge of the NFL, that he does a terrible job of preparing (which we assume is a big part of what he gets paid to do), and that he is sufficiently arrogant to think he can get away with it."

We still like Chambers on Sunday. After all, he has become everything Nick Saban thought he would be when he drafted him.]

Joey Galloway, receiver, Buccaneers: Bruce Gradkowski has thrown Galloway's way 23 times in two games.

Bryant Johnson, receiver, Cardinals: Johnson has two touchdowns for the first time in his career, and Larry Fitzgerald is out again. Oh, and they're playing the Raiders.

Now for the guys about whom we recommend caution.

Ben Roethlisberger, quarterback, Steelers: Don't get too excited about Big Ben's big day last week. We're not predicting a miserable outing in Atlanta, but shredding the Chiefs doesn't make Roethlisberger into Peyton Manning.

Donovan McNabb, quarterback, Eagles: Though McNabb can't be benched, the Bucs are allowing only one passing touchdown per game. Don't expect a record-setting day from the Philly quarterback.

Jake Plummer, quarterback, Broncos: Don't fall into the "Hey, the Broncos are playing a bad team, so let's use all their guys" trap. The Browns' defense has had two weeks to prepare, and Plummer has generally been pathetic.

Willis McGahee, running back, Bills: He has never scored against the Patriots, who have held Ronnie Brown to 39 yards and Rudi Johnson to 65 yards in recent weeks. The last time McGahee faced New England at home? Eight yards.

Larry Johnson, running back: Another guy who can't be benched, but the Chargers defense is allowing 71.5 rushing yards per game and has allowed only one rushing touchdown for the season.

Reuben Droughns, running back, Browns: Anyone who is starting Droughns this week on a fantasy football team should find a new hobby.

Braylon Edwards, wide receiver, Browns: The Broncos are allowing the second-fewest yards to receivers, and have allowed only one receiver touchdown.

Amani Toomer, receiver, Giants: He has no scores in his last five meetings with the Dallas Cowboys, and he generated onlu 19 yards in two games last year.

KORDOZA LINE UPDATE

It wouldn't be Saturday if it weren't continuing our immortalization of the career of quarterback Kordell Stewart by using his career passer rating to distinguish the mediocre from the bad quarterbacks.

Membership in this club is available only to guys who are beneath 70.7. Or to guys who have cried during a game.

This week, the starters on the wrong side of 70.7 are: Drew Bledsoe, Cowboys (70.4); Charlie Frye, Browns (67.5); Mike Vick, Falcons (66.0); Steve McNair, Ravens (64.1); Joey Harrington, Dolphins (63.5); Jake Plummer, Broncos (63.1); Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers (60.2); Vince Young, Titans (56.5); and Andrew Walter, Raiders (43.4).

No one from last week's list was able to get over the wall based on his Week Six performance.

POSTED 8:01 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:14 p.m. EDT, October 20, 2006

FAT ALBERT HAS A BAD WHEEL

Jags quarterback Byron Leftwich missed practice on Friday with a sore ankle, and is questionable for Sunday's game at Houston.

The Jaguars were off last week, and Leftwich practiced on Wednesday and Thursday.

Coach Jack Del Rio said that Leftwich would undergo an MRI. It's the same ankle that prompted him to miss five games in 2005.

If Leftwich can't go, the starter will be David Garrard.

Regardless of whether Leftwich plays on Sunday, two key teammates -- receiver Matt Jones (hamstring) and defensive tackle Marcus Stroud (ankle) -- are out.

ROWEN FILES GRIEVANCE AGAINST CARDS, SAYS GREEN CALLED THE PLAYS

Don Banks of SI.com reports that Cardinals assistant coach Keith Rowen has filed a grievance against the team as a result of the limbo in which he now finds himself.

The argument is that he was fired from his position as offensive coordinator, and that the team should not be allowed to keep him on the staff in a different role.

The issue, obviously, is about money. The notoriously cheap Cardinals likely opted to "reassign" Rowen in the hopes that he would quit -- and that he would be owed no further pay. If he's fired, the Cardinals must pay the balance of his deal. Rowen's contract with the team runs through the 2006 season.

Rowen wants an arbitrator to declare that he has in fact been fired.

Per Banks, Rowen also hopes to show that he's not the one to blame for the poor play-calling decisions after the team built a big lead against the Chicago Bears. Rowen claims that coach Dennis Green took over the duties late in the second quarter.

A league source tells us that Rowan has been on the field coaching this week, but that he looks "very sad." Green's reaction to all of this might entail a different emotion than sadness -- and it'll be the kind of stuff that would require any kids in the area to put on their "earmuffs."

"That grievance is bullsh-t bullsh-t."

TWO NEW RADIO STOPS ADDED

We're adding two more NFL cities to a regular radio rotation that currently includes Baltimore, Buffalo, Charlotte, Jacksonville, Denver, Philadelphia, Tampa, and New Orleans. And we're starting to wonder when in the hell we're gonna find time to do all of these spots.

On Thursday, we made our first visit to Redskins Lunch with Larry Michael and Bram Weinstein on Triple X ESPN Radio, a trio of stations owned by Dan Snyder's Red Zebra Broadcasting. We'll be stopping by again on Tuesday at 12:25 p.m. EDT.

On Monday we'll be stopping by the P.A. & Dubay Show on KFAN in Minneapolis during the back half of the 12:00 p.m. EDT hour. At the top of the hour, check out the Poobah on AOL's Sports Bloggers Live, in a show that will also feature a visit from Titans quarterback Vince Young.

Finally, in listing our nucleus of weekly appearances the other day we failed to mention our buddy John Marie of Biz Radio 990-AM in New Orleans. We visit with John most Thursday nights at 10:05 p.m. EDT.

FRIDAY NIGHT ONE-LINERS

The NFL has fined Giants LB Antonio Pierce $12,500 for a late hit on Falcons QB Michael Vick.

The NFLPA has filed a grievance on behalf of Colts DT Corey Simon for the balance of his 2006 salary; Simon was placed on the non-football injury/illness list two weeks ago, and it's widely believed that the Colts simply regarded him as fat and lazy and didn't want to pay him.

Seahawk's WR Bobby Engram has Graves' disease, a condition that isn't as dire as the name might suggest.

The 20-year-old kid who amused himself by posting phony Internet warnings of terrorist attacks at NFL stadiums might not find the extracurricular activities in prison quite so humorous.

Seven weeks, seven sellouts -- and if Arizona at Oakland can fill a stadium, every game will.

POSTED 3:16 p.m. EDT, October 20, 2006

SAY IT AIN'T SO, KORNHOLIO (ACTUALLY, SAY IT IS)

The New York Post reports that Tony Kornheiser a/k/a Kornholio might not be using T.P. from a bus on his bunghole beyond the 2006 season.

Instead, Kornholio might spend only one season in the Monday Night Football booth.

Ordinarily, we'd be suspicious about something like this if the information didn't come straight from the horse's mouth. Instead, we're suspicious about this one because it is contained in quotes from Kornholio.

Kornheiser tells Andrew Marchand of the Post that he has "no plans at the moment" to return to the show for 2007.

"At the moment, in my mind," he said, "I always thought I signed up for one year. . . . I don't think anyone should be stunned or shocked or surprised or blow their brains out if I just say, 'That was fun. Thanks a lot. See ya.'"

Um, Tony, no one is going to blow their brains out if you don't come back. But there might be some who consider the option if you do.

Our take on all of this? It's a bunch of crap. Kornholio is a self-absorbed toad who loves the attention and who won't give up that chair until someone pushes him out of it.

And if it ever looks to him like he'll be pushed out of the chair, then he'll walk away on his "own terms."

Now that he's floated the notion that this is at best a year-to-year arrangement for him, Kornholio has guaranteed for himself the ability to create the appearance that he quit -- even if he's eventually fired.

POSTED 11:01 a.m. EDT, October 20, 2006

VICK "NOT A LEADER"

In response to the recent comments of Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, in which Vick openly lobbies for more opportunities to throw the ball and muses about playing with elite receivers, a league source has offered up a damning assessment of the first overall pick in the 2001 draft.

"Michael Vick is not a leader," said the source.

The problem, as the source and others have explained to us over the years, is that the Falcons have opted to make Vick the nucleus of the franchise. He's got the huge contract. He gets all of the attention. The owner pushed him around in his wheelchair.

It's not the way to build a championship team, especially since Vick isn't saying and doing the things necessary to get his teammates to come together and win the tough games. Instead, Vick risks creating even more resentment by subtly criticizing his coaches and his teammates by suggesting that, if he were on a "real" team like the Colts, he might become the quarterback that he'll never be in Atlanta.

Still, Vick puts butts in the seats of the Georgia Dome and money in the pockets of owner Arthur Blank. So, for now, Blank is willing to choose making a huge profit over winning a Super Bowl.

And Blank will continue to make those huge profits as long as Vick is playing. But Blank won't get to press his porn-star 'stache against that silver ball perched atop the Lombardi.

FALCONS FORCING FANS TO BUY FORCE TICKETS

A reader has tipped us off to a new practice by the Atlanta Falcons that could prompt allegations that the team is violating applicable antitrust laws that prohibit requiring consumers to buy a bunch of things they don't want in order to get the one thing they desire.

More and more teams (especially when they host the Steelers) are making some single-game tickets available only as part of packages that include less compelling contests, such as preseason games. Steelers chairman Dan Rooney has proposed a rule that would prevent this practice, but it was not adopted.

The thinking is that making fans who want to see one NFL game buy seats to other NFL games doesn't run afoul of applicable antitrust laws; however, the Falcons are pushing the envelope by packaging tickets to the Steelers game and the Cowboys game with season tickets . . . for the Georgia Force of the Arena League.

We can't imagine the Falcons being allowed to continue this practice, regardless of whether someone sues the team for antitrust. The other NFL owners surely will take issue with it (with the exception of those who say, "Hey, I'll do that myself"), and the NFLPA should argue that all money generated from these sales should be included within the "Total Football Revenue" calculation.

More importantly, it's just wrong. It's a way to charge more money than face value for tickets to games that have greater value than face while at the same time artificially pumping up the attendance totals for the indoor team owned by the same guy.

IT'S ANOTHER SPRINT NFL FAN DAY

The Sprint NFL Fan Day promotion has been extended through October. On every other Friday this month, customers in selected areas can obtain a $50 service credit on a voice plan when activating a Sprint phone. Fans also can take advantage of exclusive NFL-themed offers.

For October, the program has been expanded to include Sprint stores, Sprint-branded authorized retailers, and Sprint kiosks in Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Austin (Texas), San Antonio, Raleigh, Winston-Salem, Orlando, and Birmingham (Alabama).

And select Sprint phones feature NFL Mobile, a free program that provides exclusive game highlights and real-time stats and all sorts of things that will help you kill some time while the wife/fiancee'/girlfriend tells you that she'll be "just a minute" in the clothing store.

POSTED 9:30 a.m. EDT, October 20, 2006

DOUBLE STANDARD FOR NAPOLIAN?

In the wake of the revelation that Colts president Bill Polian was required merely to make a written apology to the Jets employee whom he threw against a wall on October 1, some league insiders are baffled by the proverbial slap on the wrist that Polian received.

"He's the president of a billion-dollar company," said one league source. "What would happen if the president of any other major company physically assaulted an employee of another company? Where in America can you get away with that?"

The thinking is that the league tried to get and keep this situation under wraps in order to prevent fans from concluding that the thugs littering the field might be merely following the lead of the guys who run the teams.

In comparison to an incident that occurred on the very same day -- the face-stomping by Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth on Cowboys center Andre Gurode -- Polian's conduct might seem tame. But Haynesworth's actions occurred between the lines, in the context of a game in which pushing and shoving and hitting routinely occurs. Polian is a suit-and-tie guy; there's no pushing or shoving or hitting at all in his business. (Well, apparently there is; but there shouldn't be.)

So the incidents, in our view, are identical in outrageousness. Haynesworth was way over "the line" that applied to his behavior, and Polian was, too.

League insiders also are wondering why the incident isn't getting more attention in the media. Apart from FOX's Jay Glazer, who broke the initial story, and Tom Curran of NBCSports.com, who reported on Thursday that Polian had been required to apologize, there has been nothing from anyone who gets paid to cover the sport.

No reporting. No commentary. Nothing.

Instead, Friday's Indianapolis Star features a slurp job from Bob Kravitz regarding Polian's brilliance, which recently included giving up a second-round draft pick for a nearly washed-up defensive tackle who can't be counted on to stuff the run in Indy because he really hasn't been doing it this year in Tampa.

Kravitz also downplays the issue at hand with one dismissive sentence: "That whole dust-up with a Jets employee that was reported by foxsports.com, well, we didn't see it and haven't had it confirmed by anybody on the record, so that's gone nowhere." (It'll be interesting to see what the Star writes on this come Saturday. Or Sunday.)

Meanwhile, we continue to hear examples of Polian's temper, as displayed in stadium press boxes over the years. The guy's temper is legendary in league circles, and the non-consequence imposed for laying hands on an employee of another team will, in our view, do nothing to deter him from acting this way in the future.

In fairness to Polian, we've also heard from a couple of agents who say that, in negotiations, Polian is tough but fair, and that he always has conducted himself as a gentleman.

The Jets employee who got thrown against a wall might disagree with that one, however.

MARTIN ACKNOWLEDGES HE MIGHT NOT COME BACK

Another day, another New York running back talks about retirement.

This time around it was Curtis Martin of the Jets, who earlier in the week had suggested that he might return soon. On Thursday, Martin acknowledged that he's considering calling it a career.

He has been on the PUP list all season, and was eligible to come back to practice this week. But he decided to take more time to make a decision, and he is seeking the input of those close to him.

Reportedly, his inner circle is advising him to retire.

And we agree. Based on reports that there's little or no cartilage left in his knee, the fact that he apparently feels good after not playing for nearly 10 months will change dramatically once he starts getting hit.

But we can understand why it's not easy for him to walk away. For every Tiki Barber, who is at the point in his life when he can choose not to play, there are ten Curtis Martins, who want to play beyond the date on which their bodies will allow.

Under league rules, a player on the PUP list becomes eligible to return after six weeks of the regular season. The player must be activated within three weeks thereafter.

In Martin's case, don't count on seeing him on the field again. And there's no shame in that for Martin; he's had a great career. He's survived longer at a position that entails a constant pounding than most ever have, or ever will.

BROWNS CELEBRATE TERMINATION OF BROWN

We mentioned on Thursday that Roger Brown of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is no longer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Brown, also of the effeminate headshot with his hand on his chin, was released along with several other employees this week.

And a league source tells us that there is "dancing" in the team's Berea complex because of the move.

Brown and G.M. Phil Savage, per the source, "despised each other."

POSTED 11:48 p.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

VICK BLAMES COACHES, WISHES FOR ELITE RECEIVERS

In an interview on HBO's Inside the NFL that hasn't gotten nearly as much play as it merits, Falcons quarterback Michael Vick has once again undermined his coaching staff and blamed his receivers for the fact that he's not generating the same stats as the elite NFL passers.

Since we don't subscribe to the pay-only channel, Kevin Flaherty of HBO forwarded to us a copy of the excerpts that were released to the media.

In one part of the interview with Cris Carter, Vick complains about the fact that he doesn't pass the ball as much under the Jim Mora regime as he did when Dan Reeves was the coach.

"You've got to throw the ball sometimes," Vick said. "You can't just line up and run the ball every time on first and second down. Teams key in on that and they have coaches, too. We're going to have to throw it more and Coach [Mora] . . . Coach is going have to trust in me to get it done and I'm up to the challenge to get it done.

"I feel like I'm at a stage where I can almost do it all. I want to continue to run the football and make plays and be a threat with my legs, you know, but I just feel that the game is easier when you're throwing the football. That's the fun part of it. You've just got to be given the opportunity.

"When Reeves was here, I was 50 yards shy of 3,000 yards passing, and I was among top 15 in passing in NFL. Coach Reeves, he believed in me and gave me a chance to throw the football."

Actually, Vick threw for 2,936 yards in 2002, and he was ranked 18th in the league in passer rating.

And if Mora and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp might have felt alone under the bumper of the bus, Vick also pitched receivers Michael Jenkins, Roddy White, and Ashley Lelie down there, too. Consider this exchange:

CARTER: "Do you ever sit back and say, 'Man, you know, I wish I had Chad Johnson. I wish I had a Randy Moss . . . ."

VICK: " . . . . or a Marvin Harrison."

CARTER: "Or Marvin Harrison."

VICK: "I always think about that, Cris. I always think, if I played in Indianapolis, what type of effect would I have on that team? Or what would I be able to do different? It's something I wish I could do for just one week."

Um, Mike? Are you suggesting that you are as good as Peyton Manning, and that he's on his way to the Hall of Fame simply because of his supporting cast?

Surely, he doesn't believe that.

Then again, maybe he does. And maybe that's the problem in Atlanta. Perhaps Vick isn't willing to objectively assess and acknowledge his limitations. As a result, when things go badly, it's never going to be because he might not be the quarterback he thinks he is. Instead, it's because the receivers aren't named Moss or Harrison, or because the coaches don't know what they're doing.

Our advice to the Falcons? Make his wish come true. Trade him to the Raiders after the season, where he can play with Moss. Give the starting job to Matt Schaub. Sure, some of the fans might not understand. But when the team starts winning many more games than it loses, they'll come around.

And the problem definitely is Vick. During the Monday brouhaha that the folks at Flowery Branch will deny until they day they die, Knapp said things like "I can lead the horse to water but I can't make him drink" and "He simply isn't an NFL-caliber passer."

Knapp is right. Vick isn't a pocket passer. He's a running back who can wreak havoc when he gets out of the pocket, either by finding an open man or pulling the ball down and taking off. Although it appears that the coaching staff is committed in 2006 to implementing an attack aimed at maximizing Vick's strengths and minimizing his weaknesses, it sounds like Vick isn't willing to acknowledge that he has any weaknesses.

And that's the one thing that will prevent him from ever becoming the best quarterback he can be.

So trade him, Falcons. Take the cap hit and trade him. Do it after June 1 if you need to spread the consequences over two seasons, but get rid of him. Your chances of getting back to the Super Bowl and finishing the job will be much better if/when you do.

POSTED 7:30 p.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

NAPOLIAN APOLOGIZES

Tom Curran of NBCSports.com reports that Colts president Bill Polian apologized earlier this month for shoving a Jets employee on October 1.

Per Curran, Polian discussed the matter with Jets G.M. Mike Tannenbaum and Ray Anderson, the league's senior V.P. of football operations shortly after the incident, and Polian issued a written apology.

(Maybe something like: "I'm f--king sorry, you worthless piece of sh-t.")

Curran contacted Anderson about the incident, who said "no comment" and abruptly hung up. (Real smooth, Ray.)

Meanwhile, Curran reports that the Patriots have twisted Napolian's tail by asking the league to ensure the safety of team employees during Indy's visit to New England next month. Recently, the Colts asked the league to talk to the Pats about improving the condition of the turf on their home field.

MORE NAPOLIAN ANECDOTES

After Jay Glazer of FOX broke the story regarding the incident in which Polian grabbed a Jets employee by the lapels and threw him against a wall, we put out a call to all agents for stories regarding Polian's past antics.

Here's a little bit of what we heard.

One agent opined that Polian is a "prickly old f--k," and another one compared him to Jack Nicholson's character in A Few Good Men.

Several agents told us that, in their opinion, the entire front office, top to bottom, is filled with cantankerous employees who regard all agents as adversaries. When one agent called a Polian colleague to inquire as to how a client was doing in training camp, the Colts employee said it's not his job to "wipe [the agent's] ass."

Another common theme is that Polian and crew are regarded as making every issue more contentious than it needs to be. Consider, for example, the placement of defensive tackle Corey Simon on the non-football injury/illness list. The consensus in league circles is that the team simply didn't want to pay Simon, so it opted to cut him off -- and to force him to pursue his money.

We've also heard that Polian often reacts angrily to questions posed to him by callers to his radio show. Also, consider this clip from an appearance on WFAN from the days following the Colts' playoff loss to the Steelers. It starts off cordially, but flashes of that temper come through once the hosts begin to ask tough questions about whether quarterback Peyton Manning had any blame for the defeat.

POSTED 5:05 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 5:36 p.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

NAPOLIAN STRIKES AGAIN

Coming off of their bye week, the Indianapolis Colts list a whopping 21 players as questionable for Sunday's game against the Redskins.

That's nearly 40 percent of the entire roster.

Under NFL rules, the designation of "questionable" means that the player has a 50-50 chance of playing. And with so many players currently a 50-50 proposition, it's virtually impossible for the Redskins -- or anyone else -- to figure out which of the guys are actually hurt.

Many league insiders would say that it's not surprising, since it's just another example of the way that Colts president Bill Polian does whatever he wants, without consequence. Remember that report from Jay Glazer of FOX regarding allegations that Polian had thrown a Jets employee against a wall? Word is that nothing has been done about it, and nothing likely will.

NICKTATOR CHAT REVISITED

We've gotten several e-mails from readers who weren't in the PFT audience last season when the Poobah landed an exclusive sit-down with Dolphins coach Nick Saban. Our interview was mentioned on Wednesday by Nunyo Demasio of SI.com in an item regarding the tenuous relationship between Saban and the South Florida media.

Writes Demasio: "Last season Dolphins beat writers must have felt like they were covering the White House because of Saban's secrecy and limited access; they couldn't have been thrilled when he sat down for an extensive one-on-one with Mike Florio, who runs the blog Profootballtalk.com. I couldn't quite figure that one out after Saban later said he didn't have enough time for President Bush."

Here's the link to the Saban interview from August 2005.

THURSDAY AFTERNOON ONE-LINERS

Someone made a moderately funny montage of the Cardinals' meltdown.

Jason Whitlock of AOL tries out another possible nickname for Edgerrin "No Gain" James.

Whitlock also takes Stu Scott to task for forgetting who his Monday night audience is when introducing Jay-Z's new video. (Of course, the mere fact that Jay-Z's new video debuted at halftime tells us that ESPN and the NFL also are forgetting who the audience is.)

The Bears have placed S Mike Brown on IR.

The FBI has determined that the Internet posting regarding terrorist attacks at seven NFL stadiums was a hoax.

What's our reaction to the fact that a poll of players resulted in Pats S Rodney Harrison being named the NFL's dirtiest player? Apparently, the vote was taken before Albert Haynesworth tried to remove the meat from Andre Gurode's skull.

Bengals WR Chad Johnson wants the team to start throwing the ball more. (Presumably, to him.)

POSTED 4:29 p.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

RAIDERS BRINGING IN FASSEL?

There's talk emanating from Raiderland regarding the possibility that former Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel will be brought in as a consultant for the team's anemic offense.

The move, as we understand it, would not result in Fassel replacing current offensive coordinator Tom Walsh.

It might be Fassel's only opportunity to get back into football for 2007. Frankly, he might be better off getting paid by the Ravens to stay home. The chances of being associated with this year's unofficial NFL train wreck might do far more harm than good as to his future career options.

POSTED 1:00 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:21 p.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

TIKI MAKING A MONEY GRAB?

The initial reaction in some league circles to the stated intentions of Giants running back Tiki Barber to retire after the 2006 season is that Barber is trying to get the team to rip up his contract and give him a new deal with a huge signing bonus.

We're not saying that we believe it -- but others definitely do.

Barber is represented by agent Eric Metz, and one league insider tells us that "Metz has been complaining about Barber's contract for months."

Barber currently is signed through 2008. His salary is $4.15 million in 2006, and $4.15 million in 2007 and 2008.

He signed his most recent deal in 2005, which paid him a $1.65 million signing bonus and increased his base pay from $4.25 million to a guaranteed $6 million.

Barber's twin brother, Ronde, inked during training camp a contract extension with the Buccaneers. He received $6 million to sign and will earn another $6 million in March 2007.

Despite Tiki's solid performances over the years, which included an MVP-caliber 2,390 yards from scrimmage in 2005, he's never gotten a really big payday. And if the speculation that he's trying to get the Giants to cough one up now is accurate, he's in a no-lose situation.

If they pay him, he'll still play. If they won't, he'll transition to something else.

If he leaves, he might be required to pay back roughly $800,000 to the Giants, assuming that his contract contains forfeiture language in the event of early retirement. But that won't be a very painful check to write for a guy who might soon be able to write his own check in the world of television.

VINCENT GOT $250,000 TO SIGN

A league source tells us that the Redskins paid safety Troy Vincent a $250,000 signing bonus as part of the three-year deal that he signed on Monday, only four days after being released from injured reserve by the Bills.

Vincent also will earn roughly $475,000 in salary from the Redskins, based on the 10-week proration of his $810,000 salary.

So in a season that was preceded by efforts from the Bills to get Vincent to reduce his 2006 salary of $2.6 million, Vincent comes out of it with the full $2.6 million from the Bills, another $250,000 from the 'Skins, and another $524,000 if he finishes the season as part of the team.

Maybe the Bills should treat G.M. Marv Levy like the Yankees treated George Costanza, and wake him up only for the important meetings.

POSTED 9:04 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:58 a.m. EDT, October 19, 2006

WANNSTEDT COACHING HIS WAY TO CONSIDERATION FOR STEELERS' GIG?

We reported when Dave Wannstedt became the head coach of the Pitt Panthers that he was attracted to the job due in part to the possibility that, once Bill Cowher is no longer the head coach of the local pro team, Wannstedt might be able to slide into the job.

Though Wannstedt's ability to make the move seemed in doubt during a rocky start to his college coaching career in 2005, we're now told that Wannstedt will receive consideration for the Steelers job if, as many believe, Cowher packs it in after the 2006 season.

The leading candidate for the job, we're told, would be offensive line coach Russ Grimm, with offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt a close second. But if the Panthers continue to pile up wins, and if they could emerge from the scrum at the top of the Big East with the BCS berth, Wannstedt's star will be shining a lot brighter.

The key factor, as we see it, is whether the Steelers can continue to win games in 2006. If they lose more than two over the last 11, the playoffs will be very unlikely. And if the top job becomes open after a season of supreme disappointment, the in-house candidates suddenly will look less impressive.

The other intriguing factor in this regard is the so-called "Rooney Rule," which requires every team to consider at least one minority candidate for any head coaching vacancy. Since the rule is named for Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, it might be difficult for the Steelers to not hire a minority head coach when the job next becomes vacant.

TIKI IS DONE

We didn't have anything to say on Wednesday regarding the report that Giants running back Tiki Barber was leaning toward retirement after the 2006 season because: (1) the information didn't come directly from him; and (2) we do not want to get caught up in another one of these annual "is this the year he retires?" routines, a la Lord Favre.

But we heard enough of Barber's comments from Wednesday on Sirius NFL Radio to conclude that he will definitely retire after the 2006 season.

The decision, in our view, already had been made. Our guess is that he's deciding to talk about it now not to generate publicity or sympathy or pleas of "please don't go" from fans but to ensure that no one will be shocked when he walks away from the game in January.

We also think that it's part of a strategy aimed at letting his next pool of employers -- the networks -- know that he's not using their interest in him to leverage a better deal from the Giants. In our view, it's the equivalent of a college player declaring for the draft, and in this context there's no reason to wait until after the season ends to make it known.

Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News pieces together Barber's Wednesday quotes from various contexts, and the message is obvious: Tiki is done.

Of course, not everyone regards Barber's comments as a positive. Gary Myers of Newsday writes that Barber has "created a season-long distraction the suddenly hot Giants don't need, especially going into Monday night's crucial showdown in Dallas."

If the Giants are lucky, Barber's situation will have the same outcome as the same "season-long distraction" created by Jerome Bettis last year in Pittsburgh.

Actually, Barber took a bit of a slap at the Bus on Wednesday. Barber said he doesn't want to stick around and rush for 700 or 800 yards per year as his body breaks down, and that he refuses to be "average."

In his last four seasons in the league, Bettis had 666, 811, 941, and 368 yards, respectively. His average yards per carry in those four years? Three-point-five.

So instead of hanging around in the hopes of getting a Super Bowl ring that might never come, Barber is moving on. And unlike other early-out tailbacks like Barry Sanders and Robert Smith, Barber already has the cement blocks in place for his post-football career.

From our perspective, he's doing the smart thing. For many of the guys who play pro football, their only alternative would be the kind of job that involves wearing a name tag. For Barber, he has put himself in position to have a financially rewarding career away from the game.

And as to whether a few more years might make him a Hall of Famer, how much does that really mean to a guy's day-to-day life? If we had to choose between being physically able to run around in the back yard with our grandkids at age 63 or having a bronze likeness of our head in a dark room in Canton that might or might not come to life only to be bored to tears by John Madden's bust, it wouldn't be a tough decision.

POSTPONEMENT OF TRADE DEADLINE TO BE DISCUSSED TODAY

A league source tells us that the possibility of moving the trade deadline deeper into the season will be one of the topics of a league conference call to occur on Thursday, October 18. The proposal will be one of several potential rules changes discussed.

We've been banging the drum of late regarding the wisdom of moving back the deadline for doing deals. It makes sense for a variety of reasons, and we've yet to hear a compelling argument against it.

And as to a point we made the other day, we'll have to admit that we were being a tad stoopid. Moving the deadline until after the bye weeks have concluded won't eliminate the possibility that a player will end up appearing in 17 games, since trades can still happen before the deadline. We're now off of our dumbsh-t medication, and hopefully we won't say something so idiotic again.

NO MAAS, BUT MAS GOOSE

For yet another week, FOX analyst Bill Maas will be free to watch the games in his underwear, and to freely scratch wherever he might be a-itchin'.

And, interestingly, a spot that could have gone to Maas has been filled this week by one Anthony J. Siragusa. (We don't know whether his middle initial is actually "J". It just sounded good.)

We're not sure how we feel about Siragusa, and we're likewise not sure we'll watch much of the game he'll cover, since he's working the Cardinals at the Raiders. But, as we see it, if the guy is gonna roam around in his fat guy shirt and chime in whenever he feels like it from the field, why not squeeze him into a suit, shoehorn him into the booth, and see what he can do?

He can't be any worse than Maas.

THURSDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

Bears S Mike Brown likely will miss the rest of the year after having foot surgery.

Chargers DE Igor Olshansky will miss 3-4 weeks after having knee surgery.

The Packers say they have no regrets about signing WR Koren Robinson.

Packers CB Charles Woodson might not be able to play against the Dolphins on Sunday.

Six weeks of sellouts could mean higher ticket prices in the future.

Giants DE Michael Strahan says that he won't be retiring after this season.

The New York Giants have been told to quit doing fadeaway jump shots (the New York Knicks, unfortunately, will keep doing them).

Someone is actually complaining that Bengals WR Chad Johnson isn't talking enough.

Great nickname for Randy Moss and Jerry Porter: "Glum and Glummer."

49ers S Keith Lewis could be getting more playing time with the defense.

If the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is arguing that the Falcons should dump Alex Gibbs' cut-blocking scheme, it can only mean that the team has already decided to do so.

The Vikings will use a silent count in Seattle on Sunday.

WR Bethel Johnson might get a chance to return kicks for the Vikings this week.

Bears LB Lance Briggs denies reports that he's interested in playing for the Dolphins in 2007.

Some of the Broncos who used to be Browns are bitching about the Browns.

The final count for Bears LB Brian Urlacher on Monday night? 25 tackles; "I wasn't getting blocked," he said.

Pats QB Tom Brady received a vote in SI's "Dirtiest Player" poll.

Panthers coach John Fox denies that he said in a production meeting with FOX that RB DeAngelo Williams will miss a full month with a sprained ankle.

We feel kind of bad that Roger Brown of the Cleveland Plain Dealer is out of a job, but we're glad that we'll never have to see that hella gay (oh yeah, we're down) picture of him anymore.

Redskins QB Mark Brunell calls Sunday's game at Indy a "must-win." (We prefer to think of it as a "won't-win.")

Bengals WR Chad Johnson says that he heeds most of the advice he gets from cousin Keyshawn of the Panthers.

Bucs CB Brian Kelly knows that the team's denial of efforts to trade him is bullsh-t bullsh-t.

We wonder if Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune put the "lights out" before nuzzling the crotch of Chargers LB Shawn Merriman. [Editor's note: For anyone who remembers that we used that same gag a year or so ago, don't worry about seeing the same tired old lines showing up on the site over and over again. Only someone who went to the "M" would resort to that kind of bullsh-t bullsh-t.]

Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis says it would cost him "millions" to leave Notre Dame.

For even more NFL news and information, check out the PFT Fantasy Mill.

POSTED 9:56 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

FALCONS DENYING IN-HOUSE FRACAS

Our recent report regarding the fracas at Flowery Branch has received little or no play in the "real" media, primarily because the folks in Atlanta are consistently denying that defensive coordinator Ed Donatell and offensive coordinator Greg Knapp were at odds after Sunday's game, that owner Arthur Blank met with the two of them on Monday, and that Knapp was upset thereafter.

Regardless of the denials, we're standing by the story 100 percent. Our source is credible, and has delivered in the past. Plus, there were too many details.

We're also hearing that the team has put out the word to deny that anything happened, and that others in the media sensed when talking to their contacts with the team about the situation that something indeed went down.

IRVIN FEARS HOLT?

We mentioned in this week's PFT Ten-Pack that Michael Irvin of ESPN inexplicably omitted Rams receiver Torry Holt from Irvin's list of the top five "Playmakers" from Sunday's games.

Holt had eight catches for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Along the way, he broke the 10,000-yard career receiving barrier.

But Irvin snubbed him, giving both of the top two spots to a guy who had more than 100 less yards on Sunday.

So what gives?

As one reader suggested, Irvin fears that, after Holt retires, he'll bump Irvin off of ESPN. Holt has done well as a guest analyst on ESPN's draft coverage, and Irvin is too erratic and too controversial. At times, he seems incoherent.

What makes Irvin indispensable to ESPN is his ability to get access to controversial players like T.O. and Steve Smith and Chad Johnson. But in the years after Holt retires, he'll likely be able to do the same thing.

We also think that Irvin sees Holt getting closer and closer to his career stats -- and in far fewer seasons. Irvin had 750 catches for 11,904 yards and 65 touchdowns in 12 seasons. Holt has 656 catches for 10,013 yards and 61 touchdowns in seven seasons and change.

MORE RADIO STUFF

We inadvertently forgot to mention a couple of our regular radio stops earlier today, leaving out our buddy Brad Riter at WGR in Buffalo off of the list, and Ryan Chambers and Terry Harvin at ESPN 105.5 The Fan in Macon, Georgia.

And we'll be also on WIP in Philly on Wednesday night with Glen Macnow at 10:10 p.m. EDT to discuss this week's Ten-Pack.

Finally, we've got the clip from Tuesday's spot with Chris McClain of WFNZ in Charlotte.

POSTED 8:38 p.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:10 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

FAVRE TAKES UP FOR THE BOOZE HOUND

In Brett Favre's world, it's not okay for a receiver who is under contract to hold out. But it apparently is okay for a receiver to drive more than 100 miles per hour in order to avoid getting busted by the cops on yet another DUI rap.

Favre said on Wednesday that he doesn't understand why the league won't allow receiver Koren Robinson to hang out with the team or work out at the facility while he's on suspension for a year due to his latest violation of the substance abuse policy.

But, Brett, the issue here is that the rules created through collective bargaining between the NFL and the NFLPA require a minimum banishment of one year due to Robinson's chronic inability to follow the rules. The league didn't simply dictate this; it's a provision that the NFL and the paid representatives of the players agreed to.

Yeah, Robinson has a disease. But his disease can manifest itself in ways that can harm his team, the league, and other persons. So if a player can't or won't get proper treatment for the disease, and if he can't prove on a consistent basis that the disease won't result in, for example, the player showing up drunk at a game and punching a referee in the face, then the player is medically and physically unfit to be on the field, on the sidelines, or in the building.

What if, for example, Robinson is permitted to work out at the facility for the next year, and he shows up on a day in April fully lubricated and drops a 45-pound plate on A.J. Hawk's potato face while Hawk is laying on the bench?

It's nothing personal against Robinson or any other alcoholic who plays football. But the reality is that, after the player has failed on repeated occasions to adhere to the requirements of the rules to which the NFLPA agreed, he must suffer the consequences.

He's not fit to be in the league. Period. It's no different than a guy who can't catch a pass or won't take a hit. There's something in Robinson's overall mind and body that makes it a bad idea for the league to continue to provide him with employment.

Unlike a guy who can't catch a pass or won't take a hit, Robinson gets yet another chance. If he can stay clean for a year, he can come back.

WHERE WAS SUZY?

One of the unresolved questions from Monday night's mind-boggling, come-from-behind win by the Bears over the Cardinals was this: Where in the hell was Suzy Kolber?

As far as we can tell, the folks in Bristol are keeping a tight lid on this one, with only a tight handful of people (if anyone) knowing the truth regarding her unexplained absence.

The official explanation is "personal reasons," and she's supposed to be back next week.

Regardless of the excuse, it's not a good thing for a sportscaster to not show up for a game. Especially when there are only 17 of them that she needs to cover per year.

And, if anything, her absence proved that they really don't need to have two sideline reporters on Monday night.

IT WASN'T PAM

Speaking of sideline reporters, we got several angry e-mails from Eagles fans who insisted that FOX's Pam Oliver was openly rooting for the Saints after Terrance Copper recovered a muffed punt late in the first half.

We've finally gotten a chance to eyeball the footage on NFLN's NFL Replay, and we've concluded with 99.99 percent certainty that the woman seen clapping off to the side of the end zone after the play isn't her.

POSTED 5:12 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 8:58 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

TERRORIST ATTACKS THREATENED AT STADIUMS

Though the U.S. Government is reportedly skeptical about an Internet posting that promises detonation of a radiological dirty bomb at seven NFL stadiums on Sunday, October 22, the Department of Homeland Security is taking the matter sufficiently seriously to issue an alert to the seven cities in question and the owners of the teams.

The cities on the list are New York, Miami, Houston, Cleveland, Oakland, Atlanta, and Seattle.

With all that said, why would the terrorists post an advance warning about the attacks on a web site? Unless the logic is to be so brazen about it that no one will take it seriously, the notion of trumpeting the plans for another sneak attack on U.S. soil seems more than a little goofy.

Still, we've seen the posting that triggered the alert, which a reader found. And it's definitely disturbing.

Here's the text:

"On Sunday, October 22nd, 2006, there will be seven 'dirty' explosive devices detonated in seven different U.S. cities; Miami, New York City, Atlanta, Seattle, Houston, Oakland and Cleveland. The death toll will approach 100,000 from the initial blasts and countless other fatalities will later occur as result from radioactive fallout.

"The bombs themselves will be delivered via trucks. These trucks will pull up to stadiums hosting NFL games in each respective city. All stadiums to be targeted are open air arenas, excluding Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the only enclosed stadium to be hit. Due to the open air, the radiological fallout will destroy those not killed in the initial explosion. The explosions will be near simultaneous, with the cities specifically chosen in different time zones to allow for multiple attacks at the same time.

"The 22nd of October will mark the final day of Ramadan as it would fall in Mecca. Al-Qaida will automatically be blamed for the attacks. Later, through Al-Jazeera, Osama bin Laden will issue a video message claiming responsibility for what he dubs 'America's Hiroshima'.

"In the aftermath civil wars will erupt across the world, both in the Middle East and within the United States. Global economies will screech to a halt. General chaos will rule."

POSTED 3:23 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:16 p.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

GOODELL FLEXING HIS MUSCLES

The early reviews are coming in regarding new NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

And there's a feeling that he's going to be tough on guys who break the rules.

Based on matters that have been made public (such as the suspensions of Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, Packers receiver Koren Robinson, Bengals receiver Chris Henry, Lions defensive tackle Shaun Rogers, and Falcons guard Matt Lehr) and matters that are still private due to the confidentiality of the relevant policies and programs, league insiders believe that Goodell is going to go far when it comes to imposing discipline.

But some already are suggesting that there will be an over-correction, and that as a result some players will receive harsher penalties now than similarly situated players realized under the Paul Tagliabue regime.

Though we think it reasonably could be regarded as unfair for guys to suddenly get slammed for stuff that happened before Goodell became Commissioner, we also believe that the greater good requires Goodell to get the attention of those who think that they will get away with improper activities, or that if they get caught the punishment won't be severe.

So, on balance, we like it.

Even though we still think Haynesworth got off way too easy.

PROOF OF TAMPERING?

One of the areas in which we'd like to see the new commish do something/anything is in the realm of tampering.

Specifically, we propose that he either enforce the rule that's on the books, or get rid of it.

The rule currently is a joke. Everyone violates it, and no one is ever nailed. There's one team we know of that began to violate the tampering rules only after it became obvious that the failure to do that which every other team was doing had created a potential competitive disadvantage.

Though the instances in which there seems to be hard proof of tampering are few and far between, consider the example of former Bills safety Troy Vincent. Buffalo released him on Thursday, October 12. On Monday, October 16, he said that he was contacted by Redskins cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray "[a] week ago."

Though the text of the article is careful to say that Gray called Vincent after he was released, what reasonable person uses the term "a week ago" on a Monday in reference to something that happened only two business days earlier?

It's hardly the same kind of smoking gun that Peter King of SI offered up a couple of years ago, when safety Lawyer Milloy admitted that the Redskins had made him an offer while he was still under contract with the Patriots. In that case, the issue went nowhere after Milloy recanted.

In this case, we think "a week ago" means "a week ago," and that the 'Skins realized that if Vincent wasn't released before the trade deadline he would have to pass through waivers -- and the few teams out there with lesser records would have a crack at him. So we believe that they contacted Vincent, and upon realizing that he had an opportunity in D.C. Vincent asked to be dumped by the Bills, who were on the hook for his full 2006 salary regardless of whether or not Vincent was released from the injured reserve list.

And although Vincent has grumbled about the way that the Bills treated him, the fact that the move came before the trading deadline allows him to pocket the balance of his $2.6 million salary as termination pay -- and to get paid by the Redskins separately.

It's also possible that Bills G.M. Marv Levy didn't realize that he might have been able to save his boss $1.5 million or so if the Bills had waived Vincent, and if the Redskins or someone else had been willing to pick up the balance of the salary. Despite the fact that our friends in Western New York (all five of them) might not like to hear it, it's another reason why Levy wasn't the right choice to run the front office.

VINCENT'S DEAL IS FOR THREE YEARS

The reports regarding cornerback Troy Vincent's decision to sign with the Redskins did not contain any details regarding the terms of the contract. Most league insiders assumed it was a one-year deal for the prorated 10-year-plus veteran minimum of $810,000.

NFLPA records, however, reveal that it was a three-year deal. Vincent will make the prorated minimum salary in 2006, which implies to us that the contract included a signing bonus. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for Vincent to agree to future years; he would have signed a one-year contract and then moved on (or re-signed with the team) in 2007.

Under the deal, Vincent will make $1.375 million in 2007 and $1.5 million in 2008. If he's not released.

POSTED 9:20 a.m. EDT, October 18, 2006

FASSEL FIRING HAD BEEN IN THE WORKS

A league source tells us that the departure of Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel had been in the works for a while. Per the source, the organization was hopeful in the offseason that Fassel would land a head coaching job. When it became clear that Fassel wouldn't get a promotion, the short-term scapegoat for the team's offensive woes became quarterback Kyle Boller.

But, as we hear it, head coach Brian Billick became more concerned about Fassel as (at the direct order of owner Steve Bisciotti) Billick became more immersed into the hands-on, day-to-day coaching.

Per the source, Billick eventually identified Fassel as the root cause of the problems on offense, and Billick concluded that the situation wouldn't be fixed as long as Fassel was with the organization.

So, as we're now told, the decision to make the move came weeks ago, and Billick decided to wait until the bye in order to make the transition easier.

With that said, we wonder whether Billick would have gone through with it if the Ravens had beaten either the Broncos or the Panthers?

Regardless, there's no dispute that the team's offense isn't working. Or that it has never been the kind of high-end machine that was envisioned when Billick was hired in 1999.

And even though Billick identified Fassel as the root of the problem on offense, our guess is that this episode has nudged Bisciotti closer to identifying Billick as the root of the broader problems with the team.

If Billick can turn it around and make it to the playoffs and perform well at that level (even in defeat), he might get another year or two. But if there was any doubt about it, there should be none right now -- Billick is perched on one of the hottest seats in all of football.

ROWEN A SCAPEGOAT FOR GREEN?

Eight years after Dennis Green, Brian Billick, and Randy Moss were involved in one of the most impressive offensive performances in NFL history, setting a single-season scoring record that even the Greatest Show on Turf couldn't break, all three men find themselves in much more challenging circumstances.

And on the same day that Moss didn't get traded out of a bad situation in Oakland and Billick put himself in the crosshairs of ultimate accountability in Baltimore, Green arguably passed the buck, in order to save his skin.

Reaction in some league circles to the decision of Green to dump offensive coordinator Keith Rowen is that Green isn't taking sufficient responsibility for the team's predicament. Green is the head coach. His background is in offense. He wears the headset during games.

And yet he's now on his third offensive coordinator in three seasons.

No one is suggesting that Green should have quit on Tuesday. But the notion that Rowen should be the fall guy for Monday night's loss is a little absurd, especially since it was Rowen's offense that put the team in position to re-claim the lead late in the game.

Sure, Edgerrin "No Gain" James averaged 1.52 yards on 36 carries. But was it Rowen's idea to sign a big name who would sell tickets in a new stadium? (Maybe it was, but our guess is that most offensive coaches would have lobbied for a greater effort to improve the wall of blockers.)

If anything, Green should have fired special teams coach Gary Zauner. It was Zauner's punt team that kicked the ball down the middle of the gridiron to Devin Hester (of the "M"), and it was Zauner's long snapper who delivered a high ball to the holder on Neil Rackers' missed field goal.

But, in the end, Green is responsible for everything that occurred on Monday night, and all season long. Opined one league source: "The firing of [Rowen] was a copout. [Green] is the one who should be fired. He's the head coach and it's his responsibility to run the team. If he didn't like the way the plays were being called, he could have stepped in. You can't tell me he can't overrule the guy because he can."

And as to Green's press conference meltdown on Monday night, the source thinks that it wasn't as spontaneous as it seemed. "To me it was bullsh-t [Editor's note: Just plain "bullsh-t," not "bullsh-t bullsh-t"] and an act," said the source. "He got up on the podium all pissed off, had his rant and then walked off. Wasn't something missing? Yes, he didn't answer questions. And he didn't want to because his team became the first team in NFL history to blow 14-0 first quarter leads and lose games in consecutive weeks. The tirade was planned on his part so he wouldn't have to answer questions."

RADIO STUFF

In the "old" days of PFT, we did radio spots because it helped us get the word out about the site. As traffic has grown (and we somehow had our biggest day ever on Tuesday), we're now realizing that the folks with whom we visit every week appreciate a periodic mention in this space, since it helps them get the word out about their own product, too.

This week, we visited with the fine folks at AOL Sports Bloggers Live on Monday, which invites yours truly on from time to time in order to maintain the quota of "guests with little or no name recognition." Later in the day, we recapped Sunday's games with our goombah Dino Costa, whose show airs throughout most of Colorado. (Steve Lyons called after the show and asked if we could order up a hit on the guys at FOX who fired him, after we finish stomping grapes.)

On Tuesday, it was an afternoon visit with Chris McClain of WFNZ in Charlotte, and our weekly drive-time deal with the Big Dog, Steve Duemig, of WDAE in Tampa. We finished up with Todd Wright of Sporting News Radio, and the clip from that one can be heard right here.

Tonight, it's time for our weekly segment with Glen Macnow of WIP in Philly, for some elaboration on our Week Six Ten-Pack. (We think it's at 7:40 p.m. EDT; we probably should check on that.)

On Thursday at 6:06 p.m. EDT or so, we'll talk with fellow Mountaineer Mike Gill of ESPN Radio 1450 in Atlantic City.

On Friday, we'll expect to hear from the guys at WNST in Baltimore in the 8:00 a.m. EDT hour (but sometimes they -- sniff -- don't call), and then we finish up the week with a 4:30 p.m. EDT spot on the Terry Bowden Show and a 5:20 p.m. EDT visit with the Rumble on ESPN Radio 1460 in Jacksonville.

Most of these shows now stream live over the Internet, which means more and more opportunities for you to be doing something other than all of the stuff you should be doing.

We also do other spots on a less regular basis, but the shows above are the new-q-lus of our on-air routine. So support them. Love them. Make them feel pretty.

POSTED 8:46 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

CURTAINS FOR K-ROB

The NFL has suspended Packers receiver Koren Robinson for a year, rejecting lawyer David Cornwell's position that any final action should be deferred until after the legal process regarding his August 15 arrest is resolved.

Robinson was charged with felony fleeing, DUI, and reckless driving following a race back to Vikings training camp. The incident occurred a day after ESPN's Joe Theismann praised K-Rob for his "proactive" return to treatment in the offseason.

For present purposes, the kicker was the DUI arrest, since it triggered a finding (we assume) that Robinson had violated the treatment plan associated with his status as a Stage Three participant in the substance abuse program by (duh) drinking alcohol.

Also, Robinson pleaded innocent to the latest criminal charges on Tuesday, even though there's no factual dispute that Robinson led police on a high-speed chase back to the Vikings' training camp, or that he blew a 0.11 percent blood alcohol concentration thereafter.

Under the terms of the suspension, Robinson is banished for at least a year. He then must apply for reinstatement. In the interim, he must continue to adhere to the terms of the treatment plan, including periodic drug testing.

The suspension also limits his potential recovery from the Vikings pursuant to a grievance based on allegations that the team improperly cut him after the arrest. At most, the Vikings will be on the hook for the difference between what he would have made for six weeks under the contract that was terminated and the money he earned from the Packers for that same six- week period.

So delay would have yielded two benefits for Robinson -- he would have been able to continue to play football (and get paid) and he would have been able to seek more money from the Vikings for each additional week. As it now stands, his suspension will expire right about the time he goes to trial on the new charges. If convicted, he likely never plays again.

Our advice to Koren? Work out a plea deal now and do all of your jail time (including 90 days for probation violation in Washington) while you're under suspension, and then try to make a return to the NFL.

POSTED 8:14 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF FASSEL DEPARTURE

Though there's no dispute that Jim Fassel is no longer the Ravens offensive coordinator, there are different versions of how the deal went down.

When we reported the story this morning, we didn't know whether it was a firing, a resignation, a mutual decision, or a Charley Casserly (i.e., an involuntary move sold as voluntary or mutual).

John Clayton of ESPN initially reported that it was a resignation by Fassel. But then the Ravens issued a statement suggesting that it was a termination. And then the AP reported that it was a firing.

Finally, Jay Glazer of FOXSports.com reported that it was more of a mutual decision, with head coach Brian Billick telling Fassel that Billick would be more involved in the offense. Fassel responded by saying that, if that's the case, there's no need for Fassel to remain with the team. So Billick released him.

And, as we hear it, it's surprising that the move didn't come sooner. Fassel, we're told, was never allowed to implement his own offense. Instead, the Ravens are still using the offense that Brian Billick carried over from Minnesota in 1999.

Moreover, there was plenty of tension, we hear, between Fassel and quarterbacks coach Rick Neuheisel. A league source tells us that Fassel believed Neuheisel was undermining him by serving as players' the gratuitous good cop to Fassel's periodic bad cop.

Fassel surely will land somewhere, but likely not as a head coach. (But Arizona is a possibility.) He might want to consider heading to the college game, if he wants to be the boss. Otherwise, he needs to look for openings in the ranks of the assistants.

And it's curious, in our view, that Cardinals coach Dennis Green moved so quickly to fired offensive coordinator Keith Rowen and abruptly replace him with Mike Kruczek. Was Green concerned that if he didn't make a move on his own ownership might make it for him?

Another possibility is Oakland, where offensive coordinator Tom Walsh is receiving a ton of external criticism regarding the team's inability to generate yards and points.

Our guess, however, is that Fassel will take the rest of the year off and pick his next spot after the season. It makes the most sense -- especially since he's undoubtedly being paid for the balance of 2006 by the Ravens.

POSTED 4:59 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 5:15 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

BUCS BUMP BOOGER

Our pal Steve "the Big Dog" Duemig of WDAE radio in Tampa is reporting that the Buccaneers have traded defensive tackle Anthony "Booger" McFarland to the Colts. We're told Duemig has since confirmed the move via a text message from Booger himself.

PewterReport.com reports that the Bucs will receive a second-round draft pick for the former first-rounder.

The move reunites Booger with former Bucs coach Tony Dungy, and it helps to shore up a porous run defense in Indy.

McFarland is signed through 2008. He's making $4.5 million in base salary his year, and his base pay for 2007 and 2008 is $5.5 million and $6.85 million, respectively.

POSTED 3:34 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 4:52 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

BUCHANON SIGNS WITH BUCS

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed cornerback Phillip Buchanon to a one-year contract, at a prorated base salary of $585,000.

Buchanon was released by the Texans on Monday. And the Texans actually did him a big favor by making the move when they did.

If the Texans had waited until Wednesday, Buchanon would have been required to pass through waivers. As it stands, Buchanon became a free agent.

Under NFL rules, players with less than four credited seasons always pass through waivers whenever they are cut, with the worst team to the best team getting a shot to claim him. Prior to the trading deadline, vested veterans instantly become free agents. After the trading deadline, however, all players regardless of tenure must go through waivers.

In Buchanon's case, someone like the Packers might have taken a chance on him. His full base salary was only $800,000, and with six weeks in the books the balance would have been only $517,650.

So Buchanon instead will earn $378,529 from the Bucs along with the balance of his $800,000 salary from the Texans, since he is now entitled (as a vested veteran) to receive termination pay.

The end result? His total 2006 income increased in one day by more than $375,000, assuming he finishes the season with Tampa.

It's baffling, in our view, that the Texans wouldn't have waited until Wednesday to cut him loose, in the hopes that someone would pick up his contract -- and allow the Texans to get off the hook for more than $500,000 in unpaid wages.

We're also told that the Texans tried to trade Buchanon before cutting him, but found no takers.

Buchanon was a first-round draft choice in 2002 out of the "M", and he was traded to Houston in 2005 for a second-round and third-round draft pick in 2006. Bucs G.M. Bruce Allen was in that same role with the Raiders when Buchanon was drafted.

PATS CAN'T CHANGE FROM REAL TO FAKE DURING THE SEASON

Contrary to a report in the Boston Herald, the New England Patriots won't be changing to FieldTurf from TurdField during the 2006 season.

Tim Davey, the league's director of field operations, told the AP that teams are prohibited from making a change from real grass to fake grass during the season. At the earliest, then, the Pats would be using FieldTurf in 2007.

Instead, the center strip of sod at Gillette Stadium will be replaced later this month, and the new stuff will be in place for the team's next home game, on November 5 against the Colts.

The new sod will be installed between the on-field numbers that designate the yard lines.

The replacement efforts can't begin until October 25, because the field is being used for filming The Game Plan with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson (who once played football at the "M").

POSTED 3:11 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

ROWEN OUT AS CARDS O.C.

On the same day that former Cardinals offensive coordinator Jim Fassel became the former offensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens, current Cardinals offensive coordinator Keith Rowen is now a former offensive coordinator of the team, too.

According to numerous reports, Rowen has been dumped by head coach Dennis Green. Quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek will take over the duties.

Kruczek is a former NFL quarterback. His biggest claim to fame is that, as a rookie with the Steelers in 1976, Kruczek filled in for Terry Bradshaw after he was slammed on his head by Browns defensive lineman Turkey Joe Jones. Kruczek led the team to six straight wins in Bradshaw's absence.

Rowen was hired into the job in 2005. He replaced Alex Wood, who was fired after only one season. Green said on Tuesday that it's possible that Rowen might remain with the team in a different capacity.

There's no word on whether Rowen thinks that Green's words regarding possible continued employment are genuine or, as Green might say, "bullsh-t bullsh-t."

POSTED 2:56 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

CARDINALS PLAYERS TALKING FASSEL

A league source tells us that Cardinals players already are discussing the possibility that former Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Fassel might land in Arizona as the replacement for current offensive coordinator Keith Rowen.

Rowen is regarded within the building as being on the hot seat due to some suspect play calling in back-to-back losses to the Chiefs and the Bears. The Cardinals blew leads of at least 14 points in each game.

The offense being used in Arizona by head coach Dennis Green is the same offense he used in Minnesota, which is the same offense that Fassel used in Baltimore. So the transition would be seamless.

Though Green might not be in favor of such a move, it's possible that he'll have no choice. Though Fassel didn't receive an offer to coach the team when Green was hired, Fassel is highly regarded by ownership, due to his prior stint with the team as offensive coordinator. As one league insider explained it to us (and as we'd forgotten), Fassel was instrumental in revitalizing the careers of Boomer Esiason when Esiason played for the Cardinals. Fassel also has drawn praise for his work with Phil Simms, John Elway, and Kerry Collins.

Fassel coached the Giants to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2000 season, where the Giants lost to the Ravens. In order to qualify for the game, Fassel pasted Green's Vikings by the score of 41-0. Green hasn't appeared in a playoff game since that defeat.

POSTED 1:27 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

NO MOSS IN NEW ENGLAND

As Tom Curran of NBCSports.com reports, and as we separately have confirmed, the Oakland Raiders won't be trading receiver Randy Moss to the New England Patriots.

Although a league source with knowledge of the situation in Oakland tells us that a last-minute trade of Moss hasn't been ruled out, an industry insider explained to us on Tuesday morning that owner Al Davis is unwilling to acknowledge that his team is bad, and is likewise unwilling to concede that point to the rest of the world by trading the previously perennial Pro Bowler.

But there definitely was increased talk in league circles about a deal getting done, and a move to New England would have made sense. Still, Davis is the guy with the final say, and if he's not willing to do it, it isn't going to happen.

The general impression we get is that there haven't even been serious trade discussions involving Moss or fellow disgruntled wideout Jerry Porter. There was interest within the Steelers' organization as to both of them last week, with a preference for Porter. As we're now told, however, the issue never made its way to the desk of coach Bill Cowher for a decision.

We also reported a couple of weeks back that Jaguars assistant coach Mike Tice was lobbying for the team to make a move for Moss. Tice was not, by all appearances, successful in persuading the key people to give it a try.

POSTED 12:06 p.m. EDT; UPDATED 1:09 p.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

DAVE DUNN SUSPENDED TWO YEARS

NFLPA agent David Dunn has been suspended by the NFLPA for two years.

A league source tells us that the decision is not final, and that the matter has not yet been presented for arbitration, pursuant to applicable NFLPA rules.

Several years ago, the NFLPA imposed a two-year suspension on Dunn, but the action was stayed immediately by a bankruptcy filing made in the wake of a multi-million-dollar verdict entered against Dunn in a lawsuit filed by his former partner, Leigh Steinberg.

The verdict later was overturned on appeal, and the case was thereafter settled. At or about the same time, the NFLPA and Dunn agreed to re-start the disciplinary process from scratch. Dunn, we were told, was confident that he would fare better this time around.

We're also told that, regardless of his current status as a certified agent, Dunn isn't fazed by the actual or looming suspension. Per a league source, Dunn has been carefully planning for this development for years, and most if not all of his clients will stay put and be serviced by his colleagues for the next two years.

And although NFLPA rules prohibit Dunn from being paid any part of a player's fee, the NFLPA (as we understand it) won't take the position that Dunn is prohibited from sharing in overall revenues generated by his firm -- even if a big part of those revenues come from player representation fees.

FLEX SCHEDULING NOT AS FLEXIBLE AS ADVERTISED

Earlier on Tuesday (it feels like 12 hours ago with everything that's been going on) we spent some time on the looming concept of flexible scheduling, which in theory promises to give NBC the ability to pick on a weekly basis its Sunday night game for seven of the last eight weeks of the season.

But according to Richard Sandomir of the New York Times, the process isn't as flexible as first thought.

NBC already has been given a tentative schedule of games by the NFL. Though NBC retains the ability to pick other games each week, NFL Senior V.P. for Media Operations Howard Katz told Sandomir that NBC won't get everything it wants.

"We have to look at what losing a game will do to the competitive balance between CBS and FOX," Katz said. "NBC can't say, 'I want this game because it's unprotected.'"

And as to the ability of FOX and CBS to block games, Sandomir also reports that FOX and CBS were required to exercise four of their "protections" after Week Four, for the games to be played during Week Ten through Week Fifteen. FOX and CBS will each be allowed to make their final blocks for Week Seventeen within six to 12 days before the December 31 games.

It's a benefit to NBC, since a Week Fifteen game that justified protection after Week Four could go south, especially if one of the teams involved in the protected game loses its quarterback for the season. Still, as noted above, the fact that a game is unprotected doesn't mean that NBC will be able to snatch it.

NBC's tentative schedule, per Sandomir, includes the Bears and Giants on November 12, the Redskins and Bucs on November 19, the Eagles and Colts on November 26, the Seahawks and Broncos on December 3, the Patriots and Dolphins on December 10, the Chiefs and Chargers on December 17, and the Steelers and Bengals on December 31.

Another factor influencing this process is the limitation on the number of times a team may play in prime time. Five appearances on NBC, ESPN, and NFLN is the maximum, with three teams allowed to make a sixth appearance.

So what appeared to be a week-in, week-out matter of intrigue and bluffing and the kind of off-field stuff that adds spice to the league won't be as big of a deal as we thought. And that's a shame. The NFL could have conjured up some compelling programming for its in-house network, via a weekly show in which suits from NBC, CBS, and FOX would determine the Sunday night game to be played 12 days later. The reality is, apparently, that the process isn't as loose as it seemed to be, and the league retains a significant degree of control over the process, probably to ensure that none of the three networks involved feel like they are getting screwed.

Then again, what leverage does a network that feels like it's getting screwed really have? The only alternative is to not give the NFL billions of dollars for the right to air the most popular sport in the country.

POSTED 10:59 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 11:04 a.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

MOSS TO PATS RUMORS GATHERING STEAM

Our network of NFL sources is buzzing with talk that the New England Patriots are trying to work a trade with the Raiders for receiver Randy Moss. "It's getting strong," a league source told us a little while ago.

The trading deadline is 4:00 p.m. EDT today.

A week ago our sleuthing could turn up no proof that such a move was possible. But the same gut feeling that had us convinced Neil Rackers would miss that late-game field goal last night for the Cardinals has us thinking that Moss could be making the trip to Massachusetts soon.

Then again, it was that same gut feeling that told us the Raiders would advance to the Super Bowl in Randy's first year with the team.

On Monday, Patriots receiver Doug Gabriel, who was traded from Oakland to New England several weeks back, talked openly about reuniting with Moss. "He can be a fit in this offense because he's a guy who loves to work," Gabriel said. "If Randy was here, he'd make every other receiver want to pick up their game. He made me step my game up. He came and gave us a big push -- not just a small push, a big push -- and made us step up our game."

The obvious argument against such a trade is that the turd-averse Patriots wouldn't want a guy like Moss around. But that same claim could be made about running back Corey Dillon, who was a turd extraordinaire in Cincinnati before being traded to the Pats.

The possible difference is that Randy's turdishness comes from a desire to win games, and a guy like Terrell Owens is more of a me-first, me-only problem child. If our thinking is accurate, then Moss and Dillon have a lot in common.

Besides, we think the Pats realize that the receiver position attracts and/or creates prima donnas. Hell, they drafted Chad Jackson, whom one team took back to the airport early after a horrendous visit in which his cell phone went off twice during a meeting with the head coach. At one point during the visit with said team, Jackson muttered, "I don't want to play here anyway."

The thinking (we think) is that Moss can be influenced by the leadership structure already in place, including quarterback Tom Brady, defensive lineman Richard Seymour, and coach Bill Belichick.

Another consideration is the compensation to the Raiders. The Pats already have an extra first-round pick, courtesy of the Deion Branch trade. And if Moss still has his magic, the notion of essentially trading Moss for Branch is a major upgrade, in our view.

Finally, Moss would have to be willing to restructure his contract, which includes salaries of $9.75 million in 2007 and $11.25 million in 2008. The Pats likely would want to move a lot of that money into a signing bonus (or a 2006 roster bonus), reducing the cap hits in coming years -- and possibly extending the contract into 2009 and beyond.

It's a gutsy move for all concerned, but it might be the best thing for everyone involved. The Pats can reload for another Super Bowl run. The Raiders can start to build for the future by getting value for a guy they might have had to cut in the offseason. And Moss can take the stick out of his butt and chase a championship again.

POSTED 10:18 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:32 a.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

FASSEL OUT AS RAVENS OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR

A league source tells us (and a reader advises us that there's a local radio report to this effect) that the Ravens have parted ways offensive coordinator Jim Fassel.

At this point, it's not clear whether it was a firing, a resignation, a mutual decision, or a Charley Casserly (i.e., an involuntary move sold as voluntary or mutual).

The departure will be announced at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

Fassel has been with the Ravens since 2004. He initially signed on as a consultant, due in part to the fact that he could have bolted before the end of the season for a head coaching job with another team. When no offers came, he replaced Matt Cavanaugh as offensive coordinator in 2005.

The fact that Billick has made the move suggests, in our view, that the noose is tightening around the veteran head coach's neck. Some league insiders believe that Billick would have been fired after the 2005 season if a stronger field of replacement candidates had been available. Regardless, he's clearly under a "win or else" mandate from G.M. Ozzie Newsome and owner Steve Bisciotti, which likely prompted Billick to eschew (we learned that word from Tirico) his long-standing friendship with Fassel and pull the plug.

It's also possible that the decision wasn't even made by Billick.

Fassel and Billick clashed a bit in 2005, as rumors mounted that Fassel was positioning himself to replace Billick.

We're not sure that a change at this point will make any difference to the team's anemic offensive attack. Billick came to Baltimore in 1999 as an offensive wizard in the mold of Bill Walsh. Since then, Billick's offenses have been downright offensive. But for a defense-driven Super Bowl win in early 2001, Billick would have been long gone by now.

Though Browns fans are hoping that Maurice Carthon will be named as the replacement, our guess is that the job will go to quarterbacks coach Rick Neuheisel for the balance of the season.

Finally, let's close this one out with some more wild speculation. What if Denny Green is getting fired now and Fassel will be hired by the Cardinals as "offensive coordinator" under the interim head coach? This gets Fassel in the building and makes him the logical candidate to take over the team in 2007.

Of course, such a move would run counter to the widespread belief in league circles that Fassel will never again be an NFL head coach. But, then again, we're talking about the Cardinals, folks.

POSTED 10:09 a.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

RAVENS "SIGNIFICANT ANNOUNCEMENT" CONFIRMED

We've confirmed that the Baltimore Ravens will make a "significant announcement" at 12:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday.

But we can't get anyone in the know to tell us what it is.

We're still trying.

Here's a wild thought: Are they trading for Brett Favre?

POSTED 9:50 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 10:05 a.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

REPORT: "SIGNIFICANT ANNOUNCEMENT" COMING FOR RAVENS

WBAL radio in Baltimore reports that the Ravens will be making a "significant announcement" at noon today.

We're trying to find out if the report is accurate and, if so, what the announcement is.

(Maybe the team is moving back to Cleveland.)

Our guess? It has something to do with the injury to quarterback Steve McNair, and/or whether McNair will be the starter after the team's bye week. Though plenty of fans are clamoring for the return of Kyle Boller, our guess is that the Ravens defense would stage a mutiny if McNair is benched.

The other possibility is that the team has worked out a trade with someone, since this is the final day of the NFL trading period.

ANOTHER REASON FOR MOVING THE TRADING DEADLINE

We've been up on the soap box for the past week about the fact that the trading deadline is too early. Thanks again to the fact that folks smarter than us read the site (of course, that's pretty much every one of them), we've identified another good reason for the move.

Under the current system, it's possible that a player will participate in 17 regular season games.

How so, you ask? If the player is dealt from a team that hasn't had a bye to a team that has had a bye, the player to whom his old team says good-bye will have no bye.

So, at the earliest, the trading deadline should come after every team has had its bye week. This year, the final weekend for byes is November 5 and 6.

And to the extent that no NFL team is or has been pushing for a postponement of the trading deadline, maybe this is something that the NFLPA should be considering, since it exposes every guy in the league to the possibility that they'll lose the one week off during the season that every player gets.

POSTED 8:46 a.m. EDT; UPDATED 9:36 a.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

GREEN GOES BONKOS

For those of you who didn't see it in our Live Blog of the game, Cardinals coach Dennis Green had a Jim Mora moment after Monday night's season-killing loss to the Bears.

Actually, it was more like Jim Mora on Jagermeister.

The Cardinals led by 20 points with less than 17 minutes to play, and then were outscored 21-0 via two defensive touchdowns and a punt return from rookie Devin Hester, of the "M".

But then Arizona quarterback Matt Leinart drove the Cardinals into position for a chip-shot field goal that would have reclaimed the lead . . . and kicker Neil Rackers missed it.

When Green took the podium after the game, he started off calm -- but then snapped.

"The Bears are what we thought they were," he said. "We played them in preseason. Who the hell takes the third game of the preseason like it's bullsh-t bullsh-t? We played them the third game, everybody played three quarters.

"The Bears are who we THOUGHT they were. And that's the way we took the damn field. Now if you wanna crown them, then crown their ass. But they are who we thought they were. And we let them off the hook."

Here's the audio of the exchange, and the video, sans the bleeping.

Though Green might get a talking-to from the league office and/or his owner regarding the incident, the reaction we've heard has been positive thus far.

"Good for Denny saying what he was really feeling and thinking," said one league source. "It was raw emotion. . . . It's part of what makes the game great. There is primal-like raw emotion. . . . I would have been breaking sh-t behind closed doors and dropping 'F' bombs like a drunken sailor."

Still, we think that the episode will count against Green when the time comes for the Cardinals to decide whether to bring him back again. As we've recently mentioned, the longest tenure of any coach in the 87-year history of the franchise is six seasons, so it's pretty clear to us that the Bidwills have itchy trigger fingers.

And given the possibility of luring Pete Carroll to Arizona, where he'd be reunited with Matt Leinart, we wouldn't be surprised to see the Cardinals make a move.

But even if Green loses his job as a result of last night's loss, there's a silver lining. He has introduced the phrase "bullsh-t bullsh-t" to the American sports lexicon.

PATS SWITCHING TO FAKE GRASS

The Boston Herald reports that New England Patriots will be installing FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium.

The kicker is that the change is happening during the 2006 football season.

Per the report, the current painted-green sandlot on which the Pats play will have the new surface in time for the November 26 game against the Bears.

Last week, the NFL ordered the Patriots to do something to improve a playing field that has drawn much criticism thus far this season. Some league observers believe that coach Bill Belichick preferred the messy track, since it plays more to the Pats' smashmouth strengths.

FLEX SCHEDULING COMING SOON

The aforementioned debut of FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium could come in primetime on NBC, due to the flex scheduling rights that the peacock peeps negotiated with the NFL.

But keep in mind that FOX can keep it from happening.

Under flexible scheduling rules, CBS and FOX can each protect up to five games during the seven weeks of flexible scheduling. The networks, however, are limited to protecting one game each per week.

Before anyone begins scratching out an Abe Simpson "for shame!" letter to FOX or CBS, keep in mind that the schedule for November 26 has three potentially compelling games on FOX: Bears at Patriots, Eagles at Colts, and Saints at Falcons. So we're guaranteed a good game to cap off Thanksgiving weekend.

Here's a quick look at the other possibilities (as we see it) for the shift to 8:15 p.m. Eastern time.

November 12: Bears at Giants (FOX); Saints at Steelers (FOX); Chargers at Bengals (CBS); Redskins at Eagles (FOX); Rams at Seahawks (FOX).

November 19: Bears at Jets (FOX); Bengals at Saints (CBS); Colts at Cowboys (CBS).

December 3: Cowboys at Giants (FOX); Vikings at Bears (FOX); Seahawks at Broncos (FOX).

December 10: Falcons at Bucs (FOX); Saints at Cowboys (FOX); Giants at Panthers (FOX); Broncos at Chargers (CBS).

December 17: Jets at Vikings (CBS); Eagles at Giants (FOX); Steelers at Panthers (CBS); Redskins at Saints (FOX).

December 31: Packers at Bears (FOX); Jaguars at Chiefs (CBS); Steelers at Bengals (CBS); Rams at Vikings (FOX).

The process for deciding which games to pick and which games to block will take on a Texas Hold 'Em feel, we predict, as NBC tries to force CBS and FOX to burn up their blocking rights on games that NBC didn't really want in the first place.

And if NBC can get CBS and/or FOX to use up all five of their "blocks" in the first five weeks of flexible scheduling, then NBC will have clear dibs on the games that it wants in the last two weeks of the process.

Likewise, CBS and FOX will have to decide each week whether to use the "block" or hold it back. One of the key factors in this regard will be which of the two networks has the 4:15 p.m. Eastern doubleheader, which serves as the bridge to the Sunday night lineup.

Another factor, as we see it, is the market size of the teams involved. FOX and CBS will be more inclined, we believe, to hold back games involving the Giants or the Jets, given the local ratings that those contests generate.

By rule, the moves will be announced at least 12 days prior to the game. So the November 12 matchup will be known no later than November 1. For the December 31 games, the deadline is six days -- which virtually ensures that NBC will have a season-ending game with clear playoff implications, unless of course NBC opts to air what could be Lord Favre's final game and the Bears quest for 16-0, all rolled up into one big nasty New Year's Eve ball.

Bottom line? In a season already full of intrigue, there is plenty more on the horizon. Heck, we might have to start live blogging the Sunday night games and the Monday nighters.

And coming later this week we'll offer our initial projections-predictions-wild-ass guesses as to which games will land on Sunday night.

POSTED 8:09 p.m. EDT, October 16, 2006; LAST UPDATED 12:32 a.m. EDT, October 17, 2006

FRACAS AT FLOWERY BRANCH

We're hearing that there was a huge blowup in Falcon-land after Sunday's loss to the Giants, and that the problems spilled over into Monday.

The issue arose shortly after the 27-14 loss to the Giants, when defensive coordinator Ed Donatell got in offensive coordinator Greg Knapp's face regarding the inability of the offense to sustain drives, which resulted in the defense being on the field for too long.

Word is that Donatell blamed several injuries sustained by his troops on the poor play of the offense, because the defensive players were exhausted late in the game.

We're also told that, on Monday, owner Arthur Blank summoned Donatell and Knapp to his office, and that Blank wouldn't allow head coach Jim Mora inside the room until Blank had a chance to talk with them. After the four men met, Knapp was angry -- and word is that Knapp is openly blaming the performance of the offense on the limited passing skills of quarterback Michael Vick.

Stay tuned, folks. This one could get very ugly, and the Falcons have a big decision to make, especially since backup Matt Schaub will be eligible for restricted free agency after the season.

TEXANS DUMP "COWARD" BUCHANON

The Associated Press reports that the Texans have released cornerback Phillip Buchanon.

A league source tells us that the move was made because Buchanon is regarded by the team as a "card-carrying coward."

Buchanon, a former first-round pick, was acquired from the Raiders prior to the 2005 season for second-round and third-round picks in the 2006 draft. He was benched at one point during his first season with the team.

Buchanon had no interceptions during his time with the Texans.

WINSLOW'S BROTHER PASSES

A reader pointed out to us a link to an obituary in the Kansas City Star noting the passing of Justin K.B. Winslow, age 23. He is identified as the son of Kellen Winslow of Florida and the brother of Kellen Winslow of Cleveland.

The funeral is scheduled for Tuesday.

Amazingly, we've previously seen no mention of this anywhere.

POSTED 1:09 p.m. EDT, October 16, 2006

HALEY SITUATION FURTHER PROOF OF JONES, PARCELLS FRICTION?

Although plenty of NFL media insiders believe that ESPN's report that the Cowboys won't be disciplining receivers coach Todd Haley after owner Jerry Jones said that Haley would be disciplined is nothing more than a fancy-schmancy retraction of Ed Werder's initial report, some league insiders believe that there really was a reversal.

"If Todd Haley faced any type of discipline," opined one league source, "Jerry Jones would have a very hard time hiring coaches in the future. . . . To me, it looks as if Jones was trying to control the coaching staff and Parcells got involved and put an end to it.

"It's not too long," the source added, "before the volcano erupts."

Another source agreed, calling even the suggestion that Jones would go over the head of the head coach to discipline a member of his staff "unheard of."

And if that's the way it went down, with the Tuna telling Jones that he had no business disciplining any member of Parcells' staff, it suggests that Parcells could be getting closer to the point at which he blows his stack.

Although we've long predicted that Parcells could eventually give Jones a "T.O. goes or I go" ultimatum, we're now starting to think that, once Parcells reaches his breaking point, he might not bother to give Jones a choice.

Instead, the Tuna might just simply walk.

TIME FOR A TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUNSHINE

We've finally heard the tape of Joey Sunshine's Monday appearance on ESPN Radio's Man-Girl & Meatball in the Morning, and we can now report with 100 percent certainty that Joe is, well, a moron.

Talking about the Miami-Florida International brawl from Saturday night, Theismann said, "I think they ought to instill some type of credibility and discipline to the 'M' as guys want to refer to it."

As anyone who ever watches ESPN and who has at least a partially-functioning brain knows, it's not referred to as the "M". It's referred to as the "U".

But that wasn't even Theismann's most glaring error. In his opening comments about the game that he's covering on Monday night between the Cardinals and the Bears -- a game for which he presumably has been preparing by, for example, studying the manner in which the team's key players were acquired -- Sunshine said this:

"Rex Grossman is everything that Lovie Smith thought he was when he drafted him in '03."

The only problem with that statement? Smith wasn't working for the Bears when Grossman was drafted. Smith was the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams. Grossman was drafted by the Bears when Dick Jauron was the head coach.

Folks, we know that we take plenty of shots at Theismann. But this has to be the most egregious error we've seen any broadcaster commit. It suggests to us that Theismann is doing the bare minimum, or less, to get ready for the games. And it suggests that he is sleepwalking during meetings with the teams that he is covering.

Most importantly, Theismann's statement confirms that the guy simply talks out of his ass, and that he assumes that no one will be smart enough to figure it all out. It wasn't a slip of the tongue or an innocent mistake; Theismann's statement suggests that he has an unacceptably low level of "walking around" knowledge of the NFL, that he does a terrible job of preparing (which we assume is a big part of what he gets paid to do), and that he is sufficiently arrogant to think he can get away with it.

Though we can't imagine Monday nights without him (and that's not a compliment, Joe), ESPN's coverage can never be taken seriously until Theismann is gone.

POSTED 10:56 a.m. EDT, October 16, 2006

"ESPN HAS LEARNED . . . THAT ESPN WAS WRONG"

The NFL media is buzzing about ESPN's Monday report that Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley won't be disciplined as a result of last week's brouhaha with Terrell Owens.

As one industry source described it, the report properly should read, "ESPN has learned . . . that ESPN was wrong."

ESPN's Ed Werder reported on Sunday that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Haley would be disciplined. The AP picked up Werder's story.

Now, ESPN reports that Haley won't be disciplined.

As we see it, there are three possible explanations. First, Jones changed his mind about disciplining Haley. Second, Werder misunderstood Jones, and the Cowboys complained about it. Third, Werder did not misunderstand Jones, but Jones and the Cowboys later claimed that he did.

Based on the specific language of the latest report, we think that ESPN didn't get this new information from fresh reporting activities, but from a direct (and private) communication with someone from the team, which presumably occurred in direct response to Werder's report. Why else would the information about the decision not to discipline have been available only to ESPN?

Consequently, some are considering the "ESPN has learned" thing to be a backhanded retraction, with the network in the end getting credit for two scoops when, in reality, there was none.

The problem, as we see it, is that Werder's report was scant on detail and follow-up. "What discipline are you going to impose?" would have been an obvious "next question." Jones' response would have either cemented the story, or debunked it.

If, for example, Jones had said, "We're going to figure that out after the game," then it fairly would be viewed as two separate stories.

Alternatively, Werder could have asked "Why would Haley be disciplined?" If Jones had said, "Because he leaked the details of the argument to you," then it again would have been two separate stories.

In our opinion, ESPN is either creatively covering up a retraction, or Werder simply didn't ask enough questions. Either way, folks in the media are amazed about the manner in which the situation is being handled.

POSTED 8:46 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 9:39 a.m. EDT, October 16, 2006

NO DISCIPLINE FOR HALEY

Despite the fact that owner/G.M. Jerry Jones told ESPN's Ed Werder that Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley would be disciplined for his role in the latest off-field incident involving Terrell Owens, ESPN is now reporting that Haley won't be disciplined.

Werder's report became the subject of an Associated Press story, and it prompted some league insiders to conclude that Jones has finally lost his mind.

If he did, it apparently was only temporary.

It's possible that Jones was merely being sarcastic when Werder asked him if any discipline would be imposed as a result of the fracas from last Wednesday. "Yeah," Jones responded, "against Haley."

It's also possible that Jones initially wanted to discipline Haley not for the fact that he argued with Owens, but because word of the incident made its way out of the building. After news broke during training camp that Owens had been fined for tardiness, Jones said that he would fire the person who leaked the information to the press.

And it was the fact that the story got out that had Owens pissing and moaning during a Friday night radio appearance regarding whether he can "trust" Haley. Not long ago, Owens abruptly fired his personal trainer after he disclosed to the Dallas Morning News that Owens' fiancee' had broken up with him.

The bottom line, in our view? Even though all is seemingly well in Dallas because Owens caught three touchdown passes on Sunday, there are still eleven games to play -- and those warm and fuzzy feelings might not last beyond next Monday night, when the Giants come to town.

LIVE BLOG TONIGHT

It's Monday, and that means it's time for our weekly Live Blog. Tonight, The Greatest Team To Ever Play Organized Sports travels to Arizona for the primetime debut of The Greatest College Quarterback To Ever Play Football In College As A Quarterback, Except For Me.

Sorry, we're just trying to get ready for some of the things that Joey Sunshine might be saying tonight.

Tune in around 8:00 p.m. EDT for some of our preliminary comments, and then get ready for a continuous, three-plus-hour stream of observations and comments and all sorts of other stuff regarding the game and, even more importantly, the coverage thereof on ESPN. And be ready to send in your observations and smart-ass comments. We'll use some of the best and the funniest we receive. (As to the very best of the reader comments, we usually pawn them off as our own.)

For anyone out there who hasn't checked out one of the Live Blogs, we've set up an archive from the first five weeks of the season. All you need to know is that, in the Live Blogs, Joe Theismann is Joey Sunshine, Tony Kornheiser is Kornholio, and Mike Tirico is Danny DeTirico. (We know that the nickname for Tirico is kind of lame, but we can't think of anything better. We were going to use "The Alleged Bristol Booby and Booty Grabber," but we think it's a little wordy. And we don't know whether the sexual harassment charges against Tirico involved grabbing boobies and/or booties.)

SUNSHINE WARMING UP FOR TONIGHT, TOO

As it turns out, we're not the only ones getting ready for some of Joey Sunshine's inane comments on Monday Night Football. Sunshine, it seems, is already preparing to say more stupid and/or contradictory stuff.

Several readers tell us that, in his weekly appearance on ESPN Radio's Mike & Meatball in the Morning, Sunshine referred to the University of Miami as "the 'M' . . . as the guys call it."

The "M"? Oh, man, you can't make stuff this good up.

We'll get the exact quote once the archive of the show is posted on ESPN.com. Meanwhile, we're going to research whether there is any scientific link between compound fractures of the leg and early onset of Alzheimer's.

CAMPBELL ERA STARTING SOON, WE THINK

Though Redskins coach Joe Gibbs has yet to suggest that starting quarterback Mark Brunell might be benched in favor of 2005 first-round draft pick Jason Campbell, we've got a feeling that the Campbell era soon will begin in D.C.

Why? Because owner Dan Snyder is impulsive, and because he just witnessed during Sunday's loss to the Titans that a young first-round quarterback can lead an NFL team to victory. Likewise, once Snyder gets a gander at the stats of Philip Rivers (who spent two years on ice) from Sunday's thrashing of the Niners (29-for-39, 344 yards, two touchdowns), the boss might be even more likely to conclude that it makes no sense to keep Campbell parked on the sidelines.

Really, there's no downside to making a switch from Mark Brunell to Jason Campbell. If the 'Skins continue to struggle on offense, at least they'll have a built-in excuse. Besides, it will leave the team better prepared for 2007, since Campbell will have gotten plenty of live reps this year.

Or, alternatively, Campbell will provide the team with the spark that it so desperately needs.

Regardless, 2-4 is unacceptable, especially in light of the sky-high expectations that were attached to this team prior to the season. Through six weeks, Snyder's squad is at the bottom of the NFC East, and looming on the schedule are games against the Colts, Cowboys, Eagles (twice), Giants, Falcons, Panthers, Saints, and Rams. Even the Bucs, whom the 'Skins face in Tampa on November 19, have shown that they can still be a force.

Though we're not suggesting that 2-14 is on the horizon barring a dramatic reversal of fortunes, there is not a single game on the Redskins' remaining slate that we can look at and fairly say, "Yeah, they'll definitely win that one."

Even if they split the final 10 games (and we think that's a tall order), the Redskins will finish 7-9.

That's not good enough to get back to the playoffs, and it's not nearly good enough for a team that has yet to advance beyond the NFC divisional playoffs in Snyder's eight seasons as the owner.

POSTED 9:56 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

MOSS SAYS "F--K ANDREW"

As television cameras and microphones continue to capture all sorts of interesting words before, during, and after NFL broadcasts, Raiders receiver Randy Moss let the phrase "F--k Andrew" fly on NBC after a first-half interception.

The words couldn't be heard, but it doesn't take Marlee Matlin to figure out what Moss was saying based on the movement of his mouth.

The "Andrew" to whom Moss was referring is quarterback Andrew Walter, who sailed a ball beyond Randy's reach -- and right into the arms of Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, killing a drive during which Moss had made a long catch.

NBC's Andrea Kremer also made general reference to the exchange at the start of the second half, without getting into the words that Moss was saying.

Missed it? Never fear. Our guess is that the images will be shown on ESPN several times over the next few days. And that'll give us a little time to figure out our response when Florio Jr. inevitably asks, "What's he saying, Dad?"

POSTED 7:26 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

EAGLES GETTING CALLS ABOUT JEAN-GILLES

A league source tells us that the Eagles are receiving phone calls from teams interested in trading for rookie guard Max Jean-Gilles.

Jean-Gilles, a fourth-round pick in the 2006 draft, appears on the team's depth chart as the No. 2 man at left guard.

It's unlikely that the Eagles will move him, unless someone offers something that would represent a major upgrade on paper over a fourth-round selection. As one league insider remarked, "Andy Reid likes to have a lot of guys around who are his size."

Reid's objective isn't to minimize his own girth by surrounding himself with other men of ample proportion, but to ensure that he always has enough offensive and defensive linemen around. The game, as Reid believes, is won in the trenches.

And Jean-Gilles can fill up a trench or two at six-foot-three, and 358 pounds.

Even though Jean-Gilles is a rookie, the rules permit him to be traded. Only unsigned rookies cannot be traded beyond a certain point following the draft.

ALEXANDER AT LEAST TWO WEEKS AWAY

Peter King of NBC reports on Football Night in America (Although They Really Want People In China To Watch It, Too) that Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander won't return to the field for at least two weeks.

The 2005 MVP is nursing a broken bone in his foot. He has skipped two games with the condition, even though he initially believed that the power of prayer would allow him not to miss a beat.

Alexander's replacement, Maurice Morris, had 74 yards on 23 carries in a come-from-behind win over the Rams. He coughed up a key fumble that allowed the Rams to re-take a late lead. Next Sunday, the 'Hawks host the Vikings.

POSTED 6:08 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

JOHNSON PULLS TAZ'S TAIL

In a development that's rich with irony, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson dragged down Steelers safety Troy Polamalu.

By the hair.

A week ago, Johnson was the victim of a vicious face mask pull from Cardinals cornerback Antrel Rolle, who yanked Johnson to the ground while Johnson headed for the end zone with a screen pass from Damon Huard. Johnson was injured on the play.

This time around, Polamalu was on his way to the end zone after intercepting a Huard pass. But Johnson dove and grabbed Polamalu's flowing, kinky mane. Polamalu suffered no apparent injury.

Johnson was flagged on the play for unsportsmanlike conduct. CBS reported during the Chiefs-Steelers broadcast that the flag was for taunting after the play was over, and not for pulling the hair. (But James Brown of CBS said during an update in the Chargers-49ers game that the flag was related to the hair pull.)

So just as there's no rule in the CBA that allows a team to tell a player to get a haircut, there's no rule that prevents another player from using the hair in order to get a guy who has the ball down to the ground.

POSTED 4:28 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

WINLESS TEAMS WAKE UP

Entering Sunday's action, there were four winless teams in the NFL.

Now, there is only one.

The previously 0-5 Lions, the previously 0-5 Titans and the previously 0-4 Buccaneers each eked out narrow wins, leaving only the Raiders as the only team without a win.

The Lions held off the Bills at home, 20-17. The Titans rallied from a 14-3 deficit to take a 25-22 win over the Redskins on the road. And the Bucs came from behind late to knock off the Bengals, 14-13.

In the Tampa game, Shane Graham of the Bengals tried a 62-yard field goal as time expired, but it missed badly.

POSTED 4:07 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

MAKE THAT THREE T.D.'S FOR T.O.

His presence on a football team might entail a sideshow more compelling than the dog-faced boy, the bearded lady, and the man with bosoms (oh, wait -- they already have that in Dallas). Regardless, receiver Terrell Owens will from time to time display the physical skills that made him one of the best receivers in the NFL.

On Sunday against the Texans, Owens has hauled in three touchdown passes.

Owens last caught three touchdown passes exactly 23 months ago, when the Eagles throttled the Cowboys during a Monday night game, which began with Owens' infamous Desperate Housewives skit.

POSTED 3:21 p.m. EDT October 15, 2006

TWO T.D.'S FOR T.O.

After another quiet first half, receiver Terrell Owens has exploded for two touchdowns in the third quarter of the Cowboys' home game against the Texans, pushing Dallas to a 17-6 lead.

The three-yard and 21-yard receptions came less than seven minutes apart, with the first score capping the opening drive after the second-half kickoff.

It was a far cry from the first two quarters, during which the Cowboys sputtered to only three points -- and chants of "Romo" erupted on a couple of occasions.

POSTED 2:57 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

AIR McNAIR GROUNDED

Ravens quarterback Steve McNair has been knocked out of Sunday's home game against the Panthers after suffering a concussion and a neck strain.

McNair suffered the injuries on a sack by Carolina defensive end Mike Rucker and linebacker Chris Draft.

McNair had completed two of four passes for four yards an an interception. His replacement is former starter Kyle Boller.

POSTED 12:53 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

TUNA-T.O. ULTIMATUM COMING?

We've been saying it for weeks. In our view, a day will arrive in which Cowboys coach Bill Parcells tells owner Jerry Jones that Jones has a choice to make -- player or coach; T.O. or Tuna.

ESPN's Ed Werder reports that they day could be coming. Citing a source close to Parcells and familiar with the Tuna's thinking, Werder says that an ultimatum could arise if the problems with Owens continue.

And the players, as we've reported, are getting fed up. One player told Werder that Owens is like a "bucket with a hole in it," and that "no matter how much you put in, you can never fill it up."

The key to the situation continues to be Jones, who has been T.O.'s chief enabler. Werder says that, when Jones was asked about whether there would be any discipline arising from Owens' recent dust-up with receivers coach Todd Haley, Jones angrily said, "Yeah, against Haley. This is not a reflection on T.O."

Holy crap.

Meanwhile, Jeff Lurie and Joe Banner and Andy Reid and Tom Heckert and Brad Childress and Donovan McNabb and thousands of Eagles fans are laughing their asses off.

POSTED 12:39 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

CHAOS COMING FOR THE CARDS?

Jay Glazer of FOX reports that there was chaos this week in the Cardinals organization. Per Glazer, two players walked out of a defensive meeting, and safety Robert Griffith had to be pulled away from defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.

Glazer says that coach Dennis Green wasn't even aware of the incidents.

Though the team isn't as high-profile as the Cowboys and none of the players involved have the notoriety of a guy named T.O., it's a very troubling sign for an organization that was supposed to be turning it around, and a head coach whose seat might be hotter than he realizes. Green is in his third season, and that's 50 percent of the longest tenure of any head coach in the franchise's 87-year history.

POSTED 12:09 p.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

FIRE SALE COMING FOR BUCS?

Jay Glazer of FOX NFL Sunday reports that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are engaging in a potential "fire sale," with players such as defensive tackle Booger McFarland and cornerback Brian Kelly being offered.

"They said we can take a look at their roster and aside from first-day picks the last couple of years, guys like Cadillac [Williams], everyone else they're open to talking about," one team's G.M. told Glazer. "They can't trade certain guys like Derrick Brooks or Ronde Barber but we got the impression they were open to everybody else."

Although the 2007 cap consequences of trading any of the current Bucs are presently unclear, the 2006 cap hit is clear -- there would be none.

Under the new CBA, trading a guy after June 1 has the same cap consequence as cutting him after June 1. Specifically, the allocation of any signing bonus for the year stays on the books, and the remainder of the allocation is charged against the 2007 salary cap. Under the old CBA, the entire unallocated portion of any signing bonus money accelerated into the cap year in which the trade was made.

Frankly, we're surprised that the Bucs would risk creating the impression that they're giving up on a season that still has 12 games to go. But because the trading deadline is so early, the front office and coach Jon Gruden had to make a tough decision to try to get some help for 2007 and beyond by possibly giving up some players who could have been the difference down the stretch if the Bucs can get it going in the right direction under rookie Bruce Gradkowski.

It's just another reason why the trading deadline should be moved into the middle of November. If the Bucs were to win their next four games, they might not be as interested in moving some of the guys who are currently on the block.

CLEMENTS ON THE BLOCK

Glazer also reports that players on the trading block include Bills cornerback Nate Clements, Jets running back Derrick Blaylock, Rams defensive end Anthony Hargove, and Cardinals offensive lineman Leonard Davis.

Glazer reports that the Cardinals are looking for "a pick or a player," and one G.M. got the impression that the Cardinals are simply trying to unload him.

SPECIOUS REASONING FROM BEARS ON MANNING

Regarding the planned meeting between Bears cornerback Ricky Manning Jr. and the league office regarding possible sanctions under the Personal Conduct Policy for Manning's no contest plea to charges of felony assault, FOX's Jay Glazer reports that Manning's teammates and coach Lovie Smith are engaged in what we believe to be some very disingenuous excuse-making for Manning.

Glazer says that FOXSports.com phoned "several Bears players" and Smith regarding the allegations that Manning made anti-Semitic slurs to the person whom Manning pleaded no contest to beating the crap out of. Says Glazer: "All said that Manning denies saying anything about the victim being Jewish and insisted that the person he allegedly assaulted was not Jewish in the first place."

Let's get this straight. If a guy says "Are you a f--king Jew?" to someone who isn't Jewish, that makes it okay? We know that Glazer (who is Jewish) isn't at liberty to inject editorial commentary into his reports, so we'll do it for him.

That is, in our opinion, one of the most ridiculous excuses we've ever heard, even in a sport littered with cover-ups and shoulder shrugs and a constant stream of "boys will be boys" bullsh-t. Also, Glazer's report omits reference to allegations that Manning also made multiple homophobic comments to the victim.

We wonder whether any members of the Bears have done research into whether the guy Manning allegedly kicked down low is actually on the down low.

POSTED 10:03 a.m. EDT; LAST UPDATED 11:23 a.m. EDT, October 15, 2006

OWENS FRACTURING LOCKER ROOM

A league source tells us that the ongoing antics of Cowboys receiver Terrell Owens, coupled with the failure of the organization to do anything about it, is creating a schism in the team's locker room.

Per the source, many players think that Owens is a "f--king asshole" and that "his bullsh-t is screwing up what promised to be a playoff season." However, Owens is surrounding himself with teammates who support him, and they're buying into his "us against the world" mentality.

So there's a pro-T.O. camp, and an anti-T.O. camp in the locker room. It's not the best way, in our view, to get 53 guys on the same page.

Regarding the guy at the center of the latest T.O.-driven brouhaha, receivers coach Todd Haley, the players generally regard him as a "good guy" who "goes to bat for the receivers." The source said that Owens' suggestion that Haley can't be trusted "is bullshit," and that "Owens is acting like he's never been yelled at."

We're also told that some players believe that owner Jerry Jones knows he made a mistake in signing Owens, but that Jones' "ego is too f--king big to get rid of him."

PETERSON UNDOUBTEDLY COMING OUT

With Oklahoma running back Adrian Peterson's collar bone busting as he fell/dove/showboated into the end zone during a fourth-quarter touchdown run on Saturday, it's a no-brainer that he'll give up his final year of eligibility and head into the NFL draft in 2007.

And don't buy any chatter that the injury might affect his draft status. Broken collar bones heal. It's knees and ankles and hips that make scouts nervous about whether a running back is damaged goods.

Finally, we agree (for a change) with the opinions expressed by CFT's Joe Collegio regarding the Peterson situation. First, there was no need to put Peterson at risk while the Sooners had the game in hand with less than seven minutes to play. Second, there's been waaaaaaay too much sympathy thrown toward Peterson's father, who hadn't been able to see his son play college football before Saturday because he'd been in jail.

Look, folks, one of the reasons that people get locked up is to deter the rest of us from committing crimes. For citizens who have children, the deterrent includes missing things like school plays and graduations and first dates and, yes, football games.

If anything, Peterson's pop should be happy that his crime didn't keep him behind bars so long that he missed what likely will be the last college football game of his son's career.

TRIO OF STINKERS AT 4:15 p.m. EDT

In a Week Six with six teams sitting out, the schedule for Sunday sports an uninspiring trio of 4:15 p.m. EDT games on CBS.

Chiefs at Steelers, Dolphins at Jets, and Chargers at 49ers.

Yeccch.

Then again, it's not as if there are many other more compelling matchups that CBS could have asked the league to move. But with all of the controversy surrounding the Cowboys, it would have made sense to make Houston at Dallas the primary late game on CBS.

In the next television contract, we think that the networks with the Sunday afternoon packages should lobby for flexible scheduling in every week after September. It's a concept that has been applied at times to the second half of the Sunday afternoon doubleheader, but with no real degree of certainty or predictability.

We believe that, in every week, the network with the late game should have the ability to pick the best of its early games and move it to 4:15.

After all, isn't one of the justifications for spending all that money on football the fact that it helps to pump up the ratings for the network's Sunday evening schedule? If so, we can't think of any better way to make that happen than to let the networks use the most compelling games each week as a prelude to the shows that we never watch because there's always another football game on.

SUNDAY MORNING ONE-LINERS

John Clayton of ESPN predicts that Cowboys coach Bill Parcells will want to get rid of T.O. in a couple of weeks. (But, John, the Tuna never wanted him.)

John Clayton reports that Eagles RB Brian Westbrook (knee) will be a game-time decision, and that Redskins CB Shawn Springs (abdomen/groin) will play for the first time this year.

Ed Werder of ESPN says that Eagles WR Donte' Stallworth will miss another game with a bad hamstring.

Werder also says that Saints RB Reggie Bush thinks he should score a touchdown every week (so do all of the fantasy owners who have him on their teams).

Chris Mortensen of ESPN reports that a lot of Chargers players were angry this week because coach Marty Schottenheimer tore into them on Wednesday in front of the media.

Kornholio already is trying to convince folks that Monday night's game is over, before it even begins.

Ron Jaworski says that the Fins made a mistake by putting QB Daunte Culpepper on the field before he was healthy (but not as bad as the mistake Jaws makes every day when he puts those glasses on his head).

Bob Holtzman of ESPN reports that Falcons coach Jim Mora didn't appreciate the flippant remark made by Giants special teamer David Tyree regarding his performance as Mike Vick on the Giants' scout team.

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