"We got ourselves off track," Green said. "It's like taking the wrong exit and instead of stopping and turning around and coming back, you think you can make another turn. And you get further and further off the road.

"We've been running with two wheels on and two wheels off. Now we're going to get all four on the road."

Green has been unhappy with the offense since training camp. He's added two offensive assistants since the season started, and even took over play-calling for one game.

There has been improvement -- the Cardinals have scored 62 points the past two games -- but the bottom line doesn't look so good.

Green took the Cardinals job promising offensive improvement. But the offense is ranked 27th, the same place it finished last season. And they're at 1-4, just as they were last season.

Green often points to Minnesota and Indianapolis as the models to emulate. They rank first and second in the NFL, and they run the same offense as the Cardinals.

But as Somers noted: "There are big differences. Minnesota has quarterback Daunte Culpepper and receiver Randy Moss. Indianapolis has quarterback Peyton Manning, receiver Marvin Harrison and running back Edgerrin James.

"The Cardinals have a quarterback, Josh McCown, who is in his first season as a starter. And their best receiver, Anquan Boldin, hasn't played yet because of a knee injury. ..."

"I'm not saying that we're going to lead the NFC as Minnesota is," Green said. "I'm not saying we're going to lead the AFC like Indianapolis is. What I'm saying is that we're using the same model."

So to fix what's wrong, Green and his staff spent much of this week studying the NFL's best offenses, including the Vikings' and Colts'. What worked for them against certain defensive schemes? How did they produce explosive plays?

"We were just comparing -- are we having the same level of success they are?" offensive coordinator Alex Wood said. "In terms of numbers, we're not. That's painfully obvious. In terms of a technical standpoint, a philosophical standpoint, are we on the right track? Hopefully, we will be before it's all said and done."

Green and his staff aren't saying what their study uncovered or what they changed during this past week.

McCown has spent a considerable amount of time watching tape of Manning and Culpepper run the same offense.

He looks at how they go through their progressions, how they release the ball, the audibles they call.

"There's no rule that you can't look for advice or something that can help you get an edge up," he said.

"It's fun to watch because they play explosive football, and we aspire to be that way. Hopefully, we'll get there."

But of course, the unit should get a major boost when Boldin returns from knee surgery.

In an article published Tuesday, Republic staffer Tim Tyers advised readers that Boldin and Green slightly disagree over that return, although "the difference might be more a case of subterfuge than fact."

Boldin has been sidelined since Aug. 11, when he underwent surgery during training camp to repair torn meniscus in his right knee.

Green, who plays his injury cards close to the vest, said Monday that Boldin's return on Nov. 7 in a game at Miami is a "legitimate goal," but Boldin countered by saying a more likely target date is Oct. 31 at Buffalo.

Boldin didn't practice with the team Monday in preparation for Sunday's game against Seattle. But he did do the next best thing on the adjacent practice field, which was to go through a rigorous rehabilitation routine from the start of practice to its end.

"That was impressive," Green said. "Miami is a legitimate goal we have set, and if we have to move it up a week, that would be a possibility. This will be the first week he goes out on the field, helmet in hand, for walk-through drills with the team. He's anxious. I know he wants to play."

Tyers noted that Boldin left little doubt about that fact on Monday.

"My goal is Buffalo in a week, and that's what we've been training for," Boldin said. "I've been testing it for more than a week now. I actually got out last week and ran routes for [McCown], so I'm comfortable with where I'm at right now."

Green said that how much and how hard Boldin practices in the week following the Seattle game will be predicated on how he performs in walk-through drills this week.

Boldin insisted he won't need more than a week of practice, and that if he plays, it wouldn't be unfair to expect him to perform like the Boldin who caught a rookie-record 101 passes last season and was named the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Year.

"It's not unfair, because that's what I'm expecting," Boldin said. "I wouldn't come back if I wasn't healthy. I'm looking to go out there and make plays.

"I'm comfortable with that (a week's practice). I've had numerous weeks of working on it, and a lot of it has been football specific. One week of practice -- actually, one week of official practice -- and I'll be more than comfortable."

By all accounts, rookie receiver Larry Fitzgerald will benefit greatly from Boldin's return.

As the Sporting News pointed out Monday, on the few plays he has faced single coverage, Fitzgerald has been able to get the cornerback on his hip and make plays downfield. Coaches hope he'll face more single coverage with Boldin in play.

Other notes of interest. ...

In an article published Tuesday, the Sports Xchange noted that McCown has had a quarterback rating in the 90s the past three weeks and has thrown three touchdown passes and been intercepted just once.

The report summed up: "McCown is making better decisions and is more selective about running the ball when pressured. ..."

Emmitt Smith returned to practice Monday after missing last week's workouts with a strained groin. But as the Xchange suggested, Smith's role has declined in recent weeks as backup Troy Hambrick has rounded into shape. Smith will start but coaches want Hambrick to get 10 or so carries a game.

"They get closer. Closer. Closer.

"Finally -- boom! As they move in to tackle Vick, he flicks a pass over their heads to a wide-open receiver, the final twist in a 15-minute thrill ride that carried the Atlanta Falcons to another win. ..."

"That's Mike," offensive coordinator Greg Knapp said Monday. "That's not coaching."

While Vick continues to learn the intricacies of the West Coast offense, there are times when he's playing his own version of the game. Such was the case this past weekend.

The Falcons went to the fourth quarter trailing the San Diego Chargers by 10 points. To that point, Vick had looked downright mediocre. Then, as if flipping on a switch, he turned the game around.

Running for one touchdown. Passing for another. Finally, bleeding the final six minutes off the clock in a 21-20 victory that gave the Falcons a commanding lead in the NFC South.

"I have been surprised with his running ability and also with his release, how quick he gets the ball off," said Knapp, who joined the Falcons this year along with new head coach Jim Mora. "To see the video is one thing. But when you see it in person -- wow!"

In the fourth quarter, Vick completed all five of his passes for 130 yards. He ran four times for 32 yards before kneeling down with the final three snaps, running out the clock.

It was quite the contrast to Vick's first half, which ended with the Chargers leading 14-7 and boos from the hometown crowd ringing in his ears.

Vick didn't take it personally.

"I just take it that they're booing us as an offense," he said. "It takes 11 guys to execute and make things work. I think I play a big part in it, and I take a lot of responsibility because I am the quarterback and I feel like I can make almost any play."

That's just what Vick did over the final 15 minutes.

He got things rolling with a 50-yard pass to Peerless Price, set up by a play-fake that put the safeties on their heels. Vick finished off the drive with a 14-yard touchdown run, freeze-framing the defense as he scooted around left end without being touched.

Vick put the Falcons ahead with a 32-yard touchdown pass to Dez White. While the ball was perfectly thrown, there was more to it than that. White had run several slants toward the middle of the field out of the same formation. This time, he cut back to the outside and beat the cornerback.

"The game plan was the same," Vick said. "We called some different plays from some different formations and tried to take advantage of some things they did in coverage that we'd seen earlier in the game."

For the season, Vick's numbers aren't all that impressive. Knapp keeps saying it will probably take at least two or three years before the quarterback is fully comfortable in the West Coast scheme.

As Newberry put it: "Sometimes, he's lost. Sometimes, he's unstoppable."

And when he's unstoppable?

"What I would do," teammate Patrick Kerney, told Newberry, "is submit a petition to the NFL for a 12th man."

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Morris News Service correspondent George Henry, Mora indicated that an injury played no part in running back Warrick Dunn's departure after the second possession of the third quarter, but the eighth-year running back said a sore hamstring affected his play.

Dunn also missed most of the second half of a win at Carolina three weeks ago with a similar injury. T.J. Duckett replaced him both times.

In a related note. ... Pro Football Weekly suggested last week there is growing frustration among coaches because Dunn keeps coming up with minor injuries during games this season.

The report concluded, however, that team officials don't believe it will be a big problem unless Dunn misses extended time with one of his aches and pains. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, backup tight end Dwayne Blakely, who has caught one pass in each of Atlanta's last two games, is not the blocker that Eric Beverly is, but he's not bad, and he's much more agile.

He may continue to get looks in the Falcons' offense whether Beverly returns from his dislocated shoulder or not.

And tight end Todd Heap ran on his sprained right ankle yet seems doubtful for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills.

"Todd is the one I'm least optimistic about, but I don't know that yet," said head coach Brian Billick. "Our plan is to run him like we did today and see how he comes out Wednesday."

Heap, the team's leading receiver the past two seasons, hurt his ankle in the second game of the season and has yet to return to practice. He watched the beginning of yesterday's one-hour workout while riding a stationary bike in the state-of-the-art weight room, which has windows that look out onto the fields.

The two-time Pro Bowl player ran all week -- the first time he has done so since injuring the lower part of his ankle -- and did the same Sunday. Asked if he thought he would practice this week, Heap said, "I don't know."

Hensley went on to advise readers the Ravens returned from their bye with similar questions surrounding the receiving corps of the NFL's worst-ranked passing attack.

If fully recovered, Taylor presumably would return to the starting lineup, especially because he is the best blocker among the receivers.

The Ravens would then have to decide whether to keep Kevin Johnson or Randy Hymes as the other starter. Ravens officials said a starter wouldn't be determined until the end of the week.

"Like Brian says, we're never going to be concerned about having too many good receivers," Taylor said. "I'm not worried about that. Whenever I get my chance to get in there and make a play, that's what I'm going to do."

Taylor said the players were unaware who would be the starting receivers Sunday.

"We haven't talked about that," Taylor said. "We're just going to see how it goes."

In taking over for the injured Taylor, Hymes has led the Ravens in receptions (16) and has accounted for one-third of the team's passing yards.

By comparison, Kevin Johnson has had an inauspicious start to his Ravens career.

Traded from Jacksonville for a fourth-round pick on draft weekend, Johnson had averaged nearly four catches a game in his first five NFL seasons. Through his first five games with the Ravens, he has 10 receptions and is on pace for a career-low 32 catches.

"I've had 80-plus-catch seasons, I've had 1,000 yards in a season and I've had nine-touchdown seasons. But I'm all about winning a Super Bowl," said Johnson, who has never caught fewer than 57 passes in a season.

"Obviously, we want to catch the ball and have more production, but if this [a run-oriented offense] is what it takes for us to get to the Super Bowl, I'm all for it."

Johnson said his sub-par numbers are not a result of his being open and quarterback Kyle Boller's not finding him.

"It's not on one guy here," Johnson said. "It's a relatively collective effort. We can't put all the blame on the quarterback. We have to realize that there's going to come a day when we have to bring more to the table."

According to the Sporting News, rookie receiver Clarence Moore has outstanding potential, great size (6-5, 211) and sufficient speed to burn cornerbacks on a regular basis in practice.

TSN added: "He must develop the upper-body strength needed to battle corners in press coverage, but he has great desire and attacks the ball when making catches."

It should be noted the team signed Patrick Johnson, a Ravens' second-round pick in 1998 who was released off the Cincinnati Bengals' injured reserve list on Oct. 9. Johnson, who caught 58 passes in four seasons with the Ravens (1998 to 2001), broke bones in his hand on Aug. 28 and would probably be brought in for more experienced depth.

According to the Sports Xchange, Johnson's arrival adds speed to "one of the slowest receiving corps in the NFL."

Meanwhile, as Carroll County Times beat man Aaron Wilson noted Monday, the Ravens' receivers have caught 62 passes for 650 yards and two touchdowns compared to opponents' 90 catches for 1,045 yards and five touchdowns.

The Ravens have gained 73 first downs to opponents' 87, with 37 coming on the ground and 29 through the air.

Boller is averaging 5.96 yards per attempt and has a 61.3 passer rating, 30th among NFL starters. ...

Also of interest. ...

Chester Taylor and Musa Smith will be Baltimore's primary ballcarriers with Jamal Lewis out of the lineup this weekend and next. Taylor is a smaller back with good quickness who has been productive when given carries.

Smith is a bigger back in Lewis' mold, but he has been limited to special-teams duty this season.

According to the Xchange, Taylor will receive 20 to 25 carries Sunday. He has not carried the ball more than 10 times in a game in his three-year career.

I intend to cover the running back situation more extensively as the week progresses; keep an eye out for Late-Breaking Updates. ...

And finally. ...

Veteran kicker Matt Stover hasn't missed a kick this season, connecting on seven field goals and 10 extra points for 31 points. ...

"Travis will be the starter and Willis will get more playing time as we go," head coach Mike Mularkey said on Monday. "I think due to injury, I don't think that's any case to make a change right now. [Henry] has been productive."

Mularkey's comments come a day after McGahee made his first career start and helped the Bills win their first game of the season, a 20-13 victory against Miami.

Henry is nursing a sprained left foot. His status for this Sunday's game at Baltimore is unclear, and will begin to be determined once the Bills return for practice on Wednesday.

McGahee, who missed all of his rookie season recovering from reconstructive surgery on his left knee, finished with 111 yards rushing and added 31 yards receiving. The rushing yards were the most by a Bills player in seven games, dating back to last season when Henry had 169 yards against the New York Jets on Dec. 7.

Wawrow added that Mularkey's announcement regarding Henry's status shouldn't come as much of a surprise to McGahee, who knew his role as starter was only temporary.

"I'm still not the starter. Travis Henry is the starter," McGahee said after the game. "He was out this week and I'm pretty sure he'll be back. And I'm looking forward to playing with him."

Henry, coming off consecutive 1,300-yard rushing seasons, is off to a comparatively slow start, with 273 yards rushing for an average of 3.4 yards per carry. He has yet to score a touchdown, after leading the Bills with 11 last season, or record a 100-yard game.

McGahee, used sparingly before the Miami game, has 181 yards rushing and is averaging 4 yards a carry.

As the Sporting News suggested Monday, McGahee hasn't fully regained the explosive burst he had before a major knee injury nearly two years ago, but he is effective because of his physical style. He gains a lot of yards after contact and works hard to finish runs.

In fact, the Sports Xchange advised readers on Tuesday that of McGahee's 142 all-purpose yards against Miami, 111 came after the first contact. Said Dolphins defensive end Tim Bowens: "We hadn't seen a lot of film on him, but he's really good." In a column published Monday, ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli quoted an unnamed NFL personnel man as saying: "I saw a little of McGahee, and it's unbelievable how far back he's come. He isn't there yet, not to where he was before the knee injury, but he's getting close.

"It's going to be interesting to see just how they use McGahee and Henry the rest of the year. I can't see both of those guys back in Buffalo in 2005."

I agree with the notion McGahee is getting closer to full speed -- but not quite there yet. I'll remind you again, that coaches have maintained all along the former Hurricane wasn't likely to be at full speed until late November.

That said, he's more than ready to give a gimpy Henry a run for the money right now.

Delhomme is shouldering the blame for the Panthers' 1-4 start, particularly after throwing four interceptions in Sunday's 30-8 loss to Philadelphia.

"We're not getting it done, especially offensively, and it has to fall on the quarterback," he said. "I just felt extremely good about what we were going to do out here, but it's just not happening.

"We're not carrying it over. I'm one that's not carrying it over. It's hard for me to look around and see who else might not be, when certainly I'm not holding up close to my end of the bargain."

Delhomme currently leads the NFL with nine interceptions, and his third-down quarterback rating (31 percent) is worst in the league.

But head coach John Fox refused to place the blame on his quarterback Monday.

"Each individual play, people have things they have to execute," Fox said. "I couldn't begin to put it all on him. That's the kind of guy he is (to take the blame).

"But I know from my standpoint, I don't feel it's all him."

Through five games this season, Delhomme is 99-for-168 for 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns.

A year ago he was 65-for-113 for 691 yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions -- and the Panthers were 5-0.

But part of Carolina's offensive problems start with the overhauled offensive line, where only two players from last season are back. The replacements have not been stellar, and Delhomme is constantly getting knocked down or rushing throws from a quickly collapsing pocket.

Delhomme would never use the line as an excuse, and refused to blame his play Sunday on a vicious hit he received from Jevon Kearse in the second quarter. Replays showed the tackle was helmet-to-helmet, although the officials didn't call it. After the initial hit, Delhomme's head slammed into teammate Tutan Reyes.

Delhomme appeared woozy after the play, and needed a timeout to collect himself. Fox said Monday he was submitting the play to the league officials for review.

Penalty or not, Delhomme wasn't the same after the hit.

Before the hit he had been 5-of-6 with no interceptions; After he was 19-for-36 with four picks.

"I wish I could use (the hit) as an excuse," he said. "But I can't."

Other notes of interest. ...

The Panthers got Stephen Davis back on Sunday and, as the Sports Xchange suggested Tuesday, he looked pretty good in rushing for 66 yards on 15 carries. The Panthers had to abandon the running game in the second half after falling behind 23-0 and Davis was mostly a spectator for the final 20 minutes.

Still, Fox was pleased with Davis' effort on Sunday.

"We've missed him," Fox said. "He came in there today and he slammed it up in there pretty good, I thought. He was a much-needed spark for us. He's a good addition for us."

Davis missed Carolina's previous three games with a knee injury.

Also according to the Xchange, Brad Hoover showed he still has running back skills on Sunday, running 11 times for 63 yards. Hoover could see more carries down the stretch in short-yardage situations as the Panthers try to control the ball.

Meanwhile, the Sporting News reminded readers on Monday that Joey Harris was elevated from the practice squad after DeShaun Foster (clavicle) went down. TSN added: "Harris isn't as fast as Foster or as powerful as Davis, but he'll get a fair amount of carries and increased time if he can hold on to the ball. ..."

And finally. ...

Veteran receiver Muhsin Muhammad made the 500th reception of his nine-year NFL career when he grabbed a pass from Delhomme for a 10-yard gain in the first quarter.

Muhammad ended up with six catches for 48 yards, including a 2-yard touchdown.

Quinn struggled for a second straight start Sunday, completing 10 of 22 passes for 65 yards against the Redskins and was booed by fans at Soldier Field.

According to the Associated Press, Quinn probably will keep his job as the Bears' starting quarterback, but rookie Craig Krenzel will get more practice this week.

The Bears play at Tampa Bay on Sunday. Quinn begins the week as the team's No. 1 QB -- but he could be unseated if Krenzel looks better.

"Right now Jonathan is our starter. We'll go through the week and at the end of the week see where we are," head coach Lovie Smith said Monday. "We'll decide a little later on who is going to do what."

Quinn will get 60 percent of the snaps with the first-team offense, and Krenzel's repetitions will be increased to 40 percent. No. 3 Chad Hutchinson is still not ready as he learns the offense after being signed when Rex Grossman had a season-ending injury. ...

According to Chicago Tribune staff writer Fred Mitchell, Quinn's presence has particularly retarded the progress of young receivers such as David Terrell, Bobby Wade and Justin Gage.

Along the sideline during the waning seconds of Sunday's loss to Washington, Terrell angrily removed his helmet and began screaming, apparently at Quinn, who had just thrown an interception. Terrell had to be restrained by defensive backfield coach Vance Bedford at one point before the final gun sounded.

Terrell's performance has taken a noticeable hit since Grossman was sidelined. On one third-and-8 play Sunday, Terrell broke one way on his route, but the pass from Quinn sailed past him the other way.

Terrell, who caught one pass for 10 yards, dressed and brushed past the media. He previously had a pair of 100-yard receiving games and leads the club with 277 receiving yards.

Gage, who was projected to develop into a big-play wide receiver based on his flashes of brilliance last season as a rookie, caught one pass for nine yards against the Redskins.

"It makes it pretty tough, particularly when you go with a different quarterback in training camp and the first part of the season," Gage said. "It makes it kind of difficult to get your rhythm back.

"We work real hard every week to be on the same page. I'm talking about playing mistake-free football every down. But it takes repetition and game experience."

Wade led the Bears with four catches for 17 yards but was overthrown on several occasions when he was wide open.

Quinn acknowledged that the speed of the NFL game has been a difficult adjustment.

"Right now I'm just frustrated," he said. "In the last drive, I shouldn't have taken those sacks. Time was running out; there were no timeouts. That's on me to throw it somewhere."

Wade did his best to defend the beleaguered quarterback.

"When you lose a quarterback, it's going to take a couple of weeks," Wade said. "The only thing that's hurting us right now is the losses. Every week we're getting better, regardless of what the numbers may say.

"There were some opportunities where we were open downfield. And there were some opportunities where we might not have been open. Everybody has to be on the same page for us to have a good play. We just weren't able to play pass and catch."

On a somewhat more positive note. ...

Thomas Jones' 24-carry, 97-yard effort against the Redskins was impressive in light of the woeful passing attack.

Playing against a defense stacked to stop the run, Jones somehow managed to average 4 yards per carry.

Considering the circumstances, Jones' performance was an accomplishment, but considering the Bears lost the game, a bitter one.

In the first quarter, Jones carried the ball three times for 5 yards. At halftime, he had 7 carries for 22 yards, while Quinn had completed 4 of 12 passes for 27 yards.

In the third quarter, Jones gained 62 yards on 20 carries, but operating from behind in the fourth quarter, the Bears went to the pass in an attempt to get downfield in a hurry.

They are frustrated with the play of first-year starter Carson Palmer, whose 59.6 passer rating is 30th of 33 rated NFL quarterbacks heading into the Monday night game.

The Bengals are 1-4, and Palmer has four touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

"Right now, our lack of production offensively is not coming from the quarterback position," Lewis said Monday. "Our lack of production comes from dropping balls, from not running the ball successfully all the time and consistently.

"Last year, people were questioning what Jon [Kitna] was doing, saying he wasn't getting the job done. People asked why I stuck with him. But the quarterback position is not why we're fouling out at times. ..."

Meanwhile, as Cincinnati Post staff writer Kevin Goheen reported, the only talking Chad Johnson was doing after Sunday's loss to the Browns was to somehow explain why it was he had just three catches for 37 yards against the NFL's 30th-ranked pass defense.

"This was my most frustrating game ever since I've been playing," said Johnson, who sent Pepto-Bismol care packages to Cleveland's four starting defensive backs this week along with a good-natured note to each saying they would need it because trying to cover him would make them sick.

"I came out and imposed a challenge to the DBs and for the first time I come out and don't perform. They didn't do anything special to stop me; I stopped myself."

Pepto-Bismol is donating money to the National Breast Cancer Foundation based on Johnson's performances in October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Johnson has only one touchdown this season, and that came in the season opener against the Jets in New York.

According to Curnutte, Lewis and Johnson talked Monday afternoon at Johnson's locker. Lewis, looking back, wasn't thrilled with Johnson's prank of sending Pepto-Bismol stomach medicine to Browns defensive backs last week.

"When you do something like that, it gives their players an added incentive to play better," Lewis said at his news conference. "Their defensive line and linebackers heightened their attention to detail in what they were doing to make sure they helped their defensive backs. You don't need to heighten their attention at any point."

Johnson said he agreed to tell Lewis in advance of any predictions, guarantees or pranks.

"I felt where he was coming from," Johnson said. "I can't change me. Being me has made me successful. He said next time I have any ideas to make sure I come to him first."

Is he working up any ideas for the Monday night game?

"Nah, not after we lost," Johnson said. "[Lewis] said it this morning: 'Why not us? Why can't we go 12-4? Who knows what is going to happen?'"

For what it's worth. ... The Sporting News reports that Johnson is losing patience because Palmer is having difficulty getting him the ball in the face of double coverage, and Johnson is dropping passes because he's pressing.

Johnson is an elite player because he's a threat to score on any catch, but his focus and concentration need to improve.

And finally. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Peter Warrick is doubtful for Monday night against Denver because of a shin injury. His loss continues to hurt the offense, especially on third down and the red zone.

Bryant stayed with the Dallas Cowboys even after throwing a sweaty jersey onto Bill Parcells' face during a workout in June. But he was traded Tuesday to the Cleveland Browns for Morgan, who is from the Dallas area.

"I feel like I should be a lot farther along in this game playing-wise and doing things on the field than I was in Dallas," Bryant said Tuesday night. "That's a situation I just want to put behind me. ... I want to be part of something new, something fresh."

While saying he learned a lot from Parcells, Bryant wouldn't elaborate on his relationship with the coach.

Both receivers have shown flashes of becoming NFL stars since they were drafted, Morgan from Kansas State in 2001, a year before Bryant left Pittsburgh after his junior season.

Bryant caught 44 passes for 733 yards and six touchdowns while starting 15 games as a rookie in 2002, before Parcells arrived.

After he started just five times last season, with 39 catches for 559 yards and two TDs, Bryant's outburst with Parcells came because he was upset about the amount of time he got behind Keyshawn Johnson and Terry Glenn, receivers that had played for the coach before rejoining him in Dallas.

Bryant was removed by security from the practice and didn't rejoin the team until training camp. He has 16 catches for 266 yards this season, and had just one for 22 yards in a loss to Pittsburgh last Sunday.

"Certainly, the effort was there on everybody's part to make it work and really fit," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said. "Quincy maybe has a better chance, his temperament might have a better chance of fitting in. ... A better fit right now for what we want to do."

Morgan, who would have been a free agent at the end of the season, agreed to a contract extension through 2005 before the trade was completed. Bryant is already signed through next year.

"It's one of the few trades that I've ever seen that it's really a win-win for everybody," head coach Butch Davis said. "Quincy Morgan is from Texas so he gets to go home; Antonio Bryant wanted a new start."

In Cleveland, Bryant likely will fill the third receiver slot behind Andre' Davis and Dennis Northcutt, but I'll monitor news out of Cleveland closely this week and try to get a better feel for playing time this week; keep an eye out for Late-Breaking Updates.

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Akron Beacon Journal staff writer Marla Ridenour, the Browns might have figured out what to do with running backs William Green and Lee Suggs. Green rushed for 115 yards on 25 carries, and Suggs caught five passes for 100 yards, including a 59-yard touchdown.

Fullback Terrelle Smith was more involved and gave the offense energy with plays such as his devastating block on linebacker Landon Johnson on a Green run and his blitz pickup on Suggs' score.

Finally, in the sixth game of the season, a plan seemed to materialize. Jeff Garcia threw touchdowns to four receivers, and the offense used all its weapons.

"That's why you have a full gun. I don't want to leave any bullets here," Davis said. "Let's be honest, game plans are somewhat overrated. You need execution and guys going out to make plays."

As Garcia observed, "Today is pretty indicative of what our coaches would like to see out of this offense."

For only the sixth time in team history, the Browns finished with a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver. The most recent time was Nov. 23, 1986, when Bernie Kosar (414 yards passing), Kevin Mack (106 rushing) and Webster Slaughter (134 receiving) accomplished the feat in an overtime win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Asked if the coaches had a revelation on what to do with the running backs, Suggs said, "As a whole squad we did. If we pick up the blitzes and give Jeff some time and keep him comfortable, we have the receivers, we have playmakers. There's no telling what we can do."

Green averaged 4.6 yards per carry and was at his best on a 79-yard touchdown march at the end of the first half that Davis called the biggest drive of the season. Green carried nine times for 66 of the 79 yards, including a 26-yarder over left guard and a 9-yarder when Smith laid out Johnson.

Green didn't want to hog the glory and seemed genuinely thrilled that he and Suggs both produced 100 yards.

"That's huge," Green said. "Like I've been saying all year, we've got to work together. Most importantly, we're friends. To see both of us get 100 yards makes me very happy. It makes you realize when the offense is going good and we're working the way we want to, we both can be successful."

Green said he is learning how to run with a fullback for the first time in his football career.

"I definitely feel a lot more comfortable," Green said. "With a guy like Terrelle, it's a lot easier because he's physical and really helps us."

Suggs, never asked to catch passes at Virginia Tech, showed the result of his work on receiving drills.

"This was my best receiving game ever," Suggs said. "People were kind of questioning whether I could do it. Now I guess there's little or no question. ..."

Garcia and wide receiver Andre' Davis tied an NFL record with a 99-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Garcia rolled right in his end zone and lofted his pass to Davis, who got behind Bengals cornerback Deltha O'Neal. Davis caught it at the Browns' 38 and pulled away from O'Neal.

The play was the longest in team history, moving past a 92-yard TD pass from Kosar to Slaughter in 1989.

It was the 10th 99-yard pass in league history and first since Kansas City's Trent Green and Marc Boerigter did it against San Diego in 2002.

It's worth noting that Davis left the game with what Butch Davis called a "version of turf toe."

"It's in the joint," the coach said. "They're going to do what they can do to try to calm it down. It got kind of swollen [Sunday], and he'll be day to day."

Even though he had played well in five games this season, Bryant's days with the Cowboys may have been numbered since he threw a sweaty jersey in Parcells' face during training camp.

The deal also marked another shakeup to the Cowboys' receiving corps. In the offseason, they dealt Joey Galloway to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for Keyshawn Johnson.

A speedster, Morgan had just nine catches for 144 yards but led the Browns with three TD receptions. He had a 10-yard TD catch in last Sunday's 34-17 victory over Cincinnati.

Selected in the second round in 2001, Morgan has 133 receptions for 2,056 yards and 15 touchdowns in 54 career games. Morgan enjoyed his best season in 2002, catching 56 passes for 964 yards and seven touchdowns.

With Dallas, Morgan will fill Bryant's previous role and play in three-receiver sets with Johnson and Terry Glenn.

As Fort Worth Star-Telegram staff writer Jennifer Floyd Engel noted Monday, Glenn is coming off a huge game. In fact, his 140 yards on seven catches made his personal Top 10 of best NFL games.

Floyd Engel added: "These were not your garden-variety catches either. When he wasn't laying out across the middle for a ball, he was tiptoeing along the sideline to keep his feet in bounds."

Glenn's biggest yards, too, were not technically on a reception. He took a Richie Anderson lateral 20 yards and got out of bounds with a second remaining, which allowed the Cowboys to try the Hail Mary at the end.

"We felt like we really should have won that game. They didn't do a whole lot to make us feel like we couldn't win that game," said Glenn, who battled heat-related cramps all game. "They just laid it on the table for us, just like last week. We should have just took it, but we didn't take advantage."

As for the rushing attack. ...

The Cowboys ran the ball 21 times for 100 yards, but as the Sports Xchange suggested Tuesday, the numbers don't tell the whole story. Many of the runs came on draws and reverses, and they didn't run well enough to be able to run out the clock at the end.

Following a 30-carry, 193-yard effort in his first career NFL start against the Carolina Panthers last week, Droughns pounded the Raiders defense all afternoon.

"How'd you guys like my politics last week?" Droughns said with his usual smile. "Whatever coach says, that's the way it is."

After playing coy all week, Droughns was in the backfield virtually from start to finish with 38 carries for 176 yards. In his past four halves, Droughns has rushed for 98, 95, 103 and 73 yards.

As News beat writer Lee Rasizer pointed out, what Droughns has done in his first two starts has rarely, if ever, been accomplished.

No Denver player has matched Droughns' output -- 68 carries, 369 yards -- in his first two games as a primary back since Mike Shanahan took over as head coach in 1995, not Mike Anderson (68-297), Olandis Gary (57-188), Clinton Portis (38-177) or Terrell Davis (31-131).

Not only does Droughns own two of the NFL's top five rushing games this season, he has put up the sixth-best statistical back-to-back games in the past 10 seasons for the Broncos in any two-game stretch.

The Broncos pounded out 51 carries, including their last 18 from scrimmage. Denver held the ball for 36 minutes, 57 seconds.

"When you hold a team to 140-some yards, your offense gets over 400 yards, that's a total team effort," Droughns said. "We're coming together."

As Legwold described it, the Broncos' offensive avalanche began after Jake Plummer threw an interception to finish Denver's second possession -- an interception that led to the Raiders' only points -- and the Broncos scored on their next three possessions.

All three were touchdown passes by Plummer, two to tight ends Dwayne Carswell and Jeb Putzier and a 31-yarder to receiver Ashley Lelie.

It was Plummer's first three- touchdown game since a 37-8 victory against San Diego in November.

Other notes of interest. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Garrison Hearst was inactive against Oakland and it will probably take an injury or two for him to be active for most games the rest of the season.

Tatum Bell will continue to serve as the team's No. 3 running back behind Droughns and Quentin Griffin because unlike Hearst, he can play on special teams.

And finally. ...

Carswell was suspended for one game Monday for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, the result of pleading guilty to battery after a fight with his girlfriend last year.

Carswell was placed on probation for one year for the guilty plea. He will be suspended without pay for next Monday's game at Cincinnati and will be docked an additional week's salary.

"The passing game that had produced 11 yards in the second half?

"The running game that was good for 33 yards on 16 attempts?

"The offensive line incapable of opening holes for the running backs?

"How about the medical staff? Still no immediate cure for a sprained ankle. ..."

Sylvester went on to suggest the team's 38-10 loss to the Green Bay Packers -- even more than the 30-13 loss to Philadelphia three weeks earlier -- signaled an evaluation of what the Lions are doing and how they are doing it.

"When you look at the darned thing, when you go home at night and see the highlights and most of the highlights are (Green Bay highlights), you sort of can't wait to get in here, look at the film and dissect it," Mariucci said Monday.

The new and improved running game, which ranked last in the NFL with an average of 83.6 yards per game, is now averaging 76.4.

The passing game, which suffered a huge loss when wide receiver Charles Rogers suffered a broken collarbone in the season opener, hit a season low with 92 net yards against the Packers.

The offensive line was not effective opening holes against a defense that was giving up an average of 149.8 yards a game rushing.

Quarterback Joey Harrington was in line for most of the public criticism for failing to make the plays to move the Lions, although Mariucci didn't see it in those exact terms.

"What happens in the passing game, you can look at a statistic and say the quarterback didn't complete a high percentage or not a lot of yards," he said. "And obviously he's the guy pulling the trigger, but you have to take a look at the big picture, too. The entire 22 players on the field.

"How precise are our routes? Is the protection holding up where he can sit there and step into his throws and balance up and that sort of thing? Is he making the right decisions in his progression? What is the coverage? Is it excellent coverage or do we have a chance? Do we make the tight throw, the good throw, when we should?

"That's what's got to shore up around here. The only way I know to improve it is to work like crazy. We weren't good in the run game and we weren't good in the passing game, either. We've had our moments in both; we just need to put them together."

There is at least a chance that Harrington will get some help in the offense for the road game Sunday against the Giants. Running back Kevin Jones, who carried just twice for five yards against Green Bay in his first game back from a high ankle sprain, is expected to practice all week and play a bigger role.

And receiver Roy Williams, who was on the active roster against the Packers but did not play because of a still-tender sprained ankle, has a much better chance of playing if he's healthy enough to practice this week, as now seems likely.

"We worked him out before the game," Mariucci said. "And there were no other receivers to activate; they were all up anyway. ... So we said, 'All right, let's put you up and see how you feel.' It was entirely on how he felt and he was still not quite sure it was going to hold up when we went to pregame warm-ups.

"Running straight ahead was OK but cutting wasn't good enough. He was a little concerned about being tackled and twisted, so as we got into the game he just felt it wasn't quite ready. With that in mind we kept him out."

Williams, the No. 7 pick in the draft, was the Lions' leading receiver with 20 catches for 295 yards and four touchdowns before he was injured.

Jones went into the game with 31 carries for 101 yards. He felt he could have played more Sunday.

"I felt good," Jones said.

So why didn't he see more action against the Packers?

"Ask the coaches," he said. "I don't have a clue. I was fine. I just didn't get the ball. Hopefully, I'll get more carries next week."

Mariucci said Jones' participation was limited because he was not involved in some of the offensive packages.

"He was relatively healthy," Mariucci said. "He will play in our base package but as soon as you jump into our three-wides and our four-wides and some of those other personnel groups, he would come out because he wasn't involved in some of those packages.

"There were some series where he'd have one play or maybe two plays. He probably had a dozen plays is all."

By unofficial count, Jones was probably on the field for fewer than 12 plays. ...

Also of interest. ...

Receiver Az-Zahir Hakim had a walking boot on his right foot to support a sprained ankle suffered against Green Bay and was scheduled for an ultrasound to make sure he has no serious problem before the Lions begin practice Wednesday for their game against the New York Giants.

Hakim is the Lions' second-leading receiver with 13 receptions for 181 yards and three touchdowns.

Corey Schlesinger's strained hamstring prevented him from playing in Sunday's loss, marking the second contest he's missed this season. The fullback will be re-evaluated over the next couple of days to determine if he will be ready for next weekend's matchup with the New York Giants. ...

And finally. ...

Tight end Stephen Alexander landed hard on his right knee last Sunday, returned briefly but then had to leave the game.

But, by adding a third role, that of offensive coordinator, for Sunday's 38-10 win against the Detroit Lions, Sherman was applauded.

Sherman took over the play-calling after offensive coordinator Tom Rossley had an angioplasty on Tuesday and did not make the trip to Detroit. The result was the offense looked as crisp and effective as it has all season.

"Mike passed the test today," Brett Favre said. "This game speaks for itself, but the bottom line is, we executed."

Sherman was thrilled to get the victory, but he'll be glad when everything returns to normal today, with Sherman going back to working only two jobs and Rossley resuming his play-calling duties.

"I'm looking forward to Tom getting back to his regular seat," Sherman said.

Despite the success Sherman had in calling the plays in Sunday's win, he said it isn't something he plans to do in the future.

"I think as a head coach, you have to have a grasp on offense, defense and special teams," he said. "Maybe there's more I should or could do on offense, but I can't see myself doing any more because I do the game plans, I do the first 15 (plays), and that's what I did this time."

It was apparent from the Packers' first possession that the offense was moving more effectively than it had in every game this season, with the possible exception of the loss to Indianapolis.

On the first drive, the Packers drove 75 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown. The Packers' other touchdown drives went for 74, 63 and 77 yards.

Sherman said the Packers' ability to move the ball had little to do with who was calling the plays.

"It's not about plays, it's about players," Sherman said. "I promise you, we've called a lot of good plays that didn't work and some bad ones that did. It's not about coaches calling plays; it's about players making plays."

Favre said he felt more comfortable with the way the plays were being called Sunday and said he liked being able to talk directly with Sherman about the offense.

"We were able to communicate, and (I could) get a feel from his standpoint of what I was seeing and what I thought may work," Favre said. "The communication part of it definitely helped."

The biggest difference between Sunday's game and how the offense is usually called was that it was more direct.

While Rossley usually sits in the booth and calls the plays into quarterback coach Darrell Bevell, there were fewer channels to go through on Sunday.

"I have no problems with it going back the way it was, but I think the communication can get better," Favre said. "I don't talk directly to Tom. There are times where I may go grab the phone, he may want to ask me a question or vice-versa."

Favre said he was impressed with the way Sherman stepped up in place of Rossley.

"I'll give Mike credit. He deserves it," he said. "That wasn't an easy thing for him to do, especially being out of it for quite some time. The communication part of it kind of showed, and that has to continue."

Other notes of interest. ...

After Sunday's performance against the Lions, the Packers must be glad they didn't trade backup running back Najeh Davenport.

The Miami Dolphins doggedly pursued Davenport this summer after Ricky Williams abruptly retired, but the Packers opted to hang onto the third-year running back. Slowed by a hamstring injury that lingered during training camp and flared up in the regular-season opener, Davenport was mostly a non-factor in the Packers' 1-4 start.

In Sunday's win, Davenport showed why the Packers insisted on keeping him. His return to the offensive backfield (he played the previous week but mostly on special teams) boosted the Packers' attack in more ways than one.

It gave the Packers their punishing, 250-pound running back. It gave them a chance to reduce starter Ahman Green's reps, thereby keeping Green fresh and limiting the chance his sore Achilles' tendon could act up. It also allowed Tony Fisher to concentrate on his specialty, being the lone running back in the Packers' three-receiver set.

Green and Davenport combined for 143 of the Packers' 157 rushing yards, while Fisher had a 17-yard screen pass and a 13-yard touchdown catch.

"With all three of us, we're a lot better," Fisher said. "Everybody's fresh, and everybody brings something different to the table. Najeh's a big part of our family. It would have been devastating (if the Packers traded him) because we've built something here with all of us in the backfield. It's kind of hard to replace a 250-pound running back who runs as hard as he does. ..."

With Robert Ferguson inactive because of a foot injury and Javon Walker bothered by bruised ribs for most of the day, Antonio Chatman and Donald Driver came through in a big way for the Packers' offense.

Chatman had five catches for 50 yards, including two catches on the opening series that ended with Driver's 7-yard touchdown reception. Driver had his second straight 100-yard game with nine catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns.

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Favre had a terrific day. His passer rating was 102.6, he never came close to an interception and he passed for 257 yards.

According to Pro Football Weekly, Ferguson likely won't practice much this week, as he recovers from his sore knee and an Achilles tendon injury. However, Sherman told reporters Monday that Ferguson should be available for Sunday's matchup with the Cowboys.

Also according to PFW, after further evaluation, Packers team doctors have determined that Walker suffered a slight separation of his shoulder in the second quarter last Sunday. Walker, who also bruised his ribs and was in considerable pain after the game, is expected to be limited to non-contact drills most of this week, but he should be in the lineup against the Cowboys this weekend.

"It landed on Jabar Gaffney. ..."

Andre Johnson may be the most dangerous offensive weapon, but the Texans showed he's not their only one.

Gaffney had five receptions for a career-high 85 yards and one touchdown to lead the Texans to their first victory over the Tennessee Titans, 20-10, at the Coliseum.

"Jabar has been waiting," Johnson said. "He came out and made some big catches. You just can't worry about one guy because, when you do, another guy is going to hurt you. Jabar hurt them today."

The pain came in large doses. Gaffney had three catches of at least 20 yards, and all five catches went for first downs.

"Sometimes [quarterback David Carr] is going to just put the ball up," said Gaffney, a second-round pick in 2002. "He expects us to go make a play."

Gaffney made a habit of making those plays by a fingertip. He stretched for a 30-yard catch down the left sideline while in tight coverage against Titans cornerback Andre Woolfolk. Four plays later, Carr threw a floater that Gaffney pulled in for a 20-yard touchdown to give the Texans a 10-7 lead in the second quarter.

It was the first passing touchdown for the Texans in the first half this season.

"The ball just stuck to my hands," Gaffney said.

His only catch of the second half proved just as important as his touchdown. With the Texans clinging to a three-point lead and needing to run time off the clock, Gaffney caught a 22-yard pass across the middle on second-and-12 to extend the drive. The Texans burned four more minutes off the clock before running back Jonathan Wells scored on a four-yard run to make the score 20-10 with 4:42 left.

"Gaffney made some huge catches that really hurt us," Titans cornerback Samari Rolle said. "Coming in we really wanted to take away No. 80 (Johnson) and No. 37 (running back Domanick Davis) out of their offensive weapons. Jabar really stepped up and made plays that we needed to stop but didn't. He made a name for himself out there."

Gaffney is the third player to lead the Texans in receiving this season. Davis led the team the first two weeks, followed by Johnson for three weeks.

Gaffney's reward for his best pro game: a serenade from fellow receiver Derick Armstrong, who yelled, "He was the show! He was the show!" as Gaffney walked into the locker room.

"That's how our offense is designed," Gaffney said. "Any receiver, any person, period, can have a big week. It was my turn, and I made the plays when they came to me."

Meanwhile, Chronicle beat man Carlton Thompson noted that Johnson's streak of 100-yard receiving games ended at two, but the second-year receiver still had a big impact on the outcome of Sunday's game. Johnson had only four catches, two of which came on the Texans' last touchdown drive.

Johnson caught two outlet passes that were essentially long handoffs and dared the Titans' defensive backs to tackle him. Johnson gained 13 yards and picked up first downs both times.

The second catch set up Wells' four-yard touchdown run.

"Andre put his cape back on today," tight end Billy Miller said. "[Carr] and Andre were just playing pitch-and-catch. Those plays weren't even called, they just made it happen. But hey, when you've got a guy like Andre, how can you not get him the rock. I'm just excited that I get to watch him play every week. ..."

Davis left early in the second quarter with a bruised thigh and did not return. "It's nothing major, but it kept getting tight," said Davis, who finished with 10 carries for 25 yards.

Corey Bradford underwent a MRI exam Monday for an injured groin. Bradford suffered the injury while running out a catch to end the first half. Head coach Dom Capers said Bradford would be a "question mark" if the Texans had to play this week.

Houston does not play again until Oct. 31 against Jacksonville.

And finally. ...

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Wells appears to have moved ahead of Tony Hollings in the pecking order for the backup running back spot. Wells came off the bench Sunday and rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown after Davis was injured.

Wells led the team in rushing as a rookie in 2002. "He's slowly finding his way back," left guard Chester Pitts said. "It's nice to know that when we call on Jonathan, he's going to get the job done."

His numbers through five games this season: 29 catches, 296 yards and three scores.

As ESPN.com senior writer Len Pasquarelli noted last week, "A decline from past years, sure, but hardly a drop precipitous enough to believe Harrison, even at age 32, is starting to slide. Yet that's what some folks in Indy, even a few of whom are drawing paychecks from the Colts, are rumoring."

Pasquarelli went on to suggest some of those whispers are just a function of contract posturing -- Harrison can be a free agent at season's end and the Colts and his representatives have held very preliminary talks -- but even in that light are a bit overstated.

Ironically, past suggestions were that the Colts needed to develop a complementary receiver to take some of Harrison's workload. Now that Indianapolis has done that, with both Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley playing well, people think Harrison is slowing down a bit. ...

According to Pro Football Weekly, owner Jim Irsay told anyone who would listen last winter that Manning wasn't going anywhere. Now Irsay is making a similar pledge regarding the future of potential free agents Harrison and Edgerrin James.

"It's just a question of timing," Irsay said. "Both guys are going to get done."

Harrison may be in line for a huge bonus -- Randy Moss banked $18 million on a $75 million contract in 2001 -- that would hinder the Colts from locking up James long-term.

But the Colts' fallback option is using the franchise tag on James, who is just 26.

That said, James will be attractive to multiple teams. It's not beyond the realm of possibility that a team in need of a running back would offer draft-pick compensation to acquire James (provided he's franchised), which would alleviate some of the pressure on the Colts' salary cap. Seahawk Shaun Alexander is the only other elite-level runner scheduled to hit the open market next March. ...

PFW added that Stokley and tight end Marcus Pollard would have to restructure their contracts to stay in Indianapolis next year. With Harrison and James in need of new deals, there might not be much left over for the other veterans.

Stokley's not worried about it ... yet.

"This is where I want to stay," he told PFW. "I don't want to get up and move again. I don't like free agency. I also know this is a business, so you just have to kind of wait and see."

Also of interest. ...

Pollard is optimistic about his chances of playing this week against Jacksonville. Pollard did not play against Oakland and was held out of practice last week due to a bruised bone in his left knee.

"Time will tell," Pollard said. "It feels better today (Monday) than it has, but we're going to be careful with it."

Mike Vanderjagt will reclaim the Colts' kicking duties for this week's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as he has fully recovered from a strained right hamstring.

The injury kept him out of a win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 5 and forced him to rest most of the Colts' bye week.

And finally. ...

Receiver/return man Brad Pyatt suffered a sprained right ankle on the final play of Monday's practice. His availability for this week's game with Jacksonville will be determined in a few days.

Leftwich sprained his right ankle late in Sunday's win against Kansas City. He stayed in the game and led the Jaguars on a 67-yard scoring drive in the closing minutes that gave them a 22-16 victory.

The second-year starter finished 24-of-36 for 298 yards with three touchdowns -- two passing and one rushing.

He left the stadium on crutches with his ankle heavily wrapped. He also bruised his left shoulder on the second drive of the game, but Del Rio said that injury wouldn't affect him this week.

Del Rio expected Leftwich to practice Wednesday and be able to start Sunday's game at Indianapolis.

In an article published Tuesday, Florida Times-Union staffer Vito Stellino advised readers that Del Rio is so upbeat about the progress that Leftwich is making in his second season that he said the quarterback had "it" after Sunday's game, in which Leftwich led the team to a come-from-behind victory in the final minute for the third time in six games.

At his news conference Monday, Del Rio elaborated on what "it" is.

"I think when I was referring to the 'it,' there are intangibles that are difficult to put an objective measurement on," Del Rio said. "I just believe that winning quarterbacks have some of that 'it.' I think he's shown he has some special qualities that you like to have in your quarterback."

Del Rio said Leftwich showed some of those qualities at Marshall, when he played with a broken leg in a 34-20 loss to Akron as a senior and had to be carried downfield by linemen between plays.

"Some of those qualities [include] leading his team from behind, functioning in situations where he was injured and the team rallied around him and those types of situations," Del Rio said.

Del Rio said those intangibles can't be coached.

"I think it's either something you have or don't have," he said "I think you can help enhance it, but I don't think you can manufacture it. I think it has to be part of how you're put together."

Leftwich was limping on the final drive after spraining his right ankle, but he learned to be tough playing in the streets of Washington, growing up in the area where the tourists rarely visit.

"There was no grass and no dirt so, we played contact in the streets," he said. "You can't tackle the guy, but you can hit him as hard as you can."

Leftwich also had to dodge automobiles.

"I ran into one, got hit by one and got my arm ran over by another," he said. "I always jumped right up."

He does the same thing on the football field.

"I don't know if my pain tolerance is different than anybody else's," he said. "I just try not to think about my pain and think about the game."

Leftwich also said he doesn't want to make a habit of these comebacks.

"I like being ahead in a game," he said. "It's too tough to try to come back and win every time like that. I don't know why we keep putting ourselves in that situation. The good things for us is we find a way to win. But it's a situation as a team we don't want to be in. ..."

Also of interest. ...

According to Times-Union beat man Bart Hubbuch, Fred Taylor is the first to admit that his hands aren't the most reliable weapon in the Jaguars' offense.

But Taylor is more than capable of making the highlight reel when he hangs onto the ball, which he showed with an exclamation point early in the second quarter last Sunday.

Taking a short, play-action throw in the left flat from quarterback Byron Leftwich, Taylor broke three tackles as he sprinted down the sideline for a 64-yard touchdown that staked the Jaguars to a 14-3 lead.

All but four of the 64 yards came after the catch, and the reception was Taylor's longest since a 78-yard scoring catch against Baltimore as a rookie in 1998.

Poking fun at himself afterward for his tendency to drop passes, Taylor said:

"Byron put it right in my chest. There was no way in the world I could have dropped that. Then I just started running."

Taylor eluded tackle attempts by Chiefs linebacker Scott Fujita and defensive backs Jerome Woods and Dexter McLeon on his way to the end zone, even though Woods and McLeon had excellent angles on him.

"I outran [Woods] as a rookie and a couple of other times, too, so I knew he wasn't going to catch me," Taylor said.

On a less positive note. ...

Taylor was held to 66 yards in 19 carries, his sixth consecutive game without 100 yards rushing. That's the longest streak without a 100-yard game in Taylor's seven-year NFL career. ...

Meanwhile, veteran receiver Jimmy Smith had a good day against Kansas City cornerback Dexter McCleon as he caught seven passes for 91 yards.

"You're not going to shut Jimmy Smith down completely," McCleon told the Sports Xchange. "Of course, he's always going to be their first option. Jimmy's tough. He might play until he's 40," he said.

Smith came out for a blow on the game-winning pass to Cortez Hankton when the officials ruled McCleon pushed him out of bounds.

"He never got down in bounds," said McCleon. But the officials said it didn't matter because of his push.

"Cortez, he's two-for-two, two straight weeks," Leftwich said of Hankton's two-game scoring streak. "He's a guy who's been working hard for us in practice, and we know Cortez can go out there and make the plays that we ask him to do. ..."

Tight end Kyle Brady, who missed the team's first five games because of surgery on his right middle finger, caught three passes for 18 yards but also had a crucial drop late in the game. ...

Fellow tight end George Wrighster was inactive Sunday with a back ailment and will be evaluated Wednesday. Reserve halfback LaBrandon Toefield was also inactive with a knee injury Sunday. He too will be evaluated Wednesday.

But in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars, Morton was more than productive. He was a playmaker. Morton set up the Chiefs' first score of the game, a Lawrence Tynes field goal, with a 52-yard reception.

It was Morton's longest reception since the 2001 season when he was with Detroit, and it sparked the veteran, who recently turned 33, to a seven-catch, 111-yard day. It was Morton's second 100-yard receiving day as a Chief and the 20th of his 11-year career. However, the thrill of busting out was muted by the fact that the Chiefs lost a game they could have won.

"How many did I have?" Morton asked. "I don't even know. I just know that I felt like I was in a rhythm. The good thing for me today was getting involved early. I've always been one of those receivers who plays better when I can get involved early in the game."

Morton spent most of the day lined up across from veteran Jaguars cornerback Dewayne Washington, an old adversary from the days when Morton played with the Lions and Washington played with the Vikings.

Back then, when Morton was busy putting up 1,000 yards receiving in four out of five seasons, the Lions hurt opponents by going to Morton whenever defenses concentrated on Herman Moore and Barry Sanders.

That's something the Chiefs have been doing this season. With teams rolling coverage toward tight end Tony Gonzalez while also concentrating on limiting Priest Holmes' leaks out of the backfield, quarterback Trent Green has been taking advantage of the one-on-one coverage that Morton is seeing.

Morton and Gonzalez now lead the Chiefs with 24 receptions each, and Morton leads the team with 336 yards receiving.

On his 52-yard reception, Morton beat Washington with a classic out-and-up move. Had Green led him a little more, Morton probably would have scored. Later, when the Chiefs faced third and 14 at their 16, Morton beat Washington for 19 yards on a well-run dig route.

"Johnnie has always been one of those guys who runs good routes and catches the ball," Washington said. "He's still a very solid wide receiver."

Also of interest. ...

As Star beat man Adam Teicher framed it: "The Chiefs knew all about Tynes' ability to kick a football. They didn't know about their new kicker's mental toughness. ..."

They're about to find out. Tynes, in his fifth NFL game, missed an extra point and a field goal in the fourth quarter Sunday, and both were costly in Sunday's loss to the Jaguars.

The point-after attempt bounced off the right upright, and the 42-yard field goal went wide right.

Tynes, showing little emotion in the post-game locker room, didn't shy away from the issue.

"I'm fine. The worst part about this is the guy next to me and the guy over there," he said, gesturing to a couple of nearby teammates. "I let them down. It's a tough deal. If I make either one of those kicks, we win this game.

"I let 60 guys down. That's not a good feeling. It's unacceptable for a kicker in this league."

Head coach Dick Vermeil likewise wore a brave front.

"We've all seen him kick real well," Vermeil said. "For some reason, he didn't kick very well today."

Still, Sunday's developments must have the Chiefs revisiting their decision to release veteran Morten Andersen to stick with Tynes. The young kicker clearly has more range than the 44-year-old Andersen, but Andersen has plenty of experience on which to draw.

"It's inappropriate to comment on that right now," president/general manager Carl Peterson said. "It's a tough loss."

Andersen, who signed with Minnesota after being released by the Chiefs, is no longer an option.

"Morten Andersen missed one for us one time when he was here," Vermeil said. "Everybody misses one. But you just didn't expect it. You'd like it to be 99 percent."

The missed point-after-touchdown was the first in the NFL this season.

According to the Sports Xchange, Trent Green shook off "a nothing" first half -- the Chiefs had the ball for just 11 minutes of the first 30 -- and completed 13 of 21 second-half passes for 290 yards in rallying Kansas City from a 14-3 halftime deficit to a 16-14 fourth-quarter lead the Chiefs couldn't hold.

Eddie Kennison returned to the Chiefs' lineup for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as anticipated, after missing more than three weeks with a strained hamstring. The veteran receiver hauled in three passes for 61 yards, helping Green top 300 yards passing for the first time this season. ...

Holmes was limited to 75 rushing yards on 19 attempts in the loss to Jacksonville, but he had his best day of the season as a receiver in catching four passes for 47, the biggest coming on a 28-yard snatch-and-go that produced the go-ahead TD with 4:45 remaining. It was his first receiving touchdown since November of 2002.

Gonzalez was blanked throughout the first half, but opened the second with a 24-yard TD catch to cut a 14-3 halftime deficit. Gonzalez caught six balls for 81 yards in the final two periods.

Meanwhile, reserve running back Larry Johnson was none too pleased that he's still with the team following the expiration of the NFL trade deadline Tuesday afternoon.

"It didn't happen the way I wanted it to happen," said Johnson, who has been inactive for three out of five games this season, including Sunday's loss at Jacksonville. "I'm still a Kansas City Chief and I'll wait it out till it's my time to shine. But I want to make it clear to people that it's not because of me, it's because I'm not getting a chance to play.

"You can't do too much when you have an offensive coordinator who doesn't trust you and a head coach who never wanted you in the first place."

The franchise free fall has transformed a perennial title contender into a team with the NFL's worst record -- and a shot at the league's first 0-16 season. Miami fell to 0-6 Sunday, losing 20-13 at Buffalo in a showdown between the league's only winless teams.

Might the lone franchise to achieve a perfect season go 0-for-2004? Tight end Randy McMichael laughed at the notion.

"It seems very unimaginable," McMichael said Monday. "But stranger things have happened. If you had told me we would be 0-6 right now, I wouldn't have believed that."

The Dolphins are off to the worst start in their 39-year history, and a difficult schedule remains. The offense is woeful, the defense looks weary from trying to carry the team, and the coach is grasping for sources of motivation with Miami already out of the playoff picture.

Speculation regarding head coach Dave Wannstedt's future has shifted from whether he'll be fired to when -- and who will depart with him. According to Wine, housecleaning that would include general manager Rick Spielman and much of the coaching staff becomes more likely with each defeat.

Owner Wayne Huizenga has declined to comment, but the Dolphins' self-destructive performances speak volumes. They've had four interceptions returned for touchdowns, including a screen pass Sunday thrown by Jay Fiedler. Those kind of mistakes are tough to overcome, especially for a team that has scored just four touchdowns and an NFL-low 55 points.

Wannstedt, who has already changed quarterbacks twice, said Fiedler will remain the starter Sunday against St. Louis. But A.J. Feeley is on standby.

"Our quarterbacks need to play a lot better," Wannstedt said. "When there are guys open we need to hit them, and we can't turn the ball over."

Other problems surfaced Sunday, when Miami took a lead for only the second time this season but failed to hold it. The defense, stout for much of the season, gave up 14 first downs and 242 yards in the second half.

"The most frustrating part of a loss is that there are different circumstances involved on a week-to-week basis," Wannstedt said. "You feel like you make a little bit of headway in one area and then you struggle in another. That's the challenging part."

On a more positive note, Sammy Morris did his part last Sunday. He gained 91 yards on 18 carries -- the best day by any Miami halfback this season and the best day of his Morris' career.

Morris' performance was the best on a yard-per-carry basis since Ricky Williams' 107 yards on 18 carries against Philadelphia last December.

So it was a bittersweet day for the ex-Bills special teams captain. "More bitter than sweet," Morris said. "Stats are something for the newspaper. As a team player, I'm more focused on winning the game. And we didn't do that today. ..."

According to the Sports Xchange, Travis Minor could return to action in a backup role and on special teams for Sunday's game against St. Louis. Minor has missed the past five games because of a sprained ankle suffered in the season-opener against Tennessee. ...

According to the Sporting News, Chris Chambers said he is "trying to remain patient," but the lack of deep throws is getting more frustrating by the game. Chambers was limited to three catches for 23 yards against Buffalo, his longest catch an 11-yarder.

That's also the longest one he has had over the past two games. Chambers has yet to get a ball over the top of the defense. ...

It took 33 receptions, but wide receiver Derrius Thompson had his first touchdown catch since joining the Dolphins as a free agent last year. Thompson, who caught a 24-yard touchdown pass late in the first half, hadn't scored since December 2002 playing for Washington. ...

Matt Bryant did a solid job replacing the injured Olindo Mare (calf), matching his career long with a 47-yard field goal in the second quarter.

I'll have more on Mare's status as the week progress; watch for Late-Breaking Updates.

And finally. ...

Williams is scheduled to meet Thursday with the NFL to seek permission to immediately rejoin the Miami Dolphins, despite his multiple violations of the league's substance abuse program.

William David Cornwell, an attorney representing Williams, and the NFL Players Association will also attend the meeting in California.

"We are anxious to present the case for permitting Ricky to rejoin the Miami Dolphins this year and to clarify his status under the league's substance abuse program," Cornwell said in a statement Monday.

If Williams were to play this year, it would likely be with Miami, because the league trade deadline expired Tuesday.

"The Vikings are where he wants them to be, atop the NFC North after three consecutive victories, including two on the road, and he's got two games at the Metrodome before arguably their toughest challenge of the season, a game in Indianapolis against the Colts.

"Does Tice risk having the Vikings play two winnable home games without their offensive star, or does he utilize Randy Moss in an extended or even in a limited role?"

Jensen went on to point out that such questions are new territory for the Vikings because Moss has been a fixture in the lineup since he entered the league in 1998 despite ankle, back and foot injuries. But Tice is taking a cautious and serious approach to handling Moss' right hamstring strain, which likely will have the receiver listed as questionable -- a 50-50 chance of playing -- for Sunday's game against the Tennessee Titans.

Tice targeted Friday as the day the Vikings most likely would make a decision regarding Moss, who will not practice Wednesday or Thursday.

"Randy's a weird dude, and he's a freak and he heals really quick," Tice said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's up this week in some limited role.

"But in the same respect, we have to look at how long do we want this to linger for? Do we want him to be up in a limited role for three weeks, four weeks, or do we want him to be back in full speed by the Monday night game against the Colts?"

As he left team headquarters on Monday afternoon, Moss declined to speak to Jensen. But he said he was fine Sunday night before he left the Superdome.

Tice described Moss' injury as "a little worse than mild," noting that linebacker Mike Nattiel, who suffered a mild hamstring strain Sunday against the Saints, didn't miss any plays.

Moss did not have a magnetic resonance imaging exam performed, an encouraging sign.

As Jensen noted, if the past is any indicator, Moss, who has made 92 consecutive starts, will suit up and play Sunday against the Titans. He takes pride in his toughness and durability.

"That's why he's had the streak that he has," quarterback Daunte Culpepper said.

But Tice emphasized the importance of regaining Moss, complete with his unrivaled speed. While Moss' presence benefits the rest of the offense because of the attention he draws from multiple defenders, he isn't likely to be used merely as a decoy.

"If he's going to be just a red-zone type performer," Tice said, "then maybe we're better served in resting him and making sure he's not a red-zone type performer for a month."

Clearly, though, unlike recent seasons, the Vikings' offense is no longer totally dependent on Moss. His supporting cast of receivers has showed what it can do, and tight end Jermaine Wiggins and running back Mewelde Moore also have proven to be dependable options.

"When you got a weapon like Moss, if he goes out, everyone has to step their game up," said Wiggins, who caught five passes for 56 yards and two touchdowns. "I think we realized that, and hopefully he'll be all right to go on Sunday. If not, we'll hold it down for him."

Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports that Moore will start again this week. A knee injury has prevented Michael Bennett from playing in the regular season, and backup running back Onterrio Smith has two games remaining on his four-game substance-abuse suspension.

Moore, drafted in the fourth round out of Tulane, has 201 yards rushing out of 369 yards of total offense in the last two games.

Bennett ran for 1,296 yards in 2002 -- the only year he didn't miss a game. He's expected to participate fully in practice, but the Vikings won't hesitate to give him another week to heal.

"If Mike can't go forward, he's not going to suit up," Tice said.

And finally. ...

As the Sports Xchange noted Tuesday, "Culpepper is stuck in a rut. Yeah, the poor guy can't seem to go beyond five touchdown passes in a game." For the third time in five games, he threw for a career-high five scores, an NFL record for most five-touchdown games in a season.

I'll have more on Culpepper's incredible roll -- and Moss -- as the week progresses; watch for Late-Breaking Updates.

Dillon shrugged off a sore foot and many tacklers, rushing for 105 yards and two touchdowns in the Patriots' victory over the Seahawks.

After injuring his foot last week against Miami, Dillon did not practice last week, making him officially "questionable" for Sunday's game.

But his contributions, including a 9-yard clinching touchdown run with 1:06 left, stopped the Seahawks from a shot at snapping the Patriots' 19-game winning streak.

Usually a "questionable" player flashes some signs of injury, but Dillon looked 100 percent, dashing and dancing around, breaking tackles against the NFL's formerly top-ranked defense.

"He gives us a real dimension in terms of balance to be able to run the ball with power (and) to make some yards outside," head coach Bill Belichick said. "He is elusive, and he can push the pile. It is good to have him on the goal line on tough-yardage situations. He is good in the whole field."

Acquired in the offseason from Cincinnati, Dillon remains on pace to become the first Patriot to rush for more than 1,500 yards in a season, having gained 502 yards on 107 carries (4.9 per carry).

As Boston Herald staff writer Michael Felger pointed out, Dillon was particularly effective yesterday inside the red zone.

"The blocking was great in (the red zone)," Dillon said. "The offensive line did a wonderful job up front. They paved the way and gave me space to run."

That often was not the case in Cincinnati, where he was the focus of the offense.

"I just got up field with the ball and tried to make something happen. That's just the way I play ball, and I'm getting a lot of help. We've got great receivers and a great quarterback, and that takes the pressure off me because I'm not seeing that many eight-man fronts."

Dillon made significant contributions to the Patriots' balanced attack in the first half. He carried 10 times for 51 yards and a touchdown and compelled Seahawks defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes to alter his game plan. Dillon recognized what Rhodes was up to and made some adjustments of his own.

"They went into the half and made some adjustments that stopped some of the things that I had working in the first half," Dillon said. "We chipped away at it, even though at times when it wasn't working. We made our own adjustment, kept at it and big things happened. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

Troy Brown has not played since injuring his shoulder against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2. The veteran receiver was listed as questionable for each of the team's last two contests, but was deactivated on Sunday.

Deion Branch's injured knee continues to keep him sidelined, and it's not yet clear when he'll return to action. The receiver has been sidelined since suffering the injury in the Patriots' second game of the 2004 campaign. He has eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown this season.

Meanwhile, the team placed rookie wide receiver P.K. Sam on injured reserve Wednesday because of a groin injury.

Sam has played in two games this year but did not catch a pass. He was a fifth-round draft pick out of Florida State.

Overall, the team rushed 23 times for 159 yards but that number is somewhat misleading because 53 came on special team ace Fred McAfee's run out of punt formation.

McAllister, who scored again on a 1-yard blast in the third quarter, ended a streak of eight consecutive games in which he had played without scoring a touchdown. His last touchdown had come at Philadelphia on Nov. 30, 2003.

McAllister did not score in the final five games last season and had not found the end zone in the three games he'd played in this year going into Sunday night's contest.

Meanwhile, Aaron Brooks completed 22 of 38 passes for 249 yards and one touchdown, not exactly what the doctor had ordered against the NFL's 32nd-ranked passing defense.

Seven different receivers caught passes, led by Joe Horn with seven catches for 65 yards and one touchdown.

Brooks had one interception and was sacked three times. He also scored on a 5-yard run to chop the deficit to 38-31 with just less than three minutes remaining.

With a 7-yard scoring catch in Sunday night's game with the Minnesota Vikings, Saints wide receiver Joe Horn moved into second place on the club's all-time list for touchdown receptions.

The TD was the 38th of Horn's five-year career with the Saints and moved him past Danny Abramowicz, who had 37 from 1967-1973. Eric Martin holds the club record with 48 touchdown catches from 1985-93.

Other notes of interest. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Donte Stallworth sustained a rib contusion in the loss to the Vikings and was listed as day-to-day by head coach Jim Haslett on Monday. ... Aaron Stecker came out of the game with a quad contusion and will also be listed as day-to-day, Haslett said.

Reserve receiver Talman Gardner missed his third straight game because of a sprained right ankle. Gardner practiced on a limited basis last week and ran some on Monday and may be available for Sunday's game.

He never said exactly, but the indications are that he never doubted that he would pick Warner, and so he did.

Through five games, Warner's experience and leadership abilities have been unquestioned, and he has motivated many of the offensive players, who were on cruise control last season, to step up and play harder.

The coach has also elicited improvement from receivers Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard. He has brought tight end Jeremy Shockey through a change in responsibilities (he is now more of an H-back), and the added blocking chores didn't sit well at first. Shockey wanted to catch the ball, and lately he has -- some think because of Warner's intercession with the coaches.

Of potentially critical importance is the loss for the season of the third receiver, Tim Carter, who suffered a fractured hip socket in the victory over Dallas immediately before the bye. If rookie Jamaar Taylor can't fill in adequately, there could be a serious problem. The O-line has played far better than it expected, and Warner's ability to "move in a phone booth" has played a large part.

He isn't fast and he isn't a Vick-like scrambler, but he has a sixth sense about pressure and onrushing danger and can take a half-step to one side or another to buy time. Through the five games, he has thrown just one interception in 147 attempts, gaining 1,125 yards. His QB rating is 91.8, and he has completed 64.7 percent of his passes.

Meanwhile, Pro Football Weekly suggested last week that Coughlin would prefer defined roles for his running backs, but based on the skills each back has, there is no true short-yardage option.

Tiki Barber handled that duty versus the Browns and Ron Dayne has done it when healthy, but neither is a great fit. Nor is No. 3 back Michael Cloud, who reportedly was cut by the Patriots because he was not good in short-yardage situations.

Of course, the trading deadline passed yesterday and Dayne is still with the Giants.

GM Ernie Accorsi has long insisted he has no interest in dealing the former first-round draft pick because he's too valuable as a backup. Besides, anyone who wants him can get him without giving up a draft pick when his contract expires at the end of the year. ...

Martin, who is off to the best start of his career, had 25 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns. He has six rushing touchdowns this season compared with just two last season. He has rushed for 613 yards on 132 carries this season.

The 49ers entered the game set on stopping Martin. They stacked the tackle box with eight players at times and blitzed up the middle repeatedly, attacking new starting guards Jonathan Goodwin, making his first career start, and Brent Smith. Yet, Martin got his yards.

"[The 49ers] threw a lot of things at us and they were determined to stop the run," Martin said.

Overall, Martin keeps moving up the all-time charts. He surpassed Hall of Famer Marcus Allen for eighth place on the all-time rushing list with 12,282 yards. Next up is Jim Brown (12,312 yards).

"That doesn't motivate me," Martin said of breaking records. "I compete with myself more than I compete with any other team or any other person. After my career is over, I'll probably look back and appreciate it. But right now I don't really pay attention."

Also of interest. ...

As hard as it still is to believe, Chad Pennington is in his first season as a full-time starter. Ordinarily, a 5-0 record under that scenario would be noteworthy.

Not to Pennington.

"This is what I expected," he said. "The quarterback position to me is about wins and losses. It's not about QB rating or stats; it's about winning the football games. I have another quarterback in my division (Tom Brady of the Patriots) that understands that very well. That's what it's all about. It's not about how pretty it looks or how fluent we look. It's about getting that 'W' at the end of the day. ..."

Also according to Hutchinson and Jones, tight end Anthony Becht, who had disappeared from the offense, had four important catches for 47 yards.

"Getting to be a part of the offense a little bit today was great," said Becht, who entered the game with just three catches for 20 yards. "Every week someone needs to help out and do different things. ..."

Wayne Chrebet needs one receiving yard for 7,000 in his career. Only two other players in club history have eclipsed the mark: Hall of Famer Don Maynard (11,732) and Wesley Walker (8,306). In his first start this season, Chrebet had one catch for 25 yards that helped set up the Jets' first touchdown.

Justin McCareins had perhaps his best day as a Jet. He had three catches for 56 yards and averaged 11 yards on four punts. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Santana Moss will start the week as probable after missing last week's game with a pulled hamstring. Chrebet started in his place with Jonathan Carter and rookie Jerricho Cotchery moving up the ranks behind him. McCareins took over for Moss on punt returns. ...

And finally. ...

He had only two carries for 25 yards and one catch for six, but LaMont Jordan knows he made a difference in Sundays win over the 49ers.

Frustrated in the long shadow cast by Martin, Jordan had asked for a trade during the offseason. The Jets, knowing his value, weren't ready to give him up for nothing.

Sunday, he proved why.

"I think LaMont is a valuable part of this team," Martin said. "Today, he played his role as well as he's ever played."

Jordan came in for a weary Martin, who had 43 yards on 11 carries in the first half and was regularly getting popped by a 49ers defense that focused on the focus of the Jets' offense.

"Curt was tired and we needed a changeup," offensive coordinator Paul Hackett said. "We wanted to have him in the fourth quarter."

Jordan replaced Martin on third-and-5 at the San Francisco 31. He caught a short pass from Chad Pennington and charged up the left sideline. Cornerback Shawntae Spencer met him for the tackle but Jordan dove an extra 3 yards to ensure the first down.

"That was critical for us," head coach Herm Edwards said.

So, when the 42-year-old Rice told Davis he could no longer handle his limited role with the Raiders and wanted to go elsewhere, Davis did all he could to accommodate him.

Davis called two teams, and had Raiders senior personnel executive Michael Lombardi call three more. Rice finally landed with the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday, with Oakland getting a conditional seventh-round draft pick in return.

"It was Jerry Rice who made the decision, and we honestly tried to accommodate him the best we can," Davis said Tuesday night in a rare interview with reporters via conference call. "All we're getting is a conditional seventh-round draft pick. We accepted the trade out of respect for Jerry. We wanted to accommodate Jerry. ... This is best for him, best for this team and best for coach Norv Turner."

Davis called it an "emotional day," adding "it's not fun when the great ones leave you, either because of age or ability or some reason."

Davis also acknowledged all the problems of the Raiders, who have lost three straight games and are still making the same mistakes that defined their 4-12 season a year ago.

"I think we're going to be all right, but we've got to do some things to make us all right," he said. "We will see if we can get the Raiders back to greatness. ...

"You have to be awfully willing to wait. I have to admit we're all disappointed."

Davis met with Rice last Wednesday to work out a plan to make both parties happy. Davis said Rice asked the 75-year-old owner for more responsibility in Turner's offense, but Davis couldn't give Rice any guarantees.

Davis then tried to make something happen before Tuesday's trading deadline, calling the Seahawks, who were "lukewarm" to the idea at first, he said.

The Raiders are trying to develop a handful of talented young receivers, and Rice has only five catches for 67 yards and no touchdowns this season after leading Oakland with 63 catches for 869 yards last season. He's gone without a reception three times in five games, ending a record run of 274 straight games with a catch, and causing the 20-year veteran to complain on several occasions.

"It's not a distraction for me, but it was a distraction for the coach," Davis said. "He didn't deserve it."

Rice holds league records for most career receptions (1,524), most yards receiving (22,533) and most touchdown receptions (194).

"He's one of the truly great players of all time," Davis said. "We've had some great players here. There's no question Jerry Rice is one of the great players of all time."

Rice claimed he hadn't been warned his role would be minimal this season. Davis said Rice was expected to be a contributor in the offense but that it just didn't happen.

Davis believes Rice can still be productive, and will always appreciate the fact Rice joined the Raiders when he was let go by the San Francisco 49ers four years ago. While Rice's departure won't have a tremendous impact on the team's overall success, it will put additional pressure on Jerry Porter, Ronald Curry and Doug Gabriel.

Unfortunately, Curry might be limited in practice over the next day or two, due to a minor hamstring injury. However, Turner claims the problem is basically tightness, not a strain or pull and all indications are Curry will be in the starting lineup opposite Porter this weekend.

Gabriel is also expected to be available for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, despite reporting tightness in his hamstring after last week's loss to the Denver Broncos.

The Raiders will keep an eye on the receiver, who has eight catches for 172 yards and a touchdown this season. ...

Also of interest. ...

Rich Gannon was placed on injured reserve Wednesday, an expected move since the quarterback has a broken vertebra in his neck.

The 38-year-old Gannon, the 2002 NFL MVP, announced Monday that he wouldn't return this season after consulting with four of the top neck and spine specialists in the country. He hasn't ruled out a return next season.

Gannon was knocked out of the game in the first quarter of the Raiders' 30-20 win over Tampa Bay on Sept. 26 after a helmet-to-helmet hit by linebacker Derrick Brooks.

Not much else of interest here otherwise. ...

As the Sports Xchange suggested Tuesday, when a team averages 3.25 yards per pass play, completing 100 percent of your passes still means coming up nine inches short of a first down every series.

Four sacks. A fumble inside the 10 by Porter on the one bright drive of the game. No sign of a downfield completion as passes sailed every which way but to the target. Mercifully, Kerry Collins only threw one ball to the wrong team this time, not three. ...

Tyrone Wheatley took part in portions of practice last week but was inactive for Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos. The veteran running back, who is recovering from a partial dislocation of his right shoulder, had been listed as doubtful going into the contest. Amos Zereoue got the starting nod in his absence.

And finally, according to Pro Football Weekly, seventh-round pick Courtney Anderson has shot up the Raiders' depth chart at the TE position. What separates him from Doug Jolley and Teyo Johnson is his blocking ability, which the Raiders need considering Roland Williams' injury history.

"We nitpick more than anybody as football coaches and the players do the same thing," Reid said yesterday after watching the film of Sunday's 30-8 win over the Carolina Panthers.

"There's nobody that wants to get it right more than the players and the coaches. We also understand there are going to be some good days and bad days, and you bear with those."

Reid and his offensive players were in concert on which category Sunday fell into.

"Offensively, I have to do a better job of putting our guys in better position to succeed," Reid said. "The second half, I didn't do a very good job of that. I thought our offensive line did a good job of pass protection, but we do need to run the ball better. That wasn't up to par."

Before Brian Westbrook ripped off a 42-yard run for the Eagles' final touchdown, the Eagles had just 40 yards rushing on 18 carries, a 2.2-yard average. That was against a Panthers defense that was ranked 31st in the league against the run.

Complaints about the second-half offense also came from the wide receivers. Terrell Owens had four catches for 123 yards in the first half and none in the second.

"It's frustrating because there were times when I was open," Owens said. "But it's going to be like that during the course of the game. You know [McNabb] has to do so much, and he is trying to get everyone involved.

"And you know it is frustrating because of how explosive I was during the first half, I would have liked to continue that into the second half. But I knew we had the lead, and we tried to run the ball but it just didn't happen."

Meanwhile, with the Panthers clearly keying on him Sunday, Westbrook was held to his second-lowest rushing and receiving output of the season. He finished with 90 yards from scrimmage, catching four passes for 26 yards and rushing for 64 yards on 13 carries. But 57 of those 64 rushing yards came on the Eagles' final possession of the game, including a 42-yard touchdown run.

"I thought they did a good job of stopping the run for a little bit there," Westbrook said. "We didn't execute as well as we should have."

Said Reid: "Brian is not a secret anymore. People know who he is and what he can do. That will be the challenge for the offense -- to make sure he can be productive each week."

"Of course, little is secret about Jerome Bettis. He is as subtle as a Hummer, as unobtrusive as a backhoe. At 255 pounds, Bettis does not sneak onto the field. Rather, he charges. Stampedes. Snorts."

"He knows how to work a defense," guard Alan Faneca said. "He likes to know what we're doing. He knows how we're going to block and where we're going to be and how to hit it downhill."

And so it was yesterday, with the steam still rising from the artificial surface at Texas Stadium, that the secret weapon was dispatched to the field to keep alive a streak that is as important as it is uncanny.

On a day when Ben Roethlisberger completed his last 11 passes to rally the Steelers from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, it was Bettis who continued to compile the most critical perfect percentage. And he did it where he has been doing it all season, in goal-line situations, right when the Steelers needed him most.

"One of the biggest since I've been here," Bettis said, referring to the Steelers' 24-20 comeback victory against the Dallas Cowboys.

But he could have been referring to his 2-yard touchdown run with 30 seconds remaining, the score that sent the Steelers dancing happily into the bye week with a 5-1 record.

"I've been in the league a long time," Bettis said, toweling off at his locker after the Steelers won their fourth consecutive game. "I've figured out how to get crafty and how to get through small areas, and I understand what you need to do to pick up a yard."

Bettis has just 8 yards on five carries for the season, a total dwarfed by the 93 yards Duce Staley managed against the Cowboys on 18 carries. And, for the season, Bettis has 64 yards on 37 carries, numbers that pale next to the 582 yards Staley has on 126 carries.

But Bettis has learned how to pick up a yard, especially tough yards in critical situations, which is why he has something in abundance that really, really matters: touchdowns.

The final touchdown against the Cowboys was his seventh in six games. More impressive is that Bettis is 7 for 7 in goal-line situations, which is why the Steelers wasted little time bringing him into the game on second down at the Cowboys' 2.

"The key is helping the team win, and that's a big deal," Bettis said. "That's all you want as a football player."

Bettis is the league's sixth all-time leading rusher, with 12,417 yards, but he has been reduced to a lesser role this season because of the presence of Staley, who was acquired in free agency.

Still, his ability to convert in every goal-line situation is downright remarkable, considering opposing teams know he is going to get the ball.

And he has scored in every imaginable way. Against the Cowboys, it was most unlikely -- breaking outside to the left when tackle Barrett Brooks, who was brought in as an eligible receiver, blocked down to clear the entire side. Bettis nearly went untouched into the end zone, getting tripped by a lunging defender as he crossed the goal line.

"It's the line doing a great job up front, and he has uncanny vision," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said.

After Kimo Von Oelhoffen's fumble return to the Dallas 24, Roethlisberger moved the ball to the 7 with passes of 11 yards to Plaxico Burress and 6 yards to Jerame Tuman. Then, Staley carried twice, gaining 5 yards to the 2 for a first down and then for no gain.

The Steelers were not in their goal-line package on Staley's second run. But, on second down, Whisenhunt sent in the goal-line package: Brooks, two tight ends and the secret weapon.

Just like that, 7 for 7.

"He deserves it," receiver Hines Ward said. "I know the fans may give him a lot of smack, that Duce does all the work and Jerome gets the touchdowns, but Jerome is a guy who has done so much for the organization that that is his contribution to the organization.

"Does Duce want to score more touchdowns? Probably so. But [head coach Bill] Cowher gets [Bettis] in there when we need him. I'm happy for him. Regardless of the new players we get, this is his team. He'll always go down as one of the all-time great Steelers."

Meanwhile, Staley had three consecutive 100-plus rushing efforts against the Cowboys from 1999-2001, when he met them twice a year while playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. He fell 7 yards short yesterday, with 93 on 18 carries. ...

Tuman, who caught only one pass in his first five games, caught four on Sunday, including the game-winning touchdown as Steelers tight ends caught six passes, two more than they had entering their game in Dallas. ...

Jeff Reed's 51-yard field goal in the second quarter tied a personal high for the second time this season.

"It wasn't a problem at all," Bulger said of the injury. "Once the game came and the adrenaline took over, it was fine."

He also looked fine in practice, although head coach Mike Martz wondered for a short while.

"I had no idea he was hurt until the next day when they said Marc had an MRI," Martz said. "I said 'What?' I was very concerned originally. There was no effect on him. He had a lot of zip on that thing in practice."

Bulger said he didn't even know when he was injured.

"That's weird," Bulger said. "The ones that hurt real bad (at the time), seem to go away. I noticed my shoulder towards the end of the game. But then after the game, it didn't hurt at all."

Considering the team was going against one of the top-rated pass defenses in the league, the production was excellent Monday night.

Bulger completed 60 percent of his passes against a team that had allowed less than a 50-percent completion percentage in their first five games. Bulger completed all five of his passes in the fourth quarter for 105 yards and the game-winning 36-yard touchdown pass to Torry Holt.

Bulger was poised and checked down when he had to, competing six passes to running backs Marshall Faulk and Steven Jackson for 59 yards.

Holt had his best game of the season against the Buccaneers, hauling in six passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. Going into the contest, he had topped the 100-yard mark just one other time in 2004 -- in Week 2 against Atlanta.

The Xchange went on to note the rushing attack wasn't spectacular , but the team did run the ball 30 times, as Jackson's role in the offense gets larger every week.

He had 13 attempts for 48 yards, while Faulk gained 40 yards on 15 carries.

Faulk scored the 100th rushing touchdown of his career on a 1-yard run where he reached the ball the goal line.

And finally. ...

Jeff Wilkins sprained his left ankle early in Monday night's game, but was able to return to action and kick for the Rams.

However, he came up way short on a 56-yard try on the final play of the first half, then missed a 44-yarder wide right late in the fourth quarter. Wilkins might be limited in practice this week, but he should not miss any games.

Shortly after signing free agent Bobby Shaw, and while they were finalizing a deal for Pro Bowler Keenan McCardell just before the NFL trading deadline, the Chargers found out that Reche Caldwell has a torn ligament in his right knee and will miss the rest of the season.

Caldwell, who was hurt in Sunday's 21-20 loss at Atlanta, is expected to have surgery in the next few days to repair his torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"I was very disappointed because I'm playing well this year," said Caldwell, who made a spectacular one-handed, 58-yard touchdown catch on Oct. 3 in a win against Tennessee. "Unfortunately, it happened. I'm looking forward to playing next year."

Caldwell was San Diego's leading wideout, with 18 catches for 310 yards -- an average of 17.2 yards -- and three scores. Tight end Antonio Gates leads the team with 37 catches for 422 yards and three scores.

Smith said obtaining McCardell from Tampa Bay in exchange for two draft picks had nothing to do with the injury to Caldwell. The Chargers began talking with Tampa Bay during the weekend, and brought in Shaw -- released by Buffalo last week -- for a workout in case there was an injury.

"Bobby Shaw is the emergency guy," Smith said. "It's kind of unfortunate, because if the trade had gone down and we had a healthy Reche, it would have been really nice and Bobby would not have been in the mix, obviously. But that's the way life is in the NFL."

Shaw should be ready to play Sunday against Carolina. The Chargers received a two-game roster exemption for McCardell, the NFL's last holdout.

The Chargers gave up third- and sixth-round draft picks in 2005. The Chargers will have two sixth-round picks next year, the result of sending David Boston to Miami in March. Additionally, the Chargers will send Tampa Bay a fifth-round pick in 2006 if McCardell goes to the Pro Bowl this year or next.

The 34-year-old McCardell has gone to the Pro Bowl twice in his 13-year career, including last season when he had 84 catches for 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns.

"There's plenty of football left in Keenan McCardell," Smith said.

McCardell vowed to sit out the entire season if the Bucs did not give him a substantial raise over the $2 million in base pay he was scheduled to earn under a contract that will pay him $2.75 million in 2005.

Smith said the Chargers did not renegotiate McCardell's deal. After missing six game checks with Tampa Bay, McCardell will earn a little more than $1.29 million from the Chargers this season.

First, though, he must pass a physical on Wednesday.

"I talked to Keenan. He's excited and can't wait to put it all behind him and go to work," Smith said.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, McCardell will practice with the team if he passes.

"I want to assure the Chargers that I have been working hard every day to stay in peak physical condition, and I am prepared to come in and make an immediate contribution," he said in a statement released by the team.

Smith said it was too soon to say whether he'll play on Sunday.

The Chargers can use some production from their wide receivers. Including Caldwell's 18 catches, wideouts have caught only 35 balls this year. Caldwell was the only Chargers' wide receiver to catch passes in consecutive wins over Tennessee and Jacksonville.

"We've got a buzz in the Charger organization. We're trying to get better step by step and we'll see where it goes from there," Smith said.

Shaw was released by the Bills because he had just five catches for 59 yards this season. Last year he had career highs with 56 catches and 732 yards, and matched a career high with four touchdowns.

I'll monitor news out of San Diego closely this week in an attempt to gauge possible roles for McCardell and Shaw; watch for Late-Breaking Updates. ...

Also of interest. ...

Place-kicker Nate Kaeding was successful on a career-long 53-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, but the rookie from Iowa was more concerned with his muff on the ensuing kickoff. Kaeding kicked the ball out of bounds, enabling the Falcons to start at their 40.

"I expect more of myself, and to me that's more of a lack of maturity than anything," said Kaeding, who is 9-for-9 on field goals. "I think I'm playing at a kind of level where I've been here for two or three years; so, yeah, that field goal went in and it was a big play for our team. But there was another play to make on the next play, and I didn't make it.

"I hold myself to a pretty high standard, and as a kicker that standard is usually perfection. Any mistakes that are made, I feel like I contributed to that loss. I let my emotions get in the way, and I pride myself on being mature enough not to let that happen."

The 49ers have a bye this Sunday, and Rattay will be given the week off in hopes the injury will heal before the 49ers play Oct. 31 at Chicago.

The strain involves a different muscle than the one Rattay pulled in his forearm in training camp when he was recovering from a torn groin muscle suffered during a mini-camp in May, head coach Dennis Erickson said.

Rattay came back for the season opener against Atlanta but missed the next two games because of a separated shoulder.

An MRI Monday confirmed the latest injury.

"He was sore on Friday before we left" to play at New York, Erickson said. "But it wasn't anything that we thought would be real serious. It kept bothering him and he had trouble gripping the ball. So they looked at it again. It is a pulled muscle. I would expect knowing Tim that he'll be ready to go next week. But the injury is there and it is real."

After the loss to the Jets, Rattay downplayed the effect of the muscle pull on his passing arm. However, Erickson said Monday that he was "surprised that he even played."

Rattay got off to a strong start, leading two first-half touchdown drives. But the offense failed to build on a 14-3 halftime lead and the Jets rallied to drop the 49ers to 1-5.

Rattay finished 18 of 28 for 286 yards, including a career-long 65-yard pass caught by Arnaz Battle. ...

Meanwhile, Associated Press sports writer Greg Beacham reports that Erickson wants his players to "get as far away as possible from their burgeoning disaster of a season" during the bye.

Erickson could use a bit of rest as well, but that's not part of the job description.

"Nobody gets used to anything like this," Erickson said. "It's hard for everyone involved. Nobody does these things on purpose. Nobody fumbles on purpose, nobody misses tackles on purpose. When you play hard and prepare like we all do and lose close games, it becomes hard."

At least he's taking it with a sense of humor: Erickson joked Monday about "the 200 years that I've coached here in the past month."

Also of interest. ...

Tight end Eric Johnson, who entered Sunday's game as the NFL's leading receiver, had four catches for 24 yards. For the first time this season, he drew significant defensive focus, which surprised neither Johnson nor Erickson.

"They undercut him," Erickson said. "They doubled him. They played man-under with a guy over the top. Eric is going to get doubled."

By drawing defenders, Johnson opened up the field for the 49ers' other receivers. Brandon Lloyd responded with a season-high 93 receiving yards, including a 33-yard touchdown catch.

Battle added the above-mentioned 65-yard catch that set up Kevan Barlow's touchdown run.

Rattay's 65-yard pass to Battle set a career high, surpassing his 61-yard connection to Terrell Owens against the Pittsburgh Steelers last Nov. 17.

And finally. ...

In addition to Rattay's forearm, the injury news got worse for San Francisco, though Erickson said none of them are serious heading into a bye: Barlow (shoulder); fullback Terry Jackson (toe sprain); and Lloyd (calf bruise).

They want Jerry Rice, with all his glorious receiving numbers, to try to help them reach the Super Bowl this season.

"I can really envision something good happening here," coach Mike Holmgren said Tuesday. "I brought him in here to catch passes and help us win games as a player. I want him to think about playing football."

The 42-year-old Rice, the NFL career leader in receptions (1,524), receiving yards (22,533) and receiving touchdowns (194), joined the Seahawks on Tuesday in a deal that sent a conditional seventh-round draft choice in 2005 to Oakland.

Rice helped San Francisco win three Super Bowl titles, two of them when Holmgren was an assistant coach with the 49ers.

"We are dead serious about trying to get to the Super Bowl," Holmgren said. "That's what we're all about. To be able to add a great player, one of the greatest players of all time, just makes perfect sense to me."

Rice wasn't utilized much by the Raiders this season, catching only five passes for 67 yards and no touchdowns. In a 31-3 loss to Denver on Sunday, he didn't have a pass thrown to him. His record receptions' streak ended at 274 in Week 2 against Buffalo.

Rice wanted out of Oakland.

"You know what," he said. "I really don't feel different. I think the main thing is how you utilize me. The opportunities that you give me. I think I'm capable of doing what I did 20 years ago. I just have to have the opportunities."

Raiders owner Al Davis tried to get a deal done quickly, even if it meant getting less in return.

"It was Jerry Rice who made the decision, and we honestly tried to accommodate him the best we can," Davis said. "All we're getting is a conditional seventh-round draft pick. We accepted the trade out of respect for Jerry. We wanted to accommodate Jerry. ... This is best for him, best for this team and best for coach Norv Turner."

The trade reunites Rice with a coach who helped developed his talents in Rice's early NFL seasons. Holmgren was the 49ers' quarterbacks coach from 1986-88 and offensive coordinator from 1989-91 when Rice was developing into a star.

When San Francisco released Rice after the 2000 season, Holmgren tried to persuade him to come to Seattle. But Rice elected to stay in the Bay Area and continue his career with the Raiders.

Although the Seahawks will continue to go with Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson as their starting receivers, Rice will play plenty with his new team, and Holmgren plans to use more four-receiver sets.

Rice will move from flanker, a position he has played his entire career and where Jackson starts, to split end.

Rice will wear No. 80, which was worn by former Seahawks receiver Steve Largent from 1976-89. Largent, who went on to become a four-term U.S. congressman from Oklahoma, was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1995.

The number was retired by the team in 1995 after Largent's induction in Canton, Ohio, and hasn't been worn by a Seattle player since he left.

Rice asked Largent for permission to bring back the number, which Rice has worn throughout his NFL career, and received Largent's blessing.

"When he said that, it sent chills through my body," Rice said. "It meant the world to me. I know what he did for this team. When you think about the Seattle Seahawks, you think about Steve Largent."

The Seahawks will pay the $873,529 remaining on Rice's $1.35 million contract this season.

Seattle, which has lost two in a row, might be without third wide receiver Bobby Engram this weekend at Arizona. Engram sprained his left ankle in a 30-20 loss to New England on Sunday.

Holmgren said Rice would play against the Cardinals.

It should also be noted that Robinson's status is of increasing concern for the Seahawks.

On Sunday, CBS reported a possible four-game NFL suspension for the starting wideout. According to the report, which did not cite a source, Robinson is appealing the suspension under terms of the NFL's substance-abuse policy.

That report was subsequently echoed by ESPN insider Chris Mortensen, who reported the appeals process had run its course and that a suspension was imminent, and the NFL Network's Adam Schefter, who reported it might not happen this year -- if it happens at all.

Whatever the case, I'd suggest where there's smoke there's fire. In the meantime, the Seahawks don't have much to say about the situation.

"I'm always a little puzzled on those reports and how they come to be, first of all," Holmgren said. "It is very much a confidentiality situation between the league and the player, and I'm not included in that. How someone at CBS would know, I have no idea. Until we get some notification, we have no comment."

Holmgren added, "When it actually happens is when I'm going to believe it is going to happen. There's a lot of things that can be said and quoted out there. I've heard it before. The best advice I can give anyone is let's just wait. Let's just wait and see what happens because I've heard rumors like that before and nothing happened."

He also said: "It's a privacy issue, a confidentiality issue. If the time comes when I know a player needs help in any certain area, I -- and the club -- will help, somehow. It's not my place to do that. That's between the player and the league."

Also of interest. ...

According to Seattle Times staff reporter Greg Bishop, as problems go, the Seahawks' offense had not run into a red-zone deficiency so far this season. In fact, in 13 trips inside their opponents' 20-yard line, the Seahawks had scored eight touchdowns. Against New England, the Seahawks scored one TD in five red-zone trips.

"We pride ourselves on what we do in the red zone and how we practice and how we do it," Holmgren said. "And we just did not do it very well. The people involved are going to be hearing it from me for a little while."

Holmgren was particularly displeased with the Seahawks' last drive, which ended on the 1-yard line as time expired.

"It was just awful," he said.

And finally. ...

Place-kicker Josh Brown made four field goals against the Patriots. With punter Tom Rouen sidelined with a hamstring injury, that left quarterback Matt Hasselbeck as Brown's holder. He didn't exactly enjoy the return to the job he once held as a backup quarterback.

"That was the hardest part of my day, honestly," Hasselbeck said. "I don't want to say nervous, but I didn't have the same amount of confidence in that job that I used to."

Convinced that Jurevicius is ready to return this week and Galloway after their bye week, the Bucs ended a season-long saga by trading the disgruntled McCardell to the San Diego Chargers just before Tuesday's trade deadline.

The 2005 third- and sixth-round draft picks the Bucs got in return made the deal too enticing to pass up, but the Bucs might have passed anyway had the return of Jurevicius and Galloway not seemed imminent.

"I think [Monday's game] -- the fact that we came out of it fairly healthy at the wide receiver] position and the fact that Joe and Joey are coming back gave us some comfort in making the trade," Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said.

"That and the uncertainty we had regarding whether Keenan would ever report [to the Bucs] told us that we needed to make the best deal possible for the Bucs and move forward."

The trade of McCardell, a Pro Bowler last year who led the team and ranked in the league's top 10 in receptions (84) and receiving yards (1,174), ended a sometimes ugly standoff.

Unhappy with a contract that will pay him $2.5 million this season and $2.75 million next year, McCardell, 34, told the Bucs before the start of their offseason workout program that he would not report until a new deal was cut.

McCardell has been demanding a contract that would pay him close to the $4.4 million average salary of No. 1 receivers, but the Bucs refused to negotiate.

The stalemate became so heated that McCardell demanded he be traded or released. He finally got his wish, but the Bucs aren't done dealing with McCardell yet.

Allen said the team will continue efforts to recoup half the $2 million signing bonus McCardell got from the Bucs in 2002, as well as fines accrued this season.

"None of the grievances have been waived," Allen said. "But I hope for [Keenan's] sake, he's happy. I really do."

McCardell wasn't just happy, he said he was "thrilled." Though he has forfeited about $1 million this year, he said he was excited to be joining the Chargers and eager to get back on the field.

The Bucs may be even happier about the trade if McCardell puts together another Pro Bowl season.

According to reports, the Chargers are obligated to give the Bucs an additional fifth-round draft pick in 2006 if McCardell makes the Pro Bowl this season or next.

"I think it's a good trade for the Bucs," said Allen, who was also reportedly negotiating deals with the Chiefs and Ravens for McCardell.

Also according to Cummings, Allen said no deal involving quarterback Brad Johnson was discussed with any team.

Rumors had the Bucs possibly dealing Johnson, who lost his starting job to second-year pro Chris Simms two weeks ago and is now backing up Brian Griese.

Griese started ahead of an injured Simms on Monday in St. Louis, and, after watching his second impressive performance in as many weeks, Gruden named Griese his starter. At least for now.

"I'm really excited about what Brian Griese has done in this system; he's been outstanding," Gruden said. "I feel very, very good about what he has done.

"Chris Simms did some very good things [in his start at New Orleans], but when you complete [73] percent of your passes in consecutive weeks on the road and you look at the types of plays [Griese] has made, it gets your attention."

Griese has compiled a passer rating of 106.6, and there's no denying he's sparked the offense.

During the first four games, the Bucs moved inside the opponent's 20 seven times. Griese got them that far five times Monday night.

The Bucs offense produced just three touchdowns before Griese took over at quarterback. Since then it has produced four.

And the fact that Griese has done it without the help of McCardell has not been lost on Allen.

"I think it's a good trade for the Bucs, if only because of the players we have performing for us today," Allen said.

"Keenan made a decision a long time ago that he wasn't going to be happy with the economics of his contract, and I don't think we needed that coming into the locker room, whenever he was coming back," he said.

Also of interest. ...

According to Pro Football Weekly, Charles Lee temporarily left Monday night's game against the Rams after spraining his right knee, but he was able to return to the Buccaneers' lineup and finished with three catches for 31 yards.

Although the receiver likely will be limited in practice this week, he should be available for Sunday's matchup with the Chicago Bears.

And finally. ...

According to Tribune staffer Katherine Smith, place-kicker Martin Gramatica hung his head following the Bucs' 28-21 Monday night loss to the Rams.

"We lost," Gramatica said, "and I feel 100 percent of it is my fault."

Gramatica took responsibility for losing the game and now may be in jeopardy of losing his job. Gruden admitted Monday the Bucs tried out several kickers last week.

"We're looking for not only field goal kickers, we're looking for kickoff men, we're looking for guys who possess that skill," Gruden said. "They don't grow on trees. At the same time, we feel like we've got a guy here under contract who's a great talent who we don't want to give up on. We just want to get more results out of him.

"We're going to continue to evaluate it and be realistic with what our options are."

Allen gave Gramatica a vote of confidence, basically saying the Bucs' sixth-year kicker is the best available leg for Sunday's game against Chicago.

But Gruden didn't sound as convinced.

"Well, we're concerned. We're obviously concerned," the coach said. "Three misses in the last two games are reasons to be concerned. Yes, we are concerned; at the same time, we're counting on him. I know when I got this job, one of the things I did notice was that Gramatica had a lot to do with some 12-10 and 15-9 wins.

"He was an ice man, a tremendous kicker, and we need him quickly to return to that form, obviously."

Head coach Jeff Fisher said running back Chris Brown, who left with an injured right shoulder midway the third quarter of Sunday's 20-10 loss to Houston, should be fine. Brown is still sore, but he has feeling back in his right arm.

Now the second-leading rusher in the NFL will get a chance to answer the biggest question he has faced since replacing Eddie George, who never missed a start in eight seasons: Just how durable is he? And can he endure injuries without missing games?

Fisher acknowledged he is concerned.

"What you have to watch now is how he comes back this week. ... That was quite a collision," Fisher said after Brown left Texans safety Jason Simmons with a concussion Sunday.

"He seems to feel like he got the best of it. I beg to differ with him," Fisher said. "I turned over, he was sitting in the same place on the bench the rest of the half. If he comes back from this, like I expect him to, that's the important thing."

Brown played only the first half of the season-opening victory over Miami after spraining his left ankle, but he hasn't missed a start. He also has managed to run for at least 100 yards in four of his six starts.

Steve McNair, coming off a four-interception performance, hurt his chest again. Fisher said this injury is lower in his chest than the bruised sternum that put McNair in the hospital for two nights last month, but it shouldn't be a problem.

With Brown and McNair looking good for next week, Fisher now can worry about the rest of his squad in a season where mere survival, not the playoffs, is the priority. Injuries have wracked the linebackers and receivers, with tight end the latest position hit.

Top tight end Erron Kinney will miss his fourth straight game with a strained right calf when the Titans visit Minnesota this week, and Shad Meier will need at least two weeks to recuperate after his appendectomy Sunday.

That leaves only rookie Ben Troupe.

"Obviously, we have to get creative with the plan. With extra days to do that and practice time, I think we'll be OK," Fisher said.

But the Titans have lost four players for the year, with six other starters sidelined at times with injuries. Signing replacements like kicker Gary Anderson and receiver Jason McAddley, and promoting practice squad players have drained away what little space Tennessee had under the salary cap, limiting further moves.

Fisher said the Titans have dealt with injuries before, such as in 2001 when the secondary was decimated and the Titans went 7-9. The current injury bug hasn't been as concentrated.

He has talked with players, veterans and youngsters alike.

"Everything is OK. They are frustrated like we were a couple weeks ago," Fisher said. "They understand where we are and what has to take place."

In a related note. ...

According to Nashville Tennessean staffer Jim Wyatt, after learning of Meier's condition late Saturday, offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger worked on altering the plan into early yesterday morning.

Troupe was slated to play a lot of wide receiver against the Texans but had to fill in for Meier.

Rookie fullback Troy Fleming ended up getting a lot more snaps, as did wide receiver Eddie Berlin.

"There was an overhaul, but what we overhauled we executed so poorly I have no clue what offense I was watching today," Heimerdinger said.

Troupe had two catches for 12 yards but also made some mistakes and appeared worn out by the extra workload.

"I just have to be ready. I had to be ready every snap," Troupe said. "I just have to keep up with preparation in the coming weeks, knowing what to do when I am out there and make plays. I think I did OK but can do better."

With Kinney perhaps a few weeks from returning to action, the Titans might elect to sign another tight end.

Options include rookie tight end Casey Cramer, who is on the practice squad, and seventh-round pick Sean McHugh, who was released Sept. 5 and is now on Green Bay's practice squad.

And finally. ...

Last week at Green Bay, Drew Bennett helped offset two drops by throwing a touchdown pass on a trick play.

Fisher joked it was a good thing Bennett could throw because he wasn't catching. But against Houston, Tennessee's No. 2 receiver had another inconsistent game.

Bennett made an adjustment in the second quarter to catch McNair's lone touchdown pass, but he and McNair crossed signals on Tennessee's first offensive play (an interception by Aaron Glenn) and later he let a deep pass bounce off his hands.

"What am I going to do?" Bennett said.

"I can't do anything about it. I dropped some balls. I'm going and working extra on it. There is nothing I can do but go out there, try to make up for it, try to make people forget about it, try to make me forget about it."

Bennett said his cracked ribs from the preseason and early season are fine now and were not a factor in his performance yesterday.

"Only Drew knows," fellow wideout Derrick Mason said. "He made some catches out there. I'm the last one that would criticize anybody, especially someone in my room. But when we get those opportunities we're just going to have to -- and Drew knows it -- make a play.

"He realizes it because he comes up to me every time and says, 'I should have had that one. My fault.' Then he'll come back and make a nice catch. I know he would rather have those balls he mishandled instead of a 10-yard catch or a 15-yard catch."

The Redskins went from no offense to half-an-offense in their last game before the bye week. Sunday's 13-10 victory over the Chicago Bears was a much-needed morale booster after a four-game losing streak, but it did little to mask the season-long deficiencies in the passing game.

"I don't think you can afford to be one-dimensional," Gibbs said Monday. "We've got to make sure that doesn't happen to us."

The Redskins are averaging 14 points -- 30th in the NFL -- and still haven't scored more than 18 in a game. Brunell has failed to throw for 100 yards for two straight weeks, and he's last among current NFC starters in completion percentage (51.2), yards per attempt (5.43) and overall rating (69.8).

Brunell was 8-for-22 for 95 yards against the Bears. While he hit a few midrange passes, he again was unable to get the ball downfield, with no completion longer than 21 yards.

As he has all season, Gibbs steadfastly defended Brunell's play and gave no indication he is considering a change to backup Patrick Ramsey.

"We didn't throw the ball as well, but I think the reason for it was pass protection," Gibbs said. "There were a number of misses where the guy got forced out of the pocket."

At least the Redskins were able to get Portis going. Gibbs altered his play selection to cater to Portis' style, calling more quick-hitters up the middle and running more often from spread formations to give the agile back additional space to make his moves.

"We just gave them different looks, something they haven't seen before, something they couldn't key on," H-back Mike Sellers said.

As a result, Portis had his best game since signing a seven-year, $50.5 million contract. He ran for 171 yards on 36 carries, a high workload for a small back, especially after he sustained a mild neck injury in the second quarter. Despite recent sub-par efforts, Portis now leads the NFC in rushing yards (593) and the NFL in carries (153).

"Clinton had an outstanding game," Gibbs said. "A couple of times there you would have thought he would have come out of the game (for good). Instead he came out for one play and went back in. He was very forceful, very tough."

The bye will allow several injured players, especially linebacker LaVar Arrington and place-kicker John Hall, a chance to heal. Gibbs said the week off is coming at a perfect time.

"We need it," Gibbs said. "A lot of guys are banged up."

Also of interest. ...

With the release of veteran tight end Walter Rasby earlier this week, the Redskins will turn to third-year player Robert Royal and recently signed veteran Fred Baxter, Gibbs said on Wednesday.

Royal and Baxter are expected to compete for the starting job at tight end, with Royal having a leg up in the early going because he's been in Gibbs' offense longer.

"One of the reasons we made that move [to release Rasby] is that we want to look more at Robert," Gibbs said. "I think Robert will take that spot. We'll see how he plays and how Fred comes along."