Five weeks ago, Nathan Poole was working at a home for troubled children in Charlotte, N.C. He did not survive the past two Cardinals training camps despite being third on the Mid-American Conference list in career receiving while at Marshall.

They were big deals in college, but Kasper, signed Nov. 22, and Poole, signed Nov. 7, were unproven as pros before they made critical receptions in place of injured players Sunday in the Cardinals' overtime win over Detroit.

Kasper's 23-yard reception to the Lions 28-yard line set up Bill Gramatica's 42-yard, game-winning field goal. It was one of three catches for 49 yards for Kasper, who has functioned as the kickoff returner for three games.

"I try to forget which team I'm on anymore," Kasper said. "It seems like every week I have a new jersey on. I just put on the jersey, put on the helmet, look in the mirror to be sure I know what I'm doing, and go try to contribute to a win. I haven't had much time with [receivers] coach [Jerry] Sullivan, but I've learned more in my six days on the practice field with him than I have in my whole career."

Poole said he tried to keep himself in shape when not helping children with their math homework at the home in Charlotte.

It paid off Sunday when his six receptions led the Cardinals. One of them, on third down, went 10 yards for the first touchdown of his career with 38 seconds left in the first half.

"I take pride in my third-down catches; I really want the ball," Poole said. "I'm not a vocal guy, but I'm going to snatch it if it comes my way. [Sullivan] stuck with us young guys and wouldn't let them change the game plan." Kasper and Poole got extensive playing time because David Boston (knee), Frank Sanders (arch), MarTay Jenkins (shoulder), and Bryan Gilmore (leg), the top four receivers, did not suit up. Rookie Jason McAddley completed the neophyte receiving threesome with five catches for 48 yards.

"We knew McAddley would be a fine receiver, we just didn't expect him to play this much this early," head coach Dave McGinnis said.

Sanders was on the sideline offering advice.

"They came up big-time for the experience they've got," he said.

McGinnis also singled out Sullivan and quarterback Jake Plummer or special praise.

"There's not a better receivers coach in the league than Jerry Sullivan," McGinnis said. "A lot of times when you're put in these situations as a coach, you find out how good you are. It's incredible what he has done with these guys in such a short amount of time. "

McGinnis praised Plummer for directing an offense that started in a no-huddle set, then went to five wideouts, then to two backs and back to no-huddle as a means to disrupt the Lions defense.

"We kept the ball for nearly 40 minutes with basically three of our original 11 starters playing in the same place they played at the start of the year," McGinnis said. "The defense, which has been taking hits for six weeks, held their team to barely 200 yards offense."

To McGinnis, Sunday's performance was evidence that the Cardinals haven't quit.

"The last six weeks have been hard," McGinnis. "There have been a lot of shells coming into that bunker, and it takes some strong people to be able to withstand that and come back out and perform."

Also of interest. ...

Sanders still has his right foot in a protective boot for his sprained arch and "is very iffy" for Sunday night's game at St. Louis. Tight end Steve Busch, knocked out of the Detroit game with a concussion, is questionable.

McGinnis wondered if the rash of injuries that have struck the team is contagious.

"A guy from NFL Films had to get X-rayed before the game," McGinnis said. "A camera fell on him. That's about right. ..."

And finally. ... Freddie Jones now has 40 catches, most by a Cardinals tight end since Rob Awalt caught 42 in 1987. The team record by a tight end is 56, by Jackie Smith, 35 years ago.

Then, Dunn sat. And stood. And watched.

T.J. Duckett and Bob Christian handled the backfield duties even though Dunn was in uniform. He missed practice Wednesday with a sprained right ankle, returned to practice Thursday and expected to play.

"I did," he said. "I think before the game, [team officials] decided they were going to hold me out."

Head coach Dan Reeves: "We could have used Warrick. I didn't see putting him in there with the ankle not being 100 percent. Without question, he should be ready to go next week [against Seattle]."

Dunn, who sat out the fifth game out of a possible 95 (including playoffs) in his career, did not enjoy his vantage point.

"You always expect the unexpected," Dunn said. "T.J. was in the same predicament a few weeks ago where he thought he could play, and they held him out [Nov. 17 against New Orleans].

"It was definitely difficult because a lot was at stake, and you want to play a team that you just left."

Just for the record. ... The Falcons opened the game in a one-back, three tight end, one-receiver set with Christian as the lone back. ...

Also of interest this week. ...

According to Sports Illustrated insider Peter King, who spent last weekend doing a piece on Mike Vick for HBO's Inside the NFL, says the second-year signal caller realizes he's gaining all sorts of fame and helping his team win by running with abandon, but he also knows if he runs as frequently as he has at times this year, he'll have a hard time staying healthy enough to play at the expected level.

"I don't want to use my legs all the time because I don't want to take the hits. But at the same time I realize God has blessed with unbelievable running ability and speed, and I have to take advantage of that. At the same time, part of me is telling me, 'Sit back there and let things happen and use your arm and use your brain.'"

King went on to predict "the football world will grow to like Vick. He loves the game. He respects it. It's really important for him to try to be good. He's not much of a 'me' guy. He calls his mother in Virginia on the way to the stadium every Sunday and on the way home after a game. [HBO is] going to use sound from Vick in the story, I believe, that has him talking about how much he loves getting up on Sunday and going out to the field (when it's played on real turf) and smelling the grass. 'I'm cherishing every moment and every snap,' he said. 'I love this game. I love being in it.'"

In a related note. ... SportsLine.com insider Jay Glazer reported on Sunday that the one concern Vick and the Falcons had when he entered the league was his soft-spoken tone. So what did he do to make sure he spoke like a true field general in the midst of the game? He went to the audiotape.

The Falcons have one of their coaches tape Vick's play-calling in the huddle during practice. The idea is to record the call then let Vick listen to himself to gauge his decibel levels, clarity and whether or not he properly communicated the play to his offense.

He actually breaks down audiotape recordings of his own huddle performance.

As Glazer put it, "when this is the least of a player's concerns, the rest of the league needs to be very, very concerned."

And one last note on Vick. ... According to ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli, Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin may have come up with a genius game plan for slowing Vick, but others will not be able to emulate it, because they don't have the kind of speed the Bucs defense possesses. ...

And finally. ... Jay Feely kicked his 30th field goal last Sunday, moving within one of the club single-season record set by Morten Andersen in 1995.

When quarterback Jeff Blake was inserted as starter, Taylor finally started delivering the big plays the team thought he could when they drafted him in the first round two years ago. But lately, he's been living a receiver's nightmare, dropping almost as many as he's caught in the last three weeks.

After the game, Taylor said he felt Blake had lost confidence in Baltimore's wide receivers.

Blake had confidence in Taylor when he tossed a perfect pass to Taylor, who was running a fade route. The receiver dropped the pass at the Saints' 1-yard line. A reception would have given the Ravens a 14-13 lead.

"I've got to make those plays. Those are game-changing plays," said Taylor, who did catch five passes for 83 yards. "It's been a couple of weeks now … this was a big missed opportunity. We've got to take care of our own business."

As bad as Taylor's day was, Johnson's was worse. He dropped two passes and caught none. After the game, he sat sulking in his locker, wondering if he'd be back next season. Johnson, who was the Ravens' best receiver during training camp, said he thinks his problems are because of real-game anxiety.

"I need to relax," he said.

Ravens receivers coach David Shaw agreed with him.

"Most great receivers, and most of the good ones, go through this as a rookie. He just needs to get over playing like a rookie and it'll all come to him," Shaw said.

In an article published Monday, Baltimore Sun reporter Brent Jones, Blake spent considerable time and energy denying the personal importance of last Sunday's against the Saints.

At least right up until the final whistle blew.

"I really wanted to go out and play well against them," said Blake, who finished 18-for-39 for 316 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. "I wanted to beat them real bad. It didn't happen for me. But this is a team effort, and we have a good, capable, competitive football team."

Blake had a hand in three of his team's five turnovers, including an inexplicable fumble on the Ravens' first possession in which he was not hit. As Blake cocked his arm to throw, the ball slipped out of his hand and went about 4 yards backward.

Saints defensive end Willie Whitehead recovered the fumble at the Ravens' 22, and New Orleans converted the turnover into a field goal for a 3-0 lead. It was the second time this season Blake has fumbled without being hit.

"The ball slipped out of my hands when I was going back," Blake said. "That happens with a cold night, dry hand. Things like that happen. You have to put it aside and get on to the next play, and hopefully that play doesn't bite you in the end."

One last note here. ... Also according to Preston, the Ravens made an effort to lob jump balls to tight end Todd Heap over smaller defensive backs last Sunday. It paid off in a 43-yard, first-quarter reception in which Heap out-jumped cornerback Fred Thomas and landed at the Saints' 1-yard line.

Jamal Lewis ran in for the score on the next play.

Blake was unable to complete a similar pass to Heap in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

"That's one of the things we worked on all week," Heap said. "Hopefully, we would get a matchup out there and make some things happen. We only got one, and I wish we could have got some more.

"I pride myself in making those type of plays. But it's not as exciting when you don't win."

Fall behind. Become one-dimensional. Lose the game.

For the second time in as many games against the Patriots this year, the Bills faced an early 17-0 deficit. Once again, the Bills abandoned the running game in favor of an all-out passing attack to try to catch up.

That might work against some teams, but not against a cagey Patriots defense designed to prevent the big play.

So while the Bills put up big passing numbers, the lopsided attack was not enough to avoid a 27-17 loss in Gillette Stadium.

Quarterback Drew Bledsoe managed just one long throw downfield, a 41-yard strike to wide receiver Peerless Price, who beat the coverage that was broken down by Bledsoe's scramble out of the pocket. Rookie wideout Josh Reed also had a big play, breaking a tackle to turn a short catch into a 42-yard gain.

But that was about it for the Bills, who were forced to spend the rest of the day trying to dink and dunk their way down the field. That simply is not their style.

"Their plan against us defensively is to force us to march it down the field without making mistakes, and that will continue to be their plan until we prove we can do that," said Bledsoe, who threw for 328 yards but had four killer interceptions. "Most teams when they play us will do everything to take away the big play."

Indeed, Bills opponents will do anything to keep Price and fellow wide receiver Eric Moulds from beating them deep. Their performance against the Miami Dolphins certainly showed the rest of the NFL how foolish it is to play Buffalo's explosive tandem man-to-man.

Moulds and Price actually had one of their most productive games against the Patriots. Moulds had two touchdown catches, and Price gained 105 yards on nine receptions.

But Moulds averaged just 7.9 yards on eight catches. Even with the 41-yarder, Price averaged only 11.7 per catch.

"You've got to be patient and wait for your opportunities and then take advantage of them," Moulds said. "What's frustrating about that is you don't know when those opportunities are going to occur. And then if you don't make the play on that opportunity you don't know when that opportunity is going to come again."

Once you're behind against the Patriots, you never know what coach Bill Belichick is going to throw at you.

"The Patriots are not the kind of team you want to give an early lead because when you get down, that's when they start with all their games and tricks," Price said. "That's the same thing that happened in the first game. The result was the same both times: We lost."

Maybe the biggest detriment to falling behind the Patriots is that it makes running back Travis Henry a spectator. Henry gained good yardage against New England only to be taken out of the game once the Bills were forced to play catch-up, an all-too-familiar scenario.

"It's tough not to be able to get in a groove," said Henry, who gained 60 yards on just 15 carries. "Unfortunately, when we're down it takes away from the game plan we originally wanted to use, which was to control the ball by running it. I don't think we wanted to go away from the running game. But when you're behind you really don't have much of a choice.

"It's a helpless feeling, and it's very frustrating to be standing on the sidelines because I think I'm a big part of the offense," Henry said. "Not to be used is hard, but we can't allow ourselves to get behind."

The Bills' offense showed a little life in the second half, but it was too little, too late.

"We just didn't execute like we did in the second half," Moulds said. "Anytime you're playing the world champs you can't come in their hometown and their home den and try to come back in the second half because they have Belichick and they have one of the best defenses in the league. When you try to play catch-up on the road, you're not going to win many of those games."

Also of interest. ... Jay Riemersma left Sunday's game briefly after taking a shot to the head, but was able to return and finish the game. The The veteran tight end is expected to start and play as usual this week.

For the game, Carolina totaled 52, tying the highest in the league this year, and the Panthers rolled to a 52-31 decision against Cincinnati at Ericsson Stadium.

To put this in perspective, Carolina approached Sunday's kickoff averaging 13.2 points. The Panthers had scored seven touchdowns in their previous eight games. They scored seven touchdowns Sunday.

So where did this suddenly exploding scoreboard come from?

The defense and special teams, to start with. In the first half, the offense was dismal, totaling 115 yards. Carolina tried to run and Cincinnati wouldn't permit it, allowing 33 rushing yards. The Panthers still managed 16 points, all without the offense's input.

After halftime, that changed dramatically.

"Coming into halftime, we really made up our mind to throw the football on them," said Rodney Peete. "They were not going to allow us to run some of the plays that we thought might be successful because they were bringing the safeties up."

So Peete, who had 82 passing yards in the first half, completed 15 of 16 passes for 237 yards after the break.

The Panthers' offense took stock at the half, and didn't like what it saw.

"We pretty much ripped ourselves at halftime," Muhsin Muhammad, who had eight catches, explained later. "There were a lot of plays out there to be made, but we weren't executing the way we knew we could."

Tight end Kris Mangum said, "We knew we were playing terrible [on offense]. The plays are out there; if you watch tapes of those guys, a lot of people hit plays on them. We knew we had to take advantage of it."

Cincinnati tried to confuse the Panthers by stunting and blitzing. Carolina right guard Kevin Donnalley said the offensive line did a much better job of picking up on the Bengals' tricks after the break.

"As things got clicking, it gave us some confidence and you feel like you can't do anything wrong," Donnalley said.

Tackle Melvin Tuten, who did solid work filling in for Todd Steussie (sprained knee) in the second half, said the Panthers used more play-action to suck in the linebackers. Peete began finding his receivers, and they began making catches, often in spectacular fashion.

"The offense came out in the second half and exploded, like there were some new guys out there," safety Mike Minter said.

A 21-point third quarter was followed by a 15-point fourth, and the rout was on.

"Some of those balls probably shouldn't have been caught; we did a great job taking it away from them," said tight end Wesley Walls. "The next thing you know, boom, we're throwing touchdown passes and it looked like the Run and Gun out there. We haven't moved the ball like that all season.

"They said 'Beat us with the pass,' and we did."

By the time they finished, the Panthers had topped 50 points for the first time.

For what it's worth. ... Head coach John Fox said he wasn't trying to run up the score by going for two after the Panthers' last touchdown.

"We debated going for it pretty much on every score, but it was early in the game and we wanted to wait until the fourth quarter," he said. "It put us up by 21, and they're an explosive offense. With 6:18 to go in the game, I've seen stranger things happen."

Fox would prove his non-rubbing-it-in point later, by having quarterback Peete take a knee on fourth-and-goal at the Cincinnati 1 on the final possession.

"With that much time in the game, I don't think that would have done much for us to get another touchdown, and I elected not to do that."

Also of interest. ... Walls had two receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was the 53rd of his career, snapping a tie for third in the NFL with Dave Casper. Walls still trails Jerry Smith (60) and Shannon Sharpe (54).

Walls broke a tie with Mike Ditka in overall receptions at the position, improving to 429.

The veteran quarterback suffered a hyperextended left knee when Dolphins lineman Rob Burnett was pushed back into his leg, and Miller had to be carted off the field. An MRI performed Tuesday showed some damage to the medial collateral ligament, but he will not require surgery, agent Joe Linta said.

"Talk about a guy fit for a Greek tragedy," Linta said.

The third-quarter play ended a sub-par night for Miller, whom the Bears had deemed to be their best option even though he has painful tendinitis in his right elbow, a slightly frayed rotator cuff that will require at least exploratory surgery and a spur on his right heel. Miller will be on crutches for about three weeks, but Linta said a decision has been made to delay any operations during that period.

Teammates have viewed Miller as an inspiration through their 3-10 nightmare. After going 11-2 as a starter last year, Miller finally earned a nice contract at $12 million over five seasons and went into a season for the first time as the unquestioned leader. He started fast, throwing 10 touchdown passes in the first five games, but an ankle sprain in the preseason and the more serious maladies have proved devastating.

Miller was knocked out of the playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles last season with a separated right shoulder and was shelved early in 2000 with a torn left Achilles tendon.

The next option is the able-armed Chris Chandler, who will make his sixth start Sunday against the New York Jets this Sunday. His struggles were no different from any others in Miami. He threw two interceptions, both tipped, and fumbled during a span of 4 minutes, 14 seconds in the fourth quarter.

"Things had not gone our way the whole night, so, yeah, you're really disappointed that we turned the ball over," head coach Dick Jauron said. "You certainly can't blame them all on Chris. We like what he's done, he's worked in the system, he's learning the system, he's been around a long time."

Jauron's tenure has been marked by massive turnover at quarterback. Chandler's start will mark the 18th starting change at the position, and there could be switches by the play the rest of the way as Henry Burris is worked more and more into the offense. He came in on three selected plays in Miami, scrambling once and throwing incomplete twice, before directing a touchdown drive in the final minute.

"We'll try to work Henry into the game similar to what we did [Monday] night, maybe more," Jauron said. "Give him some series, give him some specific plays. It's really good for him. We've got three more games, and it'll be great experience for Henry."

The development of 1999 first-round draft pick Cade McNown was a failure. He was worked into games for series at a time, but the situations are not similar. McNown was a young quarterback; Burris, 27, is a CFL refugee. Jauron said he will not start Burris because doing so might create far-reaching ramifications.

"There are situations that we'd just as soon not expose him to right now," Jauron said. "And the overall reason is what I've said a number of times. The integrity of the game dictates that we play the people that give us the best chance to win. We're trying to win every single game. You may not think it affects us, but it does. And it also affects the entire National Football League."

In a related note. ... ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli wrote on Monday that league and team sources tell him the Bears aren't likely to keep both Miller and Chandler around next season.

General manager Jerry Angelo has vowed to acquire a young quarterback, preferably through the draft as he plots the future. He'll probably retain one of the two veterans as a mentor, but not both.

That bodes better for Miller, who is more likely to accept such a role.

Chandler has never particularly warmed to the prospect of preparing someone else to take his job. Miller is still garnering lots of respect from teammates, playing with an elbow that will require postseason surgery instead of shutting it down for the year.

And in an article published last Monday, Pro Football Weekly said Angelo clearly has some holes to fill this offseason, but that's not the case at receiver, where Marty Booker is on his way to his second 1,000-yard season in a row and has proven to be a worthy investment.

Angelo has high hopes that second-year man David Terrell will come back from a season-ending foot injury with plenty of motivation after catching three touchdowns in five games this season.

But the key to rounding out the group is Dez White, who at 23 is younger than Terrell. White notched the first 100-yard game of his NFL career in Week 12. According to Miller, White is much more sure-handed than he was last season. ...

The Bears placed running back Anthony Thomas and backup tight end Dustin Lyman on injured reserve Tuesday, officially ending their 2002 season.

The 2001 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year when he rushed for 1,183 yards and helped the Bears win their first NFC Central Division title since 1990, Thomas suffered a fractured left index finger in a December 1 game at Green Bay.

Thomas led the the Bears in rushing this season, gaining 721 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games. He added 24 catches for 163 yards.

Lyman, the club's backup tight end, also was injured in the Green Bay game when he caught two touchdown passes before rupturing the ACL in his left knee. Lyman had 14 catches for 121 yards.

And finally. ... Tight end John Davis, who did not play Monday because of back spasms, will be re-evaluated later this week. With Davis watching from the sidelines, rookie John Gilmore made his first NFL start against in Miami.

In a 52-31 loss to the Carolina Panthers, Kitna passed for 295 yards and two touchdowns. He has thrown for 1,887 yards, 14 touchdowns and only four interceptions in his last seven games.

Johnson had his fourth 100-yard receiving day in five games with 114 yards on six catches. He now has 55 receptions for 905 yards - 16.5 yards per catch - and five touchdowns this season.

Johnson's long was 32 yards on a one-handed catch. Pass interference also was called on the play, but the Bengals declined it. ...

Peter Warrick had two touchdown catches, from 37 and 3 yards, for the first time in his career. He has five TD receptions, a career high.

"The plays we were calling were designed for me," Warrick said. "I was just trying to make plays. We came out in the no-huddle, and it worked."

The Bengals used the no-huddle offense on the entire first drive, and it resulted in a 73-yard march, the seventh play of which was Warrick's 37-yard touchdown reception.

Warrick, who suffered a chest contusion, fellow wideout Danny Farmer (knee strain) and running back Brandon Bennett (knee) are all expected to be available this Sunday. ...

Also of interest this week. ...

ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli quoted an unnamed AFC pro personnel director on Monday as saying: "That loss to Carolina on Sunday could be the death knell for coach Dick LeBeau. Going into the game, I think [owner] Mike Brown was thinking about keeping Dick. But you can't lose like that. … And hope to keep the fans interested. I know Brown isn't the kind of owner who is swayed by the fans. But, cripes, he's got to be realistic, doesn't he?"

Not necessarily. ...

Nonetheless, some of LeBeau's players openly second-guessed the organization for putting untested rookie Travis Dorsch in position to decide a game.

A day later, LeBeau joined the ranks of second-guessers.

"I thought it made sense for him not to go all year and to never have kicked in a game," LeBeau said Monday. "I wish I hadn't thought that way, but I did."

According to Associated Press sports writer Joe Kay, several of LeBeau's major decisions have rankled the Bengals who considered themselves playoff contenders when the season began. LeBeau went through three quarterbacks in three weeks, knocking the offense out of sync and ending all of the playoff ruminations.

His one-game switch to Dorsch set up one of the worst defeats in franchise history. The Bengals had never given up 52 points in a game.

"Travis didn't play a good game, but hell, he's a rookie," cornerback Artrell Hawkins fumed afterward. "That's what rookies do, whether they're playing the 15th game of the season or they're playing the first game of the season."

Players were so discouraged that LeBeau took the unusual step of giving them an extra day off Monday, urging them to stay home and clear their heads.

"It was just to shake the bush a little bit and let them get a chance to collect their thoughts and get some positive images of where we want to go with our last three games," LeBeau said.

The Dorsch decision wasn't the only one that rubbed players the wrong way Sunday.

The Panthers could have added another touchdown with 72 seconds left, but they had Rodney Peete take a knee at Cincinnati's 1-yard line -- a show of good sportsmanship and unadorned pity.

Bengals coaches then decided to throw the ball rather than respond in kind and let the clock run out. After Kitna completed three passes to get the ball across midfield, the Bengals called timeout with 30 seconds left.

Kitna was obviously unhappy when he came to the sideline. LeBeau grabbed his forearm and pulled him close for a discussion.

When they came back onto the field, the Bengals ran once and threw an incompletion before Kitna took a knee with 17 seconds left. After crossing midfield, the Bengals didn't bother to use either of their last two timeouts.

Again, it was curious coaching. Why try to move the ball in an out-of-reach game, then abruptly change strategy and have the quarterback take a knee?

LeBeau talked around the question Monday, and declined to get into specifics about his sideline chat with Kitna. They also talked briefly in the locker room afterward.

"Jon and I have a good relationship," LeBeau said. "I just wanted to make sure it stayed that way. I was just visiting with my quarterback, that's all I was doing."

LeBeau said he won't let Dorsch kick again, and he indicated he plans to stay with Kitna as the starter for the rest of the season.

At 1-12, the Bengals have two fewer wins than any other team in the league. They have to win two of their last three games to avoid the distinction as the worst team in franchise history.

"I do believe that this team is not -- uh, we have the poorest record, but I don't think we're the poorest," LeBeau said. "I do not look at this as a hopeless situation. I don't believe we're very far away."

The only question is far away from what?

Green rushed for a career-high 119 yards on 26 carries with one touchdown during Sunday's come-from-behind victory over the Jaguars.

It was his second 100-yard performance in the last four games. He's averaging 105.7 yards during that span. In the two other games, he rushed for 96 and 94 yards.

If he averages 139 yards over the final three weeks, he can still reach 1,000. And this from a player who had 171 yards over the first nine games.

If he did reach 1,000, he'd be the first Brown to do so since Kevin Mack and Earnest Byner each had 1,000 in 1985.

"Everything works when you're running the ball like we have been," Green said. "It's the fourth week in a row that the line did a heck of a job."

Green's only glaring mistake was a dropped screen pass in the second quarter when he got tied up with guard Shaun O'Hara. But he caught three other passes for 25 yards.

"There were yards I left on the field [from making bad decisions]," he said.

But if not for Green, the Browns probably would not have won the game. On the opening drive of the third quarter, he rushed six times for 40 yards, including a 3-yard plow up the middle for his second career TD and a 15-yarder earlier in the drive on which he broke several tackle attempts.

Green suffered a bruised right elbow and wore a sleeve afterward. "It's nothing serious," he said. "As long as I was able to carry the ball, I was OK."

Asked how he improved so much after the bye week, he said, "It was just a matter of getting back out there and not making the same mistakes twice. That and a lot of studying."

Other notes of interest. ...

Kevin Johnson played a key role in the Browns' final, game-winning series against the Jags.

"I was supposed to be on the right side where Quincy [Morgan] was in the two-minute drill, but he lined up there instead," Johnson said. "He started to run back over to left, but I told him to stay. Instead of us switching sides and wasting time, I said, 'Stay over there.'

"He picked up the calls exactly the way he would've picked them up on the left and he made an excellent play. Those are the type of plays we need Quincy to make week in and week out."

Johnson said Morgan's catch was better than his own Hail Mary grab in New Orleans.

"His meant a lot more," he said. "When you can escape a hostile environment on a day when we couldn't do the things we wanted in the passing game, it's amazing what can happen if you keep working. ..."

Tim Couch said he thought about spiking the ball to stop the clock with about 16 seconds left in the game, but "I thought I could still get my play called in time."

He said not spiking the ball may have prevented Jacksonville from getting in their Hail Mary defense. "I think they were in their regular defense," he said.

He said the Browns never actually throw the ball during Hail Mary practice. ...

On the injury front. ... The Akron Beacon Journal reports that Dennis Northcutt was unable to practice Wednesday says he did not practice on Wednesday. It has been previously reported that Northcutt might miss the rest of the season.

And finally. ... In a column published Sunday, Denver Post sports writer Adam Schefter offered readers the following take on Cleveland's situation at QB:

"Interesting little bit on national TV last weekend. Fox analyst Jimmy Johnson said Tim Couch is too inconsistent to be Cleveland's quarterback of the future. Johnson's former Cowboys assistant, Butch Davis, disagreed, but so?

"Anyone who has watched the Browns this season realizes quarterback Kelly Holcomb has been superior to Couch. Or how else do you explain the Browns' Broncos-like, 2-4 home record?"

"We both wanted that one really bad," Campo told reporters Monday. "We all say bad things when we are frustrated. It's an emotional game."

Jones spent the final three quarters of Sunday's game against San Francisco on the sideline. He saw the Cowboys take a 10-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, then watched as the team gave up two touchdowns in the final five and a half minutes to lose 31-27.

"This was the most frustrating game of the most frustrating season," Jones said Monday night. "We had an opportunity to add to what had been a positive last 2-3 weeks and we let it slip away.

"A win gives us six wins (one more than each of the last two seasons) and a win allows us to be thinking more about positives."

Jones said his postgame reaction wasn't an indication that he was upset with Campo and planned a coaching change. Campo is 15-30 in his three seasons.

"It's the same feeling I've had for the last several weeks," Jones said. "I'm not in the mood, and don't want to get involved in coaching changes, certainly with Dave. One loss is not going to be an issue."

But Jones said he won't make a final decision on the coach until after the final three games of the season. The Cowboys still have to again play the NFC East rival New York Giants, Philadelphia and Washington, and they've only beaten the Redskins.

The loss Sunday was their seventh after being tied or leading in the fourth quarter.

After Emmitt Smith was stopped for no gain on third-and-1 from the San Francisco 28, Campo and his staff decided to try a 47-yard field goal instead of going for a first down. Rookie Billy Cundiff missed the kick, which would've put the Cowboys up by six.

"It's an easy second-guess. I accept that," Campo said. "The thought was, `We'd better kick this thing.' You go up by six points, it changes the way you call things on defense and changes the way they call things on offense when they have to score a touchdown."

Also of interest this week. ...

In an article published Monday, Dallas Morning News staffer Richard Durrett reminded readers that last Sunday wasn't Chad Hutchinson's day.

He overthrew Joey Galloway on what should have been a touchdown in the game's second play. He didn't see open receivers on others. He forced balls into double coverage. And he had two interceptions.

"I definitely didn't get into a rhythm in the first half," Hutchinson said. "We made some different play calls with more check downs to the backs to slow the rush in the second half."

The rush slowed a little in the second half, but the Cowboys relied on the running game and a few big plays to take the lead in the fourth quarter. Hutchinson was 11-for-28 passing for 147 yards and no touchdowns.

That doesn't mean he didn't make some plays. Hutchinson found tight end Tony McGee for a 58-yard pass that set up the Cowboys' final touchdown. And he ran 18 yards on the right side after a play-fake to the left.

But Sunday was supposed to be a chance to continue the progression of solid passing games. San Francisco's secondary was depleted, with numerous starters injured and players lining up at unfamiliar positions.

Hutchinson wasn't consistent. Part of that had to do with the Cowboys offensive line, which had difficulty containing the San Francisco defensive rush. The stats showed the Cowboys didn't give up a sack for the first time since the 2001 season finale. But that's terribly misleading. Hutchinson was scrambling away from tacklers and rushing throws to avoid sacks for most of the day.

Even though Hutchinson completed just 39 percent of his passes and finished the game with a 26.9 quarterback rating, offensive coordinator Bruce Coslet saw some positives.

"We knew San Francisco was a quicker defense than the teams we had been playing the last couple of weeks, but Chad made some strides," Coslet said. "He threw the ball away a couple of times where he had been taking sacks or fumbling it. I'm sure there are a couple of passes he'd like to get back, but he's steadily making improvements."

Hutchinson certainly wishes he had two passes back, besides the one he overthrew to Galloway on the opening possession. In the second quarter, Hutchinson fired a pass for McGee, but the pass was high and the former Bengal tipped the ball into the hands of safety Tony Parrish. The Dallas defense stopped San Francisco from scoring any points off the turnover.

Hutchinson's second interception came in the third quarter, when he overthrew Antonio Bryant. Again, Parrish was there to catch the ball.

"It doesn't make me happy," said Hutchinson about the interceptions. "We'll see the film [Monday] and move on. The got lots of heat on me and I never got into a rhythm. We just have to move on."

One last note here. ...

Also according to the Morning News, Galloway and Smith both suffered minor injuries on Sunday but returned to the game. Galloway sprained his left thumb. Smith suffered a left knee contusion. Running back Michael Wiley (concussion) was also injured, but should return this weekend.

Yet this was a new year, a new game -- with the same player talking, saying the same things about the one that got away.

Broncos quarterback Brian Griese's interception late in the fourth quarter at Giants Stadium in last Sunday's loss to the New York Jets didn't have the pizzazz of his underhanded flip against the Dolphins nearly 12 months earlier.

But the end result was remarkably similar. In one symbolic snap, the team's playoff hopes were unofficially extinguished in the swamps of New Jersey.

The Miami play came with Denver sitting 6-5; on Sunday, the Broncos resided at 7-5 and on the precipice.

Wide receiver Rod Smith was the intended target on the fateful play, but the ball sailed over his head and into the arms of safety Jon McGraw with one minute, 23 seconds remaining.

Griese played well for the most part otherwise.

He completed 28 of 37 passes for 266 yards, including a 10-yard scoring strike to Ashley Lelie late in the second quarter.

Griese showed heart coming off a two-week absence for a sprained left knee.

None of that was included in his thoughts after Denver's latest heartbreaking defeat.

"It was a bad pass. I should have put it in a better spot," Griese said. "It's the one play I'd like to have back."

Despite the less-than-perfect performance, teammates didn't seem upset with Griese's effort.

"He gave us everything he had and I can live with that," said tight end Shannon Sharpe, Griese's go-to receiver with nine catches for 100 yards, himself returning from an elbow injury. "The guy made some big-time throws under a lot of duress, and unfortunately, that's what people tend to remember, but I don't. Because I know he gave everything he had, and that's all we ask from anybody in this locker room."

Also of interest. ...

Sharpe might have missed three games with a dislocated elbow, but you wouldn't have known it by watching him play against the Jets. Despite a cumbersome brace and the fact his elbow is not fully healed, Sharpe caught nine passes for 100 yards.

"There are some things I did well, but there are some things I know I could have done better, provided I didn't have this thing on my right arm," Sharpe told the Denver Post.

One last note. ... The Broncos on Wednesday signed fullback Kyle Johnson from the Detroit Lions practice squad.

"I try not to show it, but I'm hacked off," the coach said Monday, a day after his team's latest greatest flop. "I'm hacked off. We've gone through two road games in a row and let them slip through our fingers."

Knobler went on to say anybody expecting to him to offer a more cogent explanation for the team's performance were disappointed. Mornhinweg's Monday press conference lasted all of 13 minutes, 39 seconds. He had time to read off an injury list with many names but little detail, time to insist repeatedly that officials had erred by calling an overtime penalty on Robert Porcher in Sunday's overtime loss in Arizona, time to say that he agreed that the Lions should have put the game away when they had a first-half lead. He had no time to address in detail why his team is 3-10 this year, 5-24 over two years, without a road win in either year and without a win of any kind in well over a month.

It's a bleak record, without doubt. These are bleak times with the Lions, despite Mornhinweg's pleas to the contrary.

"I disagree with that," he said. "I know that we have some good young players at key spots, and some great aging veterans. And not much in between." There wasn't much more of an explanation than that.

"I hate making excuses, but we've had 10 guys, with possibly one more going on (injured reserve)," Mornhinweg said. "That's two years straight."

And on the subject of excuses, Mornhinweg returned three times in 13:39 to the Porcher play, on which Porcher's hit of quarterback Jake Plummer forced an interception that would have given the Lions an almost certain win. Porcher was called for a personal foul/facemask penalty on the play.

"He made a great, great play," Mornhinweg said. "I disagree with the call. ... You've got to let players play, and that's part of the game."

Still, Mornhinweg admitted that his team could easily have put the game away earlier. He also defended an offensive strategy in which the Lions came out throwing the ball against a team that was ranked 29th in the league in rushing defense.

"Typically I like to open it up early, and we wanted to take the kid gloves off Joey [Harrington] a little," Mornhinweg said. "And then I wanted to pound them, and all of sudden both Cory [Schlesinger] and James [Stewart] are [injured]. Now Cory did come back. At that point, I was putting the ball in Joey's hands. "Next question."

Got that?

Mornhinweg didn't explain why in this opened-up offense his wide receivers had a total of five receptions, but he did say that the Lions had added 10-12 plays to Harrington's playbook.

Also of interest. ...

Stewart missed practice Wednesday with neck and toe injuries and is questionable this week's game.

"James is nicked up pretty good," Mornhinweg admitted. "I'll know a little more as the week goes by, but I wouldn't expect him to practice much this week."

Stewart currently ranks fifth in the NFC with 962 yards rushing, has caught 42 passes for 311 yards and has scored five touchdowns.

And finally. ... The team signed running back Autry Denson on Wednesday.

Denson, a former Notre Dame standout, was cut by the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 15, 10 days after they signed him, and by Cleveland at the end of training camp this year. He gained 4 yards on one carry last year for Chicago.

However, Silverstein went on to suggest Green might have trouble getting many yards up the middle, where the 49ers have veterans Bryant Young and Dana Stubblefield and probably will be looking to run at the team's two ends.

Tony Fisher will take some of the carries regardless of Green's health because he offers a change of pace and can help keep Green fresh. Plus, Fisher is an outstanding receiver and blocker. There will probably be some downs in which they play together in the backfield. ...

In an article published Monday, PackersNews.com staff writer Frank Schwab noted that Fisher didn’t make a whole lot of plays in the second half last Sunday, but he got the one that won the game.

Fisher rushed for a career-high 96 yards on 25 carries in place of Green and had the game-winning 14-yard touchdown run with just over a minute to go in the team's win over the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field.

"It’s great for me to continue to go out and prove myself filling in for Ahman," said Fisher, an undrafted rookie.

Fisher had 14 carries for 64 yards in the first half, but had a tougher time after halftime, getting only 32 yards on 11 carries in the second half.

Although he was well past his career high in carries and at one point slightly injured his back when he fell on it, he said he wasn’t tired and it wasn’t a new scheme by the Vikings that slowed him down.

He said the Vikings just executed a little better against him.

"I’m not going to say they changed anything," Fisher said. "After a while, the defense is going to catch on. But when we needed them to work, they worked."

But on the Packers’ final drive, he finished it with a touchdown and the Packers didn’t have to attempt a potentially dangerous field-goal attempt for the win in the cold weather.

The Packers came out in a power-I formation with two fullbacks on first down, and Fisher ran through a huge hole over the left side of the line for the touchdown.

"When they lined up in that defense, I knew we had an opportunity to score," Fisher said. "The offensive line opened up the hole, Will (Henderson) and Tony Carter came through the hole and just led me right to the touchdown."

It was the second straight impressive performance for Fisher in place of Green. Last week against the Chicago Bears, he rushed for 91 yards and a touchdown.

"He did a great job," Packers guard Marco Rivera said. "He proved last week he’s for real. He picked it right up from last week." Also of interest. ... Robert Ferguson waited a long time to get his chance and he might just have earned himself the No. 3 receiving position. Ferguson caught two touchdown passes, including a 40-yarder in the fourth quarter that cut Minnesota's lead to 22-20. Though it was a terrific play by quarterback Brett Favre to even get the ball there, Ferguson made a nice two-handed grab coming across the field and dived into the end zone for the score. At that point, his five catches tied a career high and his 97 yards and two touchdowns set career highs.

Ferguson didn't start the game, but played extensively as Green Bay's third receiver and provided the spark the Packers' passing game needed. He led Green Bay receivers with six receptions for 105 yards and two touchdowns, averaging a glittering 17.5 yards per catch. All were single-game career highs for Ferguson, and it was the first 100-yard receiving game of his career along with his first two-touchdown contest.

Ferguson entered the game ranked seventh on the team in receptions (11) and had just 138 receiving yards and one touchdown.

"I can't say enough about what Robert Ferguson did out there," said head coach Mike Sherman. "Robert is going about his business much like Donald Driver did [earlier in his career]. He accepted his role on this football team and he's made a tremendous impact on special teams the last five or six weeks. He got an opportunity today and made the most of it."

The Packers needed someone among the receiving corps to provide some juice after starting flanker Terry Glenn was designated as inactive for the game with a tailbone injury. Green Bay's starting receivers, Driver (two receptions, 25 yards) and Javon Walker (three catches, 33 yards) combined for just 58 yards on five catches.

That's where Ferguson stepped in. With Green Bay trailing 19-6 and facing a third-and-2 situation, Ferguson gave a sluggish Packers offense the gift of life midway through the third quarter when he caught a 21-yard touchdown strike from Favre. Ferguson's score cut the gap to 19-13.

Ferguson pulled Green Bay out of a 22-13 hole with 10:48 remaining with a terrific 40-yard touchdown reception on a third-and-14 play. After Favre eluded a sack in the backfield and scrambled to the left, he hit a wide-open Ferguson across the middle and Ferguson raced to the goal line, outrunning the Vikings' Tyrone Carter and stretching out with one hand and pushing the ball across the pylon for the touchdown. Replays showed Ferguson's knee might have touched the ground before the ball crossed the goal line, but the play wasn't reviewed.

"He has tremendous talent," said Favre. "He's got a ways to go and he's young, but he sure showed up tonight. He finally got an opportunity and that's what it's all about in this league. When you get an opportunity, make the most of it."

Ferguson was active for just one game last season and didn't catch a pass. "He's a good kid," said Favre. "He's a hard worker and never complains. Guys like him and Donald Driver, you can't help but root for those type of guys. ..."

Team officials expect Glenn to return to action this week.

And finally. ... The Packers waived running back Jay Graham on Wednesday. The former Raven and Seahawk was signed as a free agent Nov. 21 to cover for the loss of Najeh Davenport.

That hasn't been the case with David Carr, who has only been intercepted 11 times in 13 games this season. Carr currently has a streak of 92 consecutive passes without an interception. He went 97 consecutive passes without an interception earlier this season.

Credit Carr's ability to read defenses and make the right decision, and also credit offensive coordinator Chris Palmer, who has done a good job of simplifying things for Carr and putting him in manageable situations. ...

In the wake of Sunday's embarrassing offensive effort, Thompson suggested that coaches didn't expect much from the unit this year, anyway. With six rookie starters, the time to panic is next year, if the team isn't getting more of a contribution from receiver Jabar Gaffney, running back Jonathan Wells and offensive linemen Chester Pitts and Fred Weary.

Offense will be the top offseason priority, and it should be considering the Texans are last in the NFL in every major offensive category except rushing offense, where they are two spots from the bottom.

The problems start on the offensive line. Injuries have depleted a unit that doesn't create holes in the running game and doesn't protect well enough to allow the Texans to throw downfield. After addressing the offensive line, running back and receiver should be next. Carr has fewer playmakers at his disposal than any quarterback in the league. ...

And finally. ... Receiver/return man Jermaine Lewis sat out the final quarter of last Sunday's game after spraining his right ankle. Lewis can add that injury to shoulder and chest injuries he has battled this season. "This is a fresh one," he said. "I'll have to see how it feels."

The veteran signal caller, who damaged the bursa sac surrounding his right knee in Sunday's loss at Tennessee, went through Wednesday's practice without incident.

"We're going to try to control the swelling during the week," Manning said prior to the afternoon workout. "But it's not going to limit me from doing anything."

The team's medical staff decided not to drain fluid from the knee. When Manning suffered a similar injury during his senior season at the University of Tennessee, the knee got infected after it was drained.

Asked if too much was being made of his swollen right knee, Manning replied, "Any time you get four rounds of treatment on a Tuesday, you'd rather not have to do that.

"It is basically like playing with a balloon on your knee. It just kind of shakes up and down. It's more of an annoyance than anything else."

Also of interest. ...

Marvin Harrison caught a 7-yard pass in the second quarter Sunday and became the Indianapolis Colts' career leading receiver with 632 receptions.

Harrison came into the game with Tennessee tied with Hall of Famer Raymond Berry with 631 receptions, and he set the record with his first catch of the game. But it didn't come until the opening minutes of the second quarter with Tennessee leading 14-0.

He needed about half the time it took Berry to catch that many passes between 1955-67. Harrison already came into game with the franchise marks for most touchdowns with 70 and most games with 100-plus yards receiving with 35.

The receiver already has gotten to 600 receptions earlier than anyone in history, and he is the first player with four consecutive 100-reception seasons.

Harrison also came into the game with 109 catches and needed only 15 receptions to break Herman Moore's NFL single-season record.

Also according to Chappell, Edgerrin James remained the workhorse for the Colts last Sunday, but rookie James Mungro continued to get his share of carries.

James led the Colts' ground attack, rushing 18 times for 70 yards. Midway through the fourth quarter, though, he was on the sideline while Mungro worked out of the one-back set.

"We had planned on getting [Mungro] in for some specific plays," head coach Tony Dungy said. "It's just the way the game went."

The past two games, Mungro has replaced James when the two-time league rushing champion has aggravated his sprained right ankle. Sunday in The Coliseum, Dungy said James might have tweaked his ankle "a little bit, but I don't think it's overly bad."

James was on the field early in the fourth quarter when the Colts launched a 16-play, 78-yard drive that saw them close to within 24-17. He had one carry for 5 yards and two receptions for 13 yards.

Then Mungro took over in mid-drive, rushing four times for 12 yards and catching a 10-yard pass.

He capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. As Mungro trotted off the field, James gave him a congratulatory tap on the helmet.

"They just wanted to change the pace a bit," Mungro said of his late-game appearance. "Edgerrin ran hard today."

By “younger players,” most fans mean rookie quarterback David Garrard. But despite Mark Brunell's recent struggles, only a Brunell injury or a direct order from owner Wayne Weaver is going to get Garrard on the field the next three weeks. ...

Hubbuch also pointed out that the Jaguars' hopes of a victory and perhaps the playoffs were crushed last Sunday, but Fred Taylor kept alive his long-shot dream of a personal milestone.

Taylor stayed on pace for his first career 1,500-yard rushing season by gashing the Browns' 25th-ranked run defense for 145 yards on 23 carries, including a 44-yard touchdown burst up the middle in the third quarter.

It was Taylor's fifth 100-yard outing of the season and boosted his season total to 1,153 yards. He needs to average 115.7 yards in the final three games to reach 1,500.

But personal achievements were the last thing that mattered to Taylor, who said yesterday's outcome was almost as gut-wrenching as losing to Tennessee in the AFC Championship Game two years ago.

"There's no satisfaction when you lose," Taylor said. "I don't want anything more than to win the game, and we didn't win a game we should have won. It hurts like heck to even think about it."

Other notes of interest. ...

The Jaguars' season-long kicking shuffle contributed to the last-second defeat to Cleveland yesterday.

Danny Boyd was playing in his first regular-season NFL game, and both he and Coughlin said inexperience played a role in a kickoff that went awry in the final minute.

The Jaguars wanted Boyd to "squib" the ball inside the Browns' 30-yard line to prevent a long return, but the kick glanced off a Cleveland player on the front line and rolled short.

The deflection enabled Jamel White to return it 10 yards to the Browns' 47-yard line, giving them excellent field position for their eventual game-winning Hail Mary pass.

"I knew the [front-line] guy was in my kicking lane, and maybe if we'd practiced it more, I could have known to go to the middle or go to the right," said Boyd, who was signed last Wednesday to replace Richie Cunningham.

The wayward kick marred an otherwise successful debut for Boyd, the Jaguars' fourth kicker in the past eight games. He was 2-for-2 on field goals, including a 33-yarder.

"It was the proper strategic kick at the end, but we hadn't had enough work with this young man," Coughlin said.

And finally. ... Garrard was promoted to No. 2 quarterback over veteran Kent Graham for the first time since throwing two interceptions in a loss to Tennessee on Oct. 13. He did not play Sunday. ... Kevin Lockett was declared inactive and Patrick Johnson played for the first time since Nov. 3. Johnson had missed the past four games with an abdominal injury. He did not catch a pass.

In back-to-back home games against Arizona and St. Louis -- admittedly two of the most beat-up teams in the NFL -- the surging Chiefs have put up 49 points.

Their 49-0 rout of Arizona was the most lopsided loss in the history of that franchise.

On Sunday, getting seven touchdowns for the second week in a row, the Chiefs handed the reeling St. Louis Rams a 49-10 defeat. The third-worst loss in the history of that franchise eliminated the defending NFC champs from playoff contention.

It also has filled the Chiefs with a confidence they've not experienced since the mid-90s, when Marty Schottenheimer was taking them to the playoffs year after year.

"I'd say that's pretty consistent," said cornerback Eric Warfield, probably enjoying this resurgence of the Chiefs and their much-maligned defense as much as anyone. "This shows what we're capable of doing. "Early on, we just weren't making the plays we're making now. For what reasons, I don't know. I'm just glad it's happening."

At 7-6, the Chiefs are above .500 for the first time since Dwayne Rudd's helmet-toss rescued them from certain defeat in Cleveland in the season opener. They're tied with Denver for fourth place in the AFC West.

They are, as teams love to say, in control of their own destiny. Their last three regular-season games, beginning this week in Denver, are against division opponents.

Win all three and a team that was all but given up for dead when it surrendered more than 500 yards of total offense in a 39-32 loss at Seattle on Nov. 24 will break a four-year playoff drought.

"For two weeks in a row, every phase of the game has played well -- offense, defense and special teams," said guard Brian Waters. "We hadn't put together one game like that all year and now we have two in a row."

Bearing in mind both games were at home against demoralized, injury-ravaged opponents, head coach Dick Vermeil does not deny that a bolt of renewed confidence has energized his team.

"When you play a team that's banged up and is down a little bit, you should dominate," Vermeil said Monday. "It will be different Sunday in Denver. They're still in the playoff race. They've lost three in a row and they're not a team that's used to losing three in a row."

The Chiefs lost at home to Denver in overtime 37-34 on Oct. 20. But the very next week, their defense, ranked last in the league, began playing much better in a 20-10 victory over Oakland.

Since then, their only defensive clunker has been the loss at Seattle, and everything else has come sharply into focus as well. Priest Holmes is leading the NFL in rushing and total yards, and he is on pace to break the NFL record for touchdowns in a season.

Dante Hall has returned two punts and a kickoff for touchdowns the past two weeks.

Duane Clemons' 42-yard return of a fumble Sunday finally gave the revitalized defense a touchdown.

Confidence has never been higher.

"It adds a lot to the enthusiasm when everybody comes back to work, everybody in the organization," Vermeil said. "It adds to the enthusiasm and the camaraderie and the chemistry-building process."

He looked at his watch. It was almost 3:30 p.m.

"But from a coach's standpoint, it usually lasts until about 4 o'clock Monday," Vermeil said. "And all of a sudden you start looking at those other game tapes and all your concerns are regenerated. `I hope we can block this guy. I hope we can hold up against this guy.'

"By Tuesday night, we've got all the concerns we had the Tuesday night before. What you have to be careful of is that (the enthusiasm) doesn't distort the reality of where you are and the reality of how the game is played every Sunday."

Also of interest. ...

In naming him his special teams player of the week, Sports Illustrated insider Peter King wrote the following about Hall:

"In training camp, I recall Dick Vermeil pointing to the practice field one day in River Falls, Wis., where a small kid was catching high balls from the JUGS machine. 'You watch that kid,' Vermeil said, pointing to little Dante Hall. 'He could be a great player for us. He could be the athlete for us that Az Hakim was in St. Louis.'

"In the first half against St. Louis, Hall paid the biggest dividends of the season by a Chiefs' special-teamer. He darted left and sped down the sideline for an 89-yard kickoff return, then, a few minutes later, took a Rams punt at his 14 and zig-zagged 86 yards for another touchdown. Quick, fast, ultra-confident. What a performance."

And finally. ... According to the Kansas City Star, Marc Boerigter injured his shoulder in practice Wednesday, but is still expected to play Sunday.

And as Star beat writer Adam Teicher noted Thursday, Boerigter is making a definite impact this season.

The Chiefs like to use Boerigter as the single wide receiver in a two-back, two-tight end formation. Boerigter (6-3, 225) can be a difficult matchup for a smaller cornerback in a one-on-one situation, and the Chiefs often seek to exploit those matchups with Boerigter.

Given the way he has run lately, Williams and his streak will be tough to stop.

He rushed for 228 yards in the snow at Buffalo. He gained 216 yards in the rain Monday night to help beat Chicago. And on Sunday he'll try to carry the Miami Dolphins past Oakland in an AFC showdown.

For most backs, a 200-yard game is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of performance. Williams is only the third rusher to reach the milestone in consecutive games, and the first since another former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas, Earl Campbell, accomplished the feat for the Houston Oilers in 1980.

"People compare us a lot because we're both from Texas," Williams said. "The fact is he had a great pro career, while before this year I had an average pro career. It's great to be mentioned with him."

In his first season with Miami and his fourth in the NFL, Williams has hardly been average. The Dolphins retired Larry Csonka's No. 39 at halftime Monday, but the Hall of Fame fullback never had the kind of success Miami's No. 34 has enjoyed the past two weeks.

The only other players to rush for 200 yards in consecutive games were Campbell and O.J. Simpson, who did it twice. No one has done it three games in a row.

With the most prolific rushing performance against the Bears in their 83 seasons, Williams vaulted ahead of Priest Holmes into the league lead with 1,500 yards. He needs to average 166.7 in the final three games to reach 2,000.

"I don't really think about yards that way," Williams said. "I just want to win. If the yards come, that's great."

With a 27-9 victory over the Bears, Miami (8-5) moved into a tie with New England for the AFC East lead. The Dolphins will share the best record in the conference if they beat Oakland (9-4), but a loss would leave them in danger of missing the playoffs since they're one of 10 AFC teams with five or six losses.

Because Williams has reached the 1,500-yard mark, the Dolphins must give their first-round draft pick next year to New Orleans. That was a clause in the trade between the teams last March, and the Dolphins consider it a small price to pay because of the way Williams has transformed them.

"He has been phenomenal," defensive end Jason Taylor said. "He's a completely different back than he was in New Orleans. He's carrying us. He pounds them, and we sit there and watch. It's nice, except when he breaks that long one and the defense has to go back on the field."

Long ones are coming with increasing frequency. He broke a career-best 55-yard touchdown run at Buffalo, then topped that with a 63-yarder against the Bears.

"The thing that continues to surprise me is the breakaway speed," head coach Dave Wannstedt said Tuesday.

"You know he's going to make 3-yard and 4-yard runs, because he has been averaging 4 yards since he has been playing football. You knew he could catch the ball. But some of the big plays he has made are something nobody has seen, because he hadn't done that in the NFL."

The reason for the change is that Williams is nearly 20 pounds lighter than last season, and faster as a result. He weighed in at 231 Friday, similar to his playing weight at Texas.

The breakaway runs are reminiscent of his Longhorn days too.

"It's exactly how I feel -- like I was back in college," he said. "It's a confidence thing. In college, I knew once a game I would have a long run. Now I'm more proactive going after the big run."

Williams carried 31 times Monday and is at 310 for the year, just under his career high of 313 set in 2001. Critics labeled him injury-prone in New Orleans, but the Dolphins are so impressed by his durability that they're playing him even more than early in the season by keeping him in the game on third down.

One other rap on Williams persists: his tendency to fumble. He lost the ball at the 12-yard line at the end of an 18-yard run Monday night -- his sixth fumble this year and his 14th in the past two seasons, most in the NFL.

The turnover could have been costly, but Williams turned it into a footnote.

A 200-yard rushing performance does that.

Other notes of interest. ...

In an article published Thursday, Palm Beach Post staff writer Todd Archer advised readers that Cris Carter is being worked back into the lineup slowly, which is much smarter way to do things than when he was immediately named a starter after signing. It's key to get Carter ready for the stretch run, when making first downs is ultra-important.

Carter and Jay Fiedler have a very good working relationship and because of their time in Minnesota together they already have some chemistry. Carter could take some time away from Dedric Ward in the slot, but there could be more four-wide sets, something that wasn't used much earlier in the season. ...

Also according to Archer, tight end Randy McMichael has caught only three passes in the past three weeks, and sometimes rookies tend to get down when their number is not called. ...With Fiedler's return, McMichael could see more action, but he has really impressed as a blocker, which was not considered his strong suit coming into the draft. McMichael is willing to do the dirty work, which has helped Williams bust some long runs.

And finally, on the injury front. ... James McKnight sat out the second half of Monday night's game with a sprained left ankle, but reported no swelling and will start Sunday. If McKnight is limited, Carter would get more snaps.

Bennett crossed the 1,000-yard barrier in the first quarter and added to his yardage throughout the evening at Lambeau Field. He had spent years dreaming about such a milestone happening on this field.

"This was my Super Bowl," said Bennett, who attended the University of Wisconsin. "It was a tough loss."

Bennett was the highlight for the Vikings in a disappointing 26-22 loss to Green Bay on a chilly Sunday night, when the game-time temperature was five degrees. He ran for 120 yards on 19 carries. Bennett, who entered the game with 994 yards for the season, hit the 1,000-yard milestone on his third carry of the game. He now has 1,114 yards this season.

Other notes of interest. ...

Daunte Culpepper and Randy Moss tied for the most quarterback-to-receiver touchdowns in Vikings history. With a 3-yard pass to Moss, they tied Warren Moon to Cris Carter, a combination that also has 26 touchdowns.

Moss tied a season low with three catches for 25 yards. But he still went over 1,000 yards for the season, extending his streak to start a career. Moss has gone over 1,000 receiver yards in each of his first five seasons, the only player to do so. He officially passed 1,000 on the Vikings' first drive, with a 15-yard catch.

But Moss had all of his three catches in the first quarter, and he had only three balls thrown his way the rest of the game. In all, eight of Culpepper's 28 passes were intended for Moss. ...

Short-yardage specialist Moe Williams was doubtful with a left heel injury, and he was supposed to play only in emergency situations. But he spearheaded the Vikings' opening drive of the second half with a 44-yard run. Williams was caught from behind by a defensive lineman and paid a price: He hobbled off the field.

The Vikings scored two plays later on a 3-yard touchdown run by Culpepper. ...

Williams is listed as questionable this week. ...

Coaches decided during pregame warm-ups that injured receiver D'Wayne Bates was healthy enough to start against the Packers.

Bates injured the medial collateral ligament in his left knee last week and was limited in practice, but the knee responded well during warm-ups. With Bates in the lineup, the team decided not to activate Cedric James, who missed his fourth consecutive game; the three previous games were because of an ankle injury. ...

In an article published last Monday, Pro Football Weekly reported that team officials have decided that injured receiver Derrick Alexander (knee), who is out for the season, will never play for the team again.

Alexander, signed to a three-year deal in June, was a grave disappointment in nine games with the club.

On the bright side, Alexander’s dive opened the door for undrafted rookie Kelly Campbell, a speedy slot receiver who wasn’t drafted because of his 5-10, 170-pound frame. One Vikings insider told PFW: "Campbell is going to be our guy in the future. He isn’t as sure-handed as [Carter] was, but he doesn’t mind going underneath or getting that tough catch. If he can hold up, we think he has quite a future."

And finally. ... The team signed free-agent running back Larry Ned to the practice squad and released defensive tackle Cedric Killings on Tuesday.

Ned was a standout at San Diego State. The Vikings have a banged-up backfield, and Ned could be activated for Sunday's game against New Orleans.

As noted above, Williams is nursing a bruised heel and Doug Chapman was placed on injured reserve in October after being hospitalized with an abdominal injury.

The script, which encompasses 10-20 plays to open the game, emphasizes the short passing game and spreading the ball to a variety of receivers and ballcarriers. It's a plan that suits the game of Tom Brady perfectly. ...

Also of interest. ...

According to The Sporting News, Antowain Smith has a tough matchup this week against the Titans underrated run defense.

The Titans are one of seven teams allowing fewer than 100 rushing yards per game and have allowed just six rushing touchdowns on the season. Brady will probably have much better luck throwing the ball against this unit, so expect Smith’s numbers to suffer a bit. ...

Boston Globe reporter Nick Cafardo noted on Monday that after catching a nine-yard touchdown pass from Brady with 3:14 remaining in the first quarter on a well-designed fade pattern, Donald Hayes threw the ball way up into the end zone stands.

Asked how much he will be charged for the ball, the 6-foot-4-inch receiver, who hasn't had much to crow about this season since signing a two-year deal in the offseason, said, "I don't know. I guess I'll find out. I've heard it could be anywhere from $25-$75."

Small price to pay for a little excitement.

After catching a 40-yard touchdown pass from Brady against the Steelers Sept. 9, Hayes has struggled. He has been inactive at times, and has admitted to not being totally up to snuff on the offense. Yet his coaches have praised him for working hard in practice, and yesterday was his reward.

"It felt great to get the opportunity," said Hayes, who did not catch another ball. "I missed one in Detroit and came back today and obviously Tom gave me another opportunity, so I'm thankful for that."

Hayes, who caught 132 passes in four seasons with the Panthers for a 14.1-yard average and scored seven touchdowns, said "I always felt I was part of the team even though I wasn't playing on Sunday. I do a lot in practice for the show team and I make plays there. So it's about trying to carry over what you do in practice into Sunday.

"I mean, I think everybody else sees what I do in practice and during the week, so if anybody goes down or if I have an opportunity to step in I feel I can do the same thing I've been doing in practice."

The Patriots acquired Hayes in hopes he would help their red zone efficiency because he could win jump balls. Later in the game, it appeared Brady overthrew him a couple of times.

"I wouldn't say I'm a secret weapon or anything like that," said Hayes, who is the Patriots' tallest receiver. "It all comes down to Tom making his reads, throwing the ball to the guys who are open. Today he read where the guy who had outside released pretty cleanly and he kind of threw it up there and gave me a chance to make a play on the ball and I thank Tom for that."

Then came Hayes's throw into the stands.

"I just turned around and threw it," said Hayes. "It was spur of the moment. I don't know how far it went up. It happened pretty quickly. That wasn't saved for any frustration, I was just happy to help my team win and I felt as if I contributed something. There was a lot that led up to that play, but it's a score for our team and that's what you want."

Hayes might see even more opportunities down the stretch after rookie Deion Branch suffered a mystery injury to his right leg during the Patriots' first drive on Sunday.

The Herald initially reported the injury was a "muscle pull or strain" and predicted that Branch could miss more than one game. Subsequent reports, including one by the Sports Xchange, say Branch injured his groin.

Head coach Bill Belichick only said, "I don't think it's anything career-threatening."

For the record, Branch is officially listed as questionable for Sunday's game.

Whatever the case, Hayes still faces a serious challenge from rookie David Givens, who provides Brady the size he lacks with Troy Brown and David Patten, while he also gets down the field better than the Pats' other big receiver, Donald Hayes. According to Felger, if Givens can get open and consistently hold onto the ball, Brady will be looking his way more and more.

McAllister scored on runs of 1, 3 and 6 yards, giving him 13 rushing touchdowns with three games remaining. That also ties a club record for most rushing touchdowns in one game shared by seven others.

McAllister posted his seventh 100-yard game this season, rushing 32 times for 127 yards to retain the NFC lead with 1,176 yards.

Rogers holds the club's single-season record with nine 100-yard games in 1981.

McAllister, whose fumble in the second quarter could have been costly, credited loquacious Ravens linebacker Edgerton Hartwell with jump-starting his game on a cold, dreary day at Ravens Stadium.

"It was like he was waking up a sleeping giant," McAllister said. "I really hadn't played well up until that point. I had a fumble, and he really got me going. Then we started talking, and I said, 'Well, let's go play, if that's what you want to do, then let's go play.' I'm not a guy that's going to talk a lot. I just want to go about the game and have fun."

Said Hartwell: "Offensively, they didn't show me too much. [McAllister] is decent. He's not a Corey Dillon, he's not a Fred Taylor, he's decent."

Other notes of interest. ...

Aaron Brooks rested his shoulder on Wednesday, but the Times-Picayune says he expects to start against the Vikings this Sunday.

Brooks split practice time with Jake Delhomme, and he was expected to resume throwing on Thursday.

"It feels much better at this time than it did last week," Brooks said. "It was a fresh injury last week. It's gotten better with a week of treatment. I plan to start Sunday, and if I feel like I'm going to hurt the team at any point, then I will let Jake know and let him get in the game."

In a related note. ... According to The Sporting News, Delhomme’s fine play in relief of starting Brooks the last two weeks has done more than just solidify the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff. It’s increased his potential stock as a free agent.

In fact, Delhomme might have played himself out of New Orleans.

Delhomme is comfortable in his role and has said he would like to play his entire career in New Orleans. The one thing that could lure him away, though, is a chance to start. That could happen. Delhomme will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year.

And a few final items of interest. ...

Rookie receiver Donte' Stallworth set a club single-season record for a rookie with his seventh touchdown catch this season. His 28-yard catch with 7:04 remaining in the first quarter moved him past Danny Abramowicz (1967) and Cam Cleeland (1998). ...

Saints fullback Terrelle Smith rushed four times for 12 yards, three carries more than he had this season. On his only other carry this season, he lost one yard against the Green Bay Packers in Week 2. ...

Saints offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy called approximately a dozen plays that featured tight ends David Sloan, Boo Williams and Lamont Hall on the field at the same time.

Fassel had a frank talk with Dixon last week after the injured third-year receiver missed both treatments and a doctor's appointment for his sprained right knee.

Dixon was fined a few thousand dollars and was told that he would be suspended if he did it again, Fassel said.

The receiver, who probably wasn't going to play against Dallas on Sunday, obviously didn't listen.

Dixon missed a treatment Tuesday and did not return a telephone call left by Fassel later that day. He missed another treatment Wednesday morning, and he was absent when the Giants held a team an hour later, Fassel said.

A telephone call eventually got Dixon to Giants Stadium later in the morning.

"I sat him down and asked him what he had to say," said Fassel, who left a meeting to sit down with Dixon again. "He didn't say anything."

Fassel then suspended Dixon for a game for conduct detrimental to the team, a move that is going to cost the receiver about $22,060.

The money goes to a group of charities approved by the league and the players' union.

"I like the young man," Fassel said. "Personally I want to work with him, counsel him, spend time with him and understand him. But at the same time, I want to hold the line, hold him accountable."

Dixon was not immediately available for comment. The Giants announced late Wednesday that Dixon was going to have surgery on his knee.

With three games left, the surgery would probably finish his season since the Giants probably won't make the playoffs.

This is the second time Dixon has been suspended. He was suspended in 2000 after arriving late for a walkthrough the day before a game against Pittsburgh. He also was fined earlier that season for oversleeping and missing a team meeting before the season opener.

Dixon has 22 catches and two touchdowns in 10 games. He moved into the starting lineup when Ike Hilliard was lost for the season with a shoulder injury in late October.

In the next two games, he had eight catches, but hurt his knee against Minnesota. After missing two games, he came back against Tennessee and had five catches, including one for a TD, before hurting the knee again.

"It's disappointing," halfback Tiki Barber said. "He is a talent and came such a long way."

The Giants felt that they got a steal when they drafted Dixon in the third round in 2000. The speedster had played at three colleges in a career that included a two-year layoff.

While he has shown glimpses of his talent, he has been mostly inconsistent and an occasional headache.

"Ron is a bright guy," defensive end Michael Strahan said. "He knows what is going on. If anything, he realizes he was late or whatever and Coach did what he had to do."

Dixon is the only player Fassel has ever suspended.

"Ron Dixon is a good kid," general manager Ernie Accorsi said. "He just has to abide by the same rules as his teammates."

Tight end Dan Campbell said that Fassel usually gives players a little leniency in dealing with rules violations.

"It's kind of gotten to the point in the game where he had enough," Campbell said. "It was that plain and simple. He wasn't sending a message to anyone else. It's too late for that. He had enough. He felt it was the thing to do, the right thing to do."

Dixon's absence will give rookie Daryl Jones -- who caught three passes for 41 yards, including a 32-yarder working as the starter opposite Amani Toomer last Sunday, an even greater opportunity to prove his worth. ...

By the way. ... Toomer caught four passes for 60 yards and a TD. He came back to catch a 29-yard pass from Collins on the score as cornerback Champ Bailey defended. On the play, Collins had the choice to throw over the top or to Toomer's back shoulder. He chose the shoulder, which Toomer called "a great play."

Toomer said he relishes the matchups against Bailey, considered one of the league's best cornerbacks.

"He's a great player. I feel like we match up really well," Toomer said. "He's going to win some and I'm going to win some. I think I won a little bit more than I lost today. ..."

Also of interest. ...

The 5-10, 200-pound Barber is in his sixth season with the Giants but has been the featured back only since 2000, the year the club drafted Ron Dayne and billed the pair as "Thunder and Lightning" amid a lot of hype. Barber, the "Lightning" part of the pair, rushed for 1,006 yards that season but pulled a hamstring last year and had fewer carries and yards.

Barber has now run for 1,043 yards and also set a career high for carries in a season, 243, with three games remaining. Not bad for a player once typecast as mainly a third-down specialist and kick returner, as someone perhaps too small to play every down.

Even Barber might have believed it. A first-round draft pick out of Virginia in 1997, Barber said his second year with the Giants, 1998, was "horrible," and had a feeling "the people upstairs were ready to give me a train ticket back to Charlottesville (Va.)."

But Barber said Fassel boosted his spirits and continued to believe in him, changing the offense in 2000 to better utilize his quickness and speed. Now Barber has added another dimension to his game, durability.

"It's late in the season, and I feel great," he said. "Body maintenance is paramount to me. It's my bread-winner."

Don't even bother bringing up that subject.

"Oh, no, I could never replace Keyshawn," Coles said Monday, one day after surpassing 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his three-year career. Johnson was the last Jets player to get 1,000 yards as a receiver with 1,170 in 1999, his final season with the team before being traded to Tampa Bay. "Keyshawn is Keyshawn. He's talked and backed it up. I could never do that.

"And, besides, he's a much bigger receiver than I am."

Still, Johnson at 6-foot-4 doesn't make any bigger plays than the 5-11 Coles. That was exemplified Sunday on his diving 28-yard touchdown catch on which Coles made a sensational adjustment to Chad Pennington's wind-plagued pass, then rolled untouched into the end zone for the decisive touchdown.

Coles' versatility has been notable, becoming a target short and long, inside and outside, on screens and bombs. Coles has made a number of leaping catches and a few diving receptions, including Sunday's touchdown.

He has become the go-to wideout the Jets have lacked since Johnson left.

"He's an inspiration to me and he keeps getting better," Pennington said. "He never gets down, he keeps focusing on what he needs to do for us to win."

Such as the way he went after the TD pass against Denver.

"I didn't make a great throw, but I knew if I get it in somewhere in the vicinity, he can make a play," Pennington said.

Coles has been making plays since last season. He had a troubled college career and was thrown off the Florida State team as a senior for his involvement in a department store scam that also included Seminoles star Peter Warrick. That and questions about his work ethic, his route-running and his coachability dropped him in the draft.

But Coles has done nothing untoward as a pro and has become a better player than the heralded Warrick. He made only 22 catches as a rookie, but averaged 16.8 yards as a backup.

In 2001, he became a starter and had 59 catches for 868 yards and seven scores. His numbers this year: 73 receptions for 1,022 yards -- 14.0 average -- and four touchdowns.

"If I'm voting right now for MVP of the Jets, it is Laveranues Coles," head coach Herman Edwards said. "He has been more consistent, he just makes plays. People double him and he still finds ways to catch the ball.

"He has become very good. Compare him to anyone. He gets the ball a whole lot, and that is important. He is a a playmaker, he shows it every time and he wants the ball. The more you think he can do things, he does."

Does he have a shot at the Pro Bowl? Not likely, with the likes of Marvin Harrison, Jerry Rice, Hines Ward, Eric Moulds and Tim Brown more renowned and with better or nearly equal numbers in the AFC.

No matter, Coles said. Edwards' statement was more than enough.

"It's exciting to know I have that kind of respect coming from my head coach," he said. "That he made a beautiful comment like that about me, I don't know how to take it."

Edwards knows Coles will take it as a catalyst to continue making a difference.

"He is fast and that is a potent weapon," Edwards said. "And now he is a good runner after the catch. He is fun to watch.

"It doesn't matter how big they are if they can catch balls and make plays."

Also of interest this week. ...

As reported by Newark Star Ledger staffer Brad Parks, the run that allowed Curtis Martin to reach 10,000 yards for his NFL career was typical enough. It came on the last play of the first quarter, and although Martin looked like he was going to be caught for a loss in the backfield, he bounced outside to the right and turned it into an 8-yard gain.

That gave him 10,001 yards for his career and made him the 16th player to reach that milestone. But the game didn't stop, and the crowd didn't even know about it after Martin scored a touchdown from 1 yard on the next play.

"We were going to bring out three golf carts and a fire engine," said Edwards, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Raiders' celebration of Tim Brown's 1,000th reception a week earlier. "But we didn't have to do that after he scored the touchdown. That was celebration enough."

That was the way Martin wanted it, of course. He told the Jets a big celebration was "not my style." But when the game was over, Martin, who finished with 57 yards to give him 10,045 for his career, was surprised by his emotions.

"I think I'm more elated than I thought I'd be," Martin said. "In general I don't get too excited about individual statistics. But one of my main goals -- not only in football but in life -- has now been accomplished. To me, 10,000 yards signifies consistency more than anything else, and one of my goals has always been to be as consistent with my effort every day as I could.

"When I first game to New York, Bill Parcells asked me, 'You think you can get to 10,000?' And I said, 'Yeah, of course. I'll get there and I'll get more.' And he looked at me and said, 'It's more of a test than you think.' And he was right. It is."

And finally. ... According to New York Daily News staffer Rich Cimini, Lamont Jordan, who missed last week's game with a sprained ankle, is listed as questionable again this week. There's a chance he may play against the Bears, but that won't be decided until Sunday.

A note to this week's opponent, the Miami Dolphins: so far, all those 30-somethings are holding up pretty well. Even that 40-year-old wide receiver named Jerry Rice.

At 9-4, the Raiders have the best record in the AFC and are on a five game winning streak despite having the oldest starting lineup in the game.

"Bill [Callahan] has done an unbelievable job starting in training camp of taking care of players, adjusting the schedule and making sure we will be a fresh team in December," quarterback Rich Gannon said.

As the games have become more meaningful, Raiders coaches have resisted working harder and longer. Practices have been kept short and practice in pads have become a rarity.

"It's just an emphasis trying to keep these guys fresh," Callahan said. "We're practicing intelligently, I think. We've always scaled back. Most teams do towards the end of the year.

"Our philosophy is to be smart as long as we're getting a quality tempo, speed, and reaction on the field and getting our work done. We've had it all mapped out. I think it rejuvenates them to come out and work fast, work hard and get a little more juice on the practice field. You can emphasize playing fast."

The Raiders took one precaution that hasn't even been necessary. They installed FieldTurf on one of their practice fields because in recent years, winter storms have hit the Bay Area and flooded the Raiders out, forcing them to go to less damaged practice sites. The Raiders opted not to have artificial surfaces at their facility.

It was believed that poor conditions resulted in heavy legs by the time the weekend's games rolled around.

As it turned out, it has been a mild winter thus far with only half the normal rainfall. But the month is still young.

The bitter truth is that in the month of December, the Raiders have struggled historically. After Dec. 1, they have posted a 10-20 record since 1995.

But this year, they are already 2-0 with three to play. Memories of last year, when they were 10-3 and then lost their final three regular season games, still live in Oakland's locker room.

Now they must deal with the Dolphins in Miami. The Dolphins are noted for fast starts and .500 finishes. Miami has won 17 straight home games in September. Although they have won their last five December games at home, before that they were 4-7 at Pro Player Stadium.

The aged Raiders seem ready for anything.

"Someone's age doesn't mean anything," defensive tackle Sam Adams said. "It's what have you been doing for me lately and what we've been doing lately is kicking ass and taking names."

Also of interest. ...

In an article published Thursday, Contra Costa Times staff writer Steve Corkran noted that Sebastian Janikowski's leg strength and effectiveness tailed off late in the season the past two years. However, this season there isn't any sign of a repeat performance. He already has seven more touchbacks than he had all of last season and he just matched his season-long field goal attempt last Sunday.

Janikowski increased his stamina and endurance by spending more time lifting weights and running than he did the past two seasons. That is paying dividends as his booming kickoffs prevent teams from getting many shots at returns.

Callahan also now seems more confident in Janikowski's accuracy and consistency, so he will be more apt to use him in situations that call for a long attempt.

Janikowski also improved because he adopted a one-step approach on field-goal attempts. That cuts down on his body movement and reduces the possibility for error, while not robbing him of any strength. ...

By the way. ... Gannon set an NFL record last Sunday with his 10th 300-yard passing game of the season, breaking out of a tie with Dan Marino, Warren Moon and Kurt Warner.

Gannon went over 300 yards with a 9-yard pass to Rice midway through the fourth quarter of the Raiders' game at San Diego. In the third quarter, Rice turned a short pass from Gannon into a 56-yard gain.

And finally. ... As reported by San Jose Mercury News reporter John Ryan, Doug Jolley looked beyond himself to explain last Sunday's career day.

"They were concentrating on the big receivers," Jolley said. "They were trying to double- and triple-team the legends, so that left us little guys open."

Jolley took advantage with six catches for 104 yards Sunday in the Raiders' 27-7 victory against the San Diego Chargers. After catching seven passes over his first eight games, the rookie tight end has 21 catches in the past four games.

The most impressive part of his game Sunday was his ability to run after the catch. On one play, Chargers strong safety Rodney Harrison tried to deliver a flying tackle, but he bounced off and Jolley picked up an extra 15 yards at the end of his 33-yard reception -- another career high.

Head coach Andy Reid announced Wednesday that Feeley, the third-string quarterback, will be under center again this week as starter Donovan McNabb and backup Koy Detmer recover from injuries.

"Unless something changes, most likely A.J. will be out there as the starter on Sunday," Reid said.

Feeley was surprised, but not stunned, by Reid's announcement.

"I didn't know I was," Feeley said. "I assumed I was, but no one told me anything. It was just an assumption I had."

McNabb made his first appearance since traveling to Houston to have his broken ankle examined. The cast has been removed, but McNabb is still on crutches.

"We don't want to put any pressure on it right now," McNabb said. "Anytime you break anything, it's not a situation where you want to rush yourself back and hurt yourself worse."

Reid said Detmer will be No. 2 on the depth chart and hold for all field goals and extra points this week. Detmer has been sidelined since dislocating his elbow in a win over the San Francisco 49ers on Nov. 25.

"It's just not 100 percent yet," Reid said of the injury to Detmer's non-throwing arm. "I'm sure, if you asked Koy, he would tell you that he could go out there and play. I just think if he can get another week under his belt, it will be a positive for him down the road."

Detmer agreed with the coach's decision.

"The way the team's been playing, there's no sense in rushing anything," he said. "They pretty much just told me to take my time."

Detmer spent Wednesday's practice getting acclimated to a brace on his arm.

Feeley has played well in the absence of the top two quarterbacks, including 21 completions in 35 attempts for 190 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Seattle on Sunday.

"I'm definitely seeing things really clear," Feeley said. "I don't think the game's slowing down for me, but the decisions I'm making seem to be the right ones."

Other notes of interest. ...

Duce Staley matched his career high with his fourth 100-yard rushing game of the season. Staley had exactly 100 yards on 21 carries. He also had his longest touchdown run of the season, a 21-yarder in the second quarter.

It was Staley's first 100-yard game since McNabb was injured Nov. 17. He now has 883 rushing yards for the season and, with three games to go, is likely to have his first 1,000-yard season since 1999.

"It's a great feeling any time you get a W, any time you can win in a hostile environment," Staley said. "I would like to finish the second half better as a team, but that was a big win."

On the injury front. ... Rookie running back Brian Westbrook is listed as doubtful with an ankle sprain. He injured it early in last week's game. "It is not a high ankle sprain," Reid said earlier this week. "It's a regular, low sprain. We'll see how he is in a couple of days. ..."

And finally. ... In naming Reid coach of the week on Monday, Sports Illustrated insider Peter King wrote:

"One of my stark memories of this season is calling Reid 36 hours after Donovan McNabb went down -- perhaps for the year and perhaps taking Philly's playoff hopes down the toilet with him -- with the broken bone in his ankle, and hearing Reid saying in the calmest voice of the season: 'We'll be fine. That's why we have a backup quarterback.'

"He lost the backup that week, and I'm quite sure if I called him 36 hours after the loss of efficient maverick Koy Detmer he would have said: 'We'll be fine. That's why we have a third-string quarterback.'" King went on to state: "I don't think I'm going overboard when I say Andy Reid can coach." I don't think so either.

He can only hope Tommy Maddox was sitting at home on his day off, listening intently and taking notes.

Cowher won't bench Maddox despite one of the most peculiar days ever by an NFL quarterback during the Steelers' baffling 24-6 loss Sunday to Houston. Maddox effectively drove the offense to a 422-yard day, only to hand the Texans' defense three touchdowns with two interceptions and a fumble.

"It's hard to explain a game like that ... in my 23 years in the league as a player and a coach, I've never experienced a game like that," Cowher said.

Still, Cowher made it clear Maddox won't stay on the field Sunday against Carolina (5-8) if he keeps turning the ball over. The Steelers (7-5-1) have eight turnovers in Maddox's last two starts, and are 0-2-1 in his last three starts.

"How do you explain Tommy running and the ball falls out of his hands. ... The ball falling out of Antwaan Randle El's hands?" Cowher said. "It's not a lack of effort, but you can't do it. I'm not going to tolerate a continuing of that and they understand that."

Perhaps that's why Maddox will start Sunday, but hasn't been assured he will finish. Kordell Stewart won his two most recent starts while replacing an injured Maddox.

"It will be monitored, and we'll go from there," Cowher said.

Cowher seems concerned one of the most bizarre losses in team history might adversely affect the Steelers' confidence and state of mind going into their final three games. They lead Cleveland by a half game and Baltimore by a game and a half in an AFC North race they figured to have wrapped up by now.

"Oh, there's no doubt," said Cowher, who didn't watch the game tape with his players Monday. "This was a game that can affect your mindset. That's why I didn't want to look at it, and we didn't look at it. It would just make you madder and madder, as it did me.

"We've got to get it out of our minds."

Getting rid of the turnovers might be more difficult. Maddox may have become too willing to gamble during his recent run of big-yardage games and, Cowher said, might be pressing to get big yardage when he should accept an incompletion or a short gain.

"You feel like you can get the ball in there, but there's a fine line and you have to be smart and know whom you're playing against," Cowher said in a reference to Texans cornerback Aaron Glenn, who scored twice off Maddox-thrown interceptions.

Those were the kind of mistakes that a quarterback can get away with in the high-scoring Arena League, where Maddox rebuilt his game a couple of years ago, but not in the NFL.

"You don't want to take away from a guy's decisiveness or a guy's confidence, but at the same time you've got to be smart," Cowher said. "That's what separates the good ones from guys who keep making the same mistakes over and over.

"The other day, where the ball falls out of his hands? Just put the ball away and recognize on [third-and-15] you're going to punt. It's not a problem. ... You're going to have interceptions, but you can't continue to make bad decisions that put your team in situations they can't overcome.

"The more he plays, the more experience he gathers and, hopefully, he'll learn from it."

Other notes of interest. ...

In an article published Monday, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staffers Jerry DiPaola and Sam Ross Jr. called last Sunday "a day of history and misery" for Steelers wide receivers.

Hines Ward caught nine passes for 76 yards, giving him 98 catches for the season and breaking his team record of 94 set last season.

Ward also had a couple of drops and got called for holding, nullifying a 17-yard Amos Zereoue run to the Houston 1-yard line at 6:29 of the fourth quarter, with the Steelers trailing just 14-6. The Steelers ended up turning the ball over on downs.

"[Texans linebacker Jamie Sharper] ran me over," Ward said. "I said to the ref, too close of a game to call something like that. I don't think it was a hold or what not. I can't pull the guy down. He ran me over. But [the official] said my hands were on the outside."

Plaxico Burress had six catches for 83 yards, pushing him to a career-best 1,026 yards for this season, and giving him back-to-back seasons with more than 1,000 yards.

But Burress also had five drops by an unofficial count, including a potential touchdown toss early in the fourth quarter. The Steelers attempted -- unsuccessfully -- a field goal on that possession.

"This is probably one of the roughest days I've ever had in my life," Burress said. " When you go in there and try your hardest, you should never be embarrassed. But I can honestly say that I left a few plays out on the field that really would have boosted our offense and that might have changed the outcome of the game."

Then there was Randle El, who lost a pair of fumbles. On the first, he coughed up the ball without being hit following a pass reception to the Houston 23.

"I was stumbling and trying to get my balance and at the same time, I hit the ball with my own knee," he said. "Just trying to make a play, but it happened like it happened."

As for the muffed punt that set up a Houston field goal late in the fourth quarter, Randle El said swirling winds were a problem, but "when you've got windy days like that, you've got to make plays regardless."

Burress attributed the general problems to the players pressing to make plays.

"I think that everybody was trying a little too hard to go out and make that play and not relaxing and going out and playing football," he said. "When you go out there trying too hard, sometimes you put pressure on yourself when you don't need to and things can go the other way. ..."

On the injury front this week. ... Running back Jerome Bettis, Ward and Burress all missed Wednesday's practice. Burress, excused for personal reasons, was expected back Thursday.

Bettis, who has a sore knee, and Ward, who has a hamstring injury, were also expected back on the field Thursday. Ward's injury has bothered him for several weeks and affects his ability to get off quickly from the line of scrimmage.

"It's not where I want it to be, but with treatment I'll be OK," he said.

Ward is listed as questionable. Bettis is probable.

And finally. ... The Steelers on Tuesday signed free agent tight end Marco Battaglia to a one-year contract that is prorated over the rest of the season. The seven-year veteran could see action this weekend, given Pittsburgh's injury situation.

Starter Mark Bruener is on injured reserve, and thus sidelined for the balance of the year, with a knee injury. Back up John Allred will miss at least one game with a concussion.

Battaglia has played in 93 games and started 11 in stints with Cincinnati (1996-2001), Washington (2001) and Tampa Bay (2002). The former Rutgers standout has 71 catches for 660 yards and two touchdowns.

Warner would have missed his second game with a broken bone in his throwing hand Sunday against the Cardinals. He was sidelined for five games earlier in the year with a broken pinkie on the same hand.

Wide receiver Dane Looker was elevated from the practice squad to take Warner's spot on the 53-man roster.

Warner, the NFL's MVP two of the last three years, talked optimistically Wednesday about returning before the end of the season. But the Rams have concerns about his hand, which has had three breaks since 2000.

"I'd like to play, but you look at the situation and it's probably the best thing, to get healthy," Warner said. "You never want to be in a situation where you know you're not going to play the rest of the year and to sit out, but I want to get healthy and be able to do the things I'm capable of doing."

Warner finished with 11 interceptions and just three touchdown passes, a far cry from his 2001 statistics. Last year he threw for 4,830 yards, second-most in league history, and 36 touchdowns.

I'll have more details on this story in a Late-Breaking Update later tonight. ...

On a more positive note. ... Marc Bulger received medical clearance to play Tuesday and will return as the No. 1 QB this weekend.

Bulger, who has been at quarterback for all five Rams victories this season, has been out since Nov. 18 with a sprained ligament between his index and third finger. He's made progress the last several days and will replace Jamie Martin, who was ineffective in Sunday's 49-10 loss at Kansas City, for this week's game against the Cardinals.

Bulger has a 106.0 passer rating, which would lead the NFL by a wide margin if he had enough attempts to qualify. He has 12 touchdown passes and four interceptions and played well in the first game against the Cardinals.

In a 27-14 victory Nov. 3 in Phoenix, Bulger was 20-for-29 for 245 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.

Martin lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown and threw two interceptions in his third career start. Head coach Mike Martz indicated some of Martin's problems were due to inactivity.

"Jamie can play and play well," Martz said. "Jamie just needs to play some."

Martz said Bulger showed better awareness in the pocket than Martin during his earlier stint as the starter. Warner and Martin were sacked a total of 14 times the last two games.

"Marc was very good about moving around and throwing the ball away, instead of taking sacks," Martz said. "Marc will not hold the ball -- all those things Kurt had done so well early in his career."

Bulger began the year as the third-stringer but got his first chance to play when Martin bruised a knee in Week 5 against the 49ers. Warner also is out with a hairline fracture of his right hand.

Martz was encouraged Monday by Bulger's pregame workout in Kansas City on Sunday. With the index and third finger wrapped together, he was able to throw tight spirals.

Also of interest. ...

Marshall Faulk's playing time might be limited for the rest of the season because of a high right ankle sprain.

Running behind a patchwork line, the St. Louis Rams star was held to 13 yards on 10 carries and caught four passes for 35 yards in Sunday's 49-10 loss at Kansas City. He hasn't started in a month, although he's tried to play the last two weeks without success.

"He's not even remotely close to 100 percent, that's why we tried to fit him in there," Martz said Monday. "We've got to be very careful with Marshall. We'll be smart about that."

For the year, Faulk has 858 yards rushing and 483 receiving. His streak of four consecutive 2,000-yard seasons rushing and receiving, an NFL record, almost certainly will end.

Rookie Lamar Gordon made his fourth consecutive start against the Chiefs. He struggled with 14 yards on five carries and one reception for 11 yards.

The San Diego Chargers' coach was describing his team's precarious situation at wide receiver when he mentioned backup quarterback Doug Flutie.

"We're definitely living on the edge. ... We've got a few plays with Flutie at wide receiver," Schottenheimer said on Monday, a day after the Chargers' damaging 27-7 home loss to the rival Oakland Raiders, who now have control of the AFC West as well as the conference's best record.

"I'm serious," Schottenheimer said after his comments drew a few laughs at his weekly news conference. "Sure. Why not?"

So when might the Chargers use the 5-foot-10, 40-year-old Flutie at wideout? Maybe in Sunday's game at Buffalo, where Flutie played for three seasons before moving to San Diego before the 2001 season?

"I'm not saying anything," Schottenheimer said.

This much is known: Barring an injury to starting quarterback Drew Brees, running a few routes might be the only way Flutie is going to get on the field this year. Although Brees threw three interceptions Sunday, including one that led to a huge momentum swing for the Raiders, Schottenheimer said he never thought about pulling the second-year pro, and that Brees will remain the starter.

"First of all, you know how I am about changing quarterbacks. I really don't like to do that," Schottenheimer said. "I'm not inclined to make changes, unless I believe that that change gives us an opportunity to win that game. No, I really didn't give it any thought."

Even when the Raiders turned the third interception into a touchdown to make it 20-7, Schottenheimer felt the Chargers should stick with Brees.

"He's done an excellent job for us," Schottenheimer said. "He brought us from behind on any number of games this year. Of the eight wins, we've been behind in five of those games."

Schottenheimer said Brees was responsible for just one interception, but it was the big one, when the Chargers were driving in Oakland territory and trailing just 13-7 in the third quarter.

Three plays later, Jerry Rice had a 56-yard catch and run that set up Zack Crockett's TD run to make it 20-7.

Curtis Conway has missed two straight games with a mysterious shoulder ailment, putting more pressure on the passing game. Conway is the Chargers' best receiver with 54 catches and 794 yards.

The injury was first reported as a stinger following a 30-3 loss at Miami two weeks ago. The Chargers later said Conway was having muscle spasms but that there was no structural damage.

"There's a limitation of overall rotation and strength in the shoulder," Schottenheimer said. "Until he gets that back, it's not likely he'll be available."

The Chargers had been tied for the AFC West lead with Oakland, but they lost for the fourth time in six games. As they chase their first playoff berth since 1995, they've got to play in two cold-weather cities -- Buffalo and Kansas City -- before closing the regular season at home against Seattle.

"I don't think we can afford another loss if we want to put ourselves in position to make the playoffs," said running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who was held to 57 yards on 18 carries. "I think guys are well aware of that."

Schottenheimer's spin is that the Chargers are still in good shape.

"Interestingly enough, the team that won the Super Bowl last year, what were they after 13 games? They were 8-5," he said of the New England Patriots.

Schottenheimer was reminded that the Patriots closed the regular season on a hot streak, winning six straight.

"We've got three weeks left to close hot," Schottenheimer said. "The glass is half full."

Also of interest. ...

Tomlinson broke Natrone Means' franchise record for yards rushing in a season on a 4-yard run up the middle on the fourth play of the third quarter against Oakland, giving him 1,353 yards and breaking Means' 1994 mark of 1,350 yards. He followed up with a 1-yard run, then was thrown for a 3-yard loss on fourth-and-one, pushing him back to 1,351 yards.

Tomlinson entered the game with 1,318 yards, second in the NFL to Kansas City's Priest Holmes. Holmes gained 132 yards in a win over the Rams, bringing his total to 1,454.

It's also worth noting that it's become a rule: When Tomlinson does not carry 20 times, the Chargers lose. The team is now 0-4 when that happens, as it did against the Raiders when he carried 18 times.

"Last week he had 37 carries and he caught 11 footballs," Raider linebacker Bill Romanowski, who was on Tomlinson many times, said of Tomlinson's record day against Denver. "That's 48 touches in one football game, and he can do a lot of damage when he handles the ball that many times. Our focus had to be on stopping him, and that's what we did ..."

And finally. ... Eric Parker started last Sunday's in place of Conway and he clearly made the most of the opportunity by leading the team in receptions and yards -- catching seven passes for 96 yards.

"We miss Curtis because he's a playmaker and does a lot of great things," Brees said. "But I'm telling you, Eric Parker, I have tremendous confidence in him."

Keep an eye out for more on Conway's status later tonight via Late-Breaking Update . ...

Still, the 49ers are on pace for another banner year running the football -- and their ground game could be the difference Sunday against the Green Bay Packers' terrible rushing defense.

Rathman, the 49ers' running backs coach, hoped Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow could get 1,000 yards apiece this fall in a tandem attack. They were nearly on pace for that achievement before Barlow sprained his right knee and missed San Francisco's last two games.

But Barlow is almost certain to be back in the lineup on Sunday at Candlestick Park, which will allow Hearst to share the load again after two weeks on his own. Barlow participated in a full practice with the 49ers on Wednesday, alternating every snap with Hearst.

"I'm above 90 percent," Barlow said. "I've been doing a lot of rehab and treatment, and I'm ready to get back out there. I don't think I got too far out of shape, and you never want to wait any longer than you have to."

If Barlow returns at full strength and offensive guard Eric Heitmann isn't limited by his broken hand, the Niners should be ready to unleash their impressive ground game against the Packers' patchwork defensive line.

Statistically speaking, it's clear that this matchup of division champions and longtime rivals might be won on the ground.

San Francisco averages 141 yards rushing -- sixth in the NFL -- while Green Bay has allowed more than 132 yards rushing each week -- 29th in the 32-team league, and dead last in yards per carry.

"You're being very polite to say that it's struggling a tad," Green Bay head coach Mike Sherman said. "It has struggled a lot as of late. We haven't done a great job of it, particularly in the last ballgame. It's a concern. We have had some injuries there, but that's not the reason we didn't defend the run very well.

"I think we have the players who can step up and make it work for us, but that has to happen quick before we play this team."

Defensive end Joe Johnson is out for the season with a torn triceps muscle, and nose tackle Gilbert Brown missed the last two games with a sprained ankle. Vonnie Holliday and Cletidus Hunt also have missed time with injuries.

The 49ers have been methodically effective on the ground this season -- no surprise for a team that's perennially among the league's best in rushing. Hearst is 10th in the conference with 816 yards and seven TDs, while Barlow has 514 yards and four rushing TDs. Even Jeff Garcia has 300 yards rushing, fourth among NFC quarterbacks.

The offensive line has fought through injuries for another good season, with new addition Ron Stone and center Jeremy Newberry providing a mean front-line presence.

"We've got two good running backs, and most teams only have one," said Stone, who made the last two Pro Bowls with the New York Giants. "That's why we kept on moving the ball when Kevan got hurt. We can just turn it over to Garrison, and some teams can't do that. They have to find somebody else."

Also of interest this week. ...

Instead of relying on the usual offensive weapons like Hearst and Terrell Owens to take over the game on the final two drives of last Sunday's win over Dallas, the Niners used short passes to tight end Eric Johnson along with runs and receptions by backup running back Paul Smith to flow down the field.

"It felt great to be involved," said Johnson, who caught two passes for 12 yards on the game-winning drive.

Smith, subbing for the injured Hearst, bolted for eight yards on a draw play and then broke a tackle in order to get out of bounds with 57 seconds left following an 11-yard catch.

Smith is the third running back behind Hearst and Barlow. He came into the game with just two carries.

"I probably haven't played that much since college," he said.

And finally. ... In talking to KGO Radio's Gary Plummer, Owens was asked about former coach Dennis Green, fellow ESPN analyst Sean Salisbury and Miami receiver Cris Carter.

All three have been critical of Owens in the past.

"They are all negative and they are all punks," Owens said. He said the reason former Vikings coach Green was no longer in the league was because he couldn't handle mercurial wide receiver Randy Moss.

He called Salisbury "a career clipboard holder." And then he brought up Carter's drug problems of long ago.

Owens, who turned 29 a day before the game, said he wasn't planning any special birthday, post-touchdown antic. He was booed every time he touched the ball, which was quite often in his 12-catch day.

Owens, naturally, ate it up, clapping his hands and smiling. He also took note of an elaborate sketch on the video screen during a third-quarter timeout.

It was a tortured bit where the Cowboys' mascot runs over a 49ers fan with a car, then gets out of the car, pulls a Sharpie from his sock and signs a memento for the fallen 49ers fan. The sketch ended with the words: "Do You Hate the 49ers?" as the Texas Stadium crowd cheered.

"I noticed the skit, and I thought it was cute," Owens said. "I was laughing, but I knew we'd get the last laugh."

Owens relished the postgame spotlight, and when a reporter said that Dallas coaches indicated that even a 10-year-old girl would know to look for Owens in the final seconds in the end zone, Owens did not shy from the implication: "It's just like Michael Jordan. You know he's going to take the last shot, but how do you defend him?"

As for Owens "standing on the star" again, this time on the Cowboys' logo in the end zone, he smiled: "In a discreet way, yes -- if you noticed. It wasn't planned. It was spur of the moment. You know me."

With Matt Hasselbeck unable to practice Wednesday, George worked out as the No. 1 quarterback for the first time since signing with the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 29, and the 13-year veteran might play Sunday at Atlanta.

"It's fun to get out there sweating again," George said. "I haven't really broken a good sweat out there this year on the scout team."

George signed with Seattle two days after Trent Dilfer's season-ending torn Achilles' tendon.

Hasselbeck's status is uncertain with a sprained left foot, sustained in last weekend's 27-20 loss to Philadelphia. He wore a walking boot and took a knee to watch practice as George fired passes all over the field.

"He throws a good ball," Robinson said. "It's different from Matt and Trent."

Head coach Mike Holmgren was hopeful Hasselbeck can "finish the string" over the final three games. He said Hasselbeck could practice as early as Thursday but his status against the Falcons was unknown.

"He might be able to get a little work in tomorrow. We'll see," Holmgren said. "We're taking it a day at a time. Until he can go, Jeff George will get all the snaps. We're getting him ready to play."

George didn't like the way his season ended a year ago. He was released by the Washington Redskins after starting two games. He completed 23 of 42 passes for 168 yards with three interceptions and no touchdowns.

He went home to Indianapolis until Holmgren called. The Seahawks needed an experienced quarterback, and George has played in 129 NFL games and thrown for 27,434 career yards with 154 TDs and 110 interceptions.

"He's played a lot of football," Holmgren said. "The minus would be he hasn't played in a game in a while. The plus is he can still throw it. That's pretty clear in practice. The minus would be he isn't as familiar with our stuff."

George, who turned 35 on Sunday, expects to be ready.

"I don't think I'm as sharp as I could be," he said. "That's just a matter of going out and getting more reps. It felt really good to be out there again. I felt like a kid again. Guys were making some great catches for me."

Since arriving in Seattle, George has avoided the spotlight. This week, he's been saying the proper things, explaining that he came in to fill a role and that Hasselbeck remains the best quarterback for the Seahawks.

There's been no sign of the fiery fellow who sometimes conflicted with coaches and teammates.

"I say this all the time, but I was home barbecuing a few weeks ago and here I am," George said. "It's just exciting for me to be back on the field."

George didn't see any symbolism in returning to play in Atlanta, site of one of his most famous blowups -- a sideline confrontation with then-coach June Jones that led to his release from the Falcons in 1996.

"It was so long ago," George said. "I went back there when I was with the Raiders and when I was with Minnesota. They're a totally different team, totally different organization, new ownership."

Holmgren expects George to "function pretty well" if needed. Robinson hopes Hasselbeck's health improves but said it won't make any difference if the Seahawks use their third quarterback of the season.

"We're just playing," Robinson said. "Whoever's at the handles, whoever's running the team, that's who we're riding with. If Matt's unable to go by the end of the week, we'll go with Jeff. We have confidence in him to get the job done...."

Also of interest. ...

Holmgren said earlier this week that receiver Bobby Engram (turf toe on left foot) and running back Maurice Morris (aggravated strained hamstring) are likely to miss Sunday's game.

Alex Bannister will likely move into the third wide receiver spot if Engram cannot play.

Heath Evans will back up an already ailing Shaun Alexander, who dealt with back spasms against the Eagles. ...

Alexander suffered back spasms for the second consecutive game and had to be stretched out on a table between offensive series. Alexander said the back problems are starting to get to him.

"It's unbelievable," he said. "It's just like last week. You feel like you're so tight that you can't even pick your leg up."

Of course, even with the sore back, Alexander managed to run for 123 yards on 17 carries, a 7.2-yard average against the third-best rushing defense in the league.

The lowlight came, however, when he was hauled down from behind by Philadelphia free safety Brian Dawkins after a 58-yard run to end the third quarter.

"When I hit the hole, I saw the safety, so I stiffed him and ran through his tackle, and right about then, that's when I felt my back was getting tight," Alexander said.

For the first time in 10 games over the past three seasons, the Seahawks haven't won when they've had a running back go over the century mark. Under Holmgren, the team was 12-1 when a back ran for 100 yards or more, and 18-1 since 1997 when the feat occurred.

Alexander has 902 yards rushing on 225 carries for the season.

"We didn't talk about that in any seriousness at all," head coach Jon Gruden said in response to broadcast and Internet reports suggesting the Bucs were interested in Watters. "We didn't talk about that at all that I know of."

Reports Sunday suggested the Bucs were souring on the play of running back Michael Pittman and talked seriously last week of signing Watters as a replacement.

Bucs officials denied the report. Assistant general manager John Idzik said the Bucs discussed Watters briefly early last week, but only because the team was uncertain about the health of Pittman and Aaron Stecker, both injured last week against New Orleans.

Idzik said Pittman's play had nothing to do with the discussions regarding Watters, whose agent also denied that the Bucs seriously considered signing him.

Though he leads the Bucs in rushing, Pittman has struggled as a runner this season, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. With 398 receiving yards, he leads all Bucs backs and receivers in yards from scrimmage with 960.

It's also worth noting that the Bucs are coming off their second--best rushing performance of the the year and need another strong game Sunday to continue building momentum for the playoffs.

The committee approach appears to be the best option at this stage because the offensive line is finally showing signs of improvement. As a result, Gruden is finally able to use Pittman and Mike Alstott in situations where they will have optimum success.

Also of interest. ...

Joe Jurevicius made a career- high eight catches for 100 yards and doubled his season touchdown total to four. The two-TD game was his first as a Buc and only the second of his five-year career.

As Tribune staffer Tony Fabrizio noted this week, Jurevicius used his 6-foot-5, 230-pound frame to catch TD passes of 10 and 13 yards from Brad Johnson in the second quarter. After his second score, he handed the football to the official, then snatched it back.

"I just wanted to do my old Penn State thing of giving the ball to the official," Jurevicius said. "But now we get to keep the football. I got a little excited."

Jurevicius didn't figure into Tampa Bay's game plan any more than usual Sunday. It only looked as though his name was scribbled all over Gruden's cheat sheet.

Four of his catches came on third downs -- three on a pair of scoring drives in the third quarter. Those four catches were worth 57 yards.

"We put in a couple of plays for him that were some individual routes that we thought he could win on, but for the most part, he was the third or fourth outlet for us," Johnson said.

Signed away from the New York Giants as a free agent to give the receiving corps more versatility, Jurevicius is becoming the player the Bucs envisioned. Against the Falcons, he was a big target for Johnson and made clutch catches while the defense was paying closer attention to Keyshawn Johnson and Keenan McCardell.

"It's great to have three receivers," said McCardell, who had two TD catches Sunday. "If they [defenders] start honing in on Keyshawn or myself, who else is there? We've got their third or fourth cornerback on Joe. And Joe can play. So, that's a mismatch - when you can get your third or fourth corner on Joe Jurevicius. He makes them pay."

On his first touchdown Sunday, Jurevicius snagged the ball off his hip and beat linebacker Keith Brooking, a former first-round pick who was called for pass interference on the play. On the second, Jurevicius out-jumped Ray "Big Play" Buchanan, the Falcons' best (albeit gimpy this day) cornerback.

"The first [touchdown] was an option route where it just kind gives one of the receivers a chance to work a linebacker," Jurevicius said. "On the other, I was just trying to clear the safety out for another receiver. It just so happened that the coverage dictated the throw to Brad, and he was able to put the ball up and allow me to make a play."

Although he missed Wednesday's practice because of a sprained right ankle, Jurevicius is expected to play as usual at this point in the week. ... I'll have more on his status as the weekend progresses.

He didn't practice the week before yesterday's win over Indianapolis, either.

Head coach Jeff Fisher has joked about sending McNair home to Mississippi this week as Tennessee gets ready for Monday night's game against the Patriots.

The strained ligament on the right side of his ribs that has kept him out of practice and made it uncomfortable for him to twist and turn has actually helped him in another department, according to Titans quarterback coach Craig Johnson.

"The last two weeks, his [turf] toe has gotten better," Johnson said. "He can push off and use his legs a little better, and quarterbacks throw with their feet."

A week after McNair threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns in the swirling winds of Giants Stadium, he completed a career-high 82.6 percent of his passes en route to 237 yards and a touchdown while turning five runs into another 49 yards.

"To do what he did [to us] and last week without the benefit of practice is really unbelievable," Colts head coach Tony Dungy said. "I have a lot of respect for him."

"Two weeks in a row without practice?" Frank Wycheck said. "That's truly amazing. He's just been slinging it out there."

Operating with great protection from his offensive line again, McNair consistently found his man against Indianapolis.

In one stretch, he completed 14 passes in a row, and two of the four passes he threw that fell incomplete were drops by Wycheck and Drew Bennett. But McNair's signature play in this game was made with his feet.

With about 4 minutes left to play and Tennessee clinging to a 24-17 lead, the Titans faced a third-and-2 from the Indianapolis 32. The home team wanted to keep the clock moving and pad the lead.

But Colts defensive end Brad Scioli stormed through the line and got a handful of McNair's jersey, tugging at it like a kid tugging on Santa's beard. The quarterback appeared doomed, the drive over.

Then McNair spun, wriggling out of Scioli's grasp, and took off around the left corner, cut back toward the middle of the field and slid at the end of a 16-yard run.

"It is demoralizing when you keep going after him and you think you have him but he is able to break a play," Scioli said. "Every time we got pressure on him, he would scramble and come out making a killer play.

"Not just a play that picks up a couple yards, but one that killed us. He had a phenomenal game and he is a phenomenal player."

McNair said his ability to play through pain dates back to high school.

"My coach told me that when you're in pain you tend to stay more focused on what you have to do," he said. "I took that to heart, and I think that's how I play now.

"I can just concentrate better when I am playing in pain."

After Tennessee's miserable 13-12 loss in Baltimore on Nov. 24, when McNair threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger said that the quarterback never played two duds in a row.

"Baltimore stuck with him, and coming in this week everybody was talking Peyton [Manning], Peyton, Peyton," Heimerdinger said. "The man gets up for it a little bit, to get some credit as a quarterback.

"He did the same thing last year when Green Bay came to town. He elevated his game and carried us."

The back-to-back performances left his teammates and coaches foreseeing big things the rest of the season for McNair, as the AFC South-leading Titans turn to the final three games of their regular season.

"A year ago, he got in a zone about this time" Johnson said. "It looks like he is getting back into it again."

But McNair is not thinking like that. While he rehabs the ribs and the toe and gauges a return to practice this week, he actually hopes to add to his afflictions.

"Quarterbacks need to have amnesia in this league," he said. "You need to forget the mistakes as well as the successes and be able to move on regardless of what happens."

Also of interest this week. ...

Wide receiver Kevin Dyson will miss the rest of the season after having surgery on his right hamstring last week.

The team had listed him as out for Sunday's game against Indianapolis, but afterward, Fisher acknowledged that Dyson won't return.

"Kevin Dyson had surgery last Thursday, which will end the season for him on the hamstring," Fisher said.

Dyson hurt his right hamstring making a catch in a 13-12 loss to Baltimore on Nov. 24, and the Titans had listed him as out for their past two games. Fisher had only said that the injury was significant.

Dyson had been the Titans' second-leading receiver with 41 catches for 460 yards with four touchdowns. A torn ACL ended his season in 2000.

Ramsey replaces Danny Wuerffel, who sprained his throwing shoulder in the third quarter of Sunday's 27-21 loss to the New York Giants. Ramsey finished the game, completing 12 of 27 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown.

Spurrier said Wuerffel will be sidelined "a week or two," but he indicated he plans to stick with his first-round draft pick the rest of the season.

"We'll get Patrick Ramsey ready to go," Spurrier said.

Ramsey started two games earlier this season, while Shane Matthews has started seven games and Wuerffel four. Two of the five changes were necessitated by injury, both times when Wuerffel hurt his shoulder.

Also of interest. ...

Receiver Willie Jackson was released on Thursday, the second time this season the receiver has been cut.

Jackson signed with the Redskins in October after he was waived by Atlanta. He claimed he wasn't getting the ball enough with the Falcons, but he played even less with the Redskins, catching just seven passes for 58 yards over six games.

Jackson was inactive for Sunday's game against the New York Giants. Spurrier has been emphasizing a youth movement with the Redskins out of the playoff race.

"Willie's a vet, so we felt like we'd free him up," Spurrier said. "Hopefully, he'll get picked up by another team."

Jackson is one of seven former Florida players signed by ex-Gator coach Spurrier this year, and most of them have been disappointments. Receiver Reidel Anthony was cut at the end of training camp, receiver Jacquez Green was released last month, Chris Doering has just 17 catches and Wuerffel and Matthews have been inconsistent as starters. Running back Robert Gillespie is on the practice squad.

Only Wuerffel and possibly Gillespie are expected back next year.

And finally. ...

In an article published Tuesday, Washington Post staff writer Mark Maske reported that Stephen Davis said there is a good chance his seven-year tenure with the Washington Redskins will be over after this season, although he would like to stay. The Redskins, according to NFL sources, are leaning strongly toward releasing the two-time Pro Bowl running back in the offseason for salary cap reasons, perhaps without even trying to renegotiate his contract.

Davis told Maske Monday: "There are some teams out there. If it doesn't work out here -- I hope it can, but if it doesn't -- a lot of teams out there need a running back."

Davis, 28, is the first Redskins runner to have three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons. But he would count slightly more than $11.4 million against the salary cap next season and Spurrier has made it clear that he intends to have a passing-oriented offense. Sources said yesterday that the Redskins have not completely ruled out reworking Davis' contract and retaining him, but they believe it's likely that they will release Davis and go with less expensive running backs better suited to Spurrier's offensive style.

"Most [running backs] don't want to be in an offense where you're going to throw the ball as much as coach Spurrier does," Davis said. "But I can't worry about that. I'm under contract. If it gets worked out, it gets worked out. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'll move on and try to help another team win."

Davis said he doesn't understand his role in Spurrier's offense. He had only 12 carries in Sunday's 27-21 loss to the New York Giants at FedEx Field, but produced 70 rushing yards and a one-yard touchdown run. He also had his longest run of the season, 33 yards. For the season, he has 796 yards and seven touchdowns on 205 carries. Over the previous three seasons, Davis averaged 326 carries and 1,385 rushing yards.

He said in training camp he knew he would get fewer carries but he thought the Redskins would throw the ball effectively enough that he would have more room to run. It hasn't gone as hoped, though, and he's averaging only 3.9 yards per carry.

"I thought it would" work out better, Davis said. "But it's [Spurrier's] first year here, and he's doing the best he can. He's been doing something for a very long time his way, and you can't knock a guy for that. He's won a lot of games. ... As a team, we couldn't execute on both of them. Sometimes we had problems running. Sometimes we had problems throwing the ball. ... I think I've done all right. I could have done better. You see some of the running backs playing today, you would like to have that opportunity. But that's how we've been playing, and you really can't worry about it."

Spurrier said: "We're not blaming anybody. But if you look at what we've done run-wise, we haven't really gained a whole bunch of yards at times. Obviously, if we were running for six or seven yards a pop, we'd keep doing it."

Davis has played through a knee injury, but said he's healthy now and believes he has "a lot left" even as he approaches the stage of his career when running backs begin to slow down. He called his season "frustrating," and said he hopes the Redskins release him early in the offseason -- to give him a better chance to get a good job for a good contract elsewhere -- if they're going to release him.

"If you're going to do something, do it and get it over with," Davis said. "Don't have me waiting in the wings. But the thing is, they won't do that. ... The thing I have to do is, stay patient and see what happens. ... It's a business. I can't dwell on it. I just have to move on. I think with the type of person that I am, I can do that. . . . I get frustrated, but anger and blowing up at people, that's not me."

Under his contract, Davis will count an untenable $11.4 million against the salary cap next season, so the Redskins will either need to negotiate a new contract or cut him in the offseason.

So far, there have been no negotiations.

Davis hasn't ruled out working a new deal with the Redskins.

"But if it doesn't work out," he added, "there are a lot of teams out there."