Pro Football Talk

Giants TE Jeremy "Just Because I Look Stupid Doesn't Mean I'm Not" Shockey missed practice again on Friday, after reinjuring his knee on Monday night while running pre-game pass patterns without his brace.

Former Bears OT Blake Brockermeyer is suing team doctors for their handling of a shoulder injury he suffered during the 2001 season, raising once again the oddball loyalties of doctors who treat players at the behest of a franchise that wants them on the field.

Browns coach Butch Davis wouldn't commit to bringing back RB William Green immediately after his four-game suspension expires on Monday: "Unfortunately, since he's been gone, we've spent so much time focusing on what's going on here that we'll deal with that after this game is over with."

Eagles WR James Thrash is questionable for Sunday after injuring his thumb in practice on Friday.

The Raiders have failed to sell out the Black Hole for the 47th time in 70 games since they returned to Oakland.

Dolphins CB Jamar Fletcher suffered a broken arm against the Cowboys on Thursday, and could be out for the year.

The Redskins will break out the retro unis on Sunday, with the 60s-era spear logo replacing the profile of Chief Jay Strongbow on the players' helmets.

Add DE Trace Armstrong to the list of Oakland octogenarians who likely won't be back in 2004 -- and he definitely won't play again in 2003 after being placed on IR.

The deactivation of WR Keyshawn Johnson by the Bucs apparently has gotten the attention of teammate Warren Sapp: "You know, it used to be when you were a big player and you knew you had a spot on the team you always said, 'What are they going to do, cut me?' But, you can't say that no more."

Despite an initial projection that he would miss two games, Steelers C Jeff Hartings says he might play on Sunday despite a sprained MCL.

The Lions are 1-6 since 1995 in the game immediately after their Thanksgiving Day appearance.

The Jags will sport black-on-black unis when they square off against the Bucs on Sunday night.

A league source tells us that, despite a disappointing season in New York (which at times had the team teetering on implosion), coach Herm Edwards and G.M. Terry Bradway likely will return in 2004.

But there will be chances, per the source. Certain scouts and other front-office types probably won't be retained, and Edwards almost certainly will be instructed to usher in some new assistant coaches. Obviously, if either Bradway or Edwards balk at the coming moves, they might be faced with a tough choice -- stay and submit, or move on.

For Edwards, it ain't a bad result. After getting into a public piss-fest with owner Woody "My First Name is a Euphemism for the Same Thing as My Last Name" Johnson, we figured that Edwards would be long gone. The fact that the team generally has underachieved doesn't help, either.

But, for now, it looks like Edwards will return for a fourth year -- and that the only New York team looking for a new coach come January will be the Giants.

Word around the league is that the Oakland Raiders are poised to sever ties with a gaggle of geezers, including quarterback Rich Gannon, linebacker Bill Romanowski, safety Rod Woodson, and possibly receiver Jerry Rice.

The concern is that the Raiders already have held for far too long onto too many players who are long in the tooth. If, as all indications suggest, coach Bill Callahan will be supplanted next season, his successor will be far more likely to develop guys who'll be around for more than a year or so.

Tim Brown's name was omitted from the list, likely because he has been with the Raiders since his rookie season.

Word is that the market for receiver Keyshawn Johnson could be slim in 2004. Several personnel execs tell us that Meshawn "won't be missed," describing him as overrated and lacking good hands.

"This guys is a figment of the media," said one league insider. "Way too much hype."

Johnson remains under contract with Tampa. The Bucs have explained that they intend to trade or release him after the 2003 season.

Johnson already has been linked to the Jets, which are thin at receiver after the departure of Laveranues Coles. With Wayne Chrebet suffering from post-concussion syndrome, it's possible that he might not be back with the Jets in 2004.

Our guess is that a team like the Cardinals might be interested. After all, they're straining for ways to put asses on the aluminum, and a mediocre player with name recognition is far better than a mediocre player whom no one knows.

Shame on us for not noticing earlier this week that the Redskins had signed free-agent offensive lineman Kenyatta Jones.

Jones was arrested for assault in October, after throwing scalding water on his roommate, Mark Paul, leaving him with second-and-third-degree burns. The Patriots, who drafted Jones in 2001, abruptly released him.

So Vinny "Turd Collector" Cerrato reeled in Jones, who joins a roster including guys like Darrell "GHB and VHS" Russell, Laveranues "Discount Clothing" Coles, Bruce "I'm Not Selfish Now Shut Up and Let Me Get My Sack Record" Smith, and Byron "I Didn't Know Much About Him But He Was Available" Chamberlain.

Should it surprise us, then, that the Redskins already are being linked to Warren Sapp? Hell, they'll probably throw an offer together for Meshawn and/or Corey Dillon before next season starts.

Though talent moves the chains, character matters in the NFL. The Redskins don't get it -- unless they're planning to option out a reality series that could make Playmakers look like the Wiggles.

One final point on this transaction: We're a bit shocked that the Bucs, who also have shown an affinity for sniffing around problem children, weren't interested in Jones.

The NFL fined Vikings WR Randy Moss $5,000 for spiking the football at the feet of Lions DB Dre' Bly last Sunday; the Packers should fine QB Brett Favre $50,000 for throwing the ball straight at Bly's chest twice on Thanksgiving.

The Jags parted ways with LB Keith Mitchell, who missed most of the season due to injury.

Broncos coach Mike Shanahan admits that signing DT Daryl Gardener was "a bad decision", and Shanny hinted that the team might try to recoup some of Gardener's signing bonus.

Jags coach Jack Del Rio says that QB Byron Leftwich will start on Sunday against the Bucs, after Del Rio publicly mused about benching his rookie first-rounder (hey, Jack -- why not just invite Byron to come over to your house to chop some wood?).

Giants coach Jim Fassell and KR Brian Mitchell continue to snipe at each other regarding Mitchell's belief that he's a scapegoat for problems on the special teams -- and Mitchell's decision to share his views with the media.

The Lions and retired RB Barry Sanders are mending fences -- even though his recently-released autobiography blames his decision to walk away in 1999 on the team's lack of commitment to winning.

The Panthers will clinch the NFC South if they beat the Eagles on Sunday, and if the Saints and Bucs lose.

Vikings defensive coordinator George O'Leary thinks the "D" is out of its slump (hey, George, you shouldn't base that observation on the team's performance against the Lions, for three reasons: (1) the Lions suck; (2) the Lions were the first team in five weeks not to use outside runs to expose the defense's weaknesses; and (3) the Lions suck).

A Rams official says that the chances of a trade of QB Kurt Warner are 80-20 against.

Newly-signed Saints RB Lamar Smith is working hard to get into football shape, given his recent arrival in the wake of Ki-Jana Carter's season-ending foot injury.

Bills CB Antoine Winfield expressed regret regarding critical comments made as to the team's offense, but he didn't retract them.

Redskins CB Champ Bailey says that his decision to return to the team in 2004 will be influenced by whether defensive coordinator George Edwards is retained, despite the unit's disappointing performance since dominating the Jets in Week One.

The Vikings have released RB Doug Chapman, a third-round draft choice in 2001 who never lived up to his potential in Minny.

Bears QB Chris Chandler will play on Sunday if healthy -- despite the surprisingly strong performance of Kordell Stewart, who got back onto the field after Chandler was hurt.

Redskins OT Chris Samuels has a sprained MCL; Ball Coach says that Samuels will be out one or two weeks.

From Broncos TE Shannon Sharpe, regarding DT Daryl Gardener's belief that the Broncos don't like him: "It's hard to say somebody doesn't like you when they give you $5 million. I wish a lot of people didn't like me. If you're going to give me $5 million, you can hate me."

We said it a few weeks ago, and we're standing by it now -- Falcons quarterback Mike Vick will not make his return from a broken leg until 2004.

League insiders believe that Vick simply doesn't want to play this year, and that he'll use every possible excuse to avoid doing so.

Last week, Vick suffered a setback when his foot was stepped on during a walk through. That alone might have been enough to secure for Vick the season pass that he has wanted for several weeks.

Given the loss of running back Warrick Dunn for the year with a torn ligament in his foot, we suspect that coach Dan Reeves and owner Arthur Blank will relent. Without Dunn in the backfield, defenses will be able to focus even more heavily on Vick -- and if anyone thinks that opposing coaches and players won't be trying to saddle Vick with a "setback" that lingers deep into the 2004 offseason, it's time to wake up and smell the THG.

A couple of weeks ago, we reported on rumors that the Steelers will attempt to move up in the draft in order to snare Mississippi quarterback Eli Manning.

We're now hearing that the Steelers are wary of drafting a quarterback in the first round. The general consensus is that a quarterback can't do much to help a team win in his rookie year. Because the Steelers have a lot of money tied up in veterans, the preference is to find a new quarterback who will help them get back to winning games sooner rather than later.

Possible candidates for the Pittsburgh gig include Kurt Warner, Gus Frerotte, and Brian Griese.

Warner almost definitely will be available, and he'll likely be released if the Rams can't work out a trade. The only potential roadblock would be if a team makes current starter Marc Bulger an offer that the Rams can't match, forcing them to let Bulger walk, and requiring them to keep Warner in town.

But with Bulger's recent struggles, which at times have put him in danger of getting benched, we doubt that a blockbuster Laveranues Coles-type offer sheet will be prepared for the impending restricted free agent. Barring an unexpected development (e.g., Bulger gets benched and Warner takes the Rams to the Super Bowl), we think that after the season Bulger stays and Kurt goes.

The Steelers flirted with Frerotte prior to the season, before resigning Charlie Batch. Frerotte, however, is under contract with Minnesota through 2004, so the only way the Steelers would be able to get him is through a trade.

Griese likely will hit the open market due to his contract, which requires the Dolphins to pay him a huge roster bonus in early 2004. Unless Miami extends his contract, he'll be available.

Speaking of the Dolphins, they might be in the hunt for Warner. Ditto the Browns, who could end up targeting the same guys as the Steelers in an effort to get someone who is better than either Tim Couch or Kelly Holcomb. (Is Ryan Leaf still out there somewhere?)

Back to the Steelers, our guess is that they'll take a hard look at acquiring a veteran. If they can get the guy they want at the right price, they'll pounce. If they can't upgrade prior to the draft, we wouldn't be surprised to see them make a move for Manning, especially if their final 2003 record leaves them in reasonable striking distance to the top of the draft.

Much of this also depends on whether Bill Cowher is still the coach in 2004. As we explained last week, changes in the team's power structure might be coming -- and we could envision Cowher getting miffed and walking away if he loses any control over personnel. Thus, if a new coach is hired in the offseason, the Steelers might be more willing to take on a "project" via the 2004 draft, since expectations will be a bit lower in the short term.

A league insider tells us that, when Lions CEO Matt Millen "resigns" following the 2003 season, coach Steve Mariucci will inherit significant authority over the team's personnel decisions.

The source compares the juice that Mooch will acquire is similar to the power that Steelers coach Bill Cowher has wielded since Tom Donahoe was run out of the 'Burgh.

Though the Lions will hire a G.M.-level personnel exec, the guy will be Ed McMahon to Mooch's Johnny Carson, spouting "you are correct, sir" whenever Steve sets his sights on a given player.

And in our view this is the device that will be used by franchises who remain willing to allow their coaches to shop for the groceries. Dual-hat coach/G.M.'s invite too much criticism if the team sputters. If, in contrast, the specific authority that the coach possesses is somewhat amorphous, it becomes harder for us media types to argue that the coach has too much on his plate.

A league insider predicts that, in the wake of the Giants' loss to the Bucs, there's a 60-40 chance that head coach Jim Fassel will be fired at the end of the season.

The only thing that surprises us is that the insider gave Fassel such a good chance of keeping his job.

As we see it, Fassel's ass is bluegrass, and G.M. Ernie Accorsi is the big dog that's poised to dump a steamy load on it.

Several potential scenarios have been circulating regarding Fassel's future. We've heard that he might be a candidate for the coming vacancy in Buffalo. Rumor also has it that he could be hired by Brian Billick as the Ravens offensive coordinator. There also have been scattered reports that Fassel will be a candidate for the head coaching job in Arizona, if the Cardinals dump Dave McGinnis.

Potential replacements for Fassel include Tom Coughlin and Nick Saban. Our guess is that Saban will price himself out of the job (again) and that Coughlin will get the gig.

But don't forget about the minority hiring guidelines. In the end, we wouldn't be shocked to see the Giants to give serious consideration to a guy like Denny Green, who likely could breathe life into the team's offense, which generally has been stagnant but for the late-season playoff push in 2002.

Rams coach Mike Martz says that quarterback Marc Bulger will retain the starting job, despite the fact that he's thrown four touchdowns and ten picks in the last four games.

"Marc Bulger is our quarterback," Martz said. "Yeah, but, yeah, but, yeah, but -- Marc Bulger is our quarterback.

"I have great confidence and I trust him and I think he's going to be just fine, so we're staying with Marc.

"If I vacillate with that quarterback, which I did recently, it's the wrong thing to do," Martz added. "What happens is, the trust I have in that quarterback, the rest of the players are looking at this, too.

"We like to think that what we have going here is built on trust, and I trust that he's going to fight his way out of it, and I just don't bail and throw the other guy in there."

It all sounds good to us, Mike. But under that reasoning, wouldn't Kurt Warner still be the starter?

Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio says that the team might bench quarterback Byron Leftwich in favor of backup David Garrard on November 30 at Tampa.

"We're not playing at a high level right now," Del Rio said. "I think Byron's got a bright future. But I think David Garrard is a promising young quarterback and we'll decide whether to give him a look. We've got to score more than three or 10 points."

Unless the Jags are hoping to showcase Garrard in preparation for an offseason trade, we think it's a mistake to sit Leftwich. Troy Aikman took every bump and bruise in 1989, as the Cowboys limped to a 1-15 record. The Jags aren't going anywhere in 2003, so why not use the rest of the season as an extended slate of exhibition games in preparation for 2004?

Major props to the NFL for replacing the team logos on the front page of NFL.com with designs from past years in connection with the "Thanksgiving Classics" theme.

Bucs DE Simeon Rice thinks the Bucs are losing because of post-Super Bowl complacency; DT Warren Sapp thinks they've just gotten too many bad breaks.

Bucs WR Keyshawn Johnson is already starting to peddle himself for next season by accepting blame for his role in getting bounced by the team.

49ers coach Dennis Erickson says he'll decide later in the week whether Tim Rattay or Jeff Garcia will start at quarterback in Baltimore.

Redskins QB Patrick "Throw Rug" Ramsey sustained a concussion on Sunday night against the Dolphins.

Meshawn isn't the only turd who's found his way onto the Fox payroll -- LB Bill Romanowski worked the Broncos-Bears game on Sunday.

Vikings RB Michael Bennett was feeling low on energy on Sunday, so he drank a cup of coffee at halftime -- and lost his beans a little bit later: "It started coming up on me on the sideline in the second half," Bennett said. "I couldn't keep it down."

Bengals WR Chad Johnson is humble (we think) about his recent breakout performances: "There's not anybody in the NFL that can cover me. It's not because I'm good. I'm just well-coached."

Back when the Broncos heaped a six-year, $33 million contract on free-agent defensive tackle Daryl Gardener (including a $5 million bonus), we were trumpeting the concern in league circles that Gardener is, was, and always will be a turd.

Our sources were of the opinion that Gardener had been a model citizen last year in Washington for one reason -- because he knew that doing so would help him get paid a lot of money in 2003.

And our sources predicted that, once Gardener got his next big contract, he'd revert to the form that got him run out of Miami.

We asked one of our sources for reaction to the latest development -- a one-game suspension of Gardener for conduct detrimental to the team.

"This guy has been a loser his entire career," said the source. "Another fine free agent signing by the Broncos over the past few years. Look at all of Pat Bowlen's money that has been wasted on bad people . . . .

"On top of it, [Gardener] isn't even a good player."

Gardener responded to the suspension on Friday, calling Shanahan "that little man up there" and suggesting that he was "set up" for a longer suspension or his release.

Under Gardener's logic, Shanahan suspended him for one game, hoping that Gardener would reaction, justifying further action.

Really, it's like a fish saying that he can see the barb of the hook sticking through the worm -- and then swallowing the whole damn thing anyway.

In the wake of Gardener's reaction, several of his teammates suspect that Shanahan will take further action.

Our guess is that Gardener will be dumped, and that the Broncos will find a way to get back some of their bonus money -- just as they did with past turds Eddie Kennison and Dale Carter.

And we likewise suspect that Mike Shanahan will catch no internal criticism for his misguided decision to add Gardener to the mix.

Vikings defensive coordinator George O'Leary said on Friday night that he has spoken informally with Central Florida University regarding the possibility of becoming the team's new head coach.

For now, the Vikings season is going nowhere -- thanks in large part to O'Leary's defense, which has gone from stingy to stinky over the past few weeks.

O'Leary denies that Athletic Director Steve Orsini and school president John Hitt were planning to meet with him this weekend in Minneapolis.

"I don't have time for all of that right now," O'Leary said. "If they come up here, that's up to them."

The head-coaching job at CFU opened up last week, when the team dumped former Steelers quarterback Mike Kruczek barely a week after announcing that they'll jump from the MAC to Conference USA.

Giants TE Jeremy "IR is for Fairies" Shockey returned to practice only 12 days after suffering a knee injury that was supposed to be a season-ender.

Redskins QB Patrick "Rag Doll" Ramsey practiced on Friday despite a bum foot, but he was hobbled and likely won't be able to play on Sunday.

That 2-8 record must be going to Wayne Weaver's head; the Jaguars owner had this to say recently about the team's Super Bowl outlook: "We've got it circled for next year. I won't predict it, but I've got it circled on my calendar. . . . One day we'll have a gaudy [Super Bowl] ring on our fingers."

Packers QB Brett Favre practiced with wet balls on Friday. (There was water on the pigskins, too.)

Random testing for THG since October 6 has resulted in zero positives, despite more than 1,000 tests (they must have tested the Gramatica brothers 500 times each).

Here's a shocker -- NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw, who's gone on the record to say that he's still a member of the Raiders family, persuaded the league to revoke its suspensions of the four Raiders who tested positive for THG based on samples re-tested after the new 'roid product was discovered.

We vaguely recall reporting a year or so ago that, despite all of the ridicule that Bengals president Mike Brown took when he fashioned the Carl Pickens loyalty clause, many folks around the league thought it was a good idea.

Teams have considered using the loyalty clause in contract negotiations. By at least bringing the clause to the table, the team might be able to extract a concession in another area.

We're now hearing that more teams could start incorporating the loyalty clause into player contracts, given the recent experiences of the Browns and Bucs with Kevin Johnson and Keyshawn Johnson, respectively.

The loyalty clause was challenged by the union, but ultimately upheld. It could give the team some leverage when the time comes to dump a malcontent.

And for guys like Meshawn, who clearly wanted out of Tampa, they might be willing to cough up some coin in order to get out the door. Absent a loyalty clause, however, the team simply has no basis for suggesting that any money should be forfeited.

As we suggested on Wednesday, the fact that the player gets to walk away without financial consequences could prompt some teams not to cut players who are becoming locker room distractions. The loyalty clause would give those teams a way to make the process less of a reward for pissing-and-moaning, by forcing the player to give up unpaid salary (or pay back some bonus money) in order to get his ticket out of town.

Per an agreement between the NFL and the CFL, Canadian football players who are entering their option years may workout with NFL teams as of December 1. Those same players may sign with NFL teams as of December 29.

The problem, however, is that the agreement between the NFL and the CFL expires on January 1, 2004. Thus, it seems very possible that, if the deal is not extended, NFL teams will have only two days to sign the players.

This potential glitch doesn't apply to CFL players whose contracts have expired. Though they must abide by the December 1 workout date and December 29 signing date, they'll be able to sign with NFL teams even if the agreement regarding option-year players isn't extended.

Stay tuned. If the deal doesn't get extended, some personnel execs might be signing "O Canada" in lieu of "Auld Lang Syne" come December 31.

When the Tampa Bay Bucs decided to get the attention of their beleaguered players by sending Keyshawn Johnson on a six-week paid vacation, some league insiders concluded that they exiled the wrong guy.

"At least [Johnson] didn't take plays off," said one personnel exec. "They should have told fat ass Sapp to make the NFL network job a full-time gig . . . now."

Sapp is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2003 season, and conventional wisdom currently is that the Bucs will let Sapp walk, especially after the string of early-season distractions that the veteran lineman created.

There's also a possibility (albeit slim) that Sapp will get the Keyshawn treatment at some point later in the season. Really, if/when the team decides that they're not interested in bringing him back next year -- and if the local reaction to the dumping of Johnson is positive -- we wouldn't be shocked to see Sapp get sat at some point before late December.

And this could be a new trend for teams to control disgruntled vets. If the team can take the cap hit (like the Browns), a guy who's pissing-and-pouting can get dumped. If the cap room ain't there to support an outright release, he'll get "deactivated" for the rest of the season.

It's the flipside of the "cup of coffee" approach to calling up minor league baseball players in September. Once the team knows: (1) that the player won't be back the following year; and (2) that the team's goose is cooked in the current year, there's no reason to tolerate a chronic turd.

In our view, it's the only way for teams to seize back control in the post-free agency NFL, where players believe that their amortized signing bonuses make them bulletproof.

The other side of the coin, however, is that some players will conclude that they can get out from under their current deals merely by becoming malcontents. Keyshawn, for example, gets to keep his bonus money, gets to take the rest of the year off, and gets to go wherever he wants in 2004.

The ultimate balancing act, then, for any team faced with a locker room loudmouth is to ask itself whether the desire to get rid of the guy outweighs the satisfaction that he'll get if the team pulls the trigger.

We're hearing that the Pittsburgh Steelers could be changing the decision-making structure in the front office in the wake of unfilled expectations over the past two seasons.

The goal, we're told, is to shift some of the personnel authority away from coach Bill Cowher, who obtained a stronger-than-ever voice in the organization after Tom Donahoe was fired several years back. Under Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert, the Steelers have extended contracts of several guys who have not played up to their pay (e.g., DeWayne Washington, Chad Scott). Also, the decision to let left tackle Wayne Gandy walk was, in hindsight, a mistake -- especially since the team gave nearly the same package that Gandy got from the Saints to unproven (and for most of the year unhealthy) tackle Marvel Smith.

To minimize Cowher's influence over personnel moves, team chairman Dan Rooney might be installing a committee approach to personnel decisions, including heavy input from scouts and other front-office types.

Word is that one of the relatively new faces to emerge from such an arrangement could be Dan Rooney, Jr., a scout for the team who operates primarily out of North Carolina. Dan, Jr. has been operating largely in the background as his father and brother, Art II, have been taking care of the administrative side of the business over the past several years.

We're not suggesting that Cowher's coaching gig is in jeopardy (regardless of whether it should be). But if he bristles at the changes that could be coming, he ultimately might have to make a Holmgrenesque decision in the 'Burgh -- stay with less juice, or go somewhere else.

If Redskins QB Patrick "Rag Doll" Ramsey can't play due to a previously concealed broken foot, the 'Skins will be stuck with Tim "I Didn't Think You Actually Wanted Me to Play" Hasselbeck at quarterback.

There's mounting speculation that Browns president Carmen Policy sold back his stake in the team so that he can make a run at the Commissioner's office when Paul Tagliabue steps down (but if Policy has any Youngstown-style skeletons in the trunk, he can fuggetabout climbing any higher in the NFL food chain).

With 50 percent of their starting defensive line arrested in the past week for DUI, we've finally figured out why the Vikings can't stop the run -- they're drunk of their asses.

49ers coach Dennis Erickson is leaning toward giving QB Tim Rattay the start in Green Bay.

In hindsight, we're surprised that Meshawn stuck around Tampa for as long as he did.

From the start, it was an unholy alliance. The Bucs were a team big on "D" and light on "O" when they swung a trade for the former No. 1 overall draft pick prior to the 2000 season, and Keyshawn was a self-styled superstar looking for the quickest path to the Super Bowl.

But Meshawn never really meshed with his Tampa teammates, and he never believed that he got his damn hands on the damn ball enough damn times.

Of course, Johnson likely wouldn't think he was touching the ball enough if he played center.

But we digress. Our point here is that the Shmuckaneers knew what they were getting into when they sent two first-rounders to the Jets and then signed Johnson to a big-money deal. Specifically, they knew they were getting a talented turd who'd provide an immediate upgrade over the likes of Bert Emanuel, Jacquez Green, Reidel Anthony, and the revolving door of underachievers that had worn orange/yellow and red/pewter since 1976.

It's not as if Keyshawn suddenly became a jerk once he got paid by the Bucs. He'd been a jerk from day one. But, for the Bucs, a well-skilled jerk was far better than an untalented choir boy.

In the end, both sides got what they wanted -- a Super Bowl. The irony, however, is that Keyshawn wasn't nearly as responsible for it as we all thought he'd be (or as he thinks he was).

Unlike the K. Johnson who was cut loose in Cleveland last week, this K. Johnson won't get a chance to land somewhere else. Though some already are praising G.M. Rich McKay for resisting the urge to cut Keyshawn in order to preserve trade value later, there are two major points that the McKay fans out there are overlooking.

First, the Bucs couldn't have absorbed the cap hit that would have resulted from dumping Johnson now, so keeping him on the payroll through 2003 was a no-brainer. Second, we doubt that anyone is going to offer much in the way of value for the right to absorb Keyshawn's contract come 2004.

We think the Bucs will be in about the same position that the Steelers found themselves earlier this year, when they were trying to peddle quarterback Kordell Stewart. No one wanted to take Kordell's $6.5 million salary, and no one wanted to give the Steelers anything for a guy whom they ultimately planned to cut.

And as the rest of the league learned through Tampa's experience, there's no point wanting Keyshawn on the team unless he wants to be there. The best situation, then, will be for Johnson to hit the open market after getting released by the Bucs, and then picking his next destination.

In the interim, Keyshawn has it pretty good. He'll get paid for the next six weeks, and he won't have to do anything -- except take pot shots at all those former Tampa teammates who supposedly can't carry his jock.

So don't praise McKay for taking a stand. Criticize him for signing Keyshawn in the first place.

The official separation will come after the season ends, if not sooner. Regardless, word around the league is that Giants coach Jim Fassel has lost his team.

We're hearing that the team considered his "you tryin' to get me fired?" rant in the wake of last week's loss to the Falcons as bizarre and self-absorbed. We're also hearing that team management isn't happy with Fassel's reaction to last weekend's loss, which also apparently included a promise by Fassel that he'd quit before allowing the players to run him out of town.

If/when Fassel goes, rumor has it that he'll resurface with fellow Super Bowl XXXV coach and good buddy Brian Billick, as the Ravens' new offensive coordinator.

The Redskins acknowledged on Monday that quarterback Patrick "Rag Doll" Ramsey has been playing with a broken bone in his right foot.

The foot started hurting Ramsey in training camp, and an X-ray revealed an old fracture.

"It never hurt me last season. It never hurt me in college," Ramsey said. "But at some point, I apparently fractured my foot.

"It's hard to push off my back foot. It's hard to turn my hips. It's hard to do a lot of things."

We figure that the league office will find this revelation to be interesting, given that the team previously hadn't disclosed that Ramsey's wheel is busted.

We stirred up plenty of agents a couple of months back when we posted our educated, informed speculation regarding the direction in which some of the top college prospects were leaning.

Here's a position-by-position look at where, based on information available to us, the top prospects might be leaning. We're not suggesting that final decisions have been made or that money (or rims) have changed hands. We're saying only that, as of right now, the top prospects likely are leaning toward the agents to whom their names are linked below.

As predicted in this space a few weeks back, the real Randy Moss is bubbling back to the surface as the losses mount for the Vikings; after getting only four catches for 25 yards in Sunday's loss to the Raiders, Moss said, "That's not my fault. That's the coaches' fault, to get me the ball."

Speaking of Viking coaches, it's good to see that Mike "Meathead" Tice is sporting some facial hair -- just like Mike "Meathead" Stivic.

That quartet of Raiders who tested positive for THG were among the 10 football players subpoenaed to testify in the ongoing grand jury probe regarding the manufacture and distribution of the substance.

Titans coach Jeff Fisher was reprimanded by the NFL for his recent comments regarding the intelligence of Jags DT Marcus Stroud; Fisher said he considered drafting Stroud but was "concerned about his [Wonderlic] score," which actually was a not-too-shabby 23 out of 50.

With Rams coach Mike Martz contemplating the possibility of yanking QB Marc Bulger, backup Kurt Warner said (per Martz), "Don't do it to the kid. Stick with Bulger. Ride it out. He'll get through it." (Translation -- trade value, up.)

Upon seeing the AP photo pasted below, Giants TE Jeremy Shockey declared, "I was right!"

We're okay with the city itself, and we like and admire the NFL's Steelers. It's the college we despise.

Don't get us wrong -- we've got a reason. Yours truly is a Mountaineer fan and alumnus. And we're often dubbed "hillbillies," "hicks," and "hoopies" by many of our collegiate neighbors to the north, many of whom don't realize that their own interpretation of the English language (e.g., "yuns") and sense of class and style make West Virginia look like the Upper West Side.

So, yeah, we were at the Backyard Brawl last night. And, yeah, yours truly got a kick out of the chant that his seven-year-old son developed midway through the first quarter.

With all that said, why has the media generally attached its collective lips to the buttocks of Panthers receiver Larry Fitzgerald?

It's as if Fitzgerald is the Chosen One, the player for whom all sportswriters have been waiting. A young, highly-talented, African-American athlete who keeps his mouth shut and doesn't seek out the spotlight. Hell, he shuns it.

But, wait. That guy already has made his mark on the NCAA and the NFL. His name is Barry Sanders, and he was everything that Fitzgerald is.

Sanders wasn't a good interview. Like Fitzgerald, he didn't want attention. Unlike Fitzgerald, Barry didn't want to talk about the fact that he didn't want attention.

The manner in which Sanders dealt with fame makes us wonder whether Fitzgerald's routine is contrived.

"What a great kid," folks like Jim Rome rave after a spot with Fitzgerald. But a guy who truly is walking the talk wouldn't be inclined to give an individual interview on a program like the Rome show, since in an indirect but very real way it takes away from the attention on his team -- even as Fitzgerald tells "Mr. Rome" that it's all about the team.

As we learned on Friday, it isn't all about the team. Fitzgerald is looking for an early path to the NFL. (Scroll down for more.) The New York Times broke the story on Friday and the Washington Post carried the ball a bit farther on Saturday.

And as the two most prominent newspapers in the country have locked onto this story, it's gotten no mention in the national media. None. Zero.

Check out ESPN.com -- there's no reference to it, either on the NFL page or the College Football page.

On Sunday morning, ESPN's SportsReporters threw more fuel on Fitzgerald's reluctant Heisman campaign -- without discussing the fact that his father is making plans for possible circumvention of the rule that otherwise would keep the true sophomore out of the NFL draft until 2005.

So why isn't the media at large picking up on the story? Probably because acknowledging the fact that there's a fine line between Larry Fitz and Mo Clarett constitutes an implicit concession by the media that they've been played.

The media also might be engaged in some wishful thinking on this one, hoping that the story will die by the time that the Chosen One hoists the Heisman next month.

Regardless of the reasons, the facts are the facts. As of Sunday morning, only the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, the Hartford Courant, and the Lexington Herald Leader have picked up on the story.

Check it out for yourselves. Google doesn't lie. There's no AP story on the issue. And a search of the terms "Fitzgerald" and "draft" in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's website generates as of Sunday morning zero stories. (A search of "Larry" and "Fitzgerald" on the other hand churns up a whopping 265 results.)

The bottom line here is that if Fitzgerald has been manipulating the media, it's working. And the irony is that, as Fitzgerald was learning the finer points of football from Vikings full-time receivers and part-time miscreants Cris Carter and Randy Moss as a ball boy for the team, Larry might have been taking notes on the importance of not being a turd -- and he's working that angle as deftly as he twists his body in an effort to come up with the ball.

Fitzgerald might have something else in common with Moss. Both play like champs with the lead and/or when the game is close. But once the team falls behind by more than 10 (as the Panthers did last night), Fitzgerald and Moss both tend to disappear, despite their game-changing talents.

But you'll never hear the media mention these flaws in Fitzgerald's performance. They've found their anti-Clarett. Their Neo. And it's gonna take a lot before they admit that they might have gotten the wrong guy.

We've been getting a real kick out of the efforts of the shills at the Tampa Tribune to take the steam out of the in-house dogfight between coach Jon "I Want to Sign More Turds" Gruden and G.M. Rich "But I Don't" McKay; sorry, guys, but there's way too much smoke on this one not to make the discerning fan conclude that a fire is raging between them.

The New York Post compares a game of teams coached by Tony Dungy and Herm Edwards to a tennis match between the Williams sisters -- the key difference, however, is that the Williams sisters could kick the living sheet cake out of Tony and Herm.

Jeremy Shockey has a problem with gay football players, but he doesn't have a problem with shooting watch commercials that make him come off as one of them.

The Superdome will unveil on Sunday its new AstroPlay surface, which is pretty much the same thing as FieldTurf; the move leaves the Vikings and Colts as the only NFL teams playing on green cement at home.

The Chicago Sun-Times thinks that ESPN shouldn't give in to pressure from the NFL to poop-can "Playmakers"; yeah, and in a couple of years the Boys from Bristol can go back to showing tractor pulls and tiddly winks on Sunday nights from September to December.

The 49ers will retire S Ronnie Lott's jersey on Monday night; our only question is why in the hell did it take 13 years for them to formally putt Lott's number on the shelf?

One of our readers asked us a few weeks back if we thought the Raiders might draft Pitt receiver Larry Fitzgerald. In response, we explained that Fitzgerald won't be in the 2004 draft pool, since (like Maurice Clarett) he is a true sophomore.

Unlike Clarett, Fitzgerald apparently would apply for an exemption from the rule that prevents a player from entering the draft less than three years after graduating from high school. With Clarett's suit pending, however, there's simply no way that the NFL will be making an exception for anyone, since such a move surely would be used against them in Clarett's case.

"The way I've looked at it is, I don't worry about somebody else's rules; rules are made to be broken or amended," said Fitzgerald's father, Larry Fitzgerald Sr.

The Times report was published on Friday. Later in the day, NFL spokesman Vince Casey reiterated the rule, but declined to discuss Fitzgerald specifically.

Per the Washington Post, Fitzgerald might be able to finagle a way around the three-year requirement. It turns out that, midway through his senior year in high school, he transferred to Valley Forge Military Academy in Pennsylvania. He spent one-and-a-half years at Valley Forge before graduating in 2002.

But his original high school class in Minnesota graduated in 2001, which would make him eligible to make the jump now.

On Friday, Fitzgerald's father said he would request a diploma from his original high school, if necessary.

"If my son says he wants to do something," he said, "I'll fight for him to do it. . . . I haven't called anyone about the rule. I haven't worried about it. It's not going to change anything. Right now, he is there [at Pittsburgh] taking classes and catching passes."

It all started a month ago against the Broncos. After five teams had failed to move the ball up the middle of the Minnesota defense, Denver began to attack the edges, with success.

And even though the Vikings beat the Broncos that day, Minnesota has lost three in a row, due in large part to the team's inability to control sweeps, screens, and pitches.

This week, they know they'll face such an attack again, even with Raiders running back Charlie Garner out due to injury.

After all, the Raiders have rookie speedster Justin Fargas, who has the tools to continue to exploit the Vikings' weaknesses against the outside running game.

Former Lions RB Barry Sanders finally provides some reasons for his abrupt retirement in 1999, via his autobiography; among other things, Sanders had doubts about the team's commitment to winning.

The Giants are trying to figure out how whom they should cut so that another tight end can be added to the roster while Jeremy Shockey's knee heals.

The Buccaneers deny reports that the ongoing feud between G.M. Rich McKay and coach Jon Gruden recently hit the breaking point when McKay refused to pursue DT Darrell Russell.

Speaking of Russell, how much more money do you think he might have gotten from the playoff-contending Seahawks if he'd waited to sign a contract until after DT Norman Hand went down for the year with an injury?

Considered by many insiders as a "first year turd" in his rookie season of 2002, folks around the league now believe that Chiefs defensive tackle Ryan Sims is one of the best young defensive tackles in the game.

Part of the former North Carolina star's problem last year, of course, was a lengthy contract dispute, which forced him to miss training camp. He signed after three exhibition games, and he eventually played in only six games.

In 2002, Sims was barely a factor for the Chiefs, with five tackles and one assist. Through nine games in 2003, Sims has three sacks, seventeen tackles, four assists, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

With his help, the Chiefs are standing at 9-0, with a relatively manageable schedule the rest of the way. Those of you who regularly listened to the temporarily-on-hiatus Profootballtalk Radio already know our prediction -- if the Chiefs run the table in the regular season, the '72 Fins will get to uncork the bubbly at some point during the playoffs.

We quit calling Mike Tice a "Meathead" after the Vikes went on a six-game tear to start the season. But we're now going to give Tice the Stivic treatment until the Vikes nail down a playoff spot.

Why? Word is that if the Meathead doesn't qualify for the postseason, the team's Archie Bunker owner is going to kick his bald-headed butt out of the house.

A New Orleans-style meltdown almost certainly will get Tice fired, league insiders believe. The only factor working in his favor is that he's one of the lowest-paid coaches in the league.

After they parlayed their bye week into a stirring 30-27 season-saving win at Minnesota, the Packers were primed to climb back into the NFC Central race. And with a savvy veteran like Brett Favre sounding more and more like a guy who wants to win another Super Bowl before he walks away from the game, we were considering the Packers to be the best candidate to knock off in the postseason teams like the upstart Cowboys and Panthers on the way to the Big Game with the Tacky Roman Numerals.

But then the Packers lost to the Eagles at home on Monday night, in a matchup that would have put them only a game behind the division-leading (and quickly fading) Vikings. In the wake of the loss, which dropped their record and renovated and rededicated Lambeau Field to 2-3, league insiders tell us that the Packers are in reality "old and overrated," and that many of their starters would be sitting the bench in other NFL cities.

We know that it's a harsh indictment of a proud franchise. But it's hard not to agree, given their overall performance on the way to a 4-5 record. And if they lose on Sunday at Tampa, their chances of making the postseason fall to "slim and/or none," notwithstanding a closing sextet of games that, on paper, the Pack might be able to sweep.

Word around the league is that Raiders offensive coordinator Marc Trestman is interested in the vacant head coaching job at Duke University.

Given the Raiders' pathetic performance in 2003, coupled with rumors of head coach Bill Callahan's impending demise, Trestman's interest could be a product of necessity more than curiosity.

Last month, the Blue Devils fired coach Carl Franks and handed the gig for the remainder of the season to defensive coordinator Ted Roof. (Roof himself could end up being a candidate for the permanent job, given the team's win last weekend over Georgia Tech -- for its first ACC victory since the invention of the steam engine.)

If Trestman goes to Duke, he'll be returning to the college game 20 years after he left it. Trestman began his coaching career at Miami in the early 1980s, before hopping to the NFL -- and spending time with seven different franchises since.

It's been more than two years since Tom Modrak got booted out of Philly, and the man who was instrumental in building solid teams in both ends of the Keystone State still hasn't landed a G.M. job in another NFL city.

We're hearing that Modrak, now a consultant with the Bills, is getting feelers from the Cardinals and the Bengals.

For either team, it'd be a positive move. As we've recently explained, the Cards need a G.M. with strong personnel evaluation skills. The Bengals, of course, need someone/anyone who can make sound football decisions in the front office (even if they make good on Chad Johnson's promise to scalp the Chiefs).

Speaking of Johnson, league insiders believe that his five-year contract extension -- apparently including up to $25 million in new money, with a signing bonus of $10 million to $12 million -- "is another indication that the front office . . . doesn't have a f--king clue. Yeah, the guy is good. But not that good. Plus, most of the time this guy has been playing the team is behind . . . against a prevent defense. With that scenario no wonder he gets so many balls-especially since most of their other receivers suck."

And if you're going to pay the guy that kind of money, why not do it a couple of weeks ago, when the Bengals could've fill Johnson's pockets with their remaining 2003 cap room?

Then again, issues of that nature don't matter much to the Bengals, who as we've said in the past only have "cap problems" when team president Mike Brown's hat gets blown of his bald head in a windstorm.

But a prudent G.M. would've used every penny of available 2003 cap room to pay Johnson up front. And, as our sources indicate, a prudent G.M. wouldn't have handed that kind of join to a guy who still hasn't proven he's among the elite receivers in the league.

A league source tells us that 15 teams made waiver claims for former Browns receiver Kevin Johnson, a fact which in the opinion of the source demonstrates that Browns coach Butch Davis is a doofis for letting the veteran receiver go.

ESPN.com reports that 16 teams made waiver claims, and that the Jaguars will secure Johnson via the fact that they've got the worst record of the teams that put in dibs.

The addition of Johnson enabled the Jags to waive receiver J.J. Stokes, who was signed in the offseason after getting cut loose by the 49ers. He caught 16 passes for 113 yards in six games.

Browns president Carmen Policy explained the decision to cut Johnson on Wednesday.

�It�s the opinion of the coaching staff and the organization that providing Kevin with a new environment would be healthy for this environment,� Policy said. �It appeared he lost any incentive to compete and participate as a member of the team if he couldn�t be the starter.

�We are not scrapping the season,� Policy added. �We are going to do everything we can to put this team in the best position we can to win this season. We are going to do everything we can to move forward without distraction, without putting out fires.�

The Browns will be required to take a $1.7 million cap charge due to the fact that Johnson was claimed on waiver.

The Jets have placed WR Wayne Chrebet on IR due to lingering problems from a November 2 concussion.

Bills backup defensive tackle Ron Edwards will miss the rest of the season after having surgery Wednesday to repair a torn rotator cuff.

Bengals WR Chad Johnson's guarantee of a win over the Chiefs apparently is good for business; the team actually might have a butt in every available seat for Sunday's home game against K.C.

Coach Dave Wannstedt's chances in Miami will continue to be doubtful as long as stars like Zach Thomas and Patrick Surtain continue to appear on the injury list as questionable.

Colts WR Marvin Harrison is listed as doubtful for Sunday's game against the Jets, due to a hamstring injury.

QB Anthony Wright will start for the Ravens on Sunday, supplanting Chris Redman, who looked dreadful in the second half of Sunday night's loss to the Rams.

Bucs DT Warren Sapp made no apologies on Wednesday for the pelvis-busting, blind-side, 40-yards-away-from-the-play hit he put last year on Packers OL Chad Clifton.

Over the past several weeks, we've been reporting on the strange goings-on in Cleveland. Coach Butch Davis's personnel acumen quietly is being question in league circles, leading to rumors that a G.M. could be hired. Team President Carmen Policy quietly sold back his 10 percent interest in the team, sparking speculation that something significant is indeed afoot in Northeast Ohio.

The sudden, shocking release of receiver Kevin Johnson will do nothing to quell criticism of Davis's ability to make sound personnel decisions. As one league insider told us, "it's another stroke of genius by Davis and [Pete] Garcia."

"Aren't they the same idiots that just extended his contract last year?" said the source. They "gave him a $3.5 million signing bonus and [a] $950,000 base this year? Butch did that, not Dwight Clark or Chris Palmer."

The source is referring, of course, to Davis's primary crutch over the past few years regarding the team's weaknesses. If, as Davis apparently believes, there's a problem with the team, it traces to decisions made by former personnel guru Dwight Clark and former head coach Chris Palmer.

"Let me get this straight," the source added. "Kevin Johnson was too much to deal with and Gerard warren and William green are fine to deal with?"

In our view, the situation stinks. If the Browns were done with him, they still should have considered trying to do something that would have enabled the team to get value for him in return, even if it were only a low-round draft pick. And even if they preferred to take the cap hit this year on the remainder of his $3.5 million bonus, they should have tried to move him before the trading deadline.

The next question becomes whether anyone will claim Johnson off of waivers. If not, he becomes an unrestricted free agent -- and we assume that the Redskins and the Bucs will be at the front of the line to get a sniff, given their propensity to show interest in any guys with name recognition. As Redskins coach said Steve Spurrier said last week regarding tight end Byron Chamberlain, who was signed after being abruptly cut by the Vikings, "I didn't know a lot about him before he got here. But he was available."

Our guess is that K.J. will end up in the City of Brotherly Love, given his college connection to Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb (they both came out of Syracuse in 1999), and the team's dearth of production at the receiver position.

Word out of Chitown is that the Bears plan to make a play for disgruntled (and increasingly irrelevant) Bengals running back Corey Dillon after the 2003 season.

We hear that the Bears think Dillon can be had for a second-round pick and a fourth-rounder. The Bears already have an extra No. 4 pick, as a result of the preseason trade of defenstive tackle Ted Washington to the Patriots.

Dillon previously has been linked to the Cowboys, but look for the Bengals to do whatever they can to avoid giving in to Dillon's stated desire to be traded to Big D.

Other possible destinations for Dillon are the Redskins and the Bucs. (We're kidding. We think.)

As folks around the league are attempting to figure out what the problem is for teams like the Raiders, Redskins, and Bills, we don't see much of an effort to determine the root of the problem in Tampa. After all, the defending Super Bowl champs (like the 'Skins and the Bills) are perched at 4-5.

Some of our sources continue to point to the offensive line. The unit is "below average," said one personnel exec. "Kenyatta Walker has been a turd since he came into the NFL and he is still one. The Bucs tried to act like last year's problems with him were over. They're not. He stinks."

Another personnel guy tells us that "Jason whittle is overrated, and they are acting like [Roman] Oben 's injury is killing him. But he's not that good anyway, so when [Oben] gets back they will still be below average on the O-line."

We generally agree with those observations, but as we see it the bigger issue is the defense. Once suffocating, the unit is now choking down the stretch.

Here's our theory. We've said that the Raiders have collapsed this year because in 2002 they essentially were living off of the fumes of former head coach Jon Gruden and his offensive system, which transformed journeyman (and that's a stretch) quarterback Rich Gannon into a star. The team is now more than a year removed from Gruden's presence, and Bill Callahan and company haven't been able to keep the attack ahead of the NFL curve, tweaking the offense in order to keep opposing defenses confused.

In Tampa, the same thing might be going on. Last year, Tony Dungy's imprint was still on the team. Really, does anyone think that coordinator Monte Kiffin was responsible for the team's success on defense since 1997? It was Dungy who made that defense go, just as head coach Bill Belichick does in New England.

So it can be said that in 2002 the Bucs were living off of Dungy's fumes on defense. One year later, Kiffin simply hasn't been able to keep the defense ahead of the curve, absent Dungy's input.

Word out of the 'Burgh is that the Steelers are considering moving up in the 2004 draft in order to secure one of the top quarterbacks available.

The consensus is that the best quarterbacks in the draft will be Mississippi's Eli Manning and Tulane's J.P. Losman. Our guess is that the Steelers will be targeting Manning.

Why? Taking quarterbacks in the first round is a complete and total crapshoot. Usually, it's a 50-50 proposition as to whether a quarterback drafted in round one will pan out.

For example, the vaunted quarterback first-round class of 1999 has produced only two of five consistent starters, for a 40 percent success rate. Specifically Donovan McNabb and Daunte Culpepper still are on the field, while Tim Couch is benched and Akili Smith and Cade McNown are waiting for the next XFL to come along.

For Manning, the chances of success likely are greater than a flip of the coin, given that two members of his family (Archie and Peyton) have shown that they can get it done in the NFL. And if Eli is anything like Peyton when it comes to taking the game seriously, the risk of getting a Ryan Leaf would be very, very low.

And if the rumor is true, we like the sound of it. The Steelers haven't had consistency at the quarterback position since Terry Bradshaw retired. In the two decades since Bradshaw left, the Steelers have relied on a revolving door of good-but-not-great players like Cliff Stoudt, Mark Malone, David Woodley, Bubby Brister, Neil O'Donnell, Jim Miller, Mike Tomczak, Kordell Stewart, Kent Graham, Kordell Stewart, and Tommy Maddox.

Looking at that list, it's amazing that they've played deep into January so many times since 1985.

Previously, we wanted to see the Steelers make a play for Rams quarterback Marc Bulger. But we're still not convinced that Bulger would thrive in a different offensive system, and the price to get him -- in the form of money and draft picks -- likely will be too high.

The Steelers might be one of the few franchises in the modern NFL who will be patient with Manning. After all, the Rooneys know from experience that it often takes a few years for a young quarterback to blossom. In many modern NFL cities, a Terry Bradshaw would be standing next to Cade McNown on the burrito line at Taco Bell, given Bradshaw's struggles in the first few years of his career.

As we see it, the Steelers would give the job to Manning -- and leave it with him until he's had every chance to grow into it. And that might be the best way to build a winning team around him over the long haul.

Though it seemed for a few minutes in that Golic-ugly game between the Rams and Ravens that Mad Mike Martz might yank Wonderboy and give the job back to his graybearded benchwarmer, Martz stuck with Marc Bulger through the roughest outing of his short career in St. Louis.

We're hearing that, this time next year, Martz won't have Kurt Warner to turn to if Bulger begins to stumble.

A league source tells us that Yoko Warner will get her wish -- Kurt will be gone after the year, most likely via a trade in order to best manage the cap consequences. Word is that Warner will be inclined to restructure his contract in order to make the deal easier for the Rams to make.

As we see it, however, Kurt should hold his ground. He owes the Rams nothing, especially as he picks the splinters out of his ass. He instead should refuse to re-do his deal, forcing the Rams to cut him.

This would allow Warner to hit the free-agent market and pick his next team. It also will enable him to go to a new team that hasn't had to give up any players or picks to get him (or, alternatively, it'll help him avoid the potential embarrassment of getting traded for a fifth-round pick and a bowl of gumbo).

That raises a separate question -- is there a team out there that will pay Warner the big bucks? We suspect that any prudent organization would offer him a deal heavy on incentives, in order to protect themselves against Warner continuing to play in 2004 like he did in 2002 and 2003.

Contrary to earlier reports out of Miami, Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt apparently will not be stepping down on Monday.

We're trying to figure out whether WFOR had it wrong, or whether our mole in South Florida mistaken forgot the word "not" into the description of Wanny's intended actions.

With the Buffalo Bills limping through the middle portion of the schedule, head coach Gregg Williams' fate is all but sealed. The coach isn't under contract beyond 2003, and he surely won't be retained.

The only remaining uncertainty is whether he'll be run out of town before the season ends. Our guess is that, once the team chalks up its ninth loss on the season, Williams will be gone.

The deeper question, as we see it, is whether G.M. Tom Donahoe will catch any of the blame for the team's poor performance. As we've pointed out in the past, Williams didn't hire himself -- Donahoe is the one who saw fit to entrust him with the job. Donahoe also is the one who inked offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride, a grossly overrated play-scripter whose best days came before Buddy Ryan gave him an up-close look at that Super Bowl XX ring.

But let's not focus only on the coaches. Suddenly, the draft-day 2002 trade of a first-round pick for quarterback Drew Bledsoe is looking like a major gaffe. And has anyone seen Lawyer Milloy since Donahoe gave him a $5 million bonus and a $2 million base salary for 2003? Sure, Milloy was juiced against the Pats on opening day. Since then, however, Milloy has disappeared.

League insiders also are chortling about the preseason hype surrounding the offensive line that Donahoe assembled. Former top-five pick Mike Williams "isn't that special" (per a league source), and the entire unit is putting Bledsoe in jeopardy of picking up his second life-threatening injury in three season.

As we've previously explained, Donahoe set the table to take the credit if the team succeeded, and to blame Williams when the team failed. After all, it was Donahoe, not Williams, who quietly was fueling those expectations of a journey deep into the postseason. And it was Donahoe, not Williams, who was working the media to get a positive spin placed on the team's hopes.

It's Donahoe's manipulation of the media that has put him in that no-lose situation, one league exec told us. "He's got so many writers (especially the entire ESPN staff) in his pocket," said the source. "They blow him when he floats propaganda out there, but [they] refuse to report the crap that is blowing up in his face.

"Thanks to 'P.T' Donahoe, this city was printing Super Bowl tickets in February, advertising it after the [Takeo] Spikes signing, and began distributing them after the Milloy signing. He sold it, the media distributed it, and in the end Williams will lose his job because of it."

But maybe Donahoe won't be wearing a Teflon parka this winter. The media is beginning to realize that the team's poor performance casts doubt on Donahoe's decisions.

Debunking the notion that the Bills are a good team without solid on-field leadership, Sal Maorana of the D&C writes, "[T]his is what the Bills are. They are playing up to their abilities. They�re not that good. They are 4-5, which means they are just another also-ran in a league heavily populated by also-rans."

At the heart of the problem is Bledsoe. After starting out strong in 2002, Drew has tanked. His quarterback rating in Sunday's 10-6 loss at Dallas was 56.5, which still was an improvement over his 40.4 rating from the team's last game, against the Chiefs.

How bad has it gotten for Bledsoe? Consider this: the Ryan Leaf of the 1993 draft, quarterback Rick Mirer, actually outplayed Bledsoe on Sunday.

Mirer completed 18 of 25 passes for 186 yards and a touchdown as the only quarterback with a pulse in Oakland. Drew, in comparison, was 17 of 34 for a measly 104 yards, with no touchdowns and two lost fumbles.

He "can't get rid of the ball," said the source, who also reminded us that Donahoe once said he was sold on Bledsoe merely be watching him throw the ball in warmups in a game against the Patriots. "[G]reat way to evaluate a player," said the source. "Maybe he should watch game tape next time."

Many Giants fans who watched their team game lost 27-7 at home against the lowly Falcons openly were calling for the firing of coach Jim Fassel.

Though not nearly as misguided as those ancient cries for Barrabas, team leaders such as Michael Strahan defended Fassel.

"If you're here to encourage us, encourage," Strahan said, in a slightly more P.C. version of the tongue-lashing that Jeremy "Wipe that Stupid, Half-Drunk Look Off Your Face" Shockey gave to the home fans a few weeks back.

Still, we think that Fassel has worn out his opportunity in New York. And we were shocked to see televised images of him signing autographs at the Boston College game on Saturday, once we realized that the Giants weren't on a bye week. We understand that his son plays for the Eagles (well, plays is a bit of a stretch; he's the kicker), and we admire him for acting like a real father, unlike many NFL head coaches.

But we think Fassel had more pressing business to take care of less than 24 hours before one of the only 16 times per year that his performance is judged through the lens of a million-man microscope. If we were G.M. Ernie Accorsi (and Giants fans everywhere should be glad that we aren't), we'd ask Jimbo whether he thinks the team might have fared better on Sunday afternoon if he'd actually been working on Saturday afternoon.

We can hear the Fassel apologists now (all seven of them). The game plan was ready. It was a short flight. He still worked that morning and/or that evening. Blah, blah, blah.

The fact is that appearances count for something in the NFL. Hell, appearances count for a lot. So at a time when Redskins coach Steve Spurrier is getting skewered for his reputation of NFL nonchalance, a head coach in the nation's largest market shouldn't be copying that specific aspect of Ball Coach's routine.

Would it have mattered if the Giants had won? No. But getting beaten a home by 20 points against a dreadful team coached by the guy whom Fassel replaced (and who picked up career win No. 200 along the way) could and should invite scrutiny of his decision to take in that B.C.-West Virginia game one day before suffering a loss that'll be hard for the team to overcome.

Colts RB Edgerrin James was unhappy with his lack of touches in Sunday's loss to the lowly Jags: "I guess I'm not good enough," he said.

Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga plans to have a chat with coach Dave Wannstedt on Tuesday, but Huizenga insists that a coaching change is not coming (yeah, Wayne, and the stuff they haul around in all those garbage trucks you own smells just like perfume on a pig's ass).

Bucs G.M. Rich McKay denies reports that the team will allow him to leave after the season, if he so chooses (the story is pretty far-fetched, given that it was less than two years ago that the Bucs were interviewing Mike Tannenbaum to replace McKay while McKay still held the freaking job).

Vikings WR Randy Moss was woozy after suffering a mild concussion in the fourth quarter of Sunday's loss to the Chargers (the team's defense played all four quarters with some of the same symptoms).

Bengals WR Chad Johnson says that his team will beat the Chiefs next week (maybe he got a concussions on Sunday, too).

We predict an impending Yoko Warner moment, given chants at the Edward Jones dome for hubby Kurt during last night's ugly-but-victorious performance against the Ravens.

Giants TE Jeremy Shockey suffered a sprained knee in Sunday's loss to the Falcons (there's no truth to the rumor that he suffered the injury while trying to avoid showing his backside to Atlanta S Keion Carpenter, whom Shockey presumes is gay based on his first name).

Jags LB Mike Peterson feels personally vindicated by his role in defeating his former team, the Colts (and you can read the newspaper clippings from the game, Mike, while the Colts are getting ready for the playoffs).

We've suggested in past stories that Giants coach Jim Fassel could be in jeopardy if he fails to take his team back to the playoffs in 2003. A league source tells us that Fassel's tenure in New York is a 50/50 proposition if the G-men don't make it to the postseason.

Though LSU coach Nick Saban will be the Giants' first choice if Fassel goes, Saban also was the first choice before Fassel was hired in 1997. But Saban wanted too much money at the time, so the deal fell through.

Saban likely will want a lot of money this time around, too -- especially since there figures to be high demand for his services in Chitown.

As Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney racks up sacks in his second season in the league, folks like ESPN.com's Len Pastabelli are heaping praise on Freeney like so much Fettuccini into his Friday evening feedbag.

But league insiders still question Freeney's overall abilities, just as they did when he was selected by the Colts in the first round of the 2002 draft.

As one personnel exec told us, "Yeah, this guy can pass rush. The problem is that he pass rushes every play. That is, he goes upfield every play.

"He doesn't ever try to crash down the line and play the run. Yeah he is a good pass rush guy, but his run support sucks."

Another league insider suggested that the right way to play Freeney "is to go out and meet him at the point of attack. Punch him in the throat." Trying to block Freeney by backpedaling gives the lineman "no chance."

Speaking of our good buddy Pastabelli (will we get a Christmas card this year, Len?), one high-level league exec took issue with Lenny's Tip Sheet suggestion that Notre Dame coach Tyrone Willingham will be on the short list of college coaches who draw interest for NFL head-coaching vacancy.

Said the source, "The guy is a good college coach. I emphasize good. Also last year he was all over the media promoting himself and now that the team is bad, he is like the invisible man.

The source believes that Willingham "needs to do a lot more in the college game to deserve a head coach job in the NFL. But then again, considering some of the knuckleheads that run some NFL clubs, you never know."

At least one of those knuckleheads -- Redskins owner Dan Snyderbrenner -- probably will shy away from any college candidates, given his experiences with a certain former coach of a perennial D-I contender.

There continues to be a buzz around the league regarding the Cardinals' recent decision to devote all that extra salary cap money to its nucleus of turds.

As to the decision to give a $5 million signing bonus and $22 million to left tackle L.J. Shelton, one league personnel exec told said this: "Talk about perpetuating mistakes and forcing sh-t down coaches' throats. It wasn't bad enough that this guy sucked for Vince Tobin and Dave McGinnis. Now the next poor sap is going to have to pay for him."

The source believes that the flurry of internal signings last week was merely more of the same stuff the team have been doing for years.

"One of the untold stories of this pathetic franchise is the fact that they have been a personnel disaster in drafts and free agency." They "[b]lame the coaches time and time again," but the source believe that "Bidwill [sh]ould reach into his pockets and spend some money on a real GM or personnel guy that would have some players for someone to coach."

The source thinks that current G.M. Rod Graves "is a great guy - but he doesn't know players." Graves' predecessor, Bob Ferguson, was and is viewed by many in the league, per the source, as a "joke."

We agree. The Cards need to find a top-flight football guy, pay him what the market will bear, and then give him the ability to use the cap room that's available to turn the team into something that will attract more than 30,000 paying customers to a given home game.

Is it just us, or are more and more journalist-types picking up on our method of using candid, expletive-filled assessments from unnamed league execs and scouts? Check out this story regarding what several scouts have to say about the Packers' acquisition of DT Grady Jackson.

LB Dwayne Rudd will make his first start for the Bucs on the same day that his former team, the Browns, meets the Chiefs; the last time the Browns played the Chiefs, Rudd cost the Browns the game by throwing his helmet on what should have been the final play.

Bucs DT Warren Sapp was held out of practice for the second straight day due to a foot sprain (the lesson, kids, is that if you keep putting your foot into your mouth, the foot eventually will get injured).

Two local St. Louis sportscasters of whom we've never heard got into a tussle at Rams headquarters about comments one made about the other on his Internet site.

Steelers WR Plaxico Burress practiced on Friday despite a shoulder injury, and he likely will play on Sunday against the Cardinals.

We're hearing that, for now, the rumors that Bears ownership will clean house after the season are untrue. Instead, word is that G.M. Jerry Angelo will stay, and head coach Dick Jauron will be gone.

This will give Angelo an opportunity, nearly three years after getting the job, to hire a head coach of his own choosing. And one of the worst-kept secrets in the league is that LSU coach Nick Saban is the front-runner for the job.

Per one of our Chitown moles, we're hearing that Angelo plans after the season to make a serious run at defensive end Jevon Kearse, who'll become a free agent if he doesn't resign with (and isn't franchised by) the Titans. We're told that Angelo also has designs on New England running back Kevin Faulk or Falcons running back Warrick Dunn.

With all that said, look for the Bears to win the next eight games, creating a frenzy in Chicago for the retention of Jauron.

And then they'll lose in the playoffs with Kordell Stewart (playing for Chris "Dead of Natural Causes" Chandler) throwing three picks and crying in the beer that's dumped on his head.

Panthers receiver Steve "So-So" Smith threw a hissy-fit a few weeks back when team officials allegedly referred to him as a "marginal receiver." Since then, Smith has blossomed into a marginal fantasy owner's dream-come-true, averaging 7.5 catches, 110.5 yards, and 0.75 touchdowns per game since being removed from the starting lineup.

But league insiders still view Smith as a fringe performer, and as a first-class turd. "His personal foul against Houston," said one league insider, which resulted from kicking an opponent, "really shows how he has matured and grown from his anger management problems." Suggesting that the penalty ultimately cost the Panthers the game against the Texans, the source said, "What [Smith] doesn't understand is the rest of the league doesn't think he's that good, either."

Since he's completing only his third year in the league, the best Smith legitimately can hope for is a first-round tender as a restricted free agent. And given a history of swinging his fists, running his mouth, and kicking his leg, no one (except maybe the Redskins) will be making Smith a big-money offer, regardless of what he does over the rest of the season.

In reaction to the news that the Jags have given center Brad Meester a five-year extension that places him financially in the top ten at his position, one league insider said to us, "Are you kidding me?"

Given the deal, which paid Meester $3.5 million up front, the source said that it's "nice to see James Harris is making solid decisions on the heels of the Hugh Douglas move." (For those of you who have recently emerged from comas, the Jags gave Hugh Douglas a bunch of money and he's been playing like Kirk Douglas, post stroke.)

The source explained to us that he's attributing the Meester and Douglas moves to Harris because the fault for these deals eventually will be foisted upon him by Paul Vance, the non-football guy who serves as Wayland Smither's to the team's Montgomery Burns, owner Wayne Weaver. Vance, like many no-football-knowledge guys who are good with calculators, take credit for good personnel moves -- but then swim in the safe harbor of their football ignorance when an acquisition turns ugly.

Redskins owner Dan Snyderbrenner plans to extend the contract of V.P. of player personnel Vinny "Yes, Sir" Cerrato (word around the league, by the way, is that Cerrato never would be able to get a job with any other team).

The Vikings plan to scale back their offensive and defensive schemes significantly; said coach Mike "Still Might be a Meathead" Tice, "Sometimes you've got to . . . go back to all the stuff you worked on in the offseason and training camp and say, 'Let's go back to how we started this thing out.'"

Redskins TE Bryon Chamberlain got a two-year $1.3 million contract after getting cut by the Vikes for being fat -- and now he's likely to be inactive for the second week in a row; coach Steve Spurrier offered this gem to explain the situation, which pretty much sums up the team's approach to talent evaluation and acquisition -- "I didn't know a lot about him before he got here. But he was available."

(We admit that we once again are straining the limits of the "One-Liner" concept. But we've filled our quota of Redskins stories for the week, and we don't want to catch any more criticism for the apparent bias that we're showing by mentioning to the football world a certain burgundy-and-gold Hindenburg that's in the process of exploding over Landover, Maryland. Oh, the humanity.)

Vikings DT Chris Hovan is catching flak for the poor performance of the Minnesota defense of late.

Word out of scenic Blacksburg is that Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer is willing to listen to NFL coaching offers for the 2004 season.

We're hearing, however, that Beamer's supposed interest in the NFL is nothing more than an effort to leverage more pay for himself and his assistants from the Hokies, just like he did when North Carolina came sniffing around a few years back. Apparently, Beamer has no real desire to leave Virginia Tech.

And we don't know how much interest there would be from the big boys, anyway. With Steve Spurrier proving single-handedly that there is a fundamental difference between coaching success in D-I and winning more games than you lose in the NFL, the market for college coaches might be a little softer than in the recent past.

Some league insiders are questioning the supposed genius of Dolphins offensive coordinator Norv Turner, who still is considered by many to be one of the top offensive coaches in the game.

Actually, we think Turner was exposed not long after he took the head-coaching job in Washington after the 1993 season. After all, it was easy to come off as a top-notch coordinator with talent like Aikman, Emmitt, Irvin, and a mammoth offensive line. Since leaving the Cowboys, however, what has Turner really done?

And the first three paragraphs of the article elaborate on the fact that Dan Snyderbrenner still supports coach Steve Spurrier.

"Snyder believes in Spurrier," said Snyder sycophant Karl Swanson. "He believes that Spurrier will fix this and will succeed, and he wants Spurrier to succeed and to be here for the full term of his contract."

So why does Snyder, through Swanson, later undermine his coach by implicitly questioning his coaching ability?

"[Snyder] thinks the team is underachieving," Swanson said. "He thinks it's an outstanding collection of players, players that most any team in this league would be happy to have and start on Sunday."

But they players "are not playing up to their potential, and that's something that the coaching staff has to figure out."

Sounds like Snyderbrenner is trying to get the Ball Coach to walk away on his own, so that the team won't have to pay any of the remaining $15 million on the last three years of Spurrier's contract.

If fired, Spurrier gets the rest of his coin (with a dollar-for-dollar reduction for any other coaching money he earns). If he quits, he gets nothing.

Rumors have been circulating that Spurrier could be trying to force the impulsive Snyder's hand, so that Spurrier will leave town with a handsome severance package. Indeed, in some circles the talk is that Snyder already is planning to negotiate a buyout with Spurrier. So perhaps Snyder's statement, through Swanson, was intended to send a message to Spurrier that if he wants the money, the only way he'll get it is to stay in a job that gradually is reducing his reputation to rubble.

Snyder's decision to send one of his minions to deliver the news on this one suggests to us that the whole thing is phony. Why else wouldn't Snyder grab a mike and profess his supposed love for Spurrier? The fact that the positive portion of Snyder's message didn't come directly out of his mouth arguably is as much of a slap to Spurrier as the tail end of Swanson's message -- that the 'Skins have "an outstanding collection of players," but the coaching staff apparently doesn't know what the f--k it's doing.

For his part, Spurrier says that he's not leaving, bristling at questions regarding whether he'll be in D.C. beyond 2003.

"How many times have I answered that?" Spurrier said on Wednesday. "Let's talk about Seattle [the team's next opponent]. We're not the only team in the league that's 3-5. I'm tired of talking about that. You ask that every week. I've had the same answer every week."

Speaking of the rumors regarding his demise, Spurrier added: "I don't listen to many of them, I don't read many newspapers. Hopefully, it's not affecting me � that's about all I can say. . . . Gossip could be true, it could be wrong, who knows?"

Cornerback Champ Bailey, whose contract with the team expires after the season, suggests that there might be some truth to the rampant rumors that Spurrier will be gone. "Someone around here is leaking something out," Bailey said. "We know that. It might be true. Maybe not. I don't really care. All I'm going to do is go out and prepare to play. . . . [But] I hear it. I definitely listen to it."

The guys from WGR55 in Buffalo asked yours truly Thursday morning to speculate on who would ever be willing to coach for Daniel Snyderbrenner in D.C., especially after this season's disastrous meddle-fest by the smallish owner.

In our view, it'll take a guy like Bill Parcells, who's willing to tell Snyder up front (as the Tuna undoubtedly told Jerry Jones) to get out of the way and keep his mouth shut.

Though he's currently under contract with the Bucs, the only guy that we think would have a chance at pulling such a move off with the Redskins owner is Jon Gruden.

And as we see it, Gruden and Snyder might have a lot more in common than most people realize. After all, when it comes to sniffing around washed-up players with name recognition, Gruden and Snyder are running neck-and-neck.

From Andre Rison to Richmond Webb to Emmitt Smith to Byron Chamberlain to Darrell Russell to Jamal Anderson, Gruden is as star-struck as Snyder when the opportunity arises to sign a guy who used to be a big-time player.

"I mean, it's Jamal Anderson," Gruden said Wednesday regarding the former Pro Bowler, who hasn't played since blowing out a knee in 2001. "Two, three years ago, I remember him stomping a couple of teams.

"The guy calls and says he's in shape enough and wants to show us, so we're going to look at him,'' Gruden said. "We'll look at every available player that we think can help our team get better and win."

(Next up for the Bucs -- Deion Sanders, Jeff George, Cris Carter, Leroy Butler, Erik Williams, Jan Stenerud, and Alan Page.)

Still, we doubt that Gruden and Snyder would ever be able to coexist, given that both are freakin' control freaks. Snyder remains unwilling to take a back seat to anyone -- and until he does so he'll only be able to lure coaches who are looking to cash in and/or to guys who want a head-coaching job so badly that they're willing to tolerate Snyder.

Now that the defamation lawsuit against Colts quarterback Pey-"Tin Man"-ning finally has begun to blip on the national radar screen, lots of folks are missing the point.

Though the most shocking revelation in the litigation arises from the allegation that Manning placed his testicles and "naked butt and rectum" in the face of Jamie Ann Naughright, the case ain't about Manning's alleged gooch-drop on the former UT assistant trainer's grill.

Instead, the case is about Manning's statements regarding Naughright in his book, "Manning: A Father, His Sons and a Football Legacy."

Naughright contends she was defamed by Manning's contention that she has a "vulgar mouth." (As explained way back in '02 when the case was first filed: (1) most folks connected to football have a "vulgar mouth"; and (2) her lawsuit is only drawing more attention to her alleged "vulgar mouth," since Manning's book never was a threat to the likes of Ann "Lilith Crane" Coulter and/or Sean "the Antichrist" Hannity.)

But even co-author Archie Manning doesn't seem to understand that the present allegations against his son have nothing to do with the 3-D mooning episode from way back in 1996.

The AP reports that the elder Manning "believes his son Peyton has been punished enough for a mistake he made seven years ago and that a defamation lawsuit should have been dismissed."

"He felt it was his mistake, he tried to apologize and he was remorseful," Archie Manning said Tuesday night. "He got punished and he took his punishment.

"Obviously, my wife and I and our family hurt for Peyton at a time like this," he said. "We're sad for him, especially since an incident from seven years ago seems to have gotten so twisted."

Okay, fine. But Peyton's a big boy now, Archie, and he brought this all on himself by including reference to the incident in his book, and by seeing fit to make disparaging comments (true or not) against a woman who, based on published reports, has history of making legal claims.

Maybe Archie himself is feeling a bit remorseful. After all, he's one of the named authors of the book, and we suspect that there was a least one conversation between Archie, Peyton, and their ghost writer about whether any reference should be made in the book to Naughright -- and to Peyton's "not-right" squat.

The Browns finally have acknowledged that president Carmen Policy has sold back his 10 percent ownership interest; predictably, they're acting like it's no big deal -- and if that's true, why wasn't the move announced when it happened?

In an effort to boost a suddenly sagging run defense, the Vikings plan to elevate CB Ken Irvin over CB Denard Walker, and to use rookie LB E.J. Henderson in place of Greg Biekert in the nickle pacakge.

The NFL wants to know why Pats DT Richard Seymour was listed as "probable" on the injury report -- but didn't make the trip to Denver.

Folks in D.C. are beginning to scrutinize coach Steve Spurrier's relatively inexperienced coaching staff.

The injury-riddled Raiders have resorted to QB Rob "Speed Bag" Johnson, who knows a thing or two about coming up lame after taking a hit.

To make room for Rob, the Raiders dumped RB/KR Ronney Jenkins, who criticized special teams coach Bob Casullo after the Lions game (under that theory, shouldn't CB Charles Woodson get the shoe, too?).

Cardinals K Bill Gramatica is expected to get a second opinion regarding a back injury that has kept him out of four straight games.

On Monday, the Browns suspended running back William Green and benched receiver Kevin Johnson.

But bigger changes might be in the offing, based on a weekend report from the Lake County News-Herald.

The team has said nothing about the transaction, which apparently occurred last week.

Though Policy recently signed a five-year extension to remain as team president, there was speculation after Al Lerner died that Policy might leave the team. This latest move by Policy could be a sign that he's again considering leaving the team.

It also could be an indication that Lerner is planning to sell the team, and that he wanted to be able to transfer full 100 percent ownership. (Hey -- Art Modell might be interested.)

If Policy is planning to leave, his decision might be related to rumors that the organization is planning to hire a General Manager, thereby stripping Butch Davis of his authority over personnel.

And a league source recently explained to us that such a move would be a good thing for the Browns.

"[Davis] doesn't know what he's doing," said the source. "Tell me one solid personnel decision that he has made. He's finally been shamed out of blaming Chris Palmer and Dwight Clark by the Cleveland media, so . . . he makes some dumbass comment about his teams talent level 'because they had to cut over $20 million in players this year.'"

Added the source, "Enough with the f--king excuses."

The source opined that Davis's personnel guy, Pete Garcia, "is one of the biggest jokes in the league . . . . He wouldn't know a player if one ran him over. He was the recruiting coordinator at Miami when kids were banging down the door to come to them. When they had 90+ scholarships, [they] could hide mistakes. Not in this league buddy."

Per the source, a prime example of a personnel gaffe by Davis and Garcia is the decision to draft William Green over Clinton Portis at running back. "They probably didn't know Portis well enough from their years together at Miami," said the source.

Though it's not clear what ultimately will happen in Cleveland, the move by Policy to sell his stake in the team seems to be very significant -- if it weren't, the team would've been candid about the move in order to prevent an outbreak of rumors.

Pay no attention to those kudos being thrown to the Cardinals for their decision to use some of their huge salary cap surplus to extend various player contracts.

Said one league source, "All the cards did was mostly tie up mediocre underachieving guys so they can keep being mediocre underachieving guys for a few more years. This team should have signed some better UFA's before the season than keep on extending the players who have not made the team any better."

In all, the Cardinals used $8 million of their remaining $11 million in cap space to extend the contracts of offensive tackle L.J. Shelton, running back Damien Anderson, tight end Steve Bush, kick returner/running back Josh Scobey, and linebacker LeVar Woods. Also, the team reworked the last three years of guard Leonard Davis's contract, giving him more money in 2003.

Don't look now, but there are rumblings in league circles that the Carolina Panthers could collapse over the second half of the 2003 season.

Said one scout who attended the Panthers' 14-10 loss to the Texans on Sunday, "[T]he wheels are starting to come off this bus. They do not have a starting NFL type quarterback on this team, and the guys they have cannot rally them. Look for them to fade."

Since starting the season 5-0, the Panthers have struggled, getting blown out by the Titans at home, beating the Saints narrowly in overtime, and then losing on the road to the Texans, who were forced to play with forgotten-but-not-gone quarterback Tony Banks.

We're hearing that the Dallas Cowboys are looking seriously into the possibility of signing offensive tackle James "Big Cat" Williams for the second half of the season.

The Cowboys have suffered a rash of injuries along the offensive line. Starting right tackle Ryan Young missed the Redskins game due to a knee problem, and left tackle Flozell Adams, guard Larry Allen both suffered injuries during the game. Center Gennaro DiNapoli is suffering from a sprained ankle.

Williams was cut by the Bears prior to the season, and no one has given him a whiff to date. Even the Bears, who have experienced plenty of O-line problems, have not made a move to bring back Williams.

In the wake of the Rams' surprising 30-10 loss to the 49ers, some league insiders are questioning (again) the wisdom of Mike Martz's decision to ignore the running game.

Facing a San Francisco team that had been giving up more than 100 yards per game on the ground, the Rams abandoned the run and focused exclusively on the pass.

Though quarterback Marc Bulger generated nearly 350 yards through the air, the points simply didn't come.

Running the ball on their first two plays of the game, the Rams capped their opening drive with six straight passes, ending in a field goal.

Down 17-3 in the second quarter, the Rams' fourth drive featured five passes, one run, and one punt.

Down 24-3 at the start of the second half, the Rams called 23 pass plays and only 3 running plays over the rest of the game. The offense that consistently had been putting up 30 or more points managed to score only one touchdown.

POSTED 11:27 p.m. EST, November 2, 2003; UPDATED 8:00 a.m. EST, November 3, 2003

Rumors are intensifying that the Oakland Raiders will part ways with coach Bill Callahan, only one year after he took the team to the Super Bowl.

Losing that game, in embarrassing fashion, to former coach Jon Gruden's Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the first misstep in a string of nine games that have generated only two wins for Al Davis's proud (but temporarily humbled) franchise.

And losing by 10 points to the hopelessly inept Detroit Lions on Sunday has prompted multiple league insiders to conclude that Davis will not keep Callahan around beyond the 2003 season.

Candidates to take the reins include former Vikings coach Dennis Green, whose name had been mentioned in connection with past vacancies in Oakland. The current thinking is that Green will land in Atlanta or Oakland, and that he'll parlay the interest of both teams into a big-money deal. (San Diego also remains a possibility for Green.)

Another name being mentioned in connection with the coming vacancy is Mike Ditka, who last coached in 2000 with the Saints.

The last time we checked, Ditka was hawking wiener pills under the vague label of "Tackling Men's Health." Also, Ditka recently underwent hip surgery after falling in his home, and his age and health could be significant factors limiting his desire to take the job.

Also, there's talk that Art Shell could be approached by Davis about returning to the team. Shell compiled a 56-41 record as head coach from 1989 through 1994.

After a not-as-close-as-it-seemed 21-14 loss to the Cowboys, we're getting an earful from league insiders regarding Redskins coach Steve Spurrier, who likely will soon be squeezing the word "former" into his title.

Folks can't believe the physical abuse that Spurrier allowed his starting quarterback, Patrick "Rag Doll" Ramsey, to take in Big D. One league source told us that "if the ol' ball coach spent more hours teaching his guys blitz pickup and his receivers hot routes rather than on the golf course, maybe he wouldn't look like the jackass that he does."

We've also been reminded of quotes Spurrier made regarding the work ethic of coaches like the Saints Jim Haslett right after Visor Boy scored a five-year, $25 million deal from owner Dan Snyderbrenner in early 2002.

"I saw an article on Jim Haslett coming in at 4:30 in the morning," Spurrier said. "It hasn't done him much good."

Of course, the Saints coach's approach did him a little good last season, when his team shredded the 'Skins 43-27, after Spurrier tried to back off of his comments.

"Somehow or another that comment got twisted around," Spurrier said. "I was not trying to insult anybody for working hard. I was just trying to make a statement that no matter how many hours you put in, that it doesn't always work out."

And, in Spurrier's case, his "line 'em up and play" approach isn't working out. At all.

"They look so ill-prepared and unsound," the source told us. "Perhaps this will shut his sorry ass up for a while."

We're becoming more convinced that Spurrier won't last beyond the 2003 season, and we'll no longer be surprised if he quits or is canned before Week 17. P.R. guru Snyderbrenner needs to maintain the impression that he's actually trying to improve the team -- and with at least a dozen guys available who could do a better job than Spurrier (including Deion "Quixote" Sanders), Snyder will be compelled to make a move.

Once Spurrier senses that it's coming after the season, our guess is that he'll try to find a face-saving early exit.

Ironically, it's Spurrier's self-styled arrogant nonchalance that has sealed his fate. The coach doesn't seem to be trying, and the perception is that the team isn't, either. With the Redskins' arch-rivals proving that the guy who leads the team can make a huge difference in Year One, there's no way Spurrier ever will see Year Three in D.C.

Raiders CB Charles Woodson took more shots at coach Bill Callahan after Sunday's loss to the Lions.

WR Santana Moss is coming of age for the Jets, with 10 catches for 121 and 3 touchdowns in Sunday's loss to the Giants.

Raiders QB Marques Tuiasosopo will have an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of the damage to his knee.

Jags QB Byron Leftwich has a fumbling problem, which likely arises from the fact that he holds the ball when he's in the pocket.

Texans QB David Carr plans to return from a sprained ankle next weekend against the Bengals.

Last year, CBS broke the news that Bill Parcells was talking extensively with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones about becoming the team's new head coach, even though Dave Campo was still gainfully (but tenuously) employed. The decision of Parcells not to give the story to his then-employer ESPN prompted Len Pastabelli to suggest in a radio appearance that the Tuna should have been canned on the spot.

Now, Pastabelli is getting his payback. With Deion Sanders paid a lot to talk even more on CBS's pregame show, Sanders opted to tell ESPN.com (not CBS's Sportsline.com) that he wants to be the next coach of the Falcons.

Of course, Sanders also draws a paycheck from ESPN as the host of its Monday evening outdoors show package. And, as we've surmised in the past, Sanders might be hoping eventually to land a gig with ESPN's sister company ABC on a little show known as Monday Night Football.

But first, Sanders told P. Belly that he has been considering for some time the possibility of coaching the team with which he made his NFL debut in 1989, the Atlanta.

"I can make them a better team, and I know that, because I know the things that really need to be done there," said Sanders. "I put so much time into preparing every week for my Sunday job, watching tape and talking to players and coaches, that I still live football. It's still a big part of me. I talk to head coaches and assistants, guys with whom I'm close, every week. I know what the job involves, believe me, and I know I can do it."

Though Deion says he has "great respect" for current coach Dan Reeves, Sanders believes that "there's going to be a change, let's face it. . . . I mean, they have to do something, don't they? They've got some players there they can win with, any coach would love to work with [Mike] Vick, plus I know I could get players to come there. Guys most definitely would want to play for me.

"The key is that guys have to want to play for you," Sanders said. "You have to have some element of your makeup where players will go all-out for you. And, hey, I know that I have that. As a player, I was always a motivator, on and off the field. When I was back there as a punt returner, those 10 other guys on that return unit knew that if they just gave me any kind of opening, I was gone. When I played cornerback, I would tell guys, 'Hey, even if we don't have a pass rush, we've got to take the ball away.' And I'd go out and (get) an interception."

Though Sanders has never spoken to owner Arthur Blank about this or any issues, Deion wants to. "I guess my message to Mr. Blank would be two words: 'Call me,' " Sanders said. "I think it would work. Look, every man wants a challenge, right? Well, I've given this a lot of thought. This isn't just some spur-of-the-moment thing. It's not something crazy that I just suddenly dreamed up. It isn't a joke. It's the challenge I want."

We've read these quotes several times now, and the word that keeps coming to mind is "delusional." With zero experience as a coach, Deion "Quixote" simply can't expect to get hired as a head coach based primarily on his faded on-field talents and his sometimes infectious personality.

Also, if Sanders truly is serious about getting a job with the Falcons, he should call Blank himself, and Deion should ask about job opportunities quietly, not publicly.

Then again, perhaps Deion knows that his only chance at getting a gig in Atlanta is to force Blank's hand via a P.R. campaign. Or maybe Deion is just looking for some November attention, since no one at all is expressing interest in adding the aging cover man for the stretch run.

If nothing else, this story should make CBS's NFL Today a little (make that "a lot") more interesting than it usually is.

Reinstated by the league, released by the Raiders, reeled in by the Redskins. A week ago, Russell was a civilian. Now, he's getting ready to take 12-15 snaps when the Redskins play the Cowboys on Sunday.

In the end, Russell will get $790,000 more for that and eight other games with the 'Skins than he would've received if he'd stayed home for the rest of the 2003 season.

But we're still trying to figure out why Russell didn't bother to explore interest in other NFL cities.

The Cowboys were interested. As were the Packers. And the Bucs were as serious as they were discreet regarding their interest in adding Russell to a mix that includes Anthony McFarland and (for the rest of the season) Warren Sapp.

So why didn't Russell's new agent, Gary Wichard, make the rounds with the former Pro Bowler?

A league source tells us that Wichard likely felt beholden to Redskins V.P. of Player Personnel Vinny Cerrato, a close friend of Wichard's, who presumably gave Gary a head's up regarding the Redskins interest in Russell.

The thinking in league circles is that Wichard contacted Russell with a wink/nod suggestion that he could get him a job, and Russell bit, dumping Leigh Steinberg and picking up Wichard.

(Side note to our friends who are wondering why this agent swap didn't trigger Drew Rosenhaus-Mark Lepselter issues. Once the Raiders cut Russell, he likewise became "free" for agent purposes, since the standard representation contract lasts only as long as the underlying contract with the team is in effect.)

Wichard, by all appearances, ignored the overtures of other teams and locked onto the Redskins and Cerrato.

Wrong. Once other teams started putting coin on the counter, it automatically would've become more difficult (and expensive) to get Russell under contract. Thus, Wichard would have been sticking it to his (adopted) cousin Vinny.

"I did not think I would be signing this early," Russell said on Wednesday. "I wanted to shop around -- see what's going on, see where everyone is at, see where I could fit in best. Maybe I'm just really anxious to get back. . . . I just felt an energy here that I would be very excited to contribute to."

Really, if Darrell's ultimate goal is to get himself a big contract after the 2003 season, why not look for the best fit? At a minimum, target a team that's in position to make the playoffs, since guys who play in January when 26 teams (and counting) are home watching the games can make a slightly greater impression.

One league insider called it the "Dexter Jackson" effect, which occurs when an otherwise middle-of-the-pack guy parlays a solid postseason into a rich free-agent payday. (See also Brown, Larry; Howard, Desmond.)

As we see it, Russell was in a great position. He could've waited a couple of weeks. If Chris Hovan or Kris Jenkins, to name only two, had blown a knee, Russell would've gotten an early visit from Kris Kringle, in the form of a starting spot on a playoff favorite and a big chunk of the team's remaining salary space for 2003.

Instead, the Redskins rushed Russell, and Wichard did little (nothing) to remind his client of the big picture.

It makes us wonder whether owner Dan Snyderbrenner really was getting mixed advice on signing Russell, or whether it was all part of the plan to get Darrell's deal done before he woke up and realized that he was getting hosed.

Ravens coach Brian Billick was fined $15,000 for his comments criticizing referee Johnny Grier and the replay system (check out Profootballtalk Radio's October 29 show for our take on what the zebras might be up to).

NFL owners got a "crash course" this week on the designer steroid THG -- and we hear that Colts owner Jim Irsay was taking really good notes.

Workaholic Bucs coach Jon Gruden actually went trick-or-treating with his kids on Friday night ("Put the f--king candy in the bag old man, we've got to hit 350 houses in two f--king hours!")