That was confirmed when coaches told him: "If it gets any worse, be ready."

It didn't take long to get worse. The Chiefs went ahead 42-0 late in the third quarter, and McCown replaced starter Jake Plummer.

"I felt like he needed to get in there and get a little look, get a taste of it," head coach Dave McGinnis said of McCown.

A third-round pick in April's draft, McCown didn't accomplish much, completing 4-of-12 passes for 45 yards in the 49-0 loss. He was also sacked three times, resulting in the Cardinals finishing with minus 11 yards of offense in the fourth quarter.

"I just wanted to go in and complete some balls and just got a feel for it," McCown said, "so I could have some tape to watch and see where I'm at and help myself in practice and say, 'This is what I need to work on and get better.'"

Plummer knew there was a chance McCown could play.

"Jake and I talked about it, and he said, 'Fine, coach. You have to do your job,'" McGinnis said.

Plummer will remain the starter, McGinnis said. But Sunday marked the first time in almost two years that someone other than Plummer took a snap for the Cardinals.

"[McGinnis] has to make that decision," Plummer said. "As a player, you don't fight the coach. With that score, he has to get the kid in there to get some looks, give him some reps. I was [mad] at myself that the offense went out there early and didn't do anything."

It wasn't the easiest situation for McCown. The Chiefs continued to blitz, as they had all game, and were doing things the Cardinals hadn't seen before.

"Those guys were just experimenting," left tackle L.J. Shelton said. "That's what you can do when you're up five touchdowns.

"It's kind of rough on [McCown]. I thought he did a good job. Personally, I know I got the kid hit twice, so I didn't do my part to make his transition smooth."

It wasn't the debut McCown had dreamed of, but it was better than just watching.

"It's fun to get in there and get your chance," McCown said, "but it [stinks] that it had to come in these circumstances. ..."

Not that it in any way excuses being shut out by one of the league's worst defenses, but in an article published Tuesday, Republic columnist Lee Shappell reminded readers that Plummer didn't get much help from his receivers, who dropped at least nine passes.

Shappell went on to point out that the team not only had receivers run into each other on patterns, they also stepped on each others toes, literally. Ask Frank Sanders. ... Wide-open receiver Jason McAddley and Plummer combined for a blooper highlight on what should have been a 69-yard touchdown pass play. Plummer fired a helicopter; McAddley lost it in the sun. It fell to the ground, incomplete. ...

Of course, you see where this is heading don't you?

Don't start any of these guys unless you absolutely have to. ...

Still not sold?

All right then. ... Answer me this: How does an offense already unable to score with a full compliment of weapons get the job done down the stretch without its top four receivers, three starting offensive linemen and starting running back Thomas Jones?

As mentioned above, Sanders went down in the first quarter because of a sprained right arch when he became tangled with tight end Freddie Jones. The Cardinals already were playing without David Boston, MarTay Jenkins and Bryan Gilmore.

Sanders is expected to miss one to two weeks.

Then early in the second quarter, left guard Pete Kendall suffered an injury to his left knee. It happened when running back Marcel Shipp was tackled into the back of Kendall's legs, while Kendall was bent backward.

The Cardinals already are playing without center Mike Gruttadauria and right tackle Anthony Clement.

It's believed that Kendall's anterior cruciate ligament was not damaged, but that will have to be confirmed by a magnetic resonance imaging test.

Also of interest. ...

The Cardinals auditioned running back Travis Prentice on Monday. A third-round pick by Cleveland in 2000, Prentice played in 14 games for Minnesota last season, then went to Houston's training camp this year.

The Cardinals' running game was pitiful against Kansas City, which began the game with the NFL's worst defense. Only 26 of Arizona's 122 total yards came on the ground.

Shipp, who ran for 135 yards against Oakland on Nov. 24, had 26 yards on 14 carries. Shipp has started two games because Thomas Jones broke his hand answering the telephone earlier this month.

But McGinnis said signing another running back was far from his top priority with the problems up front.

"You're not going to replace anybody this time of year," McGinnis said. "You've got 32 teams and you've got a salary cap and you've got 13 weeks deep into the season. Those people just aren't there."

Say. ... Did I remind you not to play any of these guys down the stretch?

For what it's worth. ... Nate Poole will likely move into the starting lineup in Sanders' absence.

One last item here. ... Also according to Somers, coaches hope Kevin Kasper, recently acquired off waivers, is more than just a stopgap for the team's problems at receiver.

The club's top four receivers are unrestricted free agents after this season and Kasper could contend for the third or fourth spot next year.

Reeves came up with only former Dallas Cowboys receiver Bob Hayes, an Olympic gold-medal sprinter, and New York Giants outside linebacker Lawrence Taylor.

"In Bob's era, not a lot of teams were playing zone," Reeves said. "He changed that because nobody could run with him, covering him man to man.

"Taylor certainly changed the way people tried to block the 3-4 defense with him coming off the corner. They couldn't isolate running backs on him. They had to start blocking with linemen.

"The thing about Mike is the speed with which he plays the position. We never have had a quarterback who can be the fastest guy on the field, and he is almost every week."

The Minnesota Vikings were the latest to learn the hard way as Vick set an NFL record for rushing yards in a game by a quarterback with 173.

He also had 173 yards passing, where he is the most improved in his second season.

He is finding the right receiver, and he is throwing with the appropriate touch.

So how do you stop him?

"That's the million-dollar question," Tampa Bay head coach Jon Gruden said Monday.

Gruden's team was the last to beat the Falcons, back in Week 5.

Atlanta is 7-0-1 since. The Bucs, with the league's stingiest defense, get another shot at Vick on Sunday in Tampa with the NFC South lead at stake.

"When this guy takes off, it's like Billy 'White Shoes' Johnson, one of the most dangerous punt returners of our lifetime," Gruden said. "What Michael Vick did [Sunday] is one for the ages.

"But we've got guys on our defense that people forget how fast they are. It's a disciplined group. We stay in our lanes, and when the quarterback chooses to run, we do have catch-up speed ourselves. We respect this guy. He is one dangerous runner. But we'll do what we do, mix up looks and be relentless in the pocket."

The popular theory on how to stop Vick, a left-hander, is first to make him run right. All of his big runs have been to his left. Simeon Rice and Warren Sapp are on the right side of the Bucs' defense, Vick's left. Then, play zone. In man-to-man coverage, the quarterback often is not accounted for, allowing Vick to rush for big yardage before anyone gets to him. Finally, when Vick shows run, drop a linebacker out of coverage and immediately chase.

It all sounds good.

Few have succeeded.

"Minnesota came in with some defenses they hadn't even played, which is unusual to see on Thanksgiving week, trying to do things to stop him. He adjusted," Reeves said. "It's exciting when he starts putting everything together and then has those types of runs.

"As he learns where to go with the football and not take chances, it's really scary to see where he's going to be."

In the end, Vick made some poor choices in losing two fumbles and throwing an interception. But those mistakes were overcome with a 39-yard touchdown pass to Finneran and a 28-yard touchdown run that was a designed play to his left.

"We just put that in," Reeves said. "It's a neat play. Bob [Christian] made the key block, and Mike just followed it right on behind him. We've got a name for it now. Other teams will have to work on that for a while trying to figure that one out."

Vick didn't just have the Vikings hopping. Researchers at the Elias Sports Bureau scrambled to find if a quarterback had ever rushed for 173 yards.

After the game, Elias told the Falcons that Chicago's Bobby Douglass owned the record since the 1970 NFL-AFL with a 127-yard effort against Oakland in 1972. Further research Monday showed that Green Bay's Tobin Rote owned the league record with 150 yards against Chicago on Nov. 18, 1951.

Whatever the case, Vick is clearly in a league of his own.

"He's a game-breaker, and he's a game-changer," former NFL cornerback Deion Sanders said. "I mean there's a lot of great players in the NFL, but there ain't but a couple of game-changers. This guy changed the game.

"A few people have come along in life in the game of football that change your perception of the game. It changes college coaches to go and recruit, scouts to go and look for this type of player."

Wade Phillips, Atlanta's defensive coordinator, was working on his father Bum Phillips' staff in Houston when Earl Campbell stormed into the NFL as a powerful record-setting running back in the 1970s.

"Obviously they are totally different in terms of size and speed, but that's what Earl did when he came into the league," Phillips said. "He dominated. He won the MVP as a rookie. Mike's a first-year starter, so he compares in that sense."

I disagree. I don't think Mike Vick compares with anybody we've ever seen before. Enjoy!

Other notes of interest. ...

As reported by Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer Matt Winkeljohn, for all the glee at Falcons headquarters, Reeves gave non-injured players a rare Monday off, there also was some gloom.

Running back Warrick Dunn heads into this week questionable at best. In fact, early reports indicate the Falcons might be without their second-leading rusher in Dunn (627 yards) because he has a badly sprained right ankle.

Rookie T.J. Duckett would get the nod if Dunn is unable to play Sunday.

And finally. ... With Brian Finneran, who missed the last few possessions because he started cramping (and also slowed Saturday night by an upset stomach), finishing Sunday's game with 114 receiving yards, the Falcons have had a receiver surpass the 100-yard mark for the fourth week in a row -- after going 20 in a row without one:

Shawn Jefferson (against the Steelers) and Trevor Gaylor (against the Saints) had 100-yard games and Finneran has done it in the past two. The last time Atlanta had a 100-yard receiver in four consecutive games was in 1994, when Terance Mathis did it on the way to his only Pro Bowl.

With the Ravens surprisingly still in the playoff hunt, Billick said Blake provides the best chance at winning now and will stick with the 11-year veteran for the final four games of the regular season. Going back to former starter Chris Redman was considered too risky since he has not played in six weeks and has yet to take a hit on his injured back.

"Right now, given our situation - 6-6 and battling for playoff spot -- Jeff Blake is our starting quarterback and will remain that way," Billick said. "I don't know that Jeff has done anything to deserve being replaced.

"The other factor I have to keep in mind is when Chris comes in, there's going to be some rust in there. I don't think that's fair to put this team in that situation. As long as this team is clearly part of the playoff picture, I can't imagine that situation changing."

There is a concern that changing quarterbacks can change a team's chemistry.

The league's third-lowest-rated passer this season, Blake hasn't looked sharp the past two weeks - completing 49 percent of his throws for a total of 224 yards - but he has led the Ravens to back-to-back wins, keeping them one and a half games behind the AFC North-leading Pittsburgh Steelers.

Although Blake and Redman have different styles, their numbers over six starts almost mirror each other.

Blake is 3-3 and has connected on 54 percent of his passes for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and six interceptions. Likewise, Redman is 3-3 and has completed 53 percent of his throws for 1,034 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.

Redman, who injured his back on Oct. 26, has made substantial improvement the past two weeks and was listed as the Ravens' backup quarterback in Cincinnati. He estimated that he is at least 90 percent healthy and could return as the starter if given the chance.

"Obviously, I'm disappointed," Redman said. "I think I can go out there and compete. But I'll do what's best for the team. If that's going out there and being the backup, I'll be the backup. There's nothing I can do about it. I'm disappointed because I thought we were headed in the right direction."

When asked what Blake would have to do to lose the job, Billick said, "It would have to be something dramatic. It wouldn't be fair to Jeff, it wouldn't be fair to the team and it probably wouldn't be fair to Chris to throw him into that situation and put that kind of pressure on as long as we are a viable part of the playoff hunt."

In his first year as starter, Redman steadily progressed in the Ravens' ball-control system. But the Ravens don't plan to play Redman except in an emergency or in the fourth quarter of a rout.

"We've gotten most of the questions answered coming into this season, but the one that has left unknown is the development of Chris Redman because of the injury," Billick said. "Having said that, Jeff has come in and played well enough to put us in a position to be in the playoff chase. His situation does not preclude him coming back with us in that capacity. So yeah, I am walking a fine line between Jeff's presence in what he's able to do yet still would like to see Chris develop."

The Ravens are leaning toward bringing both Blake and Redman back for next season. Blake, who signed for the one-year league minimum this offseason, is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. Redman is a restricted free agent, meaning the Ravens need only to extend a contract offer to keep him.

But Billick refused to speculate whether Blake would be given the starting job next season or if Redman will have a chance to compete for the spot.

"We'll address that in the offseason and see how this year actually finishes," Billick said. "We'll go through that evaluation process as we always do and we'll lay it out to both individuals as to what our intentions are. Those choices could be multiple. Right now is not the time to define those. We have too much football left."

Other notes of interest. ...

SportsLine.com insider Jay Glazer reported on Sunday that receiver Javin Hunter has violated the league's substance abuse policy by testing positive for ephedrine and is facing a suspension. Hunter said he is appealing the decision but would not elaborate.

Ephedrine is a drug found in dietary supplements and can cause seizures, strokes or death.

Hunter did not record a catch despite playing most of the offensive snaps. Ron Johnson had started the two previous games.

"I was right on target with much of my assignments," Hunter said. "I didn't get that many opportunities to catch the ball, but I'm happy we won."

The news of Hunter's suspension comes during a week in which the Ravens were forced to shelve Brandon Stokley, one of the team's offensive stars in Super Bowl XXXV, who decided to undergo season-ending surgery.

Hunter joined the Ravens after being selected by the team in the sixth round of this year's draft. Last week, he was listed as the team's starting wide receiver opposite Travis Taylor. He has started two of the Ravens' last seven games -- including last Sunday's, but has just five catches for 35 yards. ...

Tight end Todd Heap connected with Blake for his first touchdown since the Jacksonville game Oct. 20.

Although the play was designed for Taylor, Heap was being held in the end zone and looked to the officials for a flag before finally cutting across the field and creating a target for Blake. The 22-yard reception put the Ravens up 27-23 and proved to be the winning score.

"The guy was holding me around my waist, and I'm trying to say, 'What's going on?'" Heap said. "But I saw [Blake] breaking loose out of the corner of my eye, and I tried to get in his vision and in a defensive seam. He put it up there, and I was lucky to come down with it."

One last item here. ... In an article published Monday, ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli asked: "Has any back returned from ACL surgery stronger than Ravens star Jamal Lewis, who went over 1,000 yards on Sunday?" Short answer: No.

"Let’s attack. Let’s do the things that got us to 5-3," Moulds and Price cried in unison. "Let’s not let defenses dictate to us, let’s dictate to them."

After three straight passive defeats, Moulds and Price could take it no more. They took their message to the streets, which meant some candid remarks to the media.

The danger for an athlete here is walking that fine line between being a team leader who wants desperately to win and wants to shoulder more responsibility. And one who comes off as selfish.

"It may seem like we’re being selfish but at the same time, we’re trying to help the team win," Moulds said. "We feel so confident in our abilities that we want a chance to help the team win. That’s the main objective. We’re just challenging ourselves. We said it was on us to make plays."

So they did.

After three weeks spent in what Roth characterized as the "Witness Protection Program," the Bills’ offense regained its identity, its swagger.

On the kind of day that makes western New York travel agents smile, Bledsoe, Moulds and Price frolicked in the snow and bone-chilling cold, turning the Dolphins into so much frozen fish while racking up 38 points.

It was also the kind of day that defies logic.

The team from the south ran the ball with reckless abandon. The team from the north passed it.

But the Bills also ran the ball well and won the turnover battle 3-0, their team balance and big plays trumping Ricky Williams’ incredible 228-yard rushing performance.

By combining for 7 catches, 223 yards and 3 touchdowns, Moulds and Price each eclipsed 1,000 yards for the season.

Running back Travis Henry (151 yards) joined them, making it the first time in NFL history a team had a rusher and two receivers hit the 1,000-yard milestone in the same game.

Their feat was frozen in time. Their feet were just frozen.

"It’s a lot of fun to be a part of," said Bledsoe, who threw for 300 yards for a sixth time this season against a tough Miami defense that seems to play well against everybody -- but Buffalo.

Not that Buffalo's success throwing the ball is hard to figure out.

As Roth noted, Moulds and Price are exceptional players and Miami is just cocky enough to play them one-on-one a good chunk of the time. And of course, that strategy didn't work very well Sunday.

"Well, really, Eric and Peerless just came up with the big plays for us," Bledsoe said when asked to explain why the Bills exploded for five touchdowns after scoring just three total during their losing streak.

"We’ve struggled for a little while trying to get back into that big-play mode that we were in. Today, we had some opportunities and they came up with the plays."

Just like they told us they would. Like the great ones do.

The game can be so simple when the ball is placed in the hands of playmakers as a philosophy born of sheer confidence.

Give credit to Gilbride and Bledsoe for listening to Moulds’ and Price’s pleas, not easy when the rapidly improving Henry also deserves his touches.

"I think we were the aggressor today," Price said. "Coach Gilbride said that regardless of what they play, we’re going to get back on track and that’s exactly what we did. We didn’t worry about the elements, we didn’t worry about what the defense was giving us. We took our shots and we made plays."

For the record, Bledsoe stressed that Henry's contribution was a major factor in the team's overall offensive success.

"I will tell you that watching Travis Henry run from my view is pretty cool," Bledsoe said. "When Travis is running it like he was ... they have to commit their safeties up there to try to slow down your running game, then it makes things a lot easier."

Along those same lines. ... In an article published Monday, Sports Illustrated insider Peter King offered the following observation:

"Funny. Drew Bledsoe told me the other day, 'We need to be more patient on offense. We've got to let drives develop. We can't get greedy.' Their touchdown drives [versus] Miami: eight, four, two, one and seven plays.

"Patience is a virtue, except when Eric Moulds is open deep."

And finally. ... In an article published Tuesday, Buffalo News beat writer Allen Wilson suggested the Bills need more production from Jay Riemersma, who has 22 receptions after grabbing a career-high 53 last season.

Riemersma is supposed to be providing Bledsoe a reliable target in the middle, especially when teams take away the outside receivers. But the veteran tight end isn't getting open or getting off the line cleanly. Riemersma is dropping some passes and misreading coverages. ...

Staying with Peete, who is 36 and has struggled with injuries and turnovers, means the club is likely to pursue a new starter in the free-agent market or the draft.

Rookie Randy Fasani is the only quarterback on the roster assured of being at camp next season. Look for him to get more time as No. 2 quarterback in the last four games. ...

Second-year running back Dee Brown has a chance to find his niche while replacing Lamar Smith, who is on paid leave after being arrested on a charge of drunken driving. Brown has decent speed, but isn't a physical inside runner like Smith.

That might lead to some changes in the offense to capitalize on Brown's ability to get outside.

Nonetheless, with the 5-foot-10, 209-pound Brown running the ball effectively, the Carolina offensive line seemed revitalized against the Browns. The Panthers, who yielded eight sacks a week ago, allowed none Sunday.

"With Dee hitting the holes the way he was, when you make yardage on a run play, it makes the next one a heck of a lot easier," said center Jeff Mitchell. "And it makes the passing game a lot easier."

Brown was not surprised by his success.

"You never prepare to be a backup; you always prepare to be the No. 1 guy," he said. "So when Lamar went down, it was just an opportunity for me to step up. Had it not been me, it would have been Nick Goings or whoever was in there.

"You're only one play away from being the guy."

If Brown's implication was that any of the Carolina running backs could have done that, his offensive linemen offered some specific praise for him.

"Even when we didn't block it 100 percent correctly, with his speed he was able to make up for that and turn some negative plays into 6- and 7-yard gains," said guard Jamar Nesbit. "And as unfortunate as the incident was that gave him the opportunity, he took advantage of it."

The play that stood out in his teammates' minds came on fourth-and-1 at the Cleveland 31 and the Panthers clinging to a 10-6 lead with 5 minutes, 31 seconds to play.

Carolina needed the first down to keep the ball. Peete handed it to Brown.

"That was all Dee," said left tackle Todd Steussie. "They stunted us and there were some free runners, and when you're trying to come off the ball and knock a guy on his back, and they loop around, you're just trying to stay in one direction and hit somebody, anybody.

"Dee, with his speed, was able to run away from a couple guys and do something all by himself."

Brown said, "When we came down to fourth-and-1, Rodney just told me, 'Get behind your shoulders, put two hands on the ball and just go get it.' I just took his advice and went and got it."

Brown said he wasn't certain he had earned the starting job with his performance. But he was sure of what Sunday's game meant to his team.

"It was a very special day," he said.

"To lose eight games and have about five or six of them lost in the last few minutes, and to finally make the plays in the last few minutes of this game and come out with a win was a tremendous feeling for us. ..."

For what it's worth, Brown took some reps as the team’s third quarterback earlier this season and was looking forward to getting his first opportunity to throw a pass.

It came on Sunday, but didn’t go all that well. His pass attempt off a halfback pass was picked off by a Cleveland defender.

"I didn’t see the corner over there. If I had, I probably would have thrown it out of bounds," Brown said. "But we took our chances -- and I think you have to take your chances. You’ve got to keep people honest."

Also of interest. ...

As reported by Gaston Gazette reporter Steve Reed, place-kicker Shayne Graham had a rough start on Sunday, shanking a 33-yard field goal wide left in the first quarter and then having 22-yard attempt blocked in the second quarter.

But Graham bounced back to hit from 43 and 44 yards in the fourth quarter.

Head coach Jon Fox said after the game he’s glad he stuck with Graham in the fourth quarter.

"We had the wind so we decided to take advantage of it," Fox said. "[The misses are] frustrating and this is something we have to do a better job of. Overall I think Shayne has done a good job."

"I've never been around a team 7-9 to make the playoffs," said Jauron, whose team dropped to 3-9 with its 30-20 loss to the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, thus ensuring a losing record for the sixth time in seven years. "You've got to be lucky at 8-8, so that pretty much ended any of our hopes there.

"Then obviously, just to lose to them is a tough day for us. And also to give up the divisional title that we worked so hard to get a year ago, it just all in all [was] a tough day for everybody here, certainly for lots of other people too."

Central among them was Thomas, whose second season officially goes down as a stinging disappointment following his NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year honor of a year ago.

Thomas, whose fractured finger was originally reported by the team to be on his right hand, had just four carries on Sunday for 26 yards, his first carry of the day going for 26 yards and his final three for minus-2, 1 and 1.

He finishes the season with 721 yards on 214 carries for an average of 3.4 yards and six touchdowns, compared with last year's 1,183 yards on 278 rushes and seven TDs for an average of 4.3 yards per carry.

Filling the void will be Leon Johnson, who already had begun cutting into Thomas' carries, and rookie Adrian Peterson, a sixth-round draft choice who has been active in only five games this season, playing on special teams coverage units.

"Adrian will obviously play a larger role now," Jauron said. "We should get a chance to see him carry the ball, so that will be good for him. You wanted to see Adrian, not under these circumstances, but it will be good for everybody."

Tight end Dustin Lyman will also miss the rest of the season because of a torn ligament in his left knee.

Lyman caught two touchdown passes and had the best game of his three-year NFL career in a loss to Green Bay on Sunday. He had seven receptions for 58 yards. Before Sunday, he had eight career catches for 67 yards.

Lyman will have surgery on the knee and will require up to 10 months of rehabilitation, the team said Tuesday. He had reconstructive surgery on the same knee in college.

Also according to Isaacson, Jauron said he expects quarterback Chris Chandler to be back in practice this week after injuring an ankle last week against Detroit, though Jim Miller remains the team's starter despite continued soreness in his throwing arm.

"One thing I have learned through all these injuries is things can change day to day, so we'll see how everybody is as we move along, but Jimmy's our guy," said Jauron, who started his 12th different lineup Sunday in 12 games this season. "Jimmy's been our guy, and he'll stay there as long as he can do it and as long as our people say he's OK to do it."

But as Tribune staffer John Mullin noted on Tuesday, Miller is going into games having not thrown in practice because the team is trying to ease his elbow tendinitis and shoulder soreness. His accuracy, touch and timing with receivers suffers because of it.

His footwork also can be affected by a lack of work. Miller isn't showing his usual footwork rhythm as he gets into his throwing motion, which clearly is affected by his pain. ...

One last note. ... Don't expect any drastic changes down the stretch, primarily, said Jauron, because they don't have the flexibility.

"Injury has pretty much taken care of that to a large degree through the year anyway, but we'll analyze everything as we go forward, including personnel and how they fit," he said. "But we intend to play every game to win it."

And with 70 yards on 23 carries last Sunday, Dillon -- with 1,018 yards this season -- heads into week 14 with his sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season in as many years as a pro, joining the Jets' Curtis Martin and former standouts Eric Dickerson and Barry Sanders.

As reported by Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Mark Curnutte, Martin clearly understands the magnitude of the achievement.

"It's a testament to consistency and hard work," said Martin, who has run for 1,000-plus in each of his first seven seasons. "To me, Corey Dillon is one of the best backs in the league. He has the strength, the speed and agility, and has proven it every year.

"That's a very hard thing to do. Six years in a row. It seems like something that is simple. But you don't see many people do it because it's hard."

The Ravens' Jamal Lewis is a talented young tailback who won't reach the milestone.

"If you don't have 1,000 yards rushing a year, maybe you're not doing things that you need to do," said Lewis, who ran for 1,364 yards as a rookie but missed his second season with a training-camp knee injury. "As long as you can run the ball efficiently and your line is blocking for you, you can get 1,000 yards easy."

Lewis, who has three 100-yard games in three starts against the Bengals, is just 77 yards from another 1,000-yard season.

But Lewis -- unlike Dillon, Martin, Dickerson and Sanders -- couldn't avoid serious injury early in his career.

Dillon, on the other hand, has missed just two of a possible 91 NFL games. He was inactive for Game 15 in 1998 because of a lower back bruise, and he was out of the 1999 season finale because of a left knee strain.

Since then, though, Dillon has started 44 consecutive games, rushed for 3,768 yards and caught 88 passes for another 629 yards.

Dillon is on pace for a projected 1,379 yards this season, which would bring his six-year average to 1,265. Dillon, like the other three, has gone over 1,100 yards in his first five seasons and is on pace to better that mark again in Year 6.

And if he plays out the three remaining seasons after this one on his contract, Dillon is on pace for a Hall of Fame-worthy 11,383 rushing yards for nine seasons.

Dillon is not talking to reporters, but New York's Martin had plenty to say about his Cincinnati contemporary.

"What I like about Corey is his power," Martin said. "When you hear people talk about him around the league, defensive guys, they all talk about how he 'brings it.' They say Corey Dillon is 'bringing it.' He runs hard. But, at the same time, he's agile. You don't usually find people who are very hard runners and also very quick. Then you see him break away. He's a complete back."

Head coach Dick LeBeau, who played defensive back for the Detroit Lions from 1959-72, faced the top backs of that generation -- Jim Brown, Jim Taylor, Gale Sayers, to name just a few.

LeBeau takes Martin's compliment of Dillon a step further.

"The thing that makes it easy to talk about Corey is if it's a passing play, he rarely misses his pass protection. He's very good at picking up [the blitz]," LeBeau said. "If it's a running play, he generally is making a very effective block. He doesn't just carry the ball.

"In the last two years, his productivity at receiving has really come up quite a bit. He's become our third-down back also. I don't think you can overstate the effort Corey puts into our program."

And it's not a winning program.

Martin, Sanders and Dickerson played for winning NFL teams. Dillon has not. His six Bengals teams haven't even sniffed the postseason and have won just 25 of 92 games.

Dickerson was in the playoffs in his first five NFL seasons - four with the Los Angeles Rams and the fifth with the Indianapolis Colts.

Sanders' Lions were in the playoffs in three of his first six seasons.

Martin's New England Patriots went to the Super Bowl in his second season and were back in the playoffs his third. He also played in the AFC Championship Game with the 1998 Jets. Martin's 695 rushing yards this season put him on pace for 1,011, which would make him and Sanders the only members of the eight-year club.

Dillon could be there, too.

"I think it speaks to his character," Martin said of Dillon's excellence with the Bengals. "To be on a losing team -- and they haven't just lost, not to talk bad about the Bengals, but the reality is they haven't had a winning season in a long time, it seems -- and for him to be able to do that in those circumstances, it speaks to his character and determination, his ability to focus beyond the circumstances. That's hard to do, and he has been able to do it."

Other notes of interest. ...

In an article published Tuesday, Dayton Daily News beat writer Chick Ludwig suggested the long-overdue release of wide receiver Michael Westbrook, prompted by his shoddy route-running, is good news for third-year wide receiver Danny Farmer.

Inactive for eight games, Farmer has fully recovered from a torn knee ligament. He's a dependable player who makes an impact when healthy.

Also according to Ludwig, second-year wide receiver Chad Johnson has blossomed into a playmaker because his focus, concentration and work ethic finally are meeting his talent level. He explodes off the line of scrimmage, stretching defenses with special speed that makes him difficult to cover one-on-one.

Johnson does an excellent job of adjusting to the ball in the air, catching it away from his body and accelerating quickly upfield. He also is making better adjustments in knowing when to break off routes against the blitz and has improved his blocking. Stardom is within reach if he can be more consistent.

And finally. ... In an article published last Saturday, ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli noted that despite a fifth straight season with double-digit losses, the ninth time in 12 years now the Cincinnati Bengals have registered 10 or more defeats, owner Mike Brown is adamant that LeBeau's fate will not be decided until the schedule concludes.

"It's not time to get into that," Brown said when the subject of LeBeau's job security was broached earlier this week. "We'll talk about the future when the season is over.

As usual with the Bengals, there is much speculation about the direction the club will take with its coaching staff, but no one can attach credence to any of the whispers since Brown counsels with so few outsiders.

Last month the rumors were that Brown would not bring in a general manager, but instead attempt to hire a more high-profile coach, and cede him more control than previous Bengals sideline bosses have enjoyed. The latest speculation is that Brown, who is loathe to fire head coaches, will keep the current staff for one more season.

There is also talk the Bengals, who have the smallest personnel department in the NFL, will hire more scouts in the offseason and distance the coaches a bit from the talent assessment process.

All of the talk means very little, however, since it seems that Brown is still pondering options for a franchise that has now gone 12 seasons since its last playoff berth.

Criticized by the fans for his fierce loyalty to his staffers, it seems Brown now feels the team has demonstrated solid effort of late under LeBeau, a coach the players clearly respect despite just three victories over the last 20 outings. It is believed LeBeau, who took over when Bruce Coslet resigned three games into the 2000 season, is in the final year of his contract.

LeBeau has compiled an 11-29 record.

"The problem," said right offensive tackle Willie Anderson, a Pro Bowl-caliber player who rarely gets much attention because of the Bengals' poor record, "goes way beyond the coaches. You can't put it all on them. You get rid of them and all we're doing is starting over again. I've been here long enough to know that gets old after a while."

Most personnel people in the NFL feel the Bengals have better talent than their record suggests. The consensus has been that, if the team ever gets solid play at the quarterback position, Cincinnati could be respectable. The long-suffering fans, however, are weary of such assessments. They want a winner and the sooner the better.

Never one to overreact to public pressures, Brown will not make a decision on LeBeau and his staff based on a popularity contest.

"There is always an outcry to wring things out, to do things different," said Brown. "A lot of people think the way to do that is to fire people. I've never thought that was the only, or necessarily, the right answer. I'm not much for scapegoating, just to satisfy the outcry of the moment."

Northcutt, who leads the Browns with eight touchdowns, sprained the medial collateral ligament in his right knee in the first half of a 13-6 loss to Carolina on Sunday. He departed Cleveland Browns Stadium on crutches.

"Dennis is certainly week to week, and it's highly unlikely that he will play this week," head coach Butch Davis said. "The good news is, the doctor said there is no swelling [yesterday] and he has virtually full range of motion. It's just going to be a matter of strengthening it, getting the rehab done and seeing how much progress it makes."

Davis said the medical staff has likened the injury to that suffered by right tackle Ryan Tucker. Tucker was sidelined during the season opener against Kansas City because of a sprained left knee, then missed the next two games.

Northcutt has accounted for 579 yards receiving, 359 returning punts and 94 rushing. He ranks tied for ninth in the AFC with the eight scores.

"Losing Dennis Northcutt for any length of time will be a huge hit for us," Tim Couch said. "He's a big part of what we do, especially on third-down plays. He's been very reliable."

By the way. ... Couch spoke to reporters Monday with his right hand iced and heavily wrapped.

"It's just a little bruise -- no big deal," he said. Davis said Couch looked fine making his throws in practice and anticipates no snags in his preparation for Jacksonville.

For the record. ... Couch had an awful game last Sunday, hitting on just 12-of-27 attempts for 130 yards and three interceptions. Kevin Johnson was the only wide receiver to catch a pass from Couch in the game. ...

On a more positive note. ... No. 1 draft pick William Green, who took a cleat to the knee in the second quarter, almost rushed for 100 yards -- on grass against the NFL's 10th-ranked rush defense.

He gained 94 yards on 24 carries (3.9-yard average) with a long burst of 16 yards. He also caught a career-high three passes for 44 yards to total a personal-best 138 yards of offense.

Green has rushed for 304 yards on 77 carries in his last three games, including his 114-yard effort in New Orleans last week.

"Personal statistics don't matter because if we don't win, nothing matters," he said. "I'm just trying to get better and trying to win. I'm disappointed because we worked hard all week and came up empty."

Green took the cleat to the knee on a 7-yard run in the second quarter, one on which he stiff-armed a defender to pick up extra yards. He sat out the final play of the half and then returned after the break. But 71 of his 94 yards came in the first half.

In case you're wondering, Jamel White returned to action after missing time with a separated shoulder. He finished the game with two catches. ...

The Cowboys have found a quarterback.

Galloway went on to suggest we mark our calendars. As of Thursday, Nov. 28, 2002, the "open for business" sign went up once again at Valley Ranch.

Football has returned to east Irving, and just think, it happened in your lifetime.

So relax everybody. Eventually, it's gonna be OK once more at Valley Ranch. The road will continue to be bumpy right through December, but the roughest part of the trip is over.

"What this season was all about, above and beyond anything else, was finding a quarterback," said owner Jerry Jones. "Do you think ..."

Don't worry about it, Jerry.

Chad Hutchinson can play.

And when your quarterback is a player, then a whole new football world opens up. Even perceptions, accurate or not, completely change.

A year from now, those Dave Campo sideline gyrations that seem to drive everyone crazy will be transformed from "goofy" and "clueless" to "Jimster-like intensity."

The Bruce Coslet play-calling that repeatedly has caused a run on household barf bags, will be viewed as "Norv-like brilliance."

Even Mr. Jones, long considered locally as the dumbest of the dumb, will suddenly become the crafty and cunning ...

Well, actually, scratch that last part. Hutchinson is a quarterback, not a god who can erase all previous football sins.

But in five days and two games last week, the baseball refugee who is the lowest form of rookie (he went five years between snaps), has lifted the Cowboys out of the dark ages.

Go all the way back to 1991 and consider these words of wisdom from Norv Turner, then the first-year offensive coordinator of the Cowboys, who was grooming the ample talents of a young Troy Aikman:

"If a quarterback completes 20 passes in a game, usually any guy at this level is capable of making 15 of those throws. But then comes the dividing line. What happens with those other five, when both the game and his butt are on the line, separates the good ones from the rest. Physical toughness at the position is a necessity. Mental toughness, however, is a gift."

Consider last week, and apply this to Hutchinson. Against Jacksonville, Hutchinson opened eyes by hanging up big numbers. Ample talent surfaced. For the first time in his four starts, he stamped himself as a possible keeper.

Four days later, against Washington, Hutchinson graduated to the next level. He crossed over into the mental- toughness realm by quickly overcoming a monumental and personal no-no, plus repeated difficulty.

"After the game, I went up to Chad to congratulate him, but the only thing he wanted to talk about was overthrowing Joey [Galloway]," Jones said. "He kept saying, 'How does anybody overthrow Joey Galloway? It's impossible.'"

With Galloway's speed, it should be impossible.

"But Chad's eyes got real big when he saw Joey running alone," Coslet said. "He hung it out there about 70 yards on a string, and got the pass a little flat instead of allowing for some air."

It was the fourth quarter, with the Cowboys down 20-17, when Hutchinson missed Galloway.

But while still beating up himself afterward, the goof didn't linger long on the field for Hutchinson. Two plays after the overthrow, with the ball at the Redskins' 41, Coslet dialed the same combo, except this time with Galloway on a deep crossing pattern on the right side.

"That call at that point was to show confidence in No. 7," Coslet said. "And I do have confidence in this kid."

This time, Hutchinson was under pressure, and had to make a much tougher read and throw, with two Redskins' defenders in the area with Galloway. But the pass led Joey perfectly, with the accuracy allowing Galloway to catch the ball in stride, then shake a tackler. When he turned the corner, Joey raced down the sideline, and had the luxury of showboating into the end zone.

"Even in the worst times, what we'd seen from Chad was the ability to shake off the negatives and stay focused," Campo said. "What he does is just keep firing at you. He never gets rattled, no matter if it's sacks, interceptions, fumbles, whatever."

The other TD pass Hutchinson threw against the Skins -- in the first half to Antonio Bryant -- was defined by some as a "bad" throw, with the play being saved by Bryant. To each his own, but that "bad" description is stupid. What Hutchinson did was make a quarterback "play." He allowed an athletic receiver to show his stuff.

With Bruce Smith hitting him from the blindside, Hutchinson still managed to float a throw out to Bryant, who was one-on-one with cornerback Fred Smoot. Aikman and Michael Irvin became wealthy and famous partly because of these kind of situations. Bryant did his part by muscling up for the catch, then ditching Smoot and heading for the end zone.

Two key ingredients were involved from Hutchinson's standpoint. He read the single coverage, then still got the pass off as Smith crunched him. Correctly score it as another positive among many in two games.

Found last week: One quarterback. ...

Also of interest. ...

In naming Emmitt Smith his Offensive Player Of The Week, Sports Illustrated insider Peter King wrote the following: "With apologies to [Steve] McNair, [Mike] Vick, [Drew] Bledsoe and Ricky Williams, all of whom played heroically for their teams. This very well could have been the last great game of Smith's tremendous career.

"On the FOX pregame show Thursday, owner Jerry Jones said pretty clearly this will be Smith's last month with the Cowboys. 'It's time to move on,' Jones said, not so cryptically.

"Then Smith went out and steamrolled the Redskins with a season-high 144 yards on 23 carries in the 27-20 win over Washington -- the 76th 100-yard game of his career.

"Now, I don't blame Jones for not wanting to start 2003 with a 34-year-old, 14th-year running back making jillions against the cap. But there is no question Smith -- now just 166 yards from another 1,000-yard season -- still has some game left in the old tank. I see him as a Cardinal or Raider in 2003, though Smith won't want to be a circus attraction, which is what he'd be in Arizona if Bill Bidwill dusted off the wallet for him, a drawing card playing for a bad team.

"It's more likely Al Davis would make him the latest old-star trophy (Ronnie Lott, Jerry Rice) in the Raiders' stable."

Brian Griese who has missed two games with a knee injury should practice Wednesday and be ready Sunday. Same thing for tight end Shannon Sharpe, who has missed three games because of a dislocated elbow.

"I don't care how I feel, I'm going to play," Griese told the Rocky Mountain News on Monday after running with his teammates.

Sharpe felt the same way.

"As a player, you feel there's always something you could have done to turn the tide," Sharpe told the News. "Maybe that's wishful thinking on my part. But maybe I could have made some plays. I know I'll get the opportunity this week."

Sharpe will play the rest of the season with a protective brace on his right elbow. He says he won't be 100 percent but he can contribute and help the team make a run at the playoffs.

Also of interest. ...

In an article published Tuesday, Denver Post staffer Patrick Saunders noted that rookie Clinton Portis improves noticeably every time he hits the field. It's not just his open-field running that's impressive. He catches screen passes, blocks well and understands the offense. He's also very durable. He has a college champion's swagger but remains open to new things.

It's worth noting that Portis is just five yards shy of becoming the fourth Bronco running back to rush for 1,000 yards since Mike Shanahan took over as head coach eight years ago.

The youngster would join an unusual fraternity in Denver. None of those 1,000-yard backs were first-round draft choices. In fact, Portis would be highest-drafted of the four, as a second-rounder taken 51st overall. Terrell Davis and Mike Anderson were sixth-round picks and Olandis Gary was a fourth-rounder. ...

One last item here. ... Kick returner Scottie Montgomery, carried off the field in the fourth quarter against the Chargers, was sore but doing much better Monday after feeling numbness in his neck the previous day.

Montgomery lay on the field for about 10 minutes after twisting his neck on a kickoff. Shanahan said Montgomery has sprained ligaments in his neck and wasn't sure if he would be ready for the Jets.

"Long before the Thanksgiving Day loss to New England, things clearly were beginning to unravel for the poor Detroit Lions, a club that figures to undergo a massive overhaul at the end of the season. That things likely will get messy between now and the end of the '02 campaign was confirmed for some Lions office staffers early this week. One team vice president huddled with members of various departments and told them to lie low, keep quiet, essentially become invisible. His message: 'Things are going to get ugly here in the next few weeks so keep your mouths shut.'"

And in an article published Nov. 25, Sports Illustrated insider Don Banks opined: "I think it's all over but the firing for M&M Boys in Motown. Choosing the wind rather than the ball in overtime against Chicago ought to about seal the deal for Lions head coach Marty Mornhinweg and team president/CEO Matt Millen. While some within the league are still expecting Millen to try and save his job by sacrificing Mornhinweg, others believe that the duo will be a package until the end, and that Millen already is aware that the gig is up.

"Who are the potential replacements in Detroit? On the coaching front, two names make some sense: Former Vikings head coach Dennis Green certainly knows the division, and LSU's Nick Saban has ties to the area from his successful days at Michigan State."

But in an interview with Detroit News staffers Mike O'Hara and Rob Parker, Millen offered the general public a few opinions of his own while addressing a variety of issues involving himself, Mornhinweg, rookie quarterback Joey Harrington, personnel issues past and present, and the future of the Lions. The following are pertinent excerpts of that exclusive interview:

Question: There is speculation about your future and Coach Marty Mornhinweg's. You have a five-year contract. You said the other day you want to return.

Millen: Absolutely. You can't start something and not finish, especially when you're at this point, where you take a step back and look at all the facts.

We have good players. We just need a few more. We're also very, very young.

Question: We'll talk about personnel later. What about Mornhinweg? Do you want him back as head coach?

Millen: I like Marty as my coach -- for the same reasons that I hired him. They still exist. They haven't changed. If it's up to me completely, then Marty's staying. His system is a good system.

Look at Joey Harrington. He's an excellent coach for Joey Harrington. He knows how to handle the quarterback. He knew and we knew from the beginning that there are some things that are going to look ugly at times.

Our No. 1 priority when we made the switch with Harrington (from Mike McMahon), you have to get him through healthy, so protection is the No. 1 priority, and there are some times where it's going to look ugly. Man, we're running 5-yard routes or 10-yard routes.

We want the ball to come out quick. We don't want to get him beat up. He's going to see blitzes like on Thursday that he's never seen before. He's going to get caught off guard. That's why he (Mornhinweg) calls the game for protection first. It's not like (Mornhinweg's) going out and running a full offense. There are other priorities. One is to get that kid moving along. And he is.

Question: What if the owner, William Clay Ford, disagrees with you on keeping Mornhinweg?

Millen: I'd present Marty's case as strong and as hard as I can. There's not another coach out there who can take these circumstances and make them better. I'd do everything I could to explain why he shouldn't go. Ultimately, it's [Ford's] call.

Question: How often do you meet with Mr. Ford and his son, Bill [Ford] Jr.?

Millen: I meet with Mr. Ford once a week and talk to him on the phone once or twice. Bill Jr. and I talk once or twice a week. Sometimes, he calls more. They're frustrated. I can't tell you what they think. You'd have to ask their feelings. I know that no one wants to win more than they do.

Question: Back to the coach. He does and says things sometimes that almost make him seem like a comical figure to the public. Do you worry about that being a factor with the players?

Millen: It can be, if you aren't winning. Marty is very bright. Marty is a thinker. Marty takes risks, and they're calculated based on lots of things. He can get to the facts, and he weighs and makes a decision. Any coach, any sport, you do the same thing.

There's feel involved in that. There's risk involved in that. That's your job. Do I trust him? Yes. There are some things that are going to work and some things that aren't going to work. It doesn't mean the reasons are wrong. It doesn't mean the thought process is wrong.

Question: What about kicking off to start overtime in the loss to the Bears?

Millen: Has anybody mentioned at all the fourth-down call going for the touchdown? (The Lions scored on a pass to Germane Crowell.) No. The same amount of risk went into that call, maybe more. You're not even in that position if you don't make that score. The same factors. The same gut instinct. But it worked, and it's not even a blip. Nobody talks about it.

The difference is, I yelled for snake eyes, it came up box cars. If you're 22-5, it's a tough, calculated risk, but if you're 5-22, the guy's a moron. The best coaches, they're going to go through the whole thing. It's easy for us to sit in a box and not see and feel the wind. We don't talk to the people down there. That's his job.

Boil it down. Does it work or doesn't it work? The fourth down worked. The other didn't. The game is filled with hundreds of decisions, and you can't dog a guy for one.

Question: Let's talk about personnel, starting with Harrington. Are you better off having him, or should you have drafted for other needs?

Millen: Here's the reality. On draft day when I met the press, I was less than thrilled and everybody was wondering, and they threw all their own stuff into it, whatever the speculation was. The reason was this (a 3-9 record) could be a very real possibility.

That's enough to make anybody mad. As soon as we drafted him, Marty knew it and I knew it. The first words out of his mouth were that this could happen.

I told Mr. Ford and Bill Ford Jr. this very thing. This looks like a great pick in April, and it is. And it's a pick for the future. So you take the pick for the future.

I told Mr. Ford and Bill Jr. that this is going to look ugly in November. I didn't help the staff in the short term. We helped the team in the long term.

You come here to build a team. I'm as upset as anyone who's a Lions fan. But you've got to divorce yourself from that and see where we're at. We could have taken a cornerback and helped ourselves probably more immediately. We'd still need a quarterback, and you can't find them.

Question: You took over a team that was 9-7 and missed the playoffs by losing the last game of the 2000 season. Fans didn't expect you to be 5-23. Where is that progress?

Millen: I understand the fans completely. They see the 9-7, but you have to take all the emotion out of it. That's hard to do. We have great, passionate fans, but my job is to do that. I have to take a step back. ...

On offense, look at that team, the same thing. Your offensive line, Ray Roberts retired. The center [Mike Compton] is gone. Jeff Hartings, that's a salary-cap thing. What are you going to do? He's a good player. As much as you'd like to have him, you have to make evaluations, and there it is. The right tackle was [Aaron Gibson].

The tight ends, we're better now than we were there. Wide receivers, Herman Moore got old. We're still trying to get Germane Crowell all the way back. Johnnie Morton is a guy who I liked, but the money -- the reality, he wasn't going to see the end of that contract. That's why I wanted to redo it. We couldn't get it done. I'd like to have him back. We could make him productive.

Look at that whole thing. Look at where we were for those reasons. OK. We have to count on our draft picks. Our draft picks [from the Bobby Ross era] didn't show up. They're gone or didn't make it. You've got to start plugging holes. The fact of the matter is, there are so many holes.

Question: People want to see progress, and they really haven't, in terms of your record.

Millen: The other part of that whole question is, right when I first got here, you have to assess. That's what we did. What do you have to assess? And we just paid a quarterback [Charlie Batch] like a big-time quarterback. I have to see if he's the guy, and we have to see that we fit him. The answer is, he's a third quarterback in Pittsburgh, when the whole league had a shot knowing he was coming up. I have to find out if Herman Moore can still play. He had a big contract. You know the answer to that.

You come in with a new group of people. You're 9-7, seemingly one game away, and you have to find out where you were. There goes eight guys off the defense. There go a bunch more off the offense. You don't have the same team.

Now, we're starting in the second year. You're getting all the things you get with young players, but there's some talent there. They're going to be light-years ahead of where they were next year.

Question: Some of your personnel moves haven't worked out. For example, you cut James Mungro, a running back, and he has been a bonus for the Colts. Was that your fault?

Millen: It's on me. It was my decision.

Question: One of your free agents this year, wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim, is out because of a dislocated left hip. Is that career-threatening?

Millen: You don't know until six months out.

Question: A lot of people don't think he panned out as a full-time starter.

Millen: In the slot, he's the right guy. I know why we got him. When we get a No. 1, Bill Schroeder becomes better and Az gets real good.

Question: You'll have a high draft pick. What do you think of Michigan State wide receiver Charles Rogers, who already has declared for the draft? Could he be your guy?

Millen: He could. He's a great player. I have not studied him. I've only seen the highlights. But his highlights are the highlights.

Question: Don't you need to surround a young quarterback with good players?

Millen: There are a lot of ways to help a quarterback. One of them is to play better defense.

Question: It looks like Harrington has hit the wall. What about his development?

Millen: He's so far ahead of the curve. The kid is coping pretty darn well. He still has the poise in the pocket. Every now and then, he gets frazzled. OK, you regroup. Right now, there's that doubt. He'll get back to reacting.

Question: How active will you be in free agency? You've talked about salary-cap problems, so do you think you might have been better had you hung on to players such as Batch and Moore for another year, just for value?

Millen: We'll be as active as we can be. We're going to have some dead money. The salary cap, you just have to manage it. I think we can do that. People have settled in to the salary-cap era and free-agent era, and very few people come out to be a quality free agent. Maybe one or two show up. Most of the time, guys are average or banged up.

You have to tread lightly. You have to have a sharp pencil. Contrary to popular belief, we have fewer holes than you think. Our drafts the last two years have provided a lot of starters. That's very good. We've been pretty good in free agency to fill holes that are at a decent (salary) level.

Question: You've made changes in assistant coaches since the first season. Do you anticipate more after this year?

Millen: You always are evaluating, obviously. I like this staff. Making a change for the sake of a change is completely wrong. We need continuity. The last thing we need is to change again.

Question: You were the front man for the organization last year. You've been less visible this year. Why?

Millen: That's what I wanted to do a year ago. I should not be visible. I shouldn't be in the equation. The team should be in the equation. I don't want to be on TV. There's a time for that. This isn't the time.

The day that the Detroit fans stop caring is the day that they have no chance. They care, and we care. Nobody is more frustrated than Marty and myself -- and certainly the Fords. They're upset.

And he can probably go ahead and add Fantasy owners while he's at it. ... All in all, some pretty interesting stuff regarding a team that's currently of very little interest to the average Fantasy owner.

One last note here. ... James Stewart, who left the team's Thanksgiving Day game against the Patriots with a "significant neck stinger," is getting better. Mornhinweg said Tuesday that Stewart should be fine for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Tests revealed no structural damage in the knee, but it swelled up overnight. Rookie Tony Fisher could make his first NFL start Sunday night against the Vikings in Green's place.

"We were a little concerned about something behind the kneecap; there was nothing there," head coach Mike Sherman said. "He has swelling, and obviously it needs to settle down."

Green, who rushed 12 times for 78 yards in Green Bay's 30-20 victory over Chicago, was injured in the third quarter when he was dragged down by Mike Brown at the end of a 29-yard run. He later returned, but carried just once more before leaving because of weakness in the knee.

Fisher, an undrafted free agent who was plagued by pulled hamstrings his senior season at Notre Dame, rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries in the second half to lead the Packers (9-3) to 24 straight points and a playoff-clinching victory.

"If people didn't know who Tony Fisher was, they will now," quarterback Brett Favre said. "He's not Ahman Green, but he definitely made a name for himself. I don't know if I've ever seen a back with the balance he has going forward."

The Packers gained 181 yards rushing, their highest total since opening day, and their 5.7-yard average was their highest of the season.

Getting their ground game going helped Favre snap out of a two-game funk. He threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns on a cold, windy day at Lambeau Field.

"That's when he is at his best," offensive coordinator Tom Rossley said. "I think any quarterback will tell you that. You can do that if you're running the ball."

If Green is held out Sunday, Fisher would be backed up by veteran Jay Graham, who was signed last month, and veteran fullback Tony Carter.

Fisher, a long shot even to make the team during training camp, was No. 3 on the depth chart until two weeks ago, when fellow rookie Najeh Davenport was lost for the season with a fractured eye socket.

"When Ahman went down, they just told me, 'It's your time,"' Fisher said. "I'm a rookie, so when I get any chance I know I have to take advantage of it. I didn't know I was going to get hot like I did."

Stay tuned. ... I'll obviously have more on Green's status as the weekend progresses.

Wells, a rookie running back, already knew what Capers was thinking.

"I didn't do my No. 1 duty, and that's protecting the football," Wells said following Sunday's loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

It was a long day for the Texans offense, held to a field goal that didn't come until the final minutes. It was a shorter day for Wells, who was benched after his fumble on the team's fourth play from scrimmage.

"You only get a few opportunities if you don't make anything happen," Wells said. "I got mine early and I let it slip away."

In the spirit of the holiday season, the Texans were in a gift-giving mood Sunday afternoon. They special-delivered a pair of costly turnovers within a 13-second stretch of the first quarter to fall behind 10-0.

Along with Wells' fumble that led to a field goal, newly signed wide receiver Frank Murphy fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which led to a touchdown.

"You can't afford to spot them 10 points point-blank and get back in the football game," Capers said. "You never want to start the game like that. You're on the road, you're playing a good team and you're playing an offensive team that you know is very efficient and capable of putting a lot of points on the board.

"You make it too easy for people. You're working to dig yourself out of a hole the rest of the football game. That's something that's hard to overcome against any team, but extremely hard to overcome if you are playing on the road and playing a team like the Indianapolis Colts."

After watching his offense sputter throughout this expansion season, Capers has developed a zero-tolerance for turnovers. The Texans have committed 22 turnovers through 12 games. Opponents have cashed in the generosity for 88 points.

Asked about the decision to sit Wells and go with veteran James Allen for the remainder of the game, Capers replied, "I'll just say this: You can't fumble the football in the NFL."

The Texans went nowhere on their first drive and fumbled on their next two possessions -- both inside their own 20-yard line.

Wells, who leads the team with 435 yards, had a one-yard gain on the first play of the game before being dropped by Colts defensive end Dwight Freeney for a four-yard loss. After a defensive stand, Wells had the ball stripped from his grasp by Colts cornerback Walt Harris. Chad Bratzke recovered Wells' fumble at the Houston 17, and the Colts settled for Mike Vanderjagt's 31-yard field goal.

On the ensuing kickoff, Murphy, claimed off waivers Tuesday, fumbled and Jason Doering recovered at the Houston 16. Peyton Manning hooked up with a wide-open Marcus Pollard on the next play for a 16-yard touchdown and 10-0 lead. The Texans opted to use only Jermaine Lewis on kickoff returns the remainder of the game, with Murphy as a flyer on punt coverage.

"We talked all week that the No. 1 thing we had to do is take care of the football and attempt to win the takeaway/giveaway battle and win the field position battle," Capers said.

The Texans lost on both fronts and fell behind 19-0 before Kris Brown's 34-yard field goal with 3:45 remaining. Before avoiding the shutout, the Texans were forced to punt on 10 consecutive possessions.

"We gave them 10 points. You can't do that in this league," Wells said. "That's understood from all of us. You give the ball up, you have to accept the consequences."

For Wells, that meant watching most of the game from the sidelines. In his place, Allen had a productive day with 16 carries for 64 yards and team-record 10 receptions for 49 yards.

"In this league that's how it goes. I'm not surprised by anything that happens out there," Wells said. "Coaches make decisions and they felt James was having a good game and he was. I have to protect the football. That's totally on me."

For the record. ... Chronicle beat writer Carlton Thompson advised readers on Tuesday that because Capers is such a proponent of the running game, the remainder of the season is extremely important for Wells.

The team likes Wells for his size and ability to run between the tackles. But some say he is too tentative. Nonetheless, Allen isn't expected to get another shot, so Wells will get every chance to prove himself in the final four games. ...

Also according to Thompson, critics can say rookie wide receiver Jabar Gaffney is unspectacular, but they can't say he isn't steady. Gaffney has caught at least two passes in every game since he was held to one catch in the opener.

Gaffney is not setting the league on fire, but there is reason to believe he will be a productive NFL receiver because he runs fluid routes and has soft hands.

The team wants Gaffney to spend more time in the weight room because he needs to improve against press coverage. ...

And finally. ... According to Giants defensive end Michael Strahan, who sacked David Carr twice when the team's met two weeks ago, said of rookie signal caller: "That's one tough individual that gets sacked that many times and is still out there taking snaps and not flinching when people are flying over him on every play."

During the current four-game winning streak, Peyton Manning has capably used the numerous threats at his disposal. Wide receivers Marvin Harrison, Qadry Ismail and Reggie Wayne, tight end Marcus Pollard and running backs Edgerrin James and James Mungro all have had their moments. But the biggest key has been a competent running game with James and Mungro, who have given Manning more manageable third-down situations.

Two weeks ago, the offense converted 15 of its 21 third-down situations at Denver. ...

Mike Vanderjagt has emerged from his midseason slump and will be a major factor in the team's postseason run.

Head coach Tony Dungy doesn't like to take unnecessary chances in the red zone, so it will be imperative for Vanderjagt to finish off stalled drives with field goals.

Chappell added that even though the team's defense is playing well of late, the offense still holds the key to the playoffs. Coordinator Tom Moore excels at maximizing his personnel, and having so much talent increases the formations and wrinkles he can throw at defenses.

The team's three-receiver formation packs big-play wallop, as five legitimate playmakers are on the field, including James or Mungro and Pollard, and it also is effective as a ball-control set.

The team must have good health among its skill-position players to maintain this as the top strength.

Along those lines, Dungy expects to have James back in the lineup against Tennessee. The former first-round draft pick has battled through several injuries this season and irritated his sprained right ankle Sunday. He sat out the final few series, although Dungy said he could have returned to the game.

"He got it rolled up from behind," Dungy said. "He went back in and probably could have finished the game, but we wanted to get Ricky (Williams) some carries at that point."

Manning and Harrison continue to tack up gaudy numbers, but the running game is why this team is winning. The only times the team has outrushed the opposition this year have been the past four games, and it has won all four to take a one-game lead over Tennessee in the AFC South. One last note on Harrison. ... According to ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli, here's how good Harrison is now: He's made the 10-catch game routine. He had nine receptions for 101 yards on Sunday and considered it a poor outing.

An MRI exam performed on the middle finger of Brunell's left hand yesterday revealed no fractures or other soft-tissue injury. According to team officials, the original diagnosis of a sprained finger with lacerations would be updated with a status report on Brunell on Wednesday.

"We think the swelling and a couple of gashes will be controllable. They want to make sure everything is OK and there's no fracture and the ligaments are intact," head coach Tom Coughlin said.

Even if there is no further damage, the swelling might make it impossible for him to grip the ball this week, but Coughlin was optimistic.

"Mark has had swelling in that joint in that finger before. It's been controllable and he's been able to get back that week so we'll see," he said.

Brunell has tended to downplay the injury and said "it's just a finger" after the game although he kept it covered with a shirt before it was put in a splint. Brunell said yesterday he didn't know if he'd be ready Sunday.

Brunell took a beating during last Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh as the offensive line had trouble handling the blitz. Coughlin said Brunell also took a shot in the elbow and the shin although he added the finger is the main concern.

Since the Jaguars have no realistic shot at making the playoffs, the next question is which quarterback will replace Brunell if he can't play.

Veteran Kent Graham has been the backup since rookie David Garrard played when Brunell suffered a concussion in Tennessee Oct. 13 and his first pass was intercepted. Coughlin then became cautious and let him throw only seven passes, although he ran seven times for 71 yards in a 24-13 loss.

The next week at Baltimore, Garrard was demoted to third team and Graham was moved into the backup role, but Graham has yet to take a snap.

Coughlin declined to say whether he'd play Garrard.

"I'm not going to make any statement about where that is," Coughlin said.

With four games left, Coughlin said he's already thinking about next.

He told the CBS-TV crew last week that he wants more speed on offense next year and he said yesterday, "I'm always thinking about the future, about what we need to be able to do in order to enhance the opportunities. [More] playmakers are obviously it. We're obviously not making many plays."

Coughlin was asked if he had any message for the fans since only 55,260 fans showed up Sunday and several thousand were Steeler fans. The Jaguar fans also booed when Coughlin was introduced.

Coughlin, who said he didn't hear the boos, said, "You want a full house every time you play. The last time we were at home [against Washington] we played pretty darn well. I don't know why our fans would approach it any differently."

He added, "The message they bring to the stadium is a solid message for us as players and as coaches. Jaguar fans are Jaguar fans. Let's make it tough on the other guy coming in here. Let's try to win some games. That's all we can do."

Other notes of interest. ...

Overshadowed by the Jaguars' loss was the third 1,000-yard rushing season in Fred Taylor's five-year career. Taylor had 80 yards in 13 carries against Pittsburgh, giving him 1,008 rushing yards for the year. More importantly, Taylor has stayed healthy and started all 12 games this season after missing the final 14 games last year with a torn groin muscle. "It feels good, because that's something I was pointing to in my mind going into this season," said Taylor, who has four 100-yard rushing games this season. "It hurts that we're not winning games we should be winning, but something like that is nice from an individual perspective." Kyle Brady's 42-yard touchdown catch was the longest reception of his eight-year career, although Brady was limping on a turned ankle afterward and might be limited in practice this week. ... WR Patrick Johnson practiced during the week but was declared inactive for the fifth time in six games because of an abdominal strain. ...

And finally. ... The Jags added yet another chapter to their comedy of kickers Tuesday, cutting Richie Cunningham after one game to make way for the team's fourth kicker of the season.

Cunningham made both of his extra-point attempts and a 23-yard field goal Sunday in a 25-23 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he didn't execute an onside kick correctly. He struggled with the depth of his kickoffs, too.

Adding insult to the whole situation was that Steelers rookie Jeff Reed went six-for-six on field goals. The Jaguars had given Reed a tryout in October when they cut their first kicker, rookie Hayden Epstein. Epstein was followed by Tim Seder, who lasted five games.

The Jaguars signed free agent place-kicker Danny Boyd early Wednesday. I'll pass along a little something on Boyd as soon as I can find it.

Chiefs backup quarterback Todd Collins has thrown only four passes (all in mop-up duty in the Washington rout last year) since 1997, when he was the starting quarterback for Buffalo. And yet Collins heard his head coach apologize Sunday for the first touchdown pass he's thrown in his five seasons in Kansas City.

"I just don't think we should have scored at that time," head coach Dick Vermeil said of Collins' 29-yard TD pass to Marc Boerigter with 7:57 left that accounted for Kansas City's final score in the 49-0 rout of Arizona. "We really didn't expect to score."

Still, the Chiefs were pleased that they were able to pull Trent Green and play Collins after the margin reached 42-0 late in the third quarter. Collins responded by hitting 4-of-5 passes for 57 yards.

"I know that what goes around comes around, and I know [Vermeil] knows what it's like to be on the other side of that score," said Collins, who didn't call the pass to the end zone that produced the TD to Boerigter.

"He told me afterward that he really didn't want [offensive coordinator] Al [Saunders] to call that play," Collins added. "I told him I'm very glad he called it. They can work that out amongst themselves.

"I wasn't surprised by the plays called, because I know Al is an aggressive play-caller," Collins added. "I knew he was going to mix it up and let me throw some passes.

"No one likes to be in there just for the kneeldowns. I wanted to get in there and throw. But obviously, we haven't had many situations like this the past couple years."

Other notes of interest. ...

On a day when he increased his NFL touchdown lead to 22 -- just four short of tying Marshall Faulk's NFL record of 26 TDs in a single season -- Priest Holmes didn't mind that he was pulled from the game midway through the third quarter with the Chiefs leading 35-0.

"Usually we're always digging in in the fourth quarter and wondering when we're going to get a chance to rest," he said. "But that time came today."

After rushing for 76 yards and catching three passes for 56 more in the first half, Holmes was going to play just long enough to keep his string of 100-yard games alive, Vermeil said. It took only three carries for Holmes to run his rushing total to 113, at which time he was pulled for the day.

Sunday's was Holmes' third straight 100-yard game, tying Christian Okoye's team record (set in 1989) for consecutive century games.

Holmes had his seventh 100-yard game of the season, and a record-tying 14th during his two seasons with the Chiefs.

His day wasn't flawless, though. Holmes dropped a first-down pass on a third-and-2 play on KC's second possession.

"It just shows that human error is going to be there," he said.

Holmes now has 19 rushing touchdowns this season after scoring one in a 10th consecutive game. The NFL record for single-season rushing TDs is 25, held by Emmitt Smith. ...

Tony Gonzalez was a happy camper again Sunday after catching four passes for 74 yards with one touchdown on a 23-yard reception with just seven seconds left before halftime.

It was Gonzalez's biggest day since his seven-catch, 140-yard, 3-touchdown day against Miami back on Sept. 29. But until catching four balls for 51 yards last week against Seattle, he was frustrated after catching only three passes in the previous two games.

Gonzalez was one of several starters who watched from the sideline from the third quarter on.

"I was bored!" he said with a laugh. "I was sitting there watching the fans do the wave! But we needed something like this to get us going."

And a few final notes. ... Green finished the day with a 137 quarterback rating after hitting 14-of-20 passes for 209 yards and two TDs. It was his second-best rating of the season, trailing only a 140 rating in the win over Miami. ... The most worrisome injury Sunday was a knee sprain to fullback Tony Richardson. The severity of the injury is still to be determined.

Starting receiver Eddie Kennison, who hurt his hip in a Friday fall at practice, played Sunday and caught four balls for 54 yards.

The status of Ray Lucas, who was knocked out of in the third quarter of last Sunday's game with a deadened nerve in his shoulder and neck, remains uncertain head coach Dave Wannstedt said.

Fiedler played in the third and fourth quarters in a 38-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills in the snow Sunday. He reported no lingering problems with the thumb despite throwing an interception on a wobbly pass.

"He told our doctors he felt great as far as his hand," Wannstedt said. "He was really happy he was able to get some snaps and run around a little bit. You could see from quarterbacks that have been hurt and come back and play, it takes some time to get into the game-speed rhythm again."

Lucas was 6-for-11 for 40 yards and one touchdown against the Bills, and Fiedler went 5-for-9 for 15 yards and one interception. The Dolphins are 2-4 in games Lucas has started after beginning the season 5-1 under Fiedler, who broke his right thumb against Denver on Oct. 13.

Fiedler's return would allow the offense to regain some balance. Running back Ricky Williams ran for 228 yards against the Bills.

"We're one of the top five teams rushing the football. We just need to maintain that," Wannstedt said. "Once we get Jay back, we'll be able to get into hopefully a little more of a routine, and our passing game will improve."

Fiedler is 117-of-185 for 1,304 yards, nine touchdowns and seven interceptions this season.

It's worth noting that third-string quarterback Dave Dickenson was released on Tuesday, one day after Fiedler was cleared to start.

Dickenson signed with Miami on Oct. 15 and served as the third quarterback for five games behind Lucas and Sage Rosenfels. He was inactive last week against the Buffalo Bills and did not appear in any games for the Dolphins.

With Dickenson gone, the Dolphins might have just two quarterbacks for the game against the Bears if Lucas is unable to play.

Also of interest. ...

Cris Carter will return to action Monday night after missing the last four games with a kidney ailment. Carter, a former Minnesota Vikings star who came out of retirement to play for the Dolphins, will back up starters James McKnight and Chris Chambers, Wannstedt said Monday.

He will work out of the slot position along with Dedric Ward when the Dolphins go to three- and four- receiver sets.

"That will give him a chance to get back into it a little bit and won't put as much pressure on him," Wannstedt said.

The 37-year-old Carter returned to practice last week and was on the sideline for the loss to Buffalo. He had three catches for 31 yards in his only game this season against Green Bay.

He signed with the Dolphins Oct. 21 after starting receiver Oronde Gadsden was lost for the season with a wrist injury. An eight-time Pro Bowler, Carter ranks behind only Jerry Rice in career receptions (1,096) and touchdown catches (129). ...

According to the Miami Herald, Travis Minor has moved past Robert Edwards as the primary backup to Williams. Edwards has been used mostly as a third down back this season, but Williams began seeing more third down action a few weeks ago.

"Robert has done nothing that anybody is down on him," Wannstedt said. "That's my decision. Travis just gives us a chance to make a few more plays. He was our guy last year." And finally. ... According to Boston Globe columnist Ron Borges, Randy McMichael was presented with an unusual award after Wannstedt learned the rookie tight end had danced with the team's cheerleaders at one point in the win over San Diego.

The youngster was awarded game pompoms in a team meeting the next day.

Culpepper has 26 of their NFL-high 35 turnovers, including three first-half interceptions in last Sunday's overtime loss to Atlanta on Sunday.

Trent Green led the league with 28 turnovers last season, and Culpepper has four more games to play.

To the Vikings, though, their quarterback's rising turnover total is not the issue. Instead, it's his improvement since being pulled for the fourth quarter of a defeat to the New York Giants on Nov. 10.

Culpepper, in head coach Mike Tice's view, has "without a doubt" made better decisions since his brief benching. Against the Falcons, he was under constant pressure that led to six sacks.

"You look at two of those interceptions yesterday," Tice said. "One was on a third-and-very-long, which turned into a better net [gain] than a punt.

"One of the other ones was right at the end of the half, when we were taking a shot and trying to get something to happen down there where we might be able to line up and get a field goal.

"Those two, to me, although they don't look good on the stat sheet, they didn't have a bearing on the game."

Before the Giants game, however, several of Culpepper's turnovers did affect the outcome -- adversely for the Vikings (3-9).

In the opener against Chicago, Mike Brown intercepted his pass into triple coverage with less than 3 minutes left to set up the Bears' winning touchdown.

A week later against Buffalo, Culpepper lost three fumbles that led to 13 Bills points in a 45-39 overtime loss.

The next week against Carolina, he threw four interceptions in a 21-14 loss.

Three picks in a 20-7 defeat against the New York Jets on Oct. 20 and two more against Tampa Bay on Nov. 3 -- a game in which the Vikings lost 38-24, but had begun to rally with an onside kick recovery before Culpepper was intercepted by Warren Sapp in the third quarter. "It's been a tough year," Culpepper said. "Trust me, when I tell you that, I don't think there is anybody who can stand in my shoes and say it better than I can. It is extremely tough."

Turnovers can be overcome, though it's been nearly impossible for the Vikings this year because they've forced only 16 themselves. St. Louis went to the Super Bowl last year despite leading the league with 44 giveaways.

And even the great ones are prone to them. Hall of Famer Fran Tarkenton owns Minnesota's record for interceptions (32 in 1978) and George Blanda, whose bust is also in Canton, Ohio, holds the league mark with 42 in 1962 for the Houston Oilers.

Perhaps this is why the Vikings plan to begin talks about a long-term contract in the offseason.

"We believe it's in our best interests and Daunte's interests to continue a long-term relationship," said owner Red McCombs.

Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has been impressed by how Culpepper has been quick to take responsibility for his mistakes.

"He's too accountable," Linehan said, "which is a great trait to have in your early years. That's why there's no question in our eyes as to who the guy is who is going to lead us someday to the Super Bowl."

Since the Giants game, Culpepper has been making better decisions.

"He's not making the kind of INTs that he made in the Carolina game or the Jets game, where it was like, 'Where was he throwing that thing?"' Linehan said. "He's managed the game well. He's run the ball well. He's made plays when they're there. He sat down, had to evaluate where he was at, and I think he's made a lot of strides to improve that."

In a related note. ... ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli on Monday quoted an unidentified NFC personnel director as saying: "Did you see the Vikings, and Culpepper, get called for that delay of game penalty late in regulation against the Falcons. Man alive, how does that happen, especially at that critical point? Culpepper really has slipped this year. They've got to get him back on track somehow during the offseason and stop the bleeding with this guy."

Also of interest. ...

In an article published Tuesday, Minneapolis Star Tribune staff writer Kevin Seifert pointed out that the case of the disappearing tight end never was more evident than it was last Sunday afternoon, when Byron Chamberlain watched most of the game from the bench.

A Pro Bowl selection last season, Chamberlain has all but fallen out of the Vikings' offensive rotation. Tice acknowledged on Monday that Jim Kleinsasser is the Vikings' top tight end, with Chamberlain filling a lesser role.

"We think Jimmy is playing outstanding football for us," Tice said, "and Jimmy gives us a little more versatility. When Jimmy is on the field, he can block, catch and run, whereas the role we've carved out for Byron is more of an in-the-slot tight end. That's why he's playing less and Jimmy is playing more."

Chamberlain caught 57 passes in 2001 but has 26 receptions for 301 yards in 12 games this season.

"I've just been rolling with what's going on," Chamberlain said. "I'm never one to complain. I do feel that my role was bigger last year, and I think if given an opportunity, I still can make plays and try to help this team win. But, right now, I'm not getting those opportunities. There's nothing I can do about it but continue to prepare and be ready when I'm called on. It's definitely disappointing, especially coming off a pretty good season personally last year."

The Vikings signed Chamberlain to a five-year contract during the offseason, promising he would play a crucial role in their new two tight-end offense. Instead, Kleinsasser has 29 receptions despite missing two games because of injury, and No. 3 tight end Hunter Goodwin played extensively in two tight-end sets on Sunday.

"Everything sounds good when you talk about it," Chamberlain said, "but [the offense] just hasn't really been utilized in the way I thought it would."

As the use of Kleinsasser has grown, Chamberlain's playing time has decreased. He has eight receptions in the Vikings' past five games and seems resigned to his reduced role.

"Really, at this point I go into a game with no expectations," he said. "If the ball comes my way, I'm going to catch it and get some yards. But as far as being involved in the game plan, having plays designed for me, I don't have any expectations of that happening."

Chamberlain sprained his left knee in the season-opener against Chicago and missed two games. Though Chamberlain says he's fine now, Linehan said Chamberlain still is not healthy.

"Byron won't tell you this, but he just hasn't been 100 percent since the beginning of the season," Linehan said. "He's not moving around anywhere near how he normally would, and without your legs. ... You just can't be as effective."

Coaches also have not been pleased with the number of false start penalties incurred by Chamberlain. He was benched after committing two Nov. 24 against New England. ...

And finally. ... On the injury front, running back Moe Williams is doubtful this weekend against Green Bay after aggravating his bruised heel Sunday. An MRI exam showed Williams has a contusion on the heel. If Williams can not play Sunday, the Vikings will consider James Wofford or Harold Morrow for Williams' third-down role.

Receiver D'Wayne Bates has a sprained MCL in his left knee. Tice said he would know more about Bates' status Wednesday. That leaves the state of the receiving corps unclear. Rookie Kelly Campbell underwent an MRI for a sprained foot, and the Vikings hope Cedric James will be able to take part in his first full practice Wednesday; he sprained his ankle Nov. 10. ... All of which means Chris Walsh is likely to see significant action with the regular offense.

I'll have more on Williams and Bates as the weekend unfolds. ...

But orientation time is over. The Pats have four games left to win a division, and unless Branch and Graham become more consistent catching the ball, the offense will suffer.

The rookies have reacted differently to their recent spate of dropped passes. Graham has taken a hard look, Branch has basically blown them off.

"It's troubled me personally," said Graham, who had another key drop in the Pats' Thanksgiving Day win in Detroit. "I need to concentrate more, focus more."

Said Branch, who was held without a catch in Detroit after two muffs against Minnesota last Sunday: "It's going to happen. The best guys out there don't catch them all. I can't be in that predicament where I'm going to say, 'I'm going to do everything right.' Because you can't. I accept life as it is. Let's move on."

Of the two players, Branch is probably more crucial. With defenses crowding Troy Brown in the short zones and David Patten drawing attention down the field, Branch is in the best position to take advantage of one-on-one coverage. Along with Patten, he is one of the few offensive players with game-breaking speed.

That explosiveness has been evident on kickoff returns, even if Branch hasn't always taken advantage of some creases in the coverage. Branch finally broke through in Detroit, but was caught from behind after a 63-yard gain.

Branch said he was "burnt" after returning a kick on the previous play (the Lions were called for offsides and were forced to re-kick), and he may have gone all the way if he were fresher.

The Pats need to see more of that breakaway ability in the regular offense. Branch is third on the team with 42 catches, but has just four over the last three games.

"I'm holding up. That's the main thing," said Branch, taken with the last pick of the second round out of Louisville. "I've still got a lot of learning to do. With the help of these guys, Troy and David and the coaches, I feel I'm moving along real good. Right now I'm having fun. I'm just going out and trying to make plays."

Graham, the big tight end out of Colorado who the Pats traded up to get with the 21st pick of the first round, has also been effective with the ball in his hands. The problem is keeping it there, as Graham has three drops over the last two games.

Graham said he is recovered from a shoulder injury that kept him out for most of October.

"I think I'm back to full speed. I don't feel too much trouble with my shoulder, but I try not to think about it," said Graham. "I think I'm coming along good.

"But I still have a lot to learn. Just every aspect of the game."

Graham has been at his best on screen plays, as he offers Brady a nice target in traffic and has the speed and size to present a mismatch against defensive backs. In Detroit, Graham gained 16 yards on a third-and-12 screen that kept alive the Pats' game-clinching drive.

"I'm real comfortable with those," said Graham. "It's just a matter of when I get the ball in my hands I try to make big plays."

Also according to Felger. ... Coordinator Charlie Weis' scheme is taking on characteristics of a West Coast offense. Weis has Brady using short drops and throwing quick passes, and there's a heavy emphasis on screens and draws. Brady focuses on being extremely accurate with his swing passes, putting the ball in spots where his receivers don't have to break stride. With this scheme, Weis has used a multitude of formations and different personnel groupings. ... And finally. ... Christian Fauria has clearly become a red zone favorite of Brady; six of Fauria's 23 catches have produced touchdowns. Fauria is adept in the play-action game; he does a good job of disguising himself as a blocker before slipping into the end zone as a receiver. ...

Brooks has a bruised right shoulder after being hit twice in the same area in Sunday night's game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, first in the second quarter and later in the third quarter.

"He has a bruised muscle in his shoulder," said Saints trainer Scottie Patton. "We had a MRI done, which was negative, but did show some bruising of the muscle."

Brooks will be evaluated daily to see how his range of motion and strength progresses, but reports out of team headquarters Tuesday strongly indicated he'll start and play as usual.

McAllister played with a sprained right ankle that was taped and braced. He was sore, but not injured further. In fact, the former first-round draft pick became only the sixth player in club history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season Sunday night. The other Saints to rush for 1,000 yards in a season are George Rogers (1981 and '83), Rueben Mayes (1986), Dalton Hilliard (1989), Chuck Muncie (1979), and Ricky Williams (2000 and '01). In an article published Tuesday, New Orleans Times-Picayune staff writer Jeff Duncan stated that McAllister has emerged as one of NFL's most versatile backs. His slashing running style and breakaway speed make him a home run threat on every carry. McAllister has outstanding hands and a fine understanding of the passing game, where the team likes to isolate him wide against linebackers in space. McAllister has shown surprising power between the tackles and consistently gets an extra yard or two after contact. His versatility is the key to the Saints' high-powered offense. But unless he's able to go at full speed, you shouldn't count on him tapping into the skills and abilities. A healthy McAllister is a key to Brooks' play. With McAllister in the backfield, Brooks is not required to do as much and is less prone to force things. McAllister's ability to play with an injured ankle will be vital to the offense. Also of interest. ... Joe Horn had a big night, too, last Sunday, going over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving for the third straight season to set a club record. Horn tied Eric Martin for most 1,000-yard seasons in team history, but Martin's were not in succession -- coming in 1988, '89 and '92.

Even as starting running back Tiki Barber netted only five yards on five first-quarter carries, even while Barber was thrown for minus-9 yards on five second-quarter carries, Dayne stood idle or sat on the heated bench. His number wasn't called until the Giants took a knee on the final play before halftime, begging the question: If head coach Jim Fassel didn't turn to Dayne on a day when Barber was obviously struggling, will he ever?

"I don't like to ask after a loss," Dayne said in the wake of Sunday's overtime debacle. "Maybe after a win."

Fassel explained Dayne's inactivity as a function of his game plan if Barber was stopped by the Titans' formidable front seven -- change the formation, not the running back. With the offensive line managing little push anyway, switching to Dayne wasn't going to be a solution, he said.

"It's like your car isn't running good so you change the tires," running backs coach Eric Studesville said. "We were trying to get Tiki jump-started."

By the Giants' second possession of the second quarter (at which point Barber had seven carries for three yards) they switched to a spread-out, three-wideout set, and quarterback Kerry Collins completed four of his first five passes.

"My alternate plan to run the ball involved three wides, and that is Tiki's area," Fassel said. "I knew I had to throw first to back them out of there, and after that we had success running the ball."

But not until the third quarter, when Barber prettied his 10-carry, minus-4-yard first half with runs of 42 and 12 yards, winding up with 64 yards on 22 carries. Dayne finished with one carry for 2 yards and three catches for 12, the first time in his three-year career he had more receptions than rushing attempts in a game. On the field for only 10 plays, he converted two first downs.

He wonders what his role is. When Fassel took over the play-calling five games ago, he chose to keep Dayne in for an entire series in relief of Barber. Dayne responded with games of 52, 40, and 29 yards, his most productive three-game stretch this season. But he had just five carries for 21 yards in the loss to Houston before Sunday's disappearing act.

"That's something I need to do, definitely get Ron in the game more than I have," Fassel said.

Fassel and Studesville admitted Dayne could have been a smart choice on their fourth-quarter goal-line series, when a first down at the 1-yard line netted only a field goal. In fact, that was the only play Dayne asked specifically about after Barber failed twice to get in the end zone and Collins threw an incomplete pass on third down.

"Ron is there every play. He's ready to go," Studesville said. "He's just dying for the opportunity."

Also of interest this week. ... Ron Dixon made an outstanding return from his knee injury, catching five balls for 93 yards as the No. 2 receiver. Amani Toomer kept up his torrid pace as well, totaling 104 yards on five catches, his second straight 100-yard game. Rookie tight end Jeremy Shockey covered 71 yards on his seven catches and set a Giants' rookie single-season record with 49 receptions on the season.

And finally. ... According to reports out of New York early Wednesday, the Giants released running back-turned-receiver Sean Bennett and Herman Moore has reportedly left the team. According to New York Newsday, Moore will announce his retirement from the NFL.

He wasted maybe 10 seconds with his first two passes, long outs easily batted away by Raiders defenders.

He flipped the ball to the ground in minor disgust after the sack that all but cost the Jets the comeback.

He underthrew the Hail Mary pass that never got close to Wayne Chrebet or the end zone on the last play.

So does this mean Pennington is a flash in the pan after all? Hardly. His fire still sizzles even as his starting record fell to 5-3.

"Chad and I said the same thing," head coach Herman Edwards said Tuesday. "'Don't worry about it, guys. We're going to go down and score.' I thought it was going to be 27-26, that we were going to find a way to get it done. I didn't have any doubts what Chad and the offense were going to do."

"That's frustrating," Pennington said of coming up short in his latest fourth-quarter comeback bid. "I love those situations, and I didn't come through for us."

And that's why Edwards, among others, loves what the kid has brought to the team, despite the warts on his Oakland endgame.

"He's just trying to make plays. I don't fault guys for that," the coach said. "I just take that as part of the learning curve. Is he perfect? No, but 10-year guys aren't perfect either. He's not a robot. I like him. I like what's in his eyes."

It may be premature, but if Pennington learns from this setback, there could be pressure to rework his contract as others have done, such as Tom Brady with New England. But Jets' general manager Terry Bradway is ignoring such pressure.

"It's too soon to talk about that," Bradway said. "We'll pay him a good salary to be a starting quarterback in this league. There are clauses in his original contract that guarantee that."

Pennington's deal when he signed in 2000 was for five years and $6.36 million, but it reportedly was laden with escalators that could improve the package to $23 million.

Since he played minimally his first two seasons, that figure isn't attainable. But a clause that stipulated a $1.97 million bonus if he played in 35 percent of the offensive downs during any of his first three seasons is a lock.

So Pennington will be compensated as a starter. For him to be paid as a superstar, he'd have to accomplish Brady-like things, such as win a Super Bowl.

That doesn't look likely this season after the loss to the Raiders, but Pennington is far from ready to cash in his chips.

"By no means," he said, "are we out of this."

On the injury front. ... Santana Moss and LaMont Jordan suffered left ankle sprains at Oakland, but X-rays for both were negative and they likely will be available. ...

And a few random notes of interest. ...

In an article published last Sunday, Boston Globe columnist Ron Borges wrote: "Jets receiver Wayne Chrebet came out in last week's Sunday New York Times complaining that he wasn't getting the ball enough. One of the team's coaches immediately went to rookie quarterback Chad Pennington and told him not to go out of his way to get the ball to Chrebet. At least one member of the organization labeled Chrebet 'selfish.' Wasn't that what they used to call Keyshawn Johnson?

In an article published Nov. 25, Pro Football Weekly advised readers the Jets really like what they saw from rookie tight end Chris Baker during his time with the scout team. Baker has earned more playing time, and the Jets could use the two-TE set more frequently. Baker has shown good hands and blocking skills thus far and has handled the transition from the scout team pretty well.

Also according to PFW, there has been no dissension among the team's running backs, despite the increased number of touches backup Jordan has gotten recently. Starter Curtis Martin understands that, with his nagging ankle injury, he can’t handle the entire load, which he is accustomed to carrying most of the time. He’s been OK with giving some of the short-yardage time to Jordan to save his ankle.

And finally. ... According to Houston Chronicle columnist John McClain, even though neither is still on the job, Bill Parcells and Al Groh should be commended for what has turned out to be an outstanding 2000 draft for the Jets.

Groh was the head coach and Parcells the general manager when they stockpiled four No. 1 picks, including two from Tampa Bay for receiver Keyshawn Johnson. They got five starters from the draft -- Pennington, defensive end Shaun Ellis, defensive end John Abraham, tight end Anthony Becht and receiver Laveranues Coles.

"I'm not looking for medals from anybody," said Groh, head coach at Virginia, "but it's human nature to feel [satisfaction]. With that kind of move [the Johnson trade], you keep your mouth shut and let it speak for itself. Those players have spoken very well."

Just don't expect a similar ceremony if Gannon breaks any of the NFL records in his sights during the Raiders' final four games.

"No, no. I'm just a regular guy," Gannon said after passing for 342 yards in another incredibly efficient performance during the Raiders' 26-20 victory over the New York Jets on Monday night.

But there's nothing regular about Gannon's season -- and there's nothing regular about the Raiders' league-best offense, which has turned into a West Coast machine that could allow Gannon to break one of the NFL's loftiest records: Dan Marino's 5,084 yards passing in 1984.

Largely with one precise short-yardage pass after another that takes the West Coast concept to an impressive extreme, Gannon has thrown for 3,877 yards in the Raiders' first 12 games, leaving him 1,207 yards shy of Marino's mark.

Gannon could break it with four more 300-yard games -- and he already has nine such games this season, tying the NFL record held by Marino, Warren Moon and Kurt Warner.

"He's the glue that holds this whole thing together," said Jerry Rice, who caught a 26-yard TD pass from Gannon on the next play following Brown's historic reception. "There aren't many quarterbacks who could do it. He deserves a lot of the credit for what this offense is doing."

Gannon is the AFC's highest-rated passer at 99.6 -- second in the league behind St. Louis backup Marc Bulger. Gannon has completed 350 passes this season -- well within striking distance of Moon's 1991 record of 404.

His 69.3 percent completion rate is a fraction behind league leader Chad Pennington of the Jets -- and Pennington has thrown 226 fewer passes. Both quarterbacks are within range of Ken Anderson's NFL record of 70.55.

In the Raiders' first-place showdown at San Diego on Sunday, Gannon is almost certain to break Jeff George's 1997 franchise record of 3,917 yards passing.

By any measure, Gannon clearly is in the midst of a historic season -- but after bouncing around the NFL for 15 seasons following his college career at low-profile Delaware, Gannon has an aversion to the spotlight that borders on the obsessive.

He refuses almost any chance to talk about his individual accomplishments. Anybody who attempts to compliment him on his remarkable statistics instead will hear talk about team victories and leadership.

"Two of the biggest things for me are the interceptions and the completions," Gannon said. "That's really what I hang my hat on. We don't throw [a lot of] interceptions. I try to lead the league every year in that category. Then the completions. ... If you can be up there high in that area, then you're giving your team a chance."

The Raiders have a four-game winning streak heading to San Diego. Oakland has resurrected its season following a four-game losing streak, but the Raiders' final four games all are against playoff contenders -- including the other three teams in the AFC West, which still is up for grabs.

Much of Oakland's success rests on the shoulders of Gannon, his veteran corps of receivers and versatile running back Charlie Garner. Rice and Garner arrived in Oakland before last season, so every major component of the Raiders' offense has been together for more than a year -- and that familiarity shows up in the Raiders' instinctive play.

"We have a feel for what each other likes to do," Brown said. "There are certain plays and certain routes and certain tactics that we know how to use and when to use. It's a long process to get that feel, but we're doing some good things now."

In the first season after Jon Gruden's departure, Gannon has taken unprecedented levels of responsibility for their game plan. Head coach Bill Callahan and offensive coordinator Marc Trestman have authorized him to change almost any play at the line of scrimmage -- and that's just one of Gannon's roles.

"He does an incredible amount for this offense," Callahan said. "The volume that he handles, the information that he is required to learn in a short period of time. ... The preparation and the work is astronomical, and he continues to take on more responsibility.

"He has stretched himself considerably in terms of trying to get better and trying to improve this offense. His ability to change plays and diagnose defenses and get you into the right play, it's key for us. For our style of play, he's the guy that does the best job. We wouldn't want anybody else."

One last item here. ... File this one under remarkable stat of the season. ... Rice has now caught 384 passes since he was proclaimed finished after suffering the second knee injury of his career in 1997. Recent Hall of Fame inductee Lynn Swann had 336 catches for his career...

So even though the Feeley-led offense wouldn't earn high marks for its four-fumble exhibition in last Sunday's victory over the Rams at Veterans Stadium, the young man in the middle of the fray kept a lighthearted attitude through it all.

"He was awesome," said tight end Chad Lewis, the recipient of Feeley's first career touchdown pass last week in a win over San Francisco.

Feeley had just entered the Monday night game to replace Koy Detmer, who dislocated his elbow in his first start since regular quarterback Donovan McNabb went down against Arizona the previous week.

"When we would do something bad," Lewis continued, "[Feeley] would come in the huddle and say, 'Man, we're making it hard on ourselves, aren't we?' Then he'd laugh. He kept everyone loose, and we just rallied around him."

Feeley said he knew his teammates would step up for him, like they did for Detmer. So he wasn't nervous going into this game. He didn't watch local television reports, didn't listen to ESPN analysts bemoan his inexperience, didn't pay attention to the Vegas line that had the Rams winning the game.

In other words, Feeley chose to ignore that this would be the biggest day in the football career of a 25-year-old kid from little Ontario, Ore. Before yesterday, Feeley hadn't started a football game since 1999, while he was at the University of Oregon.

"Someone in my position probably should be nervous," Feeley admitted. "I was really comfortable."

Comfortable enough to complete 14 of 30 pass attempts for 181 yards. It might have been more, had his receivers not insisted upon dropping the ball or handing it right over to the Rams on so many promising possessions.

Feeley kept calm through it all, saying he approached every play "like we were up by 30 points."

"I was happy with myself," Feeley said. "I thought, 'Hey, I'm giving them a chance to catch the ball.'"

Good thing for the Eagles that Bobby Taylor caught a mistimed Kurt Warner pass intended for Ricky Proehl and ran it 23 yards for the game's only touchdown.

And good thing that Feeley, despite coming close on numerous occasions, didn't get picked off and make even more work for his defense. Good thing he stayed healthy. His performance may not have been 'A' material, but it seemed to do the trick.

"We had total confidence in A.J.," Taylor said. "He was out there making some great throws. I was there on the sidelines, going, 'Man.' There was no doubt in our minds that he was going to go out there and have a good game."

For what it's worth, Detmer could be back this month. An MRI showed only a simple dislocation. It was originally feared he would miss the rest of the season. McNabb might be able to return for the playoffs.

Also of interest. ...

In an article published Monday, Philadelphia Daily News reporter Paul Domowitch noted that Dorsey Levens figured last Sunday was going to be a busier day than usual for him, and he was right.

Levens had 64 yards on a season-high 12 carries against the Rams.

Levens, who had just 44 carries in the first 11 games, is primarily used in one-back sets, which the Eagles wanted to use to attack the 4-1-6 nickel alignment the Rams use against three-wide receiver formations.

"The coaches thought we could exploit them in the one-back set," Levens said. "They leave one linebacker in the game [Tommy Polley], and he's kind of a small guy.

"They kind of rely on [safety Adam] Archuleta as a second linebacker. The game plan was to run at them in that alignment."

The Eagles rotate three running backs -- Levens, Duce Staley and rookie Brian Westbrook. But Staley gets the bulk of the ball-carrying load. He went into Sunday's game with 178 carries, compared to Levens' 44 and Westbrook's 35.

Staley had a team-high 14 carries against the Rams, but wasn't nearly as productive in the club's two-back sets as Levens was in the one-back. Staley rushed for just 32 yards.

The lone downside to Levens' performance was a second-quarter fumble in St. Louis territory that foiled an Eagles scoring opportunity.

"There's no excuse for that," Levens said. "It just happened. I put the ball on the carpet and that's unacceptable."

Levens, who signed with the Eagles before the season, would like more busy days like yesterday. But that's probably not going to happen.

"I'm sure Duce would like to touch the ball 30 times a game, as would myself and Brian," Levens said.

"But as long as we're winning, it's all good.

"We're all handling it just fine. I think as long as we're winning, there won't be any problems."

And finally. ... In a column published Monday, Sports Illustrated insider Peter King offered readers the following opinion:

"If I have my choice of any kicker in football right now, my guy is David Akers. To have an 84 percent kicker (82-98 lifetime) in the tricky weather of the northeast is a tremendous asset. Every ball comes off his foot like a laser."

I agree, from both the NFL and Fantasy perspectives.

Maddox has not played since being hurt Nov. 17, except to hold on kicks Sunday in Jacksonville. Kordell Stewart was 38-of-52 for 438 yards, one touchdown and one interception and ran 22 times for 124 yards and a touchdown in two winning starts as Maddox's replacement.

Despite Stewart's effective play as the Steelers beat Cincinnati and Jacksonville, Cowher said Tuesday that Maddox's strong play before he was hurt did not justify him losing his job to an injury.

The week before a hit by Tennessee's Keith Bulluck temporarily left him with cerebral and spinal cord concussions, Maddox passed for a club-record 473 yards in a 34-34 tie with Atlanta.

Cowher announced his decision before practice resumed Wednesday so it did not become a weeklong distraction to the Steelers, who are 6-1-1 in their last eight games. Last week, he declined to confirm Stewart would start in Jacksonville until game day.

With the quarterbacks getting nearly equal playing time so far, the Steelers have produced 23 touchdowns with Maddox and 10 with Stewart.

Cowher also said tight end Mark Bruener (right knee) will miss the rest of the season with cartilage and bone damage. The injury, initially thought to be a sprained ligament that would not keep him sidelined, will require six months of rehabilitation.

While Cowher went on to say he didn't think Bruener's injury is career-threatening, it will be several months until it is known whether the surgery was successful.

Bruener, one of the NFL's best-blocking tight ends, had 13 catches and one touchdown in 11 games. He missed the final nine games of last season with an injured shoulder.

Bruener will be replaced in the lineup by Jerame Tuman and on the roster by tight end Matt Cushing, who has been on and off the team all season.

Also of interest. ... In an article published Monday, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staff writer Mike Prisuta noted that two games into his career with the Steelers, place-kicker Jeff Reed has already entrenched his name into the record books.

No wonder he's exhausted.

"I was telling some of my teammates that I'm kind of tired," Reed said. "After most games, you're just a little worn down from adrenaline rush. But, I mean, that's six field goals, an extra point and however many kickoffs.

"It's awesome, though. It's a great feeling."

Reed's six field goals on Sunday at Alltel Stadium matched the six Gary Anderson kicked Oct. 23, 1988 for the most in Steelers history.

Every one was also pivotal in the Steelers' 25-23 victory over the Jaguars.

Reed began his assault into history with a 25-yard effort that concluded the Steelers' first possession. His day ended with a 50-yard kick into the wind that increased the Steelers' lead to 25-17 with 4:36 left in the fourth quarter. In between, Reed hit from 29, 30, 46 and 33 yards.

The 46-yard attempt was a low line drive that somehow stayed true.

"If you can hit a bad one and hit from 46 or whatever yards, you're having a good day," Reed said.

Given the circumstances, Reed's day may have been the greatest ever enjoyed by a Steelers kicker.

Anderson's six-pack was achieved in the midst of a 5-11 season during a 39-21 win over the Denver Broncos.

Reed's feat provided for the Steelers some much-needed breathing room in their race to capture the AFC North Division championship.

"The way we look at it, if we win the rest of our games, we'll be on top," Reed said. "I'm here to help us win. That's why they brought me in. That's my job.

"I'm trying not to let these guys down."

Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin was among those left with a sinking feeling in the wake of Reed's record-tying performance.

Jacksonville tried Reed out Oct. 23 after the Jaguars had let Hayden Epstein go. They eventually settled on Tim Seder, who was cut last week.

"He had a strong leg," Coughlin said of Reed. "He was inconsistent, but he did have a strong leg."

Cowher came away with a similar impression regarding Reed's leg strength during a Nov. 19 tryout in Pittsburgh that ultimately landed for Reed a job with the Steelers.

Nothing Cowher has seen since has changed that, to the extent that he was willing to try a 50-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter and risk field position with the Steelers clinging to a 22-17 lead without hesitation.

"Not the way he's been kicking it," Cowher said. "Thanksgiving Day, he kicked one from 56 [yards in practice] that would have been good from 66. I know we don't play in a dome. I know it was inside at the [Steelers' practice] facility. But when you hear the ball come off his foot; I think he kicked it from 55 today at that end [in the pregame warmup].

"As long as we were inside the 35-yard line, that's what I was looking at."

Reed, thus, didn't need to coax another chance out of his coach after quarterback Stewart lost seven yards when an option/shovel pass went awry and the Steelers found themselves facing a fourth-and-15 from the Jacksonville 35 and with a difficult decision to make.

"Not really," Reed said. "He asked me before the game and I said, 'If we're on the 37, that's 55 yards and I feel comfortable.'

"So, he came up to me, he goes, 'You wanna kick it?' I said 'That's not a question.' You give me an opportunity, I'm going to jump all over it."

Reed came up with just enough leg and the Steelers ended up with just enough points after a Jaguars' two-point conversion was snuffed with 1:19 remaining.

"I take my hat off to him," Coughlin said of Reed. "He has to kick a 50-yard field goal. We get the ball at midfield if he misses the kick. They went for it and the kid came through. He had a couple of line drives that we should have blocked. Don't forget this: They lined up to kick a 50-yard field goal with a rookie field goal kicker. My hat's off to them, the kid made it.

"That's the way the game is played."

And one last note here. ... Jerome Bettis heads into Sunday's game listed as questionable. The good news would be that his status is due to his broken nose rather than the injured knee that sidelined him last month. ... Amos Zereoue will start if Bettis can't play.

The horrid numbers he put up lately indicated otherwise, and X-rays showed a hairline fracture on Warner's right hand. That confirmed the coach's suspicion everything was not right with the two-time league MVP.

Warner will be out two-to-three weeks, although Martz said he'll be the No. 3 quarterback during that time.

The injury is at the base of the right hand, but is unrelated to the broken pinkie that sidelined Warner for almost two months. Warner could play, in theory, but Martz said the pain is too intense.

Warner had trouble gripping the ball in Sunday's 10-3 loss to the Eagles. He fumbled trying to tuck in the ball and also lost control of the ball trying to pass as the Rams went without a touchdown for the first time since Dec. 3, 2000 at Carolina.

Martz said backup Jamie Martin would start this week against the Chiefs, and Marc Bulger would be No. 2. Bulger has a sprained right index finger and has been unable to throw more than 10 yards since the injury Nov. 18 against the Bears.

"Marc is a ways away, I think," Martz said. "At this point, Marc is not probably an alternative."

Thus far, Warner bears no resemblance to the guy who was the league's most prolific passer. He has 11 interceptions with only three touchdown passes, and counting the Super Bowl is 0-7 as the starter since the Rams won the NFC championship game last January.

At least, the Rams now have a reason for his latest woes. Last week, doctors believed the injury was a bruise to the palm and Warner didn't take snaps in practice to allow the swelling to go down.

Against Philadelphia, Warner threw two interceptions and lost his third fumble of the season. Martz criticized Warner for underthrowing Isaac Bruce on a probable touchdown pass in the third quarter; for holding the ball too long on a fumble; and for his timing and game-management skills.

St. Louis averaged 32 points during its dominant three-year run as the "Greatest Show on Turf," with Warner leading the Rams to two Super Bowls. But this year, the Rams are averaging only 13.5 points.

Three of his interceptions have been returned for scores, including the lone touchdown by Bobby Taylor in the Eagles game.

"I think I felt good, it was just a lot of crazy things happened," Warner said after the game. "It's frustrating to come away not doing what you needed to do to have this team win. It hurts."

Martin was the backup before injuring his knee in a 37-13 loss to San Francisco in Week 5, his only start. Martz said Martin actually was hurt the previous week stepping in for Warner in a 13-10 loss to the Cowboys.

Bulger led the Rams to five straight victories in Warner's absence as they evened their record after an 0-5 start. But the comeback hit the skids when Warner returned.

The Rams were poised for a come-from-behind victory Nov. 24 at Washington before LaVar Arrington zoomed around beleaguered right tackle John St. Clair and stripped an indecisive Warner for a game-deciding fumble. Warner also threw an interception at the end of the first half against the Redskins, costing the Rams points.

At Philadelphia, Warner had to play most of the way behind a banged-up line minus injured tackle Orlando Pace and was sacked eight times.

It's probably worth noting that Bulger was seen throwing passes of up to 30 yards on Monday, a significant improvement over last week.

"I'm getting closer," Bulger said Tuesday. "I know our situation at quarterback right now. We're running thin. If I can be out there I'll be out there in a heartbeat. It's a pain issue and a flexibility issue. And it's almost another week [before we play again]. I'm going to try to throw tomorrow a little bit, and do some scout team."

In a related note. ... Journeyman QB Scott Covington was re-signed to the scout team -- just in case. Justin Watson was released to make room for Covington.

It's probably safe to assume I'll have more on the team's situation under center as the weekend progresses. ...

Also of interest. ...

Although he didn't line up as the starter, Marshall Faulk returned to action in Philadelphia last Sunday after missing the previous two games with a sprained right ankle and a strained tendon in his left foot. He entered the game for the first time late in the first quarter and ran five yards on second-and-10. Rookie Lamar Gordon started at halfback.

. For the record. ... Faulk wasn't able to go at anything even remotely resembling full speed.

"It hindered me in some of the things I probably wanted to do -- thought I could do," Faulk told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "You think of what you want to do and you try to do it. And sometimes when you know you are injured, you limit yourself to what you want to try to do out on the field just so you can continue to play."

"I love you, dude," McCrary screamed at the top of his lungs. "How do you do this?"

That was a question on many people's minds, including more than a few Denver defenders, after Tomlinson turned in the most amazing performance of his spectacular young career in willing the Chargers to a 30-27 overtime victory over the Broncos on Sunday.

The list of his accomplishments was enough to occupy 40 lines on a postgame notes sheet, but the highlights were these:

They add up to one huge mirage. The 49ers offense isn't fixed. Far from it.

That's why 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia, answering reporters' questions after the game, looked as if his deal doing car commercials had just been canceled.

"You have to find a way to smile about getting a win," Garcia said.

Maybe he has by now. But not Sunday afternoon, so soon after the 49ers took a 21-point lead into the fourth quarter and nearly blew it all. Not so soon after the 49ers offense rolled over and played dead in the fourth quarter -- again -- making its ho-hum attack the first three quarters look scintillating by comparison.

"I want to see better things out of myself," Garcia said. "I want to see better things out of this offense. Today was frustrating. I don't see the progress on a weekly basis."

The 49ers offense has been waiting for weeks to get into high gear. Time's running out for head coach Steve Mariucci, offensive coordinator Greg Knapp and the entire 49ers offense. The playoffs are just five weeks away. Yes, the 49ers will be there, barring a collapse too big to imagine. But they're looking more and more like a one-and-out playoff team.

Super Bowl contenders don't gain just 14 yards and go three-and-out three times in the fourth quarter. The 49ers did both, opening the door for Seattle's wild comeback against a short-handed, makeshift defense.

"The thing that makes most of us mad is we get down to the fourth quarter and we don't put the game away," 49ers offensive tackle Derrick Deese said. "That's our job. That's our responsibility.

"This offense is not supposed to take a big lead and let a team come back. We faltered in the fourth quarter."

How long have the 49ers been talking about their lack of a killer instinct? Months? Years?

"We really need to get better as an offense and learn to finish," Garcia said. "Because we haven't.

"Right now, I feel teams do feel they still have a chance even though they're behind. We haven't completed games."

On Sunday, the 49ers' offense didn't do much at the beginning, middle or end of its game against Seattle.

The 49ers scored one touchdown on Jimmy Williams 89 yard punt return. They scored another after safety Tony Parrish made a diving interception, got off the turf and returned 19 yards to the Seahawks 4.

The 49ers were fortunate to be facing the NFL's worst defense against the run. Garrison Hearst carried 31 times for 124 yards and three touchdowns. Other than that, it was bleak.

Garcia threw for 164 yards and zero touchdowns. He was intercepted twice and posted a passer rating of 42.9, a mark you'd expect from a third-stringer, not a two-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

Terrell Owens caught five passes for all of 45 yards. Owens declined to discuss his game with reporters, but it didn't take a mind reader to know what he thought about a day spent out of the end zone.

The 49ers' first two drives ended with interceptions. On their first drive, the 49ers drove to Seattle's 21, but Garcia overthrew tight end Eric Johnson on a deep route over the middle and Reggie Tongue intercepted the pass.

On the second drive, Garcia overthrew wide receiver Tai Streets, and cornerback Ken Lucas picked it off at the Seahawks' 7.

Garcia said he simply misfired on his first interception. On the second, he said he thought Streets would run a deeper post. He thought wrong.

"I was fine," Garcia said. "It was early in the game. I wasn't going to let it disrupt what I needed to do for this team. It's all about short-term memory."

Garcia probably would love to forget his offense's recent struggles. Going into the game, the 49ers had scored 17 points three straight weeks.

Take away Williams' punt return for a score and the 4-yard touchdown drive, and you're left with 17 points again.

Fuzzy math? Maybe. But 17 points gives a much truer picture of the state of the 49ers offense.

That's why Garcia couldn't smile, despite what the scoreboard read.

Also of interest. ... In an article published Tuesday, Sacramento Bee staffer Mike Triplett noted that Hearst believes he is most effective with a heavy workload and he lent credence to that belief against the Seahawks. Kevan Barlow (knee) missed that game and is expected to miss at least the next two, so Hearst should continue to get plenty of work until Barlow heals. Then the backfield rotation will resume. ...

And finally. ... It appears that Johnson is starting to win his battle of the bulging disc that's limited him since October. According to Mariucci, the second-year tight end was on the field for more offensive snaps (36) last Sunday than backup Justin Swift (32) l for the first time since the back problem first became an issue.

But by the time Hasselbeck finished flinging the football around Candlestick Park, 427 also represented the all-time record for passing yards in a game by a Seattle Seahawks quarterback.

Vroom, vroom.

Hasselbeck revved a bit too high during the frantic final minutes of a 31-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, throwing an interception that killed Seattle's comeback in the final 2 minutes. But head coach Mike Holmgren could live with that error after watching his quarterback turn in the sixth 400-yard game in franchise history.

"He was a little more frantic than he had to be with the time that was remaining," Holmgren said. "But heck, he made a lot of nice plays in the game, too.

"Matt is battling through this season just fine."

Hasselbeck has passed for 789 yards and six touchdowns in the Seahawks' last two games.

He completed 30 of 55 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions Sunday. His completion percentage suffered from at least six dropped passes.

"We did make some plays and then I got a little careless with the ball and they picked me off at the end," Hasselbeck said. "That's what makes it hard, ending the game on a play like that."

Hasselbeck found Darrell Jackson seven times for 114 yards and two touchdowns. He connected with Koren Robinson four times for 95 yards and one touchdown.

There were five completed passes to the tight ends, including a 26-yarder to Jerramy Stevens and a 21-yarder to Itula Mili.

Running back Shaun Alexander caught eight passes for 77 yards.

The blocking didn't hold up as well as the statistics indicated - the 49ers finished with zero sacks despite getting pressure -- but Hasselbeck compensated with what Sando described as some "Favrian improvisation."

He completed one attempt underhanded and two others on flip passes. Each time, he avoided a potential sack.

"I think he is playing pretty well, I really do," Holmgren said. "He had a couple of errors today, a couple of decisions he'd like to have back, which he did not have last week.

"But I don't know how many times we threw the ball today. Fifty-five? That's craziness. And you're going to have a couple of those when you throw the ball that much."

With 362 yards against Kansas City last week and 427 more Sunday, Hasselbeck is the first Seattle passer to top 300 yards in consecutive games since Jim Zorn in 1981.

"I'm happy with the way he is playing," Holmgren said.

Other notes of interest. ...

In an article published Nov. 25, Pro Football Weekly reported their Seahawk sources believe the hiring of Randy Mueller to take over Holmgren’s GM duties makes a lot of sense (Mueller has been lying low in the Seattle area since being fired as the GM of the Saints). However, those same source say there's nothing to the persistent rumor along those lines at the present time.

Also according to PFW, Despite the fact place-kicker Rian Lindell has been doing a solid job on his placement work, his future remains on shaky ground be­cause of his consistently weak kickoffs. In fact, recently-signed Steeler Jeff Reed told PFW that the Seahawks called him every few days to tell him to stay ready in case Lindell faltered.

In front of a national television audience Sunday night, McCardell had his biggest game of the season, catching a season-high 11 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in Tampa Bay's 23-20 loss to the Saints.

It was McCardell's second 100-yard game. He caught four passes for 108 yards Sept. 29 at Cincinnati.

And his 11 catches were more than the Saints team, which totaled 10.

"I had a feel today," McCardell said. "It was good that Brad [Johnson] was looking for me 'cause I and the rest of the receivers felt like we needed to help out more tonight.

"I made a couple of tough catches but that's what I like to do."

It was a defining game for McCardell, who had been rather quiet since missing two games with a shoulder injury.

In his two previous games since the injury (against Carolina and Green Bay) he had seven catches for 74 yards.

McCardell had close to those numbers by halftime Sunday, catching six for 73 yards.

"I was ready to get back in the flow," McCardell said. "It doesn't matter whether I'm hurt or not, I'm not going to say anything. I'm just going to go out there and try to make plays. And that's what I was doing tonight."

It was one of those nights when McCardell seemingly couldn't drop a ball.

He caught just about everything thrown his way. And the Bucs went to him early and often.

On the first two plays of the game, Johnson hit McCardell on passes of 7 and 13 yards.

From there, McCardell repeatedly found seams in the defense, running precise routes and slipping behind defenders where Johnson could get him the ball.

Most of his catches were for short yardage but were crucial in helping the offense move the chains on a night when the Bucs struggled mightily at times.

McCardell's longest reception was a 26-yarder in the second quarter that led to Tampa Bay's first touchdown.

With the Bucs trailing 6-2 and facing third and 4 from their 30, Johnson hit McCardell on a pass to the Saints 44.

On the next play fullback Mike Alstott took a dump pass and turned it into a touchdown and a 9-6 Bucs lead.

Whatever defensive adjustments the Saints made at halftime had little impact on McCardell.

He continued to get behind and between the defenders in the second half, making five more grabs for 34 yards and a crucial touchdown.

McCardell was so hot that he was upset even when he didn't make difficult catches.

In the third quarter on third and 10 at the Saints 33, McCardell nearly came up with a juggling catch. He thought he should have made the catch.

But he made plenty of big plays.

Earlier in the same drive he caught a 13-yard pass for a first down, then snared a 9-yard pass that set up another first down.

Some of his biggest catches came late in the fourth quarter and helped put the Bucs in position to rally.

With the Bucs trailing 23-12 and facing third and 10 from their 45, McCardell made a nifty catch for a 6-yard gain that allowed the Bucs to go for it on fourth down, which they converted.

Later in that drive, with the Bucs staring at fourth and 2 from the Saints 2-yard line, McCardell beat cornerback Ken Irvin in man-to-man coverage on the left side, getting just enough separation for Johnson to hit him with a touchdown pass.

"I got separation from my man and when you get separation you can make catches and make touchdowns," McCardell said.

That play, along with a successful two-point conversion, pulled the Bucs to within 23-20 with a little more than two minutes left.

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Tampa Tribune staffer Roy Cummings, Shaun King will be the backup quarterback down the stretch. His knowledge of the system is just as good as Rob Johnson's, and King has experience leading the team in a postseason race.

Johnson, who has been sacked nine times and intercepted twice in about five quarters of play this season, has failed to display the poise and decision-making skills the team seeks.

Though he lacks Rob Johnson's arm strength and moves a bit slower, King is mobile enough to make plays with his feet and has more patience with the ball.

King's No. 2 status might be an indication the club will re-sign him and let "The Rob" go. Both will be free agents after the season. ...

Also according to Cummings, as opponents concentrate more on stopping wide receivers Keyshawn Johnson and McCardell, the team will try to make more use of wide receiver Joe Jurevicius. He has proved recently that he can make big plays on third down and in the red zone, even against double-teams.

The plan to make more use of Jurevicius (6-5, 230), who has good speed and a distinct size advantage against any cornerback, relies on getting better play from the offensive line.

The line is improving, and as it does, it allows the team to make more use of three- and four-wide receiver sets that don't require the use of a second tight end to block.

And finally. ... In an article published Nov. 25, Pro Football Weekly reminded readers that Gruden doesn’t care about style points.

In fact, the coach bristled at the suggestion that although his Bucs are in first place in the NFC South, they haven’t been winning with any pizzazz. Gruden responded by saying that he doesn’t know what a "pretty" game looks like and takes exception to the idea that Tampa Bay seems to be slipping by because of a tough defense and an offense that does just enough to win.

Insiders say Gruden doesn’t care how the job gets done -- he simply wants the "W," and his team is standing behind him.

The running attack has been less than stellar this season, but the fact that the passing game seems more advanced at this point doesn’t make a difference as long as the Bucs win.

"It is always going to be that way, no matter what the case is," Keyshawn Johnson said. "If the team is running good, [the critics] are going to say this is wrong. If you’re passing good, they’re going to say this is wrong. We don’t care. None of the guys that are making these opinions are playing. They’re all sitting. It’s very easy to sit and talk. It’s not something that we worry about. We just continue to go out and try to win football games. That’s the bottom line. A couple of weeks ago, nobody wanted to talk to us. Now we can’t get the people out of our locker room."

Which is all the more notable because, until about 20 minutes before game time, head coach Jeff Fisher still wasn't certain he should even risk playing McNair in the matchup with the New York Giants.

How come?

McNair has at least four different injuries for which he is being treated.

The latest is a rib cage injury that, until late last week, precluded McNair from lifting his throwing arm to shoulder level. In fact, during the pregame warmups, backup Neil O'Donnell took as many snaps with the first unit as did the Titans starter. Most weeks, McNair has to have a painkiller shot to treat a perennial case of turf toe, yet he answers the bell.

Pasquarelli went on to remind us that Vick might be an MVP candidate, but McNair has long been one of the toughest guys in the league at his position, and one of the most unappreciated, too.

Sure, the centerpiece in Tennessee is Eddie George, and that might always be the case.

But for a quarterback who has never thrown more than 21 touchdown passes in a season, McNair might be the player the Titans can least afford to be without. If they awarded Purple Hearts in the NFL, he would deserve one.

Typical of McNair, he did it with his arm and his legs on Sunday, in leading a comeback against the Giants. He threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns, but a key play came when he audibled to a quarterback draw play for a two-point conversion that tied the contest. Great call by a player who, admittedly, isn't great but is a lot better than he's acknowledged as being. ...

Also of interest. ...

The Titans have started to use more players in the backfield in recent weeks and according to Nashville Tennessean staffer Jeff Legwold, they found a matchup they could exploit late in the game when they put John Simon out wide and forced the Giants to use a linebacker to cover him. George got the majority of carries, but it was his sixth game of the season that he's had 20 or fewer. Robert Holcombe had seven carries in the game. ...

And finally. ... With wide receiver Kevin Dyson (hamstring) out, Justin McCareins has a chance to earn a bigger role. The team wanted McCareins to force himself into the lineup more than he did when Dyson was healthy, but Drew Bennett has made it difficult for coaches to keep him off the field. ...

That's not to say that the final four games will be meaningless. Club officials will have plenty of decisions to make as the team retools its roster in the offseason, and the players know auditions for 2003 begin with their Dec. 8 game against the New York Giants at FedEx Field. Head coach Steve Spurrier signaled that Friday by saying he intended to give youngsters some playing time, but he also said he will continue to play his veterans.

"You kind of go back and forth between the situation you're in and looking long-term," quarterback Danny Wuerffel said. "You always want to have a chance to make the playoffs, and it's frustrating when you feel like you let that slip away. But as professionals, you show up and you keep doing your job."

Spurrier said he will stick with Wuerffel as his starting quarterback against the Giants, leaving rookie Patrick Ramsey in a reserve role. That is a decision that is virtually certain to draw intense criticism from those Redskins followers who had been calling for Ramsey, the team's first-round draft choice, to get the starting nod to gain experience for next year.

Spurrier said Friday that Ramsey could receive extensive playing time down the stretch but he was staying with Wuerffel as the starter because he didn't feel Wuerffel played badly in Thursday's 27-20 loss, the Redskins' 10th straight defeat to the Cowboys dating from 1997. Other team officials said Spurrier is considering re-signing Wuerffel, whose contract expires after this season, as a backup, and wants to see what his Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Florida can do with this chance to play.

But Spurrier has acknowledged Ramsey is the long-term solution at quarterback, and other members of the organization are eager to find out whether they will be able to count on Ramsey to be the starter entering training camp next summer. Still, the lesson being taught around the NFL these days is that a young quarterback doesn't necessarily need to play in games to learn. San Diego's Drew Brees, St. Louis's Marc Bulger and the New York Jets' Chad Pennington have succeeded in their first chances to be NFL starters without having played much previously, one season after Tom Brady led the New England Patriots to a Super Bowl title with his first opportunity to start. None of them had played much before being given a starting job, but none was a rookie when the chance arrived.

The one advantage of having a full month of playing-out-the-string games is that Spurrier has time to look at both Wuerffel and Ramsey. Spurrier said on Friday he would do "a little combination" of playing veterans and playing youngsters in the season's final month.

Spurrier called the loss to the Cowboys the Redskins' most disappointing defeat of the season. But he said he would put the discouragement of the loss behind him and try to make the most of what's left of the season. His players say they will take the same approach.

In a related note. ... Richmond Times-Dispatch staffer Paul Woody reminded us that because Stephen Davis is likely to be elsewhere next season, the team needs to determine whether his replacement is on the roster or needs to be added through the draft or the free-agent market. Kenny Watson is the official backup, but it is difficult to see him as the starting running back for an entire season.

Ladell Betts was drafted as Davis' ultimate replacement, and the coaching staff must find out how well the newcomer can an perform in Spurrier's offense.

For what it's worth. ... Darnerien McCants and Justin Skaggs are likely to play greater roles down the stretch in order to provide them valuable experience for coming season. ...

And speaking of Watson. ... In naming the the former Nittany Lion his "Goat Of The Week," Sports Illustrated insider Peter King singled out Watson's cavalier approach to pass-receiving that cost his team seven points in the seven-point loss to Dallas.

This after Wuerffel's easily catchable pass bounced off Watson's pads at the Washington 4, and the ball popped into the air. Cowboys safety Roy Williams caught the ricocheted pass and rumbled into the end zone for a touchdown.

And finally this week. ...

The Redskins signed kicker Jose Cortez and punter Craig Jarrett on Monday and released kicker James Tuthill.

Cortez was cut last week by San Francisco. He made 18 of 24 field goals this season for the 49ers, but missed two potential game-winning field goals in a three-week span and lost his job to rookie Jeff Chandler.

Tuthill, getting his first regular NFL kicking job, was signed after Brett Conway re-injured his leg in the season opener. Tuthill made nine of his first 10 attempts, prompting Spurrier to nickname him "King Tut," but he missed five of his last six and pulled an extra point wide left in the 27-20 Thanksgiving loss at Dallas.

"It seemed like James lost his confidence a little bit," Spurrier said.

Tuthill was 10-for-16 on field goals and 20-for-21 on extra points.