"Dennis Green put Shaun King on his hook and came home empty.

"Although the move was stunning, the outcome was predictable and the latest effort from our resident football/fishing genius may have finished off the Cardinals for good. ..."

"Let me tell you something, I'm not going to sit here and justify anything to you," Green said. "I don't operate that way. I make a decision, and when I make a decision I stay with it until I change my mind."

Bickley went on to advise readers: "Clearly, it does not pay to question the king of chaos, which is why Cardinals players were biting their lips after a 35-10 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. Still, the decision was bizarre enough that it prompted criticism from ex-coaches on halftime shows and media members on the elevator. ..."

One North Carolina reporter: "Dennis Green looked like Santa Claus. He was wearing all red and he brought the presents early."

Another: "Yeah, the Panthers should give him a game ball. ..."

But as Associated Press sports writer Mel Reisner reported Tuesday, a day after his latest attempt to shake up the Cardinals backfired, Green insisted he was right to bench quarterback Josh McCown and promote King.

"The bottom line is we have not met our expectations offensively, and I have not been happy about it," Green said Monday. "I don't think many of our players are happy about our expectations offensively, and so we try to do something about it. Yesterday, it didn't work. Hopefully in the future it will."

King fumbled four times, lost one, and threw two interceptions -- one leading directly to a Carolina score as the Cardinals, who went in riding a two-game winning streak, emerged resembling what Reisner called "the team that had one winning season in 16 years in Arizona."

King finished with 343 yards passing, but was 10-of-21 for only 112 yards in the first half, when the Panthers took a 28-0 lead.

Green refused to say if McCown, who had 90 yards passing in his last game, has any chance to regain the starter's role. Given the coach's track record of using seven quarterbacks while getting the Vikings to the playoffs eight times during a decade in Minnesota, McCown might not.

King expects to be under center on Sunday, when the Cardinals try to get back on track against the New York Jets.

"Denny told me I'm the guy, and I'm going to approach it like that," King said. "Denny's the general and I'm a solider. I don't ask many questions."

King thought rustiness might have contributed to a shaky performance in his 23rd career start.

"There's a fine line between being aggressive and unnecessarily irresponsible with the football," he said. "As I learn these guys a little more, I'll learn what that line is.

"Like the pick I threw down the middle, I was being aggressive, and I saw one thing. The receiver saw another. As we play more together, we'll get on the same page."

For those who weren't paying attention at the time, Green was hired in January, and he wasted no time anointing McCown his quarterback -- a decision based partly on McCown's performance as a starter the final three games of 2003. McCown, a third-year veteran, held on to the job through training camp, the preseason and nine games before Green informed him Saturday that King was taking over.

"That's what's frustrating is the uncertainty, but you just go with it," McCown said. "It's just part of the business. We also get paid pretty well. I don't make near as much as some people, but I'm making a whole lot more money than a country boy from Jacksonville (Texas, his hometown)."

But of course, it's more than frustrating -- a fact highlighted nicely by Republic columnist Paola Boivin on Tuesday.

"Here's the problem," she wrote. "Since February, Green told his players to believe in McCown because he believed in him. They endured the quarterback's growing pains because Green suggested he could mold McCown into greatness. ...

"So what message does it send when Green benches McCown for a 27-year-old backup who has reached the end of his learning curve? Who has received minimal practice reps. Who lacks the timing McCown has fine-tuned with his receivers."

"One that says, 'I don't have confidence in my game plan anymore. ...'"

And so the "King Era" of Cardinal history begins. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

The Cardinals on Wednesday placed Troy Hambrick on injured reserve with a foot injury and signed Damien Anderson to the active roster.

Hambrick, who had appeared in all 10 games as a backup to Emmitt Smith, his former teammate in Dallas, suffered the injury in a 35-10 loss at Carolina on Sunday. The fifth-year running back, who was acquired by the Cardinals in a trade with Oakland on August 31, had 63 carries for 283 yards and a touchdown this season.

Anderson had been released by the Cardinals on the final roster cutdown on September 5. The third-year back out of Northwestern had appeared in 26 games with the team over the previous two seasons, gaining 133 yards on 42 carries. ...

Smith played against the Panthers despite a sprained ankle and according to the Sports Xchange, "seemed to move reasonably well." The Cardinals fell behind early and were never able to get the running game going. ...

According to Pro Football Weekly, rookie receiver Larry Fitzgerald sprained his ankle so badly in the preseason is likely to continue bothering him and won't be fully healed until next year at the earliest.

And finally. ...

Neil Rackers has missed three field goals this year. All have come from 50 yards and beyond.

"We've just scratched the surface of what we can become," Mora said Monday.

With his 104 yards rushing against the Giants, Vick became the first quarterback in league history with five career 100-yard games. He has three 100-yard games this season.

"There are a lot more to come," Mora said. "It's pretty amazing."

Vick has rushed for 640 yards this season, already the fifth-highest total by a quarterback in league history. Vick could soon own the list; his 777 yards rushing in 2002 ranks third.

Vick is on pace to become the first quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards. At his current pace he would finish with 1,024 yards, which would break the record of 968 yards by Chicago's Bobby Douglass in 1972. Randall Cunningham is second with 942 yards rushing for Philadelphia in 1990.

Vick set the NFL mark for quarterbacks by rushing for 173 yards at Minnesota on Dec. 1, 2002.

According to the Associated Press, critics continue to point to Vick's modest passing numbers -- nine touchdown passes and an 83.7 quarterback rating.

"I can't sit here and try to justify why I think somebody's perception of the way I play should be different, but it's all good," Vick said. "I'm going to play my game and I'm going to be the best at it. That's all I can say."

Vick was limited to four starts late in the 2003 season after suffering a broken right leg in the preseason, but he has sprinted through 10 games this year with no injury concerns.

"What's awesome is for all the concern about Mike running the ball and being susceptible to injury, he's done a good job of avoiding big collisions for the most part," Mora said.

Vick was sent flying, feet over his head, at the end of a run Sunday. Mora says he doesn't worry about Vick on those plays and says Vick is learning to avoid contact at the end of other runs.

"He has done a nice job of sliding under things and getting out of bounds without getting hurt," Mora said.

The Falcons managed only four first downs and 65 yards in the second half after leading the Giants 14-0 at halftime.

"There's always that one big play you can make to put the game out of reach," Vick said. "We've been missing that play, but as long as we keep our minds set on getting win number nine, it'll eventually come."

Other notes of interest. ...

As the Sporting News noted Monday, Alge Crumpler was the only true receiving threat in Atlanta's offense. He caught both of Vick's touchdowns last Sunday.

Peerless Price caught just two passes in four straight games before disappearing against the Giants and failing to record a catch for the first time in 81 games.

According to Morris News Service correspondent George Henry, because he doesn't work hard enough to get separation and extend his routes when Vick holds onto the ball too long, Price has become a non-entity.

Price currently has a modest 23 catches this season. As noted by the Sports Xchange, that's second on the team, trailing only the 39 receptions by Crumpler, but is far from what Price probably had in mind this season. Mora said he spoke with Price about his role last week.

In a semi-related note, Brian Finneran, who has missed two games with a slightly torn pectoral muscle, might try to practice this week. ...

Also according to TSN, T.J. Duckett, who scored three touchdowns in the previous two weeks, was in on goal-line sets for the Falcons, but the team looked to others -- primarily Crumpler -- in those situations.

And finally. ...

Fullback Justin Griffith suffered a slight tear of the posterior cruciate ligament. If Griffith can't play this week, Stanley Pritchett would move up as the starter.

The injury occurred last Sunday during Baltimore's 30-10 win over Dallas. Lewis left in the first quarter and did not return after gaining 5 yards on two carries.

"He's definitely out this week," head coach Brian Billick said Wednesday. "Bottom line, doctors are optimistic that he'll be able to go next week."

Chester Taylor, who filled in for Lewis during his recent suspension, running for 89 yards on 21 carries in a win over Buffalo on Oct. 24 before gaining 78 yards on 18 carries in a loss to Philadelphia -- will again replace Lewis against the defending champion Patriots.

This time he's better prepared for the task.

"I've got two starts under my belt so far this year. I'm just going to go out there like I did last time," Taylor said.

During Lewis' suspension, Taylor had Musa Smith as a backup. Smith broke his leg against the Cowboys and is lost for the season, so Taylor can expect a busy afternoon in New England.

"The biggest difference is, unlike before when we went through this, Chester's going to have to carry most of the load," Billick said. "That's the big challenge for Chester."

The Ravens were seeking to add a running back to the roster Wednesday, but didn't expect to get much of a contribution from any newcomer on Sunday.

"To throw them in there probably wouldn't be prudent," Billick said.

Special teams player Harold Morrow, who doubles as a fullback, would back up Taylor if needed. Return specialist B.J. Sams has already taken snaps at halfback and could do so again.

"I go out and practice every day with the running backs. I'm mainly a special teams guy, but who's to say I can't play running back?" Morrow said.

The good news?

Over the past four games, quarterback Kyle Boller has averaged 34 throws and the Ravens have called passing plays on 60 percent of their snaps. Last season, the Ravens ran the ball nearly 55 percent of the time.

Boller has assumed control of the offense in that shift in philosophy, completing 61 percent of his passes, averaging 202 yards and throwing five touchdowns. The increased throws have not led to more mistakes. Boller has been intercepted just once (a failed Hail Mary attempt) in his past 138 passes.

Boller might have to take over the team by default. Eight starters have missed games because of injury this season, including five on offense.

But the Ravens seem to overcome injuries quite well. Take the tight end position for example. During Todd Heap's absence, reserves Darnell Dinkins and Daniel Wilcox have performed well. Dinkins had three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys, and Wilcox ranks fourth on the team with 17 receptions.

"Our mantra has been this year, the next man has got to step up," Billick said. "At some point, you keep thinking that it's going to even itself out and we're not going to have to address that from one week to the next. So far, that hasn't been the case. ..."

For the record. ... Heap remains questionable heading into this week's game. ... Smith's compound fracture of his right leg was surgically repaired Monday and team officials expect him to recover in time for next season. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Carroll County Times beat man Aaron Wilson, Billick was noncommittal again about whether Heap might return for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots. Heap has missed eight games with a severely sprained ankle.

"Each week, he feels a little bit better," Billick said. "Now, is it better enough? We'll see."

Wide receiver Clarence Moore caught a pass against Dallas after requiring intravenous fluids before kickoff because of flu symptoms. ... Tight end Terry Jones missed the game with a nerve problem in his shoulder. ... And finally. ...

Travis Taylor set the Ravens record for career receptions after making six catches for 68 yards. In five seasons, Taylor has 196 receptions, surpassing Qadry Ismail's 191.

But Campbell wasn't ignored Sunday as he became the first Bills tight end to catch three touchdown passes in a game during a 37-17 victory over the St. Louis Rams.

"It was just one of those things when I felt I was always open in the red zone and the ball was where it needed to be," said Campbell, who is the first Bills player with three TD catches since Andre Reed in 1993.

"It's kind of one of those things that happens in practice a lot, and in games it doesn't happen. But today it did. I haven't had a three-touchdown game since high school. I was having so much fun that you feel like you just can't be stopped. I guess was in a zone. That's what it felt like."

The red zone has been Campbell's favorite zone this season. He came into the game having scored two touchdowns on passes inside the 20-yard line.

But Campbell had been silent recently, going three straight games without a reception. On Sunday, he became quarterback Drew Bledsoe's go-to guy.

"I didn't get a ball in three weeks, and that's frustrating," said Campbell, who has 14 catches for 172 yards and a team-high five touchdowns for the season. "But winning cures all that. When you're winning, it's easy to deal with. If you're losing, you feel like you've got to be able to do something to help. I feel like I'm the kind of guy who can do both block and catch.

"While I feel like I've blocked well the last three weeks, I haven't been able to make plays. What happened today confirms to me that when you get the opportunities you have capitalize on them."

The Bills took advantage of Campbell's mismatch against Rams safeties Rich Coady and Adam Archuleta. Campbell twice beat Coady for touchdowns, including a leaping 19-yard score despite tight coverage.

"You don't hear a lot about Campbell," head coach Mike Mularkey said. "He's very quiet about his business and works hard. The whole tight end group does, and he's the leader of it. He takes his catches when he can get them, and obviously he enjoyed it today."

In a related noted. ...

After being benched late last week due to ineffective play, Bledsoe bounced back against the Rams, turning in his best performance of the season. The veteran quarterback completed 15 of his 24 pass attempts for 185 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. He was sacked just once. ...

As the Sports Xchange suggested Tuesday, it was a very quiet 100 yards by Willis McGahee, but he was able to keep his streak alive of hitting the century mark in all four of Buffalo's home victories.

St. Louis, ranked 29th against the run, worked hard to limit his effectiveness.

Take away a 41-yard run late in the third quarter, and McGahee had just 59 yards on 19 carries (3.1 average). That run was actually a 49-yard TD scamper around left end, but it was nullified by a holding penalty on Lee Evans.

The Xchange added the play also likely would've been reviewed -- replays showed McGahee stepped out of bounds making a cutback at the sideline.

Stephen Davis was coming off a career-high 1,444-yard season, and third-year back DeShaun Foster had proven more than adequate as a change of pace. Rod "He Hate Me" Smart showed promise and Joey Harris, an undrafted rookie from Purdue, was cut before the season, but quickly re-signed to the practice squad.

The Panthers couldn't have imagined all four would end up on injured reserve by the midpoint of the season.

Carolina won Sunday thanks to its sixth rushing option. Nick Goings rushed for a career-high 121 yards and a franchise-tying three touchdowns in a 35-10 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The rash of injuries have left the Panthers scrambling all year, often forcing them to use fullback Brad Hoover as their starting tailback. Hoover missed his first game in five years Sunday with a hip contusion.

"We had a lot of running backs down, and I was just trying to hold down the fort," Goings said.

He did more than that on a day the Panthers were in dire need of a running game with Jake Delhomme nursing a broken thumb.

The victory leaves the once forgotten Panthers two games out in the race for the second NFC wild-card spot with six games remaining.

Head coach John Fox said Goings would continue to "be in the mix" when the Panthers host Tampa Bay on Sunday, but team officials believe Hoover will return to practice Wednesday.

Goings, 26, is in his fourth season with the Panthers after making the squad as an undrafted rookie in 2001. He's made a modest career of being a backup fullback, an occasional third-down back and a special teams player.

Fox considers Goings the ultimate role player.

"He's excellent on special teams and he's smart and he's tough," Fox said. "He was actually listed as a fullback coming into the season, but he also catches the ball well out of the backfield. He brings a lot to the table. We put him at tailback and he came up big for us on Sunday."

Goings' previous career best came on Sept. 9, 2001 in his first game, when he subbed for injured Tshimanga Biakabutuka and rushed for 86 yards on 25 carries in a 24-13 road win against Minnesota.

Goings rushed for 57 yards on 15 carries in his next game and lost his starting job, while the Panthers went on to set an NFL record by losing 15 straight games to finish 1-15.

Since then, Goings has started three games.

"With Stephen and DeShaun and Rod and a lot of guys in front of me, I didn't know if I would ever get this opportunity," Goings said. "But going into this game I was going to get an opportunity, so I worked real hard."

With Goings running for 83 yards in the first half, the Panthers were able to neutralize the Cardinals' pass rush with play fakes. Delhomme threw for two touchdowns as the Panthers set a season high with 35 points.

One of the knocks on Goings coming into the league was he didn't have great breakaway speed. Coming into the weekend, he'd carried 151 times, but his longest run was only 20 yards. That changed in the first quarter Sunday when he took a toss from Delhomme, got a great block from fullback Casey Cramer and raced 57 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead.

"The offensive line and fullback did a good job of opening holes all game and that one was wide open," Goings said. "It kind of set the tone for the game. We haven't done that much this season, starting fast like we did."

I'll have more on the team's likely plans at halfback as the week progresses. Keep an eye out for Late-Breaking Updates. Other notes of interest. ...

Rodney Peete played the last six and a half minutes against the Cardinals in place of Delhomme.

It was the first time anyone other than Delhomme had taken a snap for the Panthers in more than a year, dating back to the 2003 season opener against Jacksonville when Delhomme won the job by replacing Peete at halftime and leading the Panthers to a come-from-behind win. Yet this time, there was some doubt about whether it would be Delhomme or Peete starting almost right up until kickoff.

"I thought I was going to play all week," said Delhomme, who completed 12 of 25 passes for 157 yards and two touchdowns despite a hairline fracture on the thumb of his throwing hand. "I felt good throwing the ball on Thursday. I just wanted to see what it felt like taking a snap. So I took some snaps (Saturday) morning. Don't get me wrong; it doesn't feel good -- but it's good enough."

Delhomme was disappointed he couldn't finish what he started, as Peete closed out the game.

"I probably wouldn't have come out if not for the thumb," Delhomme said. "I would have loved to have stayed in. We haven't had the chance to run the victory play too often. And there's nothing like taking a snap and kneeling down. It's just one of the greatest things. But I'll take a win any time."

Delhomme threw only one interception -- a ball that safety Adrian Wilson of the Cardinals wrestled away from receiver Muhsin Muhammad. But Muhammad caught most of what was thrown his way, racking up 118 receiving yards on a team-high six catches.

During the last four weeks, Muhammad has been on a tear -- catching 28 passes for 441 yards and seven touchdowns. He has a career-high nine touchdown catches this season.

In an article published last week, Pro Football Weekly noted that coaches have been very pleased with Keary Colbert and Muhammad.

Colbert, a second-round pick, has 31 catches for 510 yards and is demonstrating more big-play skills than anticipated. ...

According to Winston-Salem Journal staffer Joe Menzer, Fox said he would provide no injury updates until after practice Wednesday, but he did not sound optimistic that place-kicker John Kasay will be sufficiently recovered from a strained right calf muscle to play this Sunday.

"With a calf injury, he loads that up pretty good when he kicks," Fox said. "We didn't really want to test it too aggressively yet and get a setback. We'll take a look at it again later in the week and see where he is, but we will try it out a little bit this week."

Kicking in place of Kasay against Arizona, Jeff Chandler hit all five extra-point attempts he tried. He did not attempt a field goal.

Asked if Krenzel is the starting quarterback despite another bad outing, Smith did not hesitate.

"Yes, he is," Smith said.

Krenzel has struggled in four starts, completing 46 percent of his passes with six fumbles and six interceptions compared to three touchdowns. He has 54 completions and has been sacked 21 times.

Combined with the turnovers, Krenzel has experienced more than half as many negative pass plays as positive. Smith declined to discuss the reasons for not getting Hutchinson experience in the fourth quarter of a game that was well out of reach.

"I didn't really see it like that at the time," Smith said. "We wanted to get Craig Krenzel as much time. He's a young quarterback still developing. We didn't see the need in that. Next question."

Other notes of interest. ...

As noted by DailySouthtown.com staffer Gene Chamberlain, Anthony Thomas saw a good majority of the action at running back during the Bears' three-game winning streak, but he didn't play at all last Sunday as Thomas Jones returned from a toe injury.

The Bears gained 79 yards on 26 carries; Jones had 59 yards on 18 attempts.

"We're going to always play the guy that we think gives us the best chance to win," Smith said. "That was the thought behind it.

"Once you get into the game, things change. You have a game plan that you would like to use as far as game time, but that will change as far as when you get into the game."

Smith added that Jones, who is perceived as a better receiver than Thomas, fit better into the Bears' catch-up mode. The Bears trailed 27-3 at halftime. ...

Also according to Haugh, David Terrell caught three passes for 76 yards and showed the athleticism he wants to be known for on two grabs. Terrell uncharacteristically gave one-sentence answers afterward and implied the organization had put the unpredictable wide receiver under a gag order.

"I'm not trying to say too much of nothing right now," Terrell said.

Did somebody with the Bears tell him to watch what he said?

"I want to be in Chicago next year," Terrell said.

Does that mean yes?

"I am going to do what I've got to do to be in Chicago next year," he said. ...

Fellow wideout Bobby Wade dislocated his right shoulder early in the game but had it popped back into place. He said it was not serious but did not know how much it would hurt Monday. "It was pretty painful," Wade said.

And while we're talking about the team's receiving corps. ... The Sports Xchange notes that Justin Gage had one catch for seven yards, the ninth time in 10 games that he's had one or no catches in a game. ... Rookie Bernard Berrian had one catch for 17 yards, the sixth straight game in which he's had exactly one reception.

Tight end Dustin Lyman's two-yard TD reception was his first catch in six games. He has just six catches all season, for 34 yards.

And finally. ...

Paul Edinger's 51-yard field goal was the 12th of his career over 50 yards, leaving him four short of Bears record-holder Kevin Butler. ...

On Sunday, just minutes after he yelled at his players - an emotional speech audible through the concrete locker-room wall -- Lewis said publicly what no Bengals coach since Sam Wyche had.

"We cannot accept mediocrity," Lewis said after the Bengals lost 19-14 to Pittsburgh at Paul Brown Stadium. "We are never going to go where we need to go if we accept this -- if we accept playing close (and) accept being in the lead in the first half and not finishing the football game.

"I'm angry. This is the angriest I've been."

According to Associated Press sports writer Joe Kay, Lewis had toned down his anger a day later but not his impatience. The second-year coach who prefers to accentuate the positive was in no mood to look for silver linings.

"They know my point," Lewis said Monday. "We've got to do better. We're not going to settle for playing close. We can do better and we will do better."

Asked if his anger had subsided, Lewis forced a broad smile and a chuckle to mask his feelings, then waited before answering.

"We'll see," he said.

In the past, a close loss would have been cause for optimism that things were turning around. Until Sunday, Lewis had remained upbeat even in the toughest times.

All of that has changed. Lewis is no longer in the mood to look on the bright side.

"We lost the football game," he said Monday. "There is nothing that I'm satisfied about. We lost."

Meanwhile, as Cincinnati Post beat man Kevin Goheen reported Monday, Chad Johnson got into the end zone with a 36-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter but didn't impress many with his shadow boxing celebration. In the end, Johnson said his words last week about reaching the end zone had nothing to do with the final outcome of the game.

"That part was out of the way because I did what I said I was going to do," said Johnson. "The rest of the game went on and we didn't play well enough to win. That's it."

Johnson added he thinks the team will react well in the coming week to the loss but that won't be determined until they actually get out onto the field against Cleveland. In the meantime, the entire team is going to have to deal with Lewis' wrath.

"I've never seen him as mad as that," said Johnson. "I know one thing, he means business, period. I know there ain't going to be no bull this week at all."

While Johnson's shadow-box dance turned out to be a disappointment, fans were treated to "The Squirrel," for the first time in 11 months.

Kelley Washington dusted off the celebratory dance -- a choreographed series of twitches and gyrations -- after catching a 19-yard touchdown pass from Carson Palmer with 3:56 left in the first half.

"It was a great ball," said Washington, who last caught a touchdown pass on Dec. 21, 2003 and finished with three catches for 47 yards. "We worked on that in practice all week. To go out there and have that happen in a game, it's a good play. ..."

For what it's worth, Johnson's joking request that fans bring $1 to Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday to help the receiver pay for a fine he expected to incur for an excessive touchdown celebration paid dividends for the FreeStore/FoodBank and the Bengals' annual holiday canned food drive.

The food drive received 13,384 pounds in donated canned food and $9,946 in cash donations, almost triple the totals from last year's drive.

A FreeStore/FoodBank spokeswoman said some fans did ask if the collection was for Chad's fund, but volunteers told them donations were for the FreeStore. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Curnutte, in the Bengals' four wins this season, the offense has relied on Rudi Johnson's legs about as much as Palmer's arm.

Cincinnati, which had the ball for 21:04 Sunday, ran the ball a season-low 16 times and passed 25 times against the Steelers' top-ranked defense.

Johnson rushed for 47 yards on 11 carries in the first half, but touched the ball only five times for 15 yards after halftime.

"I don't say anything to anybody," said Johnson, who was the only Bengals player to register a carry. "I mean it is what it is. It would've been nice (to carry the ball more), but that's the way the game goes."

Ten games into the season, and with 847 yards on 222 carries, Johnson is on pace to finish with 1,355 yards. That would represent the second-highest total in team history behind Corey Dillon's 1,435 rushing yards in 2000. ...

Mistakes by Palmer accounted for nine of the Steelers' points -- an interception returned for a touchdown and an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone.

Palmer threw a second-quarter interception that Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior returned 14 yards for a touchdown. Palmer threw into triple-coverage for T.J. Houshmandzadeh.

Lewis criticized his quarterback.

"The read on the interception, obviously, was not a great one," Lewis said. "We just can't guess where to throw the football."

The coach went on to say: "Those shouldn't be growing-pain plays. He knows better. I don't want to comment now on the safety, but we have to get the ball out of our hands and do the right things there. We have to understand where we are in the game. ..."

According to Pro Football Weekly, Matt Schobel's 76-yard TD catch in Week 9 was a reminder of his impressive speed. In a play that broke open Cincinnati's 26-3 win against Dallas, Schobel badly beat Cowboys linebacker Dat Nguyen and proceeded to run away from the secondary.

It's unclear whether Schobel will get more passes thrown his way (he has 13 catches), but it bears watching, particularly with secondaries keying on Johnson.

While Schobel's specialty is receiving, fellow tight end Reggie Kelly has been helpful as the recipient of a dump-off pass here and there from Palmer. Tony Stewart also has been a factor at the position, but drops have hurt him. Stewart has good size and athleticism. ...

And finally. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Kenny Watson might be limited this week in practice because of a bruised calf. ... Rookie Chris Perry (abdomen) should benefit from rest, Lewis said, and Perry has a chance to play Sunday for the first time since Oct. 17 at Cleveland.

It might also have included some discussion of his current standing with owner Randy Lerner.

Amid reports he could soon be fired, sources told ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli on Tuesday that Davis will retain his job through the rest of this season.

Those sources, some of them in the league and others close to Davis, told Pasquarelli that Cleveland officials determined Tuesday that they will wait until after the season to review the status of the Browns' head coach. There had been strong hints that Davis could leave the franchise as early as Tuesday, only under certain conditions that did not include his dismissal, but the events moved in another direction.

The feeling was that, with such open speculation about his future, Davis would press Lerner for a resolution of his status beyond this season. The rationale was that, if Lerner confirmed Davis would not be back in 2005, Davis might resign. But had that occurred, Davis would have turned his back on the three seasons remaining on his current contract.

Lerner did consider firing Davis on Sunday night -- as initially reported by ESPN's Chris Mortensen, but the situation might have been too complicated to be resolved quickly.

"The people who thought that this whole thing was going to come Tuesday, with some resolution, forgot about the money elements involved here," one source told Pasquarelli. "Barring a miracle or a change of heart by the owner, [Davis] won't be back in '05, but there are a lot of issues to hash through. And what good was it going to do to fire him now?"

When asked earlier in the day if he'd talked to Lerner about his job status, Davis said: "I am so focused on trying to win these games and look at what's wrong and what's right. We put together a 30- to 45-play tape that we showed to the players of the things they're capable of doing when we do it on a consistent basis. I'm worrying about each game, about winning and helping this team get better. Right now, that's the only focus I've got."

Meanwhile, his chances of turning the team around and winning against the Bengals will be tougher with Kelly Holcomb as the starting quarterback -- as announced Wednesday.

An MRI on Jeff Garcia's right shoulder revealed what Davis called "a little bit of a strain of the rotator cuff." Garcia was hurt late in the first half when he landed with his arm extended after a throwaway to avoid a sack and Jets defensive end Shaun Ellis fell on him. Garcia said he heard "a bit of crackling" after the hit.

Holcomb struggled in relief, completing 4-of-10 passes for 32 yards with a sack and a 48.8 passer rating.

Stay tuned. I'll have more on the decision to go with Holcombe when this week's Late-Breaking Updates get underway late tonight. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Andre' Davis (toe) is improving, but remains day-to- day. He hasn't caught a pass since Week 6. ... Halfback Lee Suggs is also considered day-to-day due to a toe injury suffered last Sunday.

Head coach Bill Parcells, who has been reluctant to play Henson unless forced, said Tuesday that there was "a good chance" Henson would start the Thanksgiving Day game against the Chicago Bears.

Parcells said Henson would take most of the snaps in practice Tuesday and would start the game "unless things change appreciably with Vinny."

The 41-year-old Testaverde has a sore right shoulder and sore back. He was hurt in the fourth quarter Sunday when Baltimore defensive tackle Kelly Gregg landed on him after a pass that was intercepted.

Henson hasn't started a game at quarterback in nearly four years, since his junior season at Michigan.

"This is what I've been waiting for, it's a chance to go out there and play," Henson said Tuesday. "I'm preparing today and tomorrow as if it will happen. It will be a great opportunity and something I'll definitely remember."

Testaverde wasn't available for comment.

The Cowboys had only an extended walkthrough practice Monday. They began the accelerated process of implementing the game plan Tuesday.

"There's no more pressure than what I expect. It's always been that way," Henson said. "It's more of an opportunity and an excitement thing than feeling pressure."

Henson played quarterback in the NFL for the first time Sunday after Testaverde was hurt. His only action for the Cowboys until then had been as a holder on kicks.

Henson's first play resulted in a fumble when a blown blocking assignment let a defender through untouched. But he came back and completed all six of his passes, including a 1-yard TD toss to end a 16-play, 80-yard drive in the Cowboys' 30-10 loss. ...

Meanwhile, Fort Worth Star-Telegram staffer Clarence E. Hill Jr., Parcells said Monday that rookie Julius Jones will get a second consecutive start against Chicago on Thursday. Veteran Eddie George will be relegated to a part-time performer.

Jones' numbers weren't pretty: 30 carries for 81 yards. But his toughness and stamina in his first game since suffering a fractured shoulder in Week 2 were quite impressive -- especially considering the poor blocking on the line and the competition.

"I thought he did a good job fighting and competing," Parcells said."I never got a sense he wanted out of the game. I really was pleased with him about that. [He] wasn't perfect; missed some reads and has to work on blocking. Like I said, for not having a lot of help [up front], he did all right."

Parcells said Jones' quickness gives the Cowboys a dimension they didn't have with George.

Parcells didn't inform George that he would have a reduced role against the Ravens. George was not only shocked by not starting, but also with his workload. He carried the ball three times, all in the first half.

Parcells doesn't plan on having a sitdown with the nine-year veteran George, saying the team's plans at running back are pretty obvious.

Hill went on to note it's just part of a season full of disappointments for George, who signed with the Cowboys in hopes of reviving his career after being released by Tennessee. Although he has been the starter, George has not received as many carries as he had hoped and has not performed well with the carries he's received. George has rushed 125 times for 416 yards with four touchdowns.

"It's disappointing," George said. "It hasn't gone the way I'd hoped on a personal level, or even team-wise. It is what it is. They make the decisions. All I can do is go with the punches."

Other notes of interest. ...

Parcells gave more playing time to receivers Terrance Copper, a rookie from East Carolina, and Quincy Morgan, a four-year veteran from Kansas State. Complementing Keyshawn Johnson, Morgan led the Cowboys with four catches for 42 yards. Johnson had three catches for 40 yards.

Copper got a chance to gain some valuable game experience. Signed as a free agent, he made it out of training camp and won a spot on the practice squad. Activated a month ago, Copper played in his fourth NFL game Sunday and caught three passes for 44 yards, including a 22-yarder.

"I hope I can contribute more, but that's a coach's decision," Copper said. "On their calls, I happen to be open a few times. I'm just trying to contribute to the team. We wanted to exploit some of their [Baltimore's] weaknesses, but that's a tough, aggressive defense."

As Pro Football Weekly noted last week, Dedric Ward appears to be out of the offensive mix for now so Parcells can take a look at Randal Williams, Patrick Crayton and Copper in the second half of the season. ...

Running back Richie Anderson suffered a concussion against Baltimore. His status for Thursday is uncertain. ...

And finally. ...

Tight end Jeff Robinson has four career receptions with the Cowboys -- all for touchdowns. His touchdowns have covered 5, 3, 1 and 1 yards.

"Because in the time it took running back Reuben Droughns to cover 51 yards for a touchdown, the Broncos not only put the New Orleans Saints on their heels, but they showed they had exited their bye week rested and ready to be a prime-time player in the postseason parade. ..."

"We came into the bye week with a big win and we didn't want to have any letdowns coming out of it," Jake Plummer said. "November, December, that's when you're going to see the teams that are going to be making that push for the playoffs. Those are the teams that won on the day."

"This game was huge for us," receiver Rod Smith said.

Droughns' touchdown led a 20-point first-quarter downpour on a Saints defense ranked last in the league in nearly every major category, and the Broncos then closed out the deal, 34-13, in the Louisiana Superdome.

With the win, the Broncos pushed their record to 7-3 and stayed tied with San Diego atop the AFC West. Denver, which had forced only seven turnovers this season entering the game, forced four against the Saints and scored a defensive touchdown on linebacker Al Wilson's 7-yard interception return.

But as Legwold noted, it was Droughns who "set the table for the Broncos' first-quarter feast."

"When you put a team behind the eight ball like that, they have to adjust," Smith said. "Then the defense takes over and shuts them down. ... Just one of those total team games you've got to have on the road."

On the Broncos' first offensive play from scrimmage Sunday, Droughns took a handoff and bolted into the middle of a Saints defense against which five other running backs had rushed for at least 100 yards this season.

Droughns, who with 166 yards on 28 carries became the sixth, then cut to the left sideline and roared in on a 51-yard touchdown run. It helped stake the Broncos a 7-0 lead just 1 minute, 46 seconds into the game.

Droughns' next carry went for 11 yards, Plummer's first pass attempt was good for 33 yards and the Broncos scored another touchdown -- it was a 37-yard pass from Plummer to Ashley Lelie -- on their fourth offensive play of the game.

By the time the first quarter was over, the Broncos had scored on each of their first four possessions - two touchdowns and two field goals -- for a 20-0 lead.

"I was very shocked," Droughns said. "Any time you get a 50-something run on the first play of the game, you're definitely shocked. You don't expect something like that to happen to you."

But according to the Sports Xchange, head coach Mike Shanahan was all that impressed with Droughns' performance.

The former fullback had 106 yards on his first 10 carries in the first half, but only 18 carries for 60 yards after the half.

"Reuben didn't play one of his better games against New Orleans," Shanahan said. "He played a good game, a solid game, but it was not one of his better games. It just shows you what he is capable of doing when he puts one of his better games together. ..."

Also according to the Xchange, Kyle Johnson scored his second touchdown of the season on a 19-yard reception Sunday. Johnson saw his snaps increase at fullback once again as he is becoming a bigger part of the offense. ...

Lelie is on pace for his first 1,000-yard season and has six touchdowns after grabbing four in his first two years combined. All of Lelie's touchdowns are 30 yards or longer.

Plummer has thrown six touchdown passes and no picks in the last two games. And according to Denver Post staffer Patrick Saunders, he's making smarter plays -- throwing the ball away when he must and not forcing things.

"The offense is neither as productive nor consistent as it should be.

"And the defense continues to show more and more cracks.

"If there was ever a time the Lions needed a little Thanksgiving Day magic, it's this week. ..."

With a short week of practice and the possibility of being embarrassed by the Indianapolis Colts in front of a national television audience Thursday, the Lions are still thankful for Thanksgiving Day.

"I think maybe the one thing that may be good is playing on Thanksgiving," Joey Harrington said Monday. "It has a way of bringing out the best in this team; it has in the past, at least.

"Last year, for instance. We had been in a funk for a while and came out and played well against Green Bay. There's something about this town on Thanksgiving. The whole country's watching, and that gives you a little extra motivation."

But as Sylvester suggested, motivation is one of several little extras the Lions seem to be lacking in a losing streak that has taken them from 4-2 to 4-6 with consecutive losses to Dallas, Washington, Jacksonville and Minnesota.

And it is no coincidence that Harrington is taking the brunt of the criticism -- at least from the fans and media -- for the midseason slump.

Head coach Steve Mariucci acknowledged that Harrington hasn't made enough of the plays the Lions need to win, and he said backup Mike McMahon will continue to get practice time with the first offense, but he stopped far short of blaming Harrington.

The latest loss -- 22-19 at Minnesota on Sunday --was one of the toughest for the Lions to swallow because they led by 12 points entering the fourth quarter but couldn't muster enough offense or defense to save the game.

"For a lot of that game we were in control, as a team," Mariucci said. "We were winning the game, and he was doing a lot of things we ask him to do well. I know we came unraveled as a team towards the end of that game, but that was not all Joey Harrington."

Harrington completed a high percentage of passes -- 12 of 19 -- but the Lions gained only 91 yards passing, scored one offensive touchdown, and Harrington was intercepted on his final pass.

Asked whether Harrington's job was as secure as it was four or five weeks ago, Mariucci sidestepped the issue.

"We were playing better football as a team four weeks ago," he said. "So we were feeling better about most everything at the time, and when you lose several games in a row like we have, then you just brainstorm as a coach to try to see what we can do be better in any phase. And that's always the one that seems to draw the most discussion."

Mariucci's brainstorming a week ago led him to give McMahon additional practice time with the first offense, just in case Harrington struggled against the Vikings.

McMahon didn't play, but he will get the same percentage of practice time this week, in case he is needed against the Colts.

Although the Lions lost and Harrington's statistics weren't impressive, he said he felt better about his play than he had the two previous weeks. And he said he doesn't think he is competing for his job.

"It's my job to go out there and lead the offense, and that's what I'm going to do," Harrington said. "And we're going to continue to grow, as a group.

"It's not something that I think about -- playing for my job. Everybody on every play is playing for his job.

"I'm not playing like I'm playing for this job. I'm playing for this team. I'm playing to continue to be the quarterback on this team. We need to improve as a team and as an offensive group, and I'm going to continue to play that way."

According to Sylvester, Harrington still is involved on most practice plays, but McMahon is getting more now than at any previous time this year. ...

Meanwhile, tailback Kevin Jones carried 19 times for 100 yards, giving him the first 100-yard rushing game of his career. He also had 19 carries the previous week against Jacksonville and gained 81 yards.

Like the rest of the offense, Jones couldn't sustain anything. In the third quarter, he had three carries for a net of minus-1 yard. In the fourth quarter, he carried once for 6 yards. His longest run was 16 yards. Shawn Bryson, a backup tailback and fullback, carried twice for 19 yards.

"There were about three or four runs I thought I could break," Jones said.

The Lions rushed for 128 yards in the first half and only 18 in the second. Part of the decline was caused by fewer opportunities -- 21 runs in the first half and six in the second as the Vikings controlled the ball.

But Minnesota made a defensive change, too.

"They had a lot more guys up in the box," Jones said. "They were jamming it. ..."

According to Booth Newspapers staffer Tom Kowalski, a bothersome ankle is partly to blame, but opponents have been successful in taking Roy Williams out of the game.

After catching 17 passes and four touchdowns in his first three games, Williams hasn't had more than four catches or 67 yards in his other five games and has scored just one touchdown in that stretch.

The Lions are still looking for him, particularly in the end zone (he dropped a touchdown pass against the Vikings), but teams are doing a good job of sticking with him.

Fellow wideout Az-Zahir Hakim sat out last Sunday with a back injury that also severely limited his participation the previous week at Jacksonville. According to the Sports Xchange, with a short work week going into the Thanksgiving Day game against Indianapolis, his status is in question for that game too.

"Such is the state of the Green Bay Packers' backfield. ..."

Because they play on Monday night against St. Louis, the Packers have an extra day to nurse their wounds, which they'll gladly take after watching star running back Ahman Green (ribs), backup Walter Williams (ankle) and fullback Nick Luchey (shoulder) exit in the first half of a 16-13, come-from-behind victory over Houston last Sunday night.

The Packers were left with third-down back Tony Fisher and fullback William Henderson to handle all of the backfield duties in the second half and almost lost Fisher when he suffered a neck stinger. Relying heavily on their passing game, the Packers rallied for 13 points in the fourth quarter and won the game on kicker Ryan Longwell's 46-yard field goal with no time left.

Silverstein went on to point out that as much as the Packers rely on their running game to fuel their offense, it would be wishful thinking for them to expect to win again Monday with just 74 yards on the ground from their running backs. The Rams rank 29th in the league against the run and the best way to keep their high-powered offense off the field is to control the ball with a potent running attack.

But depending on the health of their backs, the Packers will have to be prepared to throw the ball as often as they did against the Texans.

Their saving grace might be Najeh Davenport, who was held out of the Houston game to allow a slight hamstring pull in his right leg time to heal. Davenport practiced on a limited basis last week but was held out to give his leg extra time to heal.

He has not played since the Dallas game Oct. 24 and his endurance probably won't be the best if he's able to play. But he could be the healthiest of the lot come game day.

"I'm hopeful," running backs coach Johnny Roland said of Davenport being ready. "He was close this week."

The Packers have not ruled out Green for the Rams game and were still hoping he would make a dramatic recovery from a rib injury he suffered on the first play of the game. Green apparently landed on the ball as he fell to the ground with right tackle Mark Tauscher on top of him at the end of a 7-yard run.

He exited the game immediately, played sparingly for about a quarter and then left for good just before halftime.

A club spokesman said tests taken Monday did not reveal a fractured rib, but there is sprained cartilage. The Packers will be able to protect Green's ribs with padding but his ability to withstand the discomfort will determine whether he can play.

"If he practices, it will be later in the week," said head coach Mike Sherman, who gave the players Monday and Tuesday off. "He's sore right now."

If Green were unable to play, Davenport would be in line for his first start, but only if he shows he's able to run without pain in his hamstring.

The most he has carried in any game is 22 times, which means he'd need some relief from Fisher, whose status is a bit of a question mark. Fisher refused to come out of the game after suffering a stinger and will be re-evaluated before the practice week begins Wednesday.

Regardless of his physical status, the Packers don't want to use Fisher as an every-down back if they can help it. His talents are best utilized on third downs and on special teams.

"He's a good route-runner, he understands our protections and he also plays a lot of special teams," offensive coordinator Tom Rossley said. "He's not as good on first and second down as the other two (Green and Davenport)."

If Green and Davenport are out, the Packers would like to turn to Williams, who made his NFL debut Monday night with 42 yards in seven carries. But in the second quarter, Williams suffered what was diagnosed as a high ankle sprain. Typically, those are far worse than regular sprains and can require weeks to heal.

Were Luchey not injured, he could be an option for halfback. Test results confirmed he suffered a dislocated shoulder and it doesn't appear he'll be ready to play Monday. The Packers could bring up practice squad fullback Vonta Leach to help spell starter William Henderson, but that wouldn't help them much at halfback.

According to the Associated Press, the team signed running back James Jackson on Tuesday for additional depth at the position.

Jackson, a third-round draft pick of the Browns in 2001, played in four games for Cleveland this year, rushing 12 times for 81 yards and catching six passes for 22 yards. He was waived by Cleveland Nov. 16.

Stay tuned. I'll keep a close eye on developments at this spot and update you as necessary throughout the weekend.

Other notes of interest. ...

Javon Walker had nine catches for 88 yards, giving him 58 for 945 and eight touchdowns in 10 games. "I told Javon before the game, 'The sky's the limit if your confidence continues to grow the way it is now," Brett Favre said. "But always remember in the back of your mind you can get better. Don't ever be satisfied with any statistic."

Donald Driver also had a huge game, catching 10 passes for 148 yards. As the Sports Xchange suggested Tuesday, Driver is playing more like the player that he was in 2002 than the player that he was in 2003. ...

And finally. ... The Journal-Sentinel reports Robert Ferguson doesn't seem likely to miss any time to a sore shoulder.

And how he felt, Johnson said , "was like you just lost the biggest game of your life."

"You don't get that many chances like that in front of a big audience," he said. "You want to make a good impression."

For three quarters, Johnson, David Carr and the rest of the Texans' defense were well on the way to making a memorable impression in Houston's first prime-time game since the 2002 franchise opener against Dallas.

Johnson had five catches for 106 yards entering the fourth quarter, including a 49-yarder that set up the Texans' only touchdown.

Carr completed 11 of 20 for 156 yards for 156 yards and had 36 rushing, including a 24-yard scramble that was the Texans' longest run of the season from scrimmage.

In the fourth quarter, however, it was three-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out, then watch on the sidelines as the game slips away.

After totaling 193 yards and 13 points by halftime, the Texans managed just 44 yards in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth. The runs and rollout passes that worked so well for two quarters were stymied in the second half.

"They figured us out," Carr said. "We did some good things in the first half, and they came out in the second half and sat back in a soft zone, stopped us up front with their front four and made it tough.

"You're facing third and eight, third and 10; you're not gonna win like that. There's no chance."

The Texans had success in the first half with Carr rolling out, taking advantage of his healthier ankles, which in turn loosened up the running game for Domanick Davis, who had 37 yards at halftime.

The rollout game disappeared in the second half, but Carr said didn't indicate that the Texans went to a more conservative game plan.

"You can't say that (about the game plan)," he said. "They showed some looks that got us out of that. We couldn't get the running game going as effectively. And when they saw we couldn't run against their front seven, they can sit back in a Cover 2 all day and beat us."

Carr added: "It's lonely back there when you're dropping back and there's no one to throw the football to. The offensive line did a good job and kept them off me long enough to where we should be able to get somebody open. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

Carr's 24-yard scramble in the final minute of the first half was the Texans' longest run of the season and the first Houston run from scrimmage of more than 20 yards in 2004.

The Texans were the last NFL team to break the 20-yard barrier this season.

Carr's 16-yard scramble earlier in the season had been the Texans' longest run of 2004. He also had an 11-yard run in the second quarter.

As the Sports Xchange noted, take away Carr's 36 yards, and the Texans averaged only 2.9 yards per carry, about on par with one of the league's worst rushing teams.

Davis had to earn every bit of his 65 yards as the Packers stuffed the running lanes. Right tackle Todd Wade called the Texans' continuing problem of establishing the run, "embarrassing and unacceptable."

"Eluding tacklers with knee-buckling cuts and spins, dropping his shoulder to finish runs, he's giving the Indianapolis Colts the runner they need to keep defenses honest. ..."

"He sets the tone for us," head coach Tony Dungy said Monday.

Yet the two-time NFL rushing champ has nearly become a forgotten figure this year amid the fanfare of the Colts' record-breaking chases. Peyton Manning is closing in on Dan Marino's record for touchdown passes in a season, receivers are putting up career numbers and the Colts' offense is on pace to score the second-most points in league history.

James seemed out of the mix until Sunday, when he shredded a solid Chicago defense for 204 yards on 23 carries, an astounding average of 8.9. It was the second-best performance of his career and included his first touchdown in five weeks.

Now, at age 26 and possibly facing free agency after this year, James is re-emerging as one of the league's most dangerous runners. He leads the AFC in rushing with 1,081 yards. Only Shaun Alexander of the NFC's Seattle Seahawks has more (1,151 yards).

James also is averaging a career-high 4.9 yards per carry and tops the conference in yards from scrimmage (1,399).

"Everyone on this team knows the importance of Edgerrin and knows exactly what No. 32 is capable of doing," Manning said after Sunday's win. "The people in the AFC know for sure."

If opponents think they've witnessed this act before, they have.

James won rushing titles in 1999 and 2000, when he also strung together back-to-back seasons with more than 2,000 total yards.

Everything changed midway through the 2001 season, when James tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Now James, like Manning and the Colts' offense, is on the brink of history. Should he win the conference rushing title, the four-year gap between title runs would be the longest in AFC history. Seattle's Curt Warner holds the record after winning rushing titles in 1983 and 1986, long before the Seahawks switched conferences.

As Marot suggested, James' approach is different this time.

He now acknowledges the sideline is his friend. Although he still despises taking plays off, he says it has made him a stronger runner late in the season.

Sunday's game was an example of that new philosophy. The Colts pulled James after three quarters and he didn't seem to mind -- even though he needed just 16 yards to break his single-game franchise record.

"With another game on Thursday, I wanted to make sure I stayed fresh for that game and for the rest of the season," he said.

That could be disheartening news for opponents already battered by the Indy offense this year.

"When he's running like that, it really magnifies what we do," Dungy said. "Sometimes he's out of the limelight, but our guys know what he means to us. ..."

As the Indianapolis Star News noted Tuesday, at 33.9 points a game, the Colts are on pace for 542 points, 95 more than the club record set last season and more than all but one team in the NFL's 85-year history. Minnesota scored 556 points in 1998.

The 1983 Washington Redskins are No. 2 on the list with 541 points and the 2000 St. Louis Rams are third with 540.

With 45 touchdowns through 10 games, the Colts' season total projects to 72, which would be a record. Miami had 70 in 1984 and St. Louis had 67 in 2000. Three teams have scored 66: Houston in 1961, San Francisco in 1994 and St. Louis in 1999.

The Colts scored 41 points last Sunday despite going only 4-for-10 on third down conversions and 3-for-7 in the red zone and incurring 10 penalties for 91 yards.

"To be honest, we weren't all that sharp yesterday," Dungy said. "I think we can still play better than that."

Also of interest. ...

According to Star News beat man Mike Chappell, Harrison is on pace to post his lowest season totals since 1998. Harrison hasn't publicly expressed frustration over a lesser role in the offense, but Manning is aware he needs to get his long-time go-to receiver more involved. ...

Also according to Chappell, after a slow start to his second season, Dallas Clark is becoming a major force in the league's highest-scoring offense. He brings speed and athleticism to the position, which presents defenses with coverage concerns.

Chappell added: "Clark routinely wins one-on-one match-ups with linebackers. He has exceptional hands and is an outstanding after-the-catch threat."

Over the past five games, he has totaled 15 receptions, 283 yards and three TDs.

But coach Jack Del Rio, isn't so sure about his quarterback's status.

"Unless we have a major setback, I believe I'll be playing this week," said Leftwich, who has missed the last two games with a knee injury. "The key is not to go out there and just jump at it. I've got to understand that I haven't done anything for three weeks and that I have to work myself into it and make sure I'm ready for Sunday, and not Wednesday."

Del Rio said Monday he's taking a more patient approach.

"He threw a couple passes last week in practice and appears to be on track to be able to return this week," Del Rio said. "I know Byron is anxious to get back. I'll know more as we get closer to Wednesday. We'll lean on the doctors and their expertise in terms of when we get clearance."

Leftwich's return would be welcome news to the Jaguars, who have struggled offensively since he was injured against Houston on Halloween.

The Jags have seen their pass production under backup David Garrard fall to a combined total of 299 yards in the two games Leftwich has missed. Leftwich had been averaging 237 yards through the air before the injury.

His return should spark a stagnant offense that produced just 38 points the past two weeks in splitting games with Detroit and Tennessee. Part of the concern is that no one has stepped up and made a play at the appropriate time, Del Rio said.

"We certainly had a lot of opportunities to come away with a win yesterday and to be feeling a whole lot better today," Del Rio said about Sunday's 18-15 loss to the Titans. "In the end, we just did not make enough plays."

In the final 15 minutes against the Titans, the Jaguars had the ball five times but were only able to generate two first downs and couldn't pad a 15-10 lead after a safety with 9:12 remaining.

But the Jaguars had plenty of opportunities to set up a score after Tennessee's go-ahead touchdown. A wide-open Jimmy Smith dropped an easy catch on Tennessee's side of the field, and, on the next play, Reggie Williams fell down just as Garrard's long pass reached him at the Titans' 20.

"(There's) no sense in feeling sorry for yourself," Del Rio said. "It's not time to have a pity party. It's time to get back to work and work on some of the things that are going to make a difference and help us win."

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Florida Times-Union staff writer Bart Hubbuch, Williams will remain a starter for the Jaguars this week despite posting the worst statistics of the five receivers taken in the top 20 of last April's NFL Draft.

Williams has 19 catches for 163 yards and no touchdowns while starting all 10 games, but Del Rio said the University of Washington product would be in the opening lineup again Sunday at Minnesota.

Del Rio was admittedly disappointed when Williams fell.

"Certainly, that would have been a great moment for him to go up there, make a big catch, save the day and be the hero, but it didn't happen," Del Rio said Monday. "[But] I believe in his abilities."

Williams continues to start over Troy Edwards, despite posting poorer numbers than the former Pittsburgh Steeler. Edwards is second on the team with 30 catches for 303 yards and is their top third-down threat but will remain the No.3 receiver behind Williams and Smith, Del Rio said.

Asked if Williams was outperforming Edwards in practice, Del Rio said: "I have confidence in our ability to evaluate talent, to understand who fits where and how and why."

On Monday, the coach found it necessary to defend his decision to rookie receiver Ernest Wilford a healthy scratch before. The Jaguars put Wilford on the inactive list so they could use running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma'afala, but the often-injured former Pittsburgh Steeler carried just three times for 12 yards.

Conversely, the Jaguars might have used the 6-foot-4 Wilford's size and clutch playmaking ability on their final two drives. Wilford made the game-winning touchdown catch in the Jaguars' opener at Buffalo.

"The decision was the same as it has been all year, where we [coaches] go into the game thinking how we can best use players," Del Rio said when pressed on the subject afterward. ...

Also according to Hubbuch, Fred Taylor recorded his second consecutive 100-yard rushing effort and third in the past four games, but that was the last thing on his mind after the Jaguars' loss.

"They weren't anywhere near the type of talented team they usually are, which is what makes this loss all the more sickening," he said. "No way in heck are we supposed to lose that game to that team."

Taylor finished with 103 yards on 21 carries, his fourth 100-yard outing in 12 career games against the Titans. ...

And finally. ...

The passing game could get a valuable weapon back as soon as Sunday in the form of pass-catching tight end George Wrighster.

Wrighster has been sidelined since Oct. 3 with a bulging disk in his back, but he is expected to practice Wednesday and could play against the Vikings. Wrighster has missed five consecutive games. "I'm not ready to say he's full go or anything, but I think we're going to see where he is Wednesday and determine what the remaining six weeks might be like for him," Del Rio said.

Holmes, who set an NFL record last year with 27 touchdowns, still leads the AFC in scoring by a non-kicker with 90 points. He injured a ligament in his right knee at Tampa Bay on Nov. 7.

Derrick Blaylock will continue to work as the starter in Holmes' absence. ...

Also of interest. ...

According to Associated Press sports writer Doug Tucker, a non-call on Rodney Harrison's end zone interception Monday night has Kansas City fuming.

But it was the same thing that seems to happen week after week to All-Pro tight end Tony Gonzalez, frustrating the Chiefs to the point they've stopped submitting the weekly officiating critiques the league asks for.

"They don't call holding or pass interference when Tony is involved," Vermeil said Tuesday. "He is a very prolific red zone offensive player and he always gets held, chucked or tackled."

"It makes it tough on us when you don't get a call, especially against the world champions," said Gonzalez, the five-time Pro Bowler who caught seven balls for 86 yards. "If you don't get that call, it means they're going to win. We need that call and it should have been called. It was illegal, but it didn't get called."

Trent Green, who passed for 381 yards and two touchdowns, said it looked like Gonzalez "was getting mugged."

"I've got to tread lightly here because I can get fined based on what I say," he told reporters.

But as Tucker noted, it seems to the Chiefs that opponents are allowed to do just about everything but reach out and trip Gonzalez from the bench.

"It's interesting," Green said. "Every week we get letters from the league saying, `Oops. sorry. We didn't call it.' But that doesn't do us any good.

"It's unfortunate that Tony being the player that he is, he doesn't get a little bit more leeway in that department. And there was no leeway needed on that play."

Vermeil said he does not believe anyone is picking on his tight end. But he's even tried talking to officials before the game.

"I've gone to the officials and reminded them we have Tony Gonzalez, the best tight end in football, and he gets held coming off the line of scrimmage, grabbed and held," Vermeil said.

"Then he gets hit beyond the 5-yard (zone)."

Infuriating the Chiefs even more is the fact Gonzalez has been called twice for pushing off.

"And they were ridiculous calls," Vermeil said. "So I just don't say anything and I go on. I have to stay away from that."

Coincidentally, it was the Patriots who triggered this season's renewed emphasis on enforcing the rule that says defenders cannot make any contact with receivers beyond 5 yards of the line of scrimmage.

"(Colts president) Bill Polian on the competition committee jumped on the table because of the way his Colts got beat up (in the playoffs)," said Chiefs president Carl Peterson. "Why it hasn't happened for Tony, I don't know."

Peterson has even quit speaking to the men in the striped shirts.

"I don't even talk to them any more. And I know them by their first names," he said. "I just stand there on the sideline. They come by and I just let them walk by."

One last note here. ...

Vermeil is hopeful that rookie tight end Kris Wilson would play for the first time this season against the Chargers. Wilson broke his leg in the preseason finale against Dallas.

Even with Wannstedt gone, their season essentially ruined and much of the roster limping with injuries, the downtrodden Dolphins have found even more benefits to the plan.

"People out here don't know who you are," tight end Randy McMichael said. "You can walk around town and not have people coming up to you saying, 'What's wrong with the Dolphins?"'

Most players don't like the arrangement, particularly because it leaves them more than 3,000 miles away from their families at Thanksgiving. Interim coach Jim Bates stuck with Wannstedt's plan in hopes of breathing some life into his reeling club, which has lost consecutive heartbreakers while extending the worst start in franchise history.

And of course, without travel time this week, perhaps some of the team's walking wounded will be able to get sufficient treatment to return to action this Sunday.

According to the Sports Xchange, A.J. Feeley said that he will play in Sunday's game against San Francisco despite suffering a right hip injury against the Seahawks. Feeley hobbled through the final three quarters and was still limping on Monday.

"I'm playing on Sunday regardless of what's going on," Feeley said. "If I have to get a (pain-killing) shot five or six times, I'll do it."

"You saw how he played with pain," said Bates, who named Feeley his starter shortly after being promoted to replace Wannstedt two weeks ago. "He was just a warrior out there yesterday. We win that game, which we could've very easily, we'd be carrying A.J. off the field in honor because that was a courageous effort."

If Feeley has his druthers, he will be taking snaps in Wednesday's practice.

"I'm going to practice," said Feeley, who completed 23 of 45 passes for 229 yards against Seattle. "If I have to get shot up again just to practice, I'll do it. I'm not going to miss practice as much as we need to get everything down."

Whatever the case, the Dolphins won't be able to rely on Fielder, who visited a specialist on Tuesday and was diagnosed with a herniated disc in his neck. As a result, the Dolphins have placed Fiedler on injured reserve, officially ending his 2004 campaign.

In eight games this season, he was 101 of 190 for 1,186 yards, seven touchdowns and eight interceptions.

Also listed as injured were fullback Rob Konrad with a concussion and running back Sammy Morris.

According to the Sports Xchange, Morris was still ailing Monday from a rib injury that sidelined him for the second half of Sunday's loss. Morris will likely be listed as questionable for this week's game against San Francisco.

Konrad said Monday that he will play Sunday against San Francisco.

Olindo Mare is optimistic that he can kick Sunday against San Francisco. Mare aggravated a right calf injury in pre-game warm-ups during last Sunday's 24-17 loss to Seattle and missed one of his two field-goal attempts in the fourth quarter. ...

According to Miami Herald staff writer Jason Cole, the Dolphins changed the vantage point of offensive coordinator Chris Foerster for Sunday's game, placing him on the sideline rather than his usual press box perch.

"We talked about it last week and I made the decision," Bates said of the change. "I wanted to change the pace of things and wanted to get our communication to work a little faster."

Bates said the idea worked, citing the fact Miami had plays called and the offense was at the line with plenty of time to get the play off.

"I thought it was pretty good, because we had a chance to converse with him on the sideline," receiver Chris Chambers said. "There was a lot more communication, so I hope we can stick with that.

Chambers caught nine passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, making him the first Dolphin to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games since Tony Martin in 1999.

After the game, Chambers said the receiver corps might have done more damage had the Miami blocking afforded quarterbacks more time.

"We couldn't run any deep patterns," Chambers said. "Because they were blitzing and there was no time, we had to limit things to short crossing routes. We couldn't use our longer routes."

Chambers' third-quarter 13-yard TD catch was the 25th of his career, tying him with Bruce Hardy for sixth on the Dolphins' all-time list. The nine receptions tied his single-game best, which he set last season on Dec. 28 against the Jets.

Fellow wideout Marty Booker caught two passes for 20 yards, extending his streak of games with at least one catch to 68. ...

And finally. ...

According to AP football writer Barry Wilner, Ricky Williams will serve a four-game suspension beginning next month and then be reinstated with the Miami Dolphins by the NFL, according to his lawyer.

But the league says an agreement has not been finalized.

"I am pleased with the National Football League's proposal," attorney David Cornwell said Tuesday. "I think Ricky will be pleased, too."

Williams must approve the deal, which would move him from the retired list to the suspended list for the final four games of the schedule. The running back is required to serve a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

After that, his contract with the Dolphins would be in force.

"Anything regarding Ricky's status is a league matter," Dolphins spokesman Harvey Greene told Wilner.

"No agreement has been reached at this time," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said, adding the league and Williams' representatives have been in discussions "for some time."

This development -- if it comes to pass -- doesn't mean much this year, but it's definitely an interesting twist.

On Monday morning, Moss passed two physical trials under the supervision of head trainer Chuck Barta. Moss hopped on each leg three times, and he ran three 40-yard dashes to gauge the progress of his strained right hamstring.

The answer to the third test won't be known until Wednesday.

"The key is how he wakes up," coach Mike Tice said.

If he has swelling, Moss might sit out his third consecutive game, following two token appearances before that. If there is no swelling, he would be on schedule to play up to 25 plays Sunday against the Jaguars, even though he could be listed initially as doubtful. Tice has said that Moss would need to practice each day and undergo a magnetic resonance imaging exam before playing again.

"He looked extremely good," Tice said of Moss' workout. "One hundred percent? No. But he did really well."

Tice said Barta "pushed" Moss during the workout Monday, and Moss responded. During the hopping drill, Moss jumped better on his recovering leg than his healthy one. In running the 40, Moss' time was still faster than most of his teammates' times.

But offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said he was taking a "wait-and-see" approach with Moss. He plans on having Moss but would have a Plan B ready if Moss has a setback during the week.

Regardless, Linehan said his offense could take comfort in knowing it has been able to produce without Moss.

"I think the biggest thing is. ... We proved that we can be in any game, in any environment," he said.

Linehan said the Vikings showed they could compete in close road losses to Indianapolis and Green Bay.

"That was without our best player," he said. "I think that created some confidence, even in a loss, that we could do it."

No one has benefited more than quarterback Daunte Culpepper, Linehan added. Playing without Moss for the first time in his career, Culpepper has shown patience and a willingness to distribute the ball to all of his options. In each of the past two games, Culpepper has completed passes to seven receivers.

"The best thing he's done, he's utilized all the playmakers within the system to his advantage," Linehan said.

As for Moss, he was disappointed that his streak of consecutive games and games with catches ended. But he is hopeful of keeping alive another one: extending his NFL record of 1,000 yards receiving in each of his first seven seasons.

To do so, Moss, who has 394 yards receiving, would have to average 101 yards in his last six games.

Despite solid numbers, the Vikings haven't been nearly as explosive during Moss' absence, and they have struggled to run the ball. If he can draw his usual two and three defenders, Moss could make life easier for all of his teammates.

I'll obviously have more on Moss as developments warrant.

Other notes of interest. ...

Tice told the Pioneer Press that he would like one back to emerge to handle the bulk of the carries. However, neither Michael Bennett nor Onterrio Smith has done that yet. Meanwhile, as the Sports Xchange noted, Moe Williams battled ankle, calf and quadriceps injuries from the start of training camp until about two weeks ago. He's definitely back in what could be the final stretch run of his NFL career. Williams converted two third downs running and one receiving and scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

"Moe, he's like an uncle to us," said Smith. "We might vote for him for president in a couple of years. He's just one heck of a leader."

The speedy third-year receiver was terrific in his first game back from injury, catching six passes for 105 yards and a scintillating 26-yard touchdown.

"You never know who's going to have a big game," said Branch, who got hurt in the season's second game against Arizona. "It does [get frustrating]. You see the guys playing and I'm in the training room. Not being with my teammates was the only frustration I had."

Branch's catches weren't only frequent, they were big. He helped set up the Patriots first touchdown with a diving catch on third-and-15.

On the touchdown, Branch said, "I wasn't thinking about [cutting it back] I just reacted."

He had no flash of worry about his injured knee either.

"Around here, our coaches don't let us get back on the field unless we're ready," said Branch. "I was ready to go out and play. They let you work your way back in and get on the field at your pace."

And just to prove my grasp of the obvious. ... I suggested last week you'd be wise not to believe Branch was back until you actually saw him hit the field.

It's now safe to assume he's back. ...

Also of interest. ...

Tom Brady completed 65 percent of his passes for 315 yards and averaged 11.4 yards per pass play while posting a 119.9 passer rating. He welcomed back Branch by hitting him six times for 105 yards and a touchdown, but he also spread the ball out, throwing to eight different receivers in the game.

He once again utilized his wideouts, tight ends and backs, throwing at the soft spots in the coverage and he looked sharp doing so in a tough environment at Arrowhead Stadium. ...

Meanwhile, Corey Dillon lost his second fumble of the season on a first-and-goal play from the Chiefs' 5-yard line. It was also the second time he lost a fumble near the opposing goal line, the first coming in Buffalo back on Oct. 3.

But as the Sports Xchange noted on Tuesday, despite the costly fourth quarter turnover, the Patriots went right back to Dillon trying to milk the clock on the next series. He carried seven times for 28 yards to set up a Patriots field goal that staked them to an 8-point lead with 1:46 to play.

"Since I messed it up, I mean give me the opportunity to redeem myself," Dillon said. "I'm disgusted about that. Things happen. Immediately, everybody said we're going to need you to come through and run the ball hard and get us down there and that's basically what I did. That's what I love about this team. No matter what, they believe in me, I believe in them and we fight to the end for each other. That's a good thing and that's what I love about this place."

Dillon ran for 98 yards against the Chiefs, giving him 998 on the season in just nine games. He also caught a 20-yard pass. Of his 26 runs, nine went for 1 yard or less with three resulting in losses of 8 combined yards. Two his runs were longer than 10 yards and 11 were 5 yards or longer.

On Sunday, Brooks set high-water marks for attempts (60) and completions (34) in a 34-13 loss to the Broncos at the Superdome.

Unfortunately, Brooks also threw three interceptions, including one returned 7 yards for a touchdown by middle linebacker Al Wilson that extended Denver's lead to 27-3 with 7:08 remaining in the first half.

Under heavy pressure, Brooks tried to flip the ball underhanded in the direction of running back Deuce McAllister, but Wilson picked it off and ran untouched into the end zone.

Brooks had last thrown three interceptions in one game against the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 24, 2002.

"I didn't play too well," Brooks said. "There were things I'd like to change. I'd like to have back a couple throws. The protection broke down and I tried to throw the ball away, and I gave it away. The guy made a great play. I guess he was at the right place at the right time."

After falling behind 14-0 in the first 5 and a half minutes and 20-0 at the end of the first quarter, Saints offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy abandoned his game plan and tried to get back in the game through the air.

"We got into a game we really didn't want to play," McCarthy said. "I don't think I've ever been part of a game where you throw the ball 50-plus times and win. You can't throw the ball 60 times in this league and expect to win."

For the ninth time this season, the Saints failed to score in the first quarter. They have yet to score a point on their opening drive and have gone three-and-out on their first possession in five consecutive games.

"Number one, I've got to do a better job starting the game," McCarthy said. "We've tried a number of different approaches, and we're not getting it done. I got to take full accountability for that. We got to start better. There's something obviously wrong there. We got to try to get that addressed again this week.

"Secondly, if you get in that type of game you can't make mistakes, regardless of the score. We were trying to get it to a one-score or 10-point game where we could get back into our normal plan, and we couldn't get that done. You don't want to be one-dimensional because now they're dictating the flow. We got to start better because we are not dictating the flow, and it's happening to us time and time again."

Brooks finished with 377 yards passing and one touchdown, a 30-yarder to wide receiver Donte' Stallworth.

McAllister set personal single-game highs with 11 catches for 87 yards. But he matched a season-low 42 yards rushing on 13 carries.

"When you get behind like we did, we can't run the ball like we'd like to," said Brooks, who threw for a franchise-record 441 yards in a 38-23 loss against the Broncos in 2000. "We have a great back, and we can't utilize him. When you become one-dimensional, D-linemen will be digging their cleats in to come after you.

"There's a saying in golf -- it's not how you drive, it's how you arrive. It's not how we start but how we finish, and today we didn't finish on a positive note. ..."

Following what it's worth, the Saints elicited a rare comment from team owner Tom Benson as he emerged from an elevator next to the locker room where they had retreated.

Benson, who usually doesn't speak to the media, went out of his way to walk over to a group of reporters who were waiting to get into the locker room to conduct interviews.

"They looked just like high school kids," Benson said before departing the building. "That's the worst performance I've seen from our club in my 20 years of owning them."

When asked about Benson's comments during his postgame news conference, head coach Jim Haslett said, "He can say what he wants; he's the owner of the team."

Other notes of interest. ...

Joe Horn, who was questionable for Sunday's game because of a strained knee, played and caught five passes for 81 yards. But he came out of the game with a bruised right elbow, which forced him to leave the contest with 5:22 remaining in the final quarter.

According to the Sports Xchange, he will be listed as probable for Sunday's game with the Atlanta Falcons.

Stallworth enjoyed his best game of the 2004 campaign, hauling in 10 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos. For the season, he has has 41 catches for 468 yards and two TDs in 10 games, including seven starts.

And finally. ...

Also according to the Xchange, John Carney, a 15-year veteran, scored the 1,500th point of his NFL career when he converted a 24-yard field-goal attempt with 10:58 remaining in the second quarter.

Carney, who went into the game with 1,499, has 1,506 points after he added another field goal and an extra point. He ranks ninth on the league's all-time scoring list with that total.

"Had his receivers not dropped a half-dozen of Eli Manning's passes yesterday at Giants Stadium, the rookie quarterback's first NFL start might have been a more successful one.

"Just ask his teammates. ..."

"I thought Eli did a great job," fullback Jim Finn said after the 14-10 loss to the Falcons. "He settled in fine as the game went on. He performed well with clock management. He was very aware and put us in the proper formations.

"I thought he did a great job, and there are going to be good things to come."

Manning had an impressive second half. Problem was, during the first half, his receivers struggled to hold on to his passes. Manning was 5-for-14 for 46 yards and an interception in the first half -- a passer rating of just 15.8.

But it wasn't all his fault. Tight end Jeremy Shockey, who was quick to leave after the game, dropped three passes in the opening half that should have been caught, and wide receivers Amani Toomer and Ike Hilliard also struggled with their grips.

Running back Tiki Barber said the Giants let Manning down, and Toomer agreed -- to some extent.

"I don't know. Tiki has his opinion of things," Toomer said. "I think we definitely could've helped [Manning] a little bit more. A couple of balls there could've made it easier for him and given him momentum. We didn't do that."

Head coach Tom Coughlin -- who went to the bench to talk to Toomer in the second quarter -- acknowledged as much, but wouldn't knock his receivers.

Asked what he said to them after the first half, Coughlin said: "I just said we need to make plays. Just like we started the game off, we started the game off by saying that our play-makers had to make plays. We had to help and give us some opportunities to keep the ball. People had to step up and make plays."

That meant Shockey, Toomer and Hilliard.

Manning finished 17-for-37 for 162 yards, a TD and two interceptions. He was sacked only once. Kurt Warner had been sacked 24 times in the previous four games.

Shockey caught Manning's first NFL touchdown pass, but it wasn't enough. A few key receptions and it could have been different in the rookie's starting debut.

"I just told him he played a great game," Falcons quarterback Michael Vick said. "His first game, there is a lot of hype, a lot of pressure on him. He came out and played with poise.

"He made some plays you can't expect a rookie quarterback to make. I told him he's going to be just like his brother in due time."

Or as Chere put it, "When his receivers start holding on to the ball. ..."

Also of interest. ...

According to New York Newsday staff writer Neil Best, the first play of the Manning era turned out to be the Giants' longest of the day -- a handoff to Barber that gained 23 yards.

It was a sign that for all of the excitement and intrigue surrounding the rookie quarterback's first start, the veteran running back remains the centerpiece of the offense.

Barber would go on to rush 21 times for 107 yards and add three catches for 24, including a third-and-8 catch for 10 yards on the Giants' only touchdown drive. On that play, he was knocked woozy when the back of his head rammed into the turf.

"There's not a lot of protection in the back of your head, and it just stings a little bit," he said.

It was Barber's seventh 100-yard game this season, one short of Joe Morris' team record, and the team-record 20th such game of his career, breaking Morris' record by one.

His streak of scoring at least one touchdown ended after seven consecutive games, the Giants' longest such streak within a single season since 1944. ...

Also according to Best, Manning's first career touchdown pass covered 6 yards to Shockey. That was the same distance as the first pro TD pass for both his father, Archie Manning (to Dave Parks in 1971) and his brother Peyton Manning (to Marvin Harrison in 1998).

Shockey caught his fifth TD pass of 2004, one more than in his first two seasons combined.

In an article published by the Sporting News, Best advised readers that Hilliard only is 28, but he has been in the league for eight seasons and his slim body has taken a beating. He appears to have lost a step and won't outrun many defenders in the open field.

But Hilliard remains a savvy receiver who knows how to find open areas over the middle, and a slippery runner after the catch. He relies more than ever now on his shiftiness.

Best summed up by suggesting: "Hilliard might have some life left in him, as long as coaches use him as a possession receiver, especially on third downs, and don't expect him to be a game-breaker. ..."

And finally. ..

Mike Cloud was inactive, giving Ron Dayne a chance to rush four times for 13 yards

The injured quarterback, who has missed the last two games with a strained rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, received medical clearance yesterday to begin a throwing regimen. Even though the news was expected, it represented the first significant step in his comeback.

Pennington, who said after Sunday's win over the Browns that he "absolutely" expects to play again this season, provided an updated prognosis yesterday after huddling with his doctors. Speaking on his ESPN radio show, Pennington said he expects to return either Dec. 5 (Texans, home), Dec. 12 (Steelers, away) or Dec. 19 (Seahawks, home). The earliest date appears to be extremely optimistic.

In other words, prepare for at least two more games with Quincy Carter, who will start Sunday against the Cardinals.

"Everything is going right along and going fine," said Pennington, originally expected to miss two to four weeks.

Pennington reiterated there are no guarantees with this type of injury. Indeed, he will be monitored closely over the next week to two weeks. If he doesn't regain adequate strength in the shoulder, he will be shut down for the season, probably requiring some form of surgery. Even if he does return, offseason surgery still looms as a possibility. The organization is said to be cautiously optimistic.

"He's getting better," head coach Herman Edwards said.

Pennington stepped up his rehabilitation Monday, throwing yoga balls against a trampoline. He said the inflammation in the rotator cuff, which may have a small tear, has subsided -- and "now it's just a matter of strengthening it and being able to throw."

Wednesday, Pennington expects to participate in the pat-and-go drill at the start of practice, when the quarterbacks lob 20-yard passes to the wide receivers. The amount of residual soreness he feels Thursday might give them an idea of how far he has come -- and how far he has to go.

In the meantime, the Jets hope they can grind out some offense under Carter, who has led the offense to only three touchdowns in two starts (76.6 passer rating). Against the Browns, he passed for only 116 yards and produced a 0.0 passer rating on third down. He completed two of eight passes for 13 yards, with one interception and three sacks.

Despite the woeful offensive performance, in which the Jets had almost as many punts (eight) as points (10), Edwards said he never considered pulling Carter in favor of third-stringer Brooks Bollinger, who has no regular-season experience.

"No, I just felt Quincy was going to get it done, that our offense was going to get it done," said Edwards, claiming Carter has done "a pretty good job" in his two starts. "It never entered my mind. ... There comes a time when maybe you think about it, but at that point, I wasn't thinking about it. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

Because he refused interviews all week, offensive coordinator Paul Hackett was put in the unusual position Monday of being questioned about last week's clock-management debacle. Hackett refused to comment on the most controversial play, when Carter had to call timeout because the play came in late from the sideline.

"I don't want to get involved," Hackett said. "You guys have hammered that for 10 days. I'm not going to add on to that. See you all."

With that, Hackett left the locker room. Moments earlier, he hinted that Carter's inexperience in the Jets' offense may have been responsible for some of the communication problems.

"Last week was a young guy in his first game and it didn't go exactly right," Hackett said.

Meanwhile, the Jets scaled back their usual substitution pattern to assist Carter. Hackett, who usually changes personnel on almost every play, kept it vanilla. Except for third-down passing situations, they played most of the game in their base package.

They didn't use any two tight-end formations, but that's because tight end Chris Baker (broken hand) didn't play, though he was active for the game. In last week's loss to the Ravens, the coaches felt that Carter may have been confused by the constant changing of personnel. ...

Curtis Martin rushed for 88 yards, topping the 1,000-yard mark for the 10th straight season. He moved into sixth place on the all-time rushing list, passing Tony Dorsett. ...

Martin is listed as probable for Sunday's game in Arizona despite a bruised right knee suffered in the Cleveland game. With a high threshold for pain, Martin will certainly play this week, but according to the Sports Xchange, the Jets won't overuse him, giving a few more carries to LaMont Jordan.

"It's hard to say what it is, but we're on the same page a lot more now," he said of the best coordination yet between Kerry Collins and a widening array of pass targets.

Of course, in the wake of a 23-17 loss to San Diego on Sunday, there wasn't much to celebrate in the Oakland locker room. Except, that is, for a glimpse of the progress Porter spoke of, the kind of stuff that generates some much-needed optimism for an offense in need of consistency.

In his first turnover-free game since replacing the injured Rich Gannon as the starter in Week 4, Collins finally looked comfortable against quality opposition as he distributed 18 completions to eight different receivers. Of those, Porter had a team-leading five catches for 63 yards, Ron Curry four for 58 yards and a touchdown and Teyo Johnson, who had been riding the bench, turned his lone reception into a third-quarter score.

It all began to click during a second-quarter drive that led to Oakland's first touchdown, with Collins connecting on three consecutive first-down passes, two of them to Porter, then one to Curry for a 22-yard score.

But as Jenkins went on to note, an all-around smooth day it wasn't because with a little better technique and surer hands, the Raiders should have come away with more with as many receivers as they had wide open.

Twice, Porter made catches in the end zone, easily beating the coverage, but was unable to keep both feet in bounds. And twice in what turned out to be Oakland's final possession of the game, Curry had two crucial drops.

The first would have resulted in a touchdown and wiped out a 23-17 deficit.

"I just dropped it. It wasn't that I was focusing on getting to the end zone," said Curry, second on the team to Porter in receptions.

The second Curry muff was a third-and-five pass that was thrown a little high but should have been caught for a first down. Instead, it forced a punt that enabled the Chargers to run out the game's final 3:47.

Did Curry's disappointment over the first drop lead to the second?

"Nah. I'd put it behind me and focused on making the next play," he said. "You have to move on."

"We were so close on a lot of things," Collins said. "We've got to find a way to make those plays. If we do, we can be really good."

Also worth noting: A 15-yard touchdown Doug Gabriel catch earlier in the fourth quarter that was nullified by a penalty.

Curry agrees with Porter and Collins in that there have been increments of progress in the passing game.

"It's Week 11," Curry said. "We're getting better week after week. ... But we don't play to play close. We play to win."

Added Porter, comparing Sunday's game to the 42-14 Halloween beating the Raiders took on the road against the Chargers: "We showed that we came out and competed this time instead of rolling over like we did down in San Diego.

"We see progress, but it should get you wins. We didn't execute (enough), and they did."

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Contra Costa Times beat man Steve Corkran, Doug Jolley has re-emerged as a viable option in Oakland's offense after a disappointing 2003 season. He is back in the starting lineup and is showing improvement in his blocking, route running and catching. His presence is critical because he is fast enough to create mismatches in the Raiders favor, get open deep and take off pressure from the other receivers. According to the Sports Xchange, Justin Fargas was active for the first time in a month, but he did not play from scrimmage against San Diego. Head coach Norv Turner said he hoped to get Fargas some carries Sunday night against Denver. ...

Also according to the Xchange, Zack Crockett has just four carries this year, none in third and short, which has been his specialty over the years.

Turner said it was because the team had been successful on all its third-and-short runs this year until the San Diego game and it was because of Crockett's blocking.

McNabb, with eight touchdown passes in his last two games, is on pace for 35. That would break the team record of 32 set by Sonny Jurgensen in 1961. He needs just four more touchdown passes to surpass his personal best of 25 in 2001.

He is also on pace to become the first quarterback in team history to throw for more than 4,000 yards. Randall Cunningham set the mark of 3,808 in 1988.

Terrell Owens, meanwhile, is going to shatter all the Eagles' receiving records and still has a chance to break Jerry Rice's NFL record of 22 touchdown receptions in 1987.

With one more catch, he will break the Eagles' single-season record for TD catches of 13, which he shares with Mike Quick and Tommy McDonald. Owens, who had season lows of two catches and 24 yards Sunday, needs 502 yards to break Quick's single-season record of 1,409 receiving yards set in 1983, and he needs 32 catches to break Irving Fryar's single-season mark of 88 set in 1996.

Owens is on pace to break both. So even as we wait for the Eagles to win another division title and clinch home-field advantage before the start of the second season, there are plenty of interesting side plots to follow along the way.

However, with Washington double-teaming him most of the game, Owens had just two catches for 24 yards. It's the first time this season that he's had fewer than four receptions in a game.

All of the coverage attention on Owens allowed Todd Pinkston, to have his second 100-yard receiving performance of the season. He had five catches for 106 yards.

"I knew every time I was running deep I was taking two or three guys with me," Owens said. "That allowed a lot of (other) guys to get open. ..."

According to the Sports Xchange, Brian Westbrook has all but recovered from his rib fracture. He had 18 touches against the Redskins, averaging 6.8 yards per touch. He even returned a punt in Reno Mahe's absence.

The Inquirer reports Mahe (ankle) will miss his second consecutive game.

"The latest additions to an injury list that took coach Bill Cowher more than five minutes to recite Tuesday: wide receiver Plaxico Burress, inside linebacker Kendrell Bell and defensive lineman Brett Keisel. All will miss Sunday's home game against Washington. ..."

Burress' absence means Antwaan Randle El will start at receiver with Hines Ward, whose production has slowed considerably as he has seen more double coverage.

Ward was held to one catch after Burress left early in the second quarter Sunday and has made eight catches in three games after making at least six receptions in each of his first seven games.

Even before this latest run of injuries, the Steelers already were without four injured regulars: right guard Kendall Simmons, nose tackle Casey Hampton, running back Duce Staley and cornerback Chad Scott. Only Staley and Scott will return this season.

Cowher isn't blaming the numerous injuries, but his team played its shakiest game of the winning streak Sunday. Rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was sacked seven times, and the Steelers squandered numerous scoring chances inside the Bengals' 20.

Robinson added that Cowher is wary of the Redskins despite their record, pointing to their second-ranked defense and improving ground game. Clinton Portis has rushed for 506 yards in five games.

"It's an important time of the year, certainly we realize that," Cowher said. "We have to keep trudging along and clean up some things from last week's game and, hopefully, we're going to get a better effort."

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staffer Ed Bouchette, it wasn't a pulled hamstring that kept Staley from playing the past three games. It was a bruised hamstring, caused by a punch to the back of the leg by an unnamed New England Patriots player.

Staley said someone -- he does not know who -- punched him in his hamstring after a 10-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter Oct. 31 at Heinz Field. Jerome Bettis came into the game to replace Staley, who finished with 125 yards on 25 carries.

Bettis had 65 yards on 15 carries in that 34-20 victory, which ended the Patriots' 21-game winning streak. Cowher listed Staley as probable for the Steelers' game against the Philadelphia Eagles Nov. 7.

Staley felt a twinge in his hamstring late in practice Nov. 5. Cowher then changed Staley's status to questionable the next day and Staley has not played in the past three games.

He visited a doctor near his home in South Carolina Friday to get a second opinion on his bruised hamstring and it confirmed what doctors here contend -- that the bruise is improving and he may be able to play soon. Apparently, blood from the contusion seeped into the hamstring, causing the problems for Staley.

"I've never had hamstring problems before," Staley said.

In his absence, Bettis rushed for 381 yards in the past three games, but said the job is Staley's when he's healthy -- which could be as early as this week.

I'll have more on Staley's status as the week progresses -- watch for Late-Breaking Updates.

Meanwhile, the 91 carries Bettis received over the last three weeks represent the most he's had during a three-game stretch since the 1997 season, when he had 92 carries from Week 5 to Week 7. Bettis had career highs with 375 carries and 1,655 rushing yards in 1997.

"Am I surprised? Yes," said Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers' offensive coordinator. "Look at how well he's doing. He's had some injuries the last couple years, and he looks like a young man out there."

Still, Bettis said that he has no design on replacing Staley. He agreed to take a $2.65 million pay cut this season to remain with the Steelers as a backup, and that's just what he's doing. Along the way, he has helped the Steelers continue their march to the playoffs and home-field advantage.

Bettis needs 397 yards to pass Eric Dickerson for fourth place on the league's all-time list. He knows he might not get that many the rest of the season.

"It feels good, especially when the team needs you to go out there and get it done," Bettis said. "That's a feeling of relief, why I decided to stay here. I'm happy I could help the football team." And finally. ...

With Burress hurting, the Steelers brought back a familiar face, signing receiver Chris Doering, the team announced Wednesday.

The move bolstered the receiving corps for a matchup against the Washington Redskins on Sunday.

Doering, a seven-year veteran, has caught 42 passes for 476 yards and three touchdowns in his career, including 18 receptions for 240 yards with Pittsburgh in 2003.

Originally signed with the Steelers on May 20, 2003, Doering was released by Pittsburgh on September 18. To make room for Doering, the Steelers released running back Dante Brown.

"We came out on the second half and missed some throws that we normally don't miss," Martz said. "He had two deflected balls that were intercepted, which I think really affected him. Early on in the second half, he had Isaac [Bruce] wide open on the sideline and just missed him. That's not Marc. That's not who he is, so you just accept it and move on."

After completing 13 of 16 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, Bulger completed only 14 of 29 passes for 134 yards and three interceptions in the second half of the Rams' 37-17 loss to the Bills.

Korte went on to note that two of Bulger's interceptions came on passes that were tipped up in the air near the line of scrimmage. The other interception came on a pass intended for Bruce that Buffalo cornerback Terrence McGee picked off at the Buffalo 3 with 5:10 left in the fourth quarter.

"The only real bad throw was at the end of the game. ... He was throwing it to the right guy, he just threw it too soon," Martz said. "Isaac was going to come clean a little later, but he just got held back a little bit. He turned the ball loose a little sooner than you'd like. Other than that, I thought he threw the ball very well."

Martz said the Rams played poorly as a team in being outscored 20-0 in the second half against the Bills.

"We just did not play well in the second half as a football team," Martz said. "I think we are just not resilient enough or tough enough emotionally in a lot of areas to overcome some of these things that you have to overcome."

Bulger was sacked six times by the Bills. Three of those sacks came from strong safety Lawyer Milloy.

Martz said the Bills got away with some late hits on Bulger.

"He got absolutely blasted," Martz said. "I'm talking about to the crown (of the helmet), to the back, to the neck to the front to everywhere after throws. Now that is an issue to me. This has been going on with our quarterback all year long."

But as Korte suggested, there have been a lot of cloudy days in recent weeks for the Rams who have lost three of their last four games, yet Martz is confident that Bulger and the offense will get quickly back on track.

"This offense, I like where we're headed," Martz said. "We do have some changes in the offensive line that we'll live with and move on. They'll be fine. You guys have been around me long enough to know, the glass is always half full. We'll get better. ..."

Let's hope so. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

Torry Holt was in the starting lineup as expected last Sunday after recovering from the concussion he sustained in last week's action.

However, the veteran receiver temporarily left the contest, however, after taking a low hit from cornerback Nate Clements in the third quarter. He complained of a sore leg after the game, but according to Pro Football Weekly, the new injury should not force him to miss any time.

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Marshall Faulk never had a chance against the Bills, gaining a total of 6 yards on 13 carries and being dropped for minus yardage on five attempts. Those five carries "totaled" minus 13 yards, and many came in key situations.

Rookie Steven Jackson was more successful, gaining 29 yards on seven attempts, but he had just one for five yards in the second half.

"I love their fans," Tomlinson said. "It's fun having them leaving mad."

The Chargers have won two of their past three games here and Tomlinson no doubt has ascended the list of Oakland's most hated opponents. In his last three games here he has rushed for 153, 187 and 164 yards – an average of 168.

This wasn't quite the same as two years ago when Tomlinson slid to his knees directly in front of the Black Hole denizens after scoring an overtime touchdown (and was pelted with debris). But it was better than last year when the Chargers blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost in overtime.

Adding to Tomlinson's joy was the sense that he was more like himself yesterday for the first time since the season's early stages. He strained his groin Oct. 3 against Tennessee and in the five games since had averaged 55 yards, never surpassing 71.

But with the Chargers not playing last week, Tomlinson was able to get some additional rest. The results were apparent.

Guard Mike Goff said "you could definitely tell the difference." Center Nick Hardwick said Tomlinson "was in the holes a little faster" than in previous weeks.

"You talk about having to play week to week on a bad groin, it's something that really is not supposed to be done," Tomlinson said. "But having some time off, that was the only thing that could get the groin healthy again.

"Usually when I'm out there playing I feel pain, but today I didn't really feel any pain. I felt great."

Tomlinson said he's still not at 100 percent, but two weeks ago he estimated he was "in the low 80s, if that. I'm more like probably 90 percent now."

And that was after carrying 37 times, his career high for a non-overtime game and just two shy of the team record he shares with Marion Butts.

"That's why they pay me the big money," he said, smiling.

Tomlinson had 15 carries for 54 yards in the first half, but it was after halftime that he got rolling, with 11 carries in each of the final two periods for 62 and 48 yards. He gained more yards in the third quarter than he had in three of the five games in which he played since the injury, and more yards in the second half than in all but two games all season.

"The good thing is I just feel like I'm on my way back," he said. "I know I'm not 100 percent back yet; I'm still waiting on that home run. I know it's coming, but I'm happy just to be on my way back."

He was more demonstrative than in a typical game, gesturing at times to Raiders defenders and to the fans after his 6-yard touchdown run gave the Chargers a 23-14 lead early in the fourth quarter.

"We got into a lot of talking at the beginning of the game, so it kind of got emotional," Tomlinson said. "That's why I was acting the way I was. ... I felt the need to tell them I wasn't going anywhere; I (was) going to be here all day. ..."

Other notes of interest. ...

According to Union-Tribune beat man Jim Trotter, fifteen of Drew Brees' 19 TD passes have come in the red zone. He struggled in that area last season for various reasons, including impatience on his part, pressure up front and inconsistent routes by receivers. This year, there has been improvement in each of those areas. ...

Antonio Gates had his third career 100-yard receiving game, and he collected his ninth touchdown on the season as well. Gates had a game-high eight catches for 101 yards.

He's tied with the Titans' Derrick Mason for the NFL lead with 62 catches. His first-quarter touchdown reception over Ray Buchanan was his third against the Raiders this season.

According to the Sports Xchange, Gates gave Brees credit for the passers accuracy. Brees has thrown 156 passes without an INT, third-longest in team history. However, the Raiders dropped three potential INTs.

The team reported no injuries from Sunday's game, Although receiver/return man Tim Dwight (toe) and No. 2 halfback Jesse Chatman (toe) aren't expected to practice on Wednesday.

Also according to the Xchange, Justin Peelle, who decided against arthroscopic surgery on his ankle, is back running well. ...

And finally. ...

Rookie place-kicker Nate Kaeding had his worst day as a pro Sunday, having an extra-point blocked and missing a 42-yard field goal. He did kick a field goal from 19 yards.

"Tim was not our problem (Sunday)," head coach Dennis Erickson said. "If I thought Tim was our problem, then yes, I would have made the move. It is a number of different things."

Rattay might be OK if he simply could play all his games at home. At Monster Park, Rattay owns a 3-4 record while completing 65 percent of his passes with an average of 7.32 yards per attempt. He also has 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

On the road, Rattay is 0-3, with a completion percentage of 52.8, a yards- per-attempt average of 6.35 and a touchdown-interception ratio of 2-to-3.

"It was tough," Rattay said. "(The defense) made some plays we just couldn't take advantage of. That was frustrating."

Meanwhile, the loss to Tampa Bay was the third game this season in which the 49ers failed to score a touchdown on offense -- and the fourth consecutive game in Florida in which they failed to score any kind of touchdown.

The streak began in 1997, when Steve Young and Jerry Rice were injured in Steve Mariucci's first game as the team's coach and the 49ers lost at Tampa Bay 13-6, the points coming on two field goals. In 1999, the 49ers lost the season opener at Jacksonville 41-3.

And in 2002, in Mariucci's last game, the 49ers lost a playoff game at Tampa Bay 31-6, scoring only on two field goals.

Also of interest. ...

Tight end Eric Johnson, who came into the game leading the NFC in receptions, was held to just one catch for 9 yards. Johnson could not work free against a suffocating Tampa Bay defense. Johnson has 58 catches this season and is tied for second in the NFC. ...

As noted by the Sports Xchange, rookie receiver Rashaun Woods, for whom Erickson has been wanting to find more playing time, led the team's wideouts with 32 receiving yards on one catch. The starters, Brandon Lloyd and Cedrick Wilson, combined for two catches for 15 yards.

Those were the only three receptions by 49ers wide receivers. Woods has seen only eight passes come his way this season, catching three of them for 67 yards. However, three passes intended for Woods have been picked off -- one in the end zone and two that were returned for touchdowns.

For what it's worth, Lloyd knocked umpire Carl Madsen to the ground as he tried to make a catch. After the pass landed incomplete, Lloyd gestured angrily and lectured Madsen, who was flattened on the play. Madsen was not injured.

And finally. ...

Also according to the Xchange, Todd Peterson has been called on to attempt a lot more long field goals than the 49ers had hoped. Peterson accounted for the 49ers' only points with a 47-yard field goal, but he also came up short from 50 yards. For the season, Peterson is 14 of 17 on field-goal attempts, his misses coming from 46 and twice from 50.

Robinson will sit out home games against Buffalo and Dallas, as well as road trips to Minnesota and the New York Jets. He is eligible to return for a Dec. 26 home game against Arizona.

NFL career receiving leader Jerry Rice, who started and had three receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 24-17 win over Miami, will take over at Robinson's position.

"You just have to keep going," Rice said. "Koren is a great receiver. We wish we had him coming back this week. We've got to have all the guys fill in and somehow keep this ship afloat."

Robinson was at team headquarters Monday, but according to Korte, declined comment. He isn't expected to address the suspension or speak to reporters until he's eligible to play.

"Hopefully, he can come back and overcome this and be the player he can be," Rice said. "I have never seen a guy with so much size and so much speed and so much ability. I'm just going to keep working with him and hopefully it rubs off on him."

Robinson also sat out the Miami game, but head coach Mike Holmgren said that was punishment for violating undisclosed team rules and had no relation to the NFL suspension.

Holmgren acknowledged Robinson traveled to New York last week on an off day for Seahawks players to appeal a possible suspension.

Korte went on to remind readers this isn't Robinson's first brush with trouble.

The ninth overall pick of the 2001 draft, Robinson was suspended for a game at Arizona last season after missing a team meeting. In February 2003, he was arrested outside a bar in Raleigh, N.C., for failure to disperse.

Holmgren has joked in the past that he installed digital clocks throughout the building at Seahawks headquarters to help Robinson report to meetings on time.

"It's very disappointing to see wonderful potential lost like that," Holmgren said Monday. "Is he going to rebound off this? Yes, but this is a missed time. You just want the lights to go on for some of these young guys, and have them understand how fortunate they are to be doing what they're doing."

Robinson has slumped in his fourth NFL season, catching 31 passes for 495 yards with two touchdowns. He also has been plagued by dropped passes -- a recurring problem for Seattle's receivers.

Robinson appeared poised for a breakout after his second NFL season, when he started 16 games and had 78 receptions for 1,240 yards receiving, ranking second to Steve Largent's franchise-record 1,287 yards.

Holmgren was asked if Robinson stands on shaky ground with him.

"I love the guy. I guess I've got a weakness for him," Holmgren said. "This is going to sound a little corny, but even at the professional level I think. ... We can still have a positive impact on our players off the field. I hope we can."

Under a change adopted last spring at the urging of Holmgren and others, the NFL Management Council and NFL Players Association agreed to allow suspended players to work out individually at team headquarters.

"That's good," Rice said. "He can feel like he's still part of the team. We're going to have to get him through this."

Previously, players were banned from team facilities for the duration of their suspensions. The change gives players access to the weight room as well as the club's counseling and personnel services.

"I thought we were pushing them right into, or back into, the area where they had a chance to get into trouble," Holmgren said. "I'm glad it's this way. I'm sorry we lose him, but I'm glad we can keep him around here."

Also of interest. ...

As Tacoma News Tribune staffer Darrin Beene framed it Tuesday, "Short of rubbing a healing stone over Matt Hasselbeck's bruised thigh, Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren said the medical staff is trying everything it can to get the quarterback ready to play. ..."

Hasselbeck was out Sunday and his status is day-to-day, Holmgren said Monday. Hasselbeck was injured against the St. Louis Rams, limped through practices last week and then missed a start for the first time in 34 games.

"I am scratching my head with this injury," Holmgren said. "They have assured me that they are going full speed ahead and that they are exhausting all modern medical science to try and get this thing fixed."

Hasselbeck said the injury has improved, but he was wearing a heavy wrap on his leg.

"We are working hard on getting it right, and we are working hard all the time," he said. "It's a frustrating thing, and there is only so much I can do."

Holmgren said the injury is a deep bruise that makes it difficult for Hasselbeck to run. He said he hopes Hasselbeck can get on the field this week. If he can't, Trent Dilfer will make his second start of the season.

Dilfer, showing signs of rust from not having started in almost two years, completed 14 of 28 passes for 196 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions against Miami.

"I'm looking forward to my next chance at playing so I can improve on some things I didn't do too well," Dilfer said. "I just wasn't as comfortable with my vision as much as anything."

As much as the turnovers, Holmgren was bothered by a delay-of-game penalty Dilfer took on a fourth-and-short late in the game. The Seahawks had planned to go for it but punted after being penalized 5 yards.

"Trent looked to me like a player who has not played a lot in the last two years," Holmgren said. "If he had to play next week again, he would be much better. ..."

I'll have more on Hasselbeck's status as the week progresses. ...

Meanwhile, in addition to Rice for Robinson and Dilfer for Hasselbeck, coaches made one other change to the starting lineup last week, promoting Itula Mili ahead of Jerramy Stevens. I'll continue to monitor this one to see if that change was temporary or not. ...

As the Sporting News noted Wednesday, Shaun Alexander was held under 100 rushing yards for the first time in four games last week surprising, considering the Dolphins had been awful versus the run of late.

Still, he grabbed 96 rushing yards on 29 carries, and he scored his 13th TD.

But TSN added he faces a severe challenge this week. Buffalo is the second-best run defense in the league, allowing only three rushing TDs this season. The Bills have tremendous depth along their line, and safety Lawyer Milloy is going to be deployed in the box to eliminate the cutback lanes that runners such as Alexander exploit so well.

By the way. ...

Alexander's 4-yard touchdown run in the first half was the 56th of his career, the most in team history. Alexander had been tied with Curt Warner.

The veteran receiver scored his first touchdowns since last year's season opener, getting into the end zone twice Sunday on passes from Brian Griese in a 35-3 rout of the San Francisco 49ers.

Jurevicius, one of the key players in Tampa Bay's Super Bowl run two years ago, missed most of last season, as well as the first six games of 2004, with knee and back injuries that required surgery.

The seventh-year pro began the season on the reserve/non-football injury list after a back operation early in training camp. He returned last month, but before Sunday had only six receptions for 67 yards and was not happy with a limited role.

As St. Petersburg Times staff writer Rick Stroud originally reported it before Sunday's game, "It wasn't Keyshawn Johnson chewing off his ear for more passes. It wasn't Keenan McCardell shaking him down for more money. .."

But four times during an animated, five-minute discussion after Thursday's practice, Jurevicius turned his back to walk away while head coach Jon Gruden was talking. Four times, he returned to finish a point.

Since returning from back and knee surgery three games ago, Jurevicius had caught just six passes for 67 yards and no touchdowns. The low point came in the team's Week 10 loss at Atlanta in which Jurevicius rarely saw the field and had only one reception for 3 yards.

Gruden was asked if Jurevicius was frustrated.

"I'm sure he is, I'm sure he is," Gruden said. "He's got a lot of pride, he's been through a lot with the rehab to get well, with the knee, with the back. I think, in his own mind, he's probably a little bit frustrated. But he's a team guy and he knows it's a long battle back."

What followed was likely the bone of contention between Gruden and Jurevicius.

"Even though you're back playing, you don't miss a year and a half of football and show up in Week 9 and say, "Hey, I'm back, man,'" Gruden said. "I don't care what anybody tells you. You've got to work through that."

Based on Sunday's effort, he's well on his way. Jurevicius scored on catches of 9 and 42 yards, finishing with five receptions for 82 yards. ...

Meanwhile, Michael Pittman delivered his third 100-yard rushing effort in the past four games and scored two TDs on the ground.

Pittman gained 106 yards on 21 carries, while Griese was 15-of-21 for 210 yards and two interceptions after being limited in practice by a sprained throwing shoulder, the product of being sacked seven times at Atlanta.

Also of interest. ...

Mike Alstott returned from a month-long layoff due to a slightly torn MCL and played well.

"I am feeling good," said Alstott, who had not played since Oct. 24 against Chicago when he injured his knee. "My body is a little bit sore from being off for a month, but I felt comfortable out there, and I am starting to get in the groove of things again."

Alstott finished with seven carries for 21 yards and had a touchdown nullified in the first quarter by an illegal procedure penalty.

"He's juice," tackle Kenyatta Walker said. "He always give us juice, energy. He's a good guy for him to come back this quick. Anytime he's in the game, just expect anything. ..."

As Tampa Tribune staff writer Katherine Smith noted, Griese entered last Sunday's game ranked second to Minnesota's Daunte Culpepper as the toughest quarterback to pick off in the NFC. In five games, Griese had thrown just two interceptions for a 1.4 interception percentage.

He equaled his season total against San Francisco.

On both turnovers, Griese was trying to hit Joey Galloway, who had his most productive day as a Buccaneer. Galloway, sidelined for most of the season with a torn groin, finished with three receptions for 33 yards, including a long of 22 yards.

"He told me before the game he felt as good as he's felt up to this point," Griese said. "I'm excited about not only having Joe Jurevicius back, but Joey Galloway coming back and getting some more reps and confidence in this offense."

Griese's two touchdown strikes to Jurevicius extended Griese's Bucs touchdown streak to six games with at least one TD pass. ...

With his two rushing touchdowns Sunday, Pittman set a new career high with six this season. Pittman also went over the 100-yard mark for the third time in the past four games with his 21 carries for 106 yards.

In the past, Pittman shared rushing duties with Alstott and former Bucs Aaron Stecker and Thomas Jones. In Pittman's role as the featured back since he returned from a three- game suspension, he has bettered his career-best rushing average of 4.0 yards per carry to 4.6.

"I think maybe we misjudged how good he was," Gruden said. "Maybe we should have given him the ball more. He's obviously the primary guy. I think he clearly is the go-to guy now. He's proven that maybe we should have found that out a long time ago. ..."

And finally. ...

According to Tribune beat man Roy Cummings, the Bucs are excited about Earnest Graham, and rightfully so. He is capable of playing either tailback or fullback, he's a good pass catcher and a capable blocker. He's the kind of player who could make a big impact in the Bucs' scheme because he has speed and bulk.

As Cummings summed up: "He may never be anything more than a change-of-pace, third-down back, but he has the ability to fill that role well."

After re-injuring his sternum Oct. 24, McNair sat out a week. Then the Titans had a bye. Last week another game went by and he was still on the sideline while Billy Volek ran the offense again.

"Steve was itching and scratching and a little irritable when he wasn't playing," said Titans quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson. "Steve's not like a crazy-go-lucky guy anyway, so when he is not playing he is very quiet and is not very talkative."

Leading up to yesterday's game here against the Jaguars, however, McNair slowly got the bounce back in his step. And in his first game in almost a month, he reminded everyone exactly what he brings to the Titans.

Some of his passes fluttered and were off target, but his flair for the dramatic remained intact as he directed Tennessee to a come-from-behind victory over Jacksonville.

"I guarantee you he wasn't 100 percent," Titans receiver Derrick Mason said. "But what better QB to have than him when your back is against the wall and everybody is counting you out?"

"It has been hard watching, being a leader of this team and wanting to help," McNair said. "I wanted to go out there and not just better the team, but better myself because of the struggles we've had. I was so excited to be back. Hopefully I can continue to play well and help us win some games."

McNair completed 18 of 30 passes for 209 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

"I wasn't as sharp as I normally am, but that's typical when you sat out as long as I did," he said. "A couple of balls sailed on me and I couldn't get the timing down, but felt more comfortable as the game went on."

McNair asserted himself as the emotional leader before kickoff, challenging his teammates. He told them the Titans had won at Alltell Stadium before, and despite being 3-6 they could do it again.

To have a chance to win, however, the Titans and McNair had to get through some rough spots.

McNair overthrew Mason and was intercepted by Jaguars safety Donovin Darius on Tennessee's opening drive. Dwayne Washington intercepted a McNair pass in the second half, although receiver Drew Bennett had a chance to make the catch. McNair also failed to connect with Bennett deep several times by underthrowing him.

But on the game-winning drive, which began at the Tennessee 41, McNair completed back-to-back passes to Bennett for 25 and 9 yards. After a pair of incompletions he hit tight end Erron Kinney for a 21-yard gain on fourth-and-1 from the Jacksonville 25.

Antowain Smith scored on the next play, then McNair punched in for two points.

"We said everything we needed to say on the sideline (before the drive)," McNair said. "We said. 'Look, this is our game, they have given us every chance and we have to go out there and win it.'"

It was a mood-lifting experience.

"Just his presence out there means a lot," Bennett said. "Not taking anything away from Billy, but having McNair in there and him looking you in the eye when he calls the play …

"When the game is on the line, he is a guy everyone believes in."

Also of interest. ...

According to Tennessean staffer Paul Kuharsky, since joining the Titans late in the summer, Smith has been fond of characterizing himself as an in-case-of-emergency player.

The Titans broke the glass and called on him to start for Chris Brown, out with a bad case of turf toe, and Smith made some crucial plays against the Jaguars.

"He gave us more that we expected," Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger said. "If we blocked it for three, he got us five or seven. If we blocked it for seven, he got us 10 or 11. He ran over people.

"I saw some stuff in Antowain I really hadn't seen in the preseason or any of the other times.

"I thought he really ran well. He did a nice job."

That nice job translated into 24 carries for 95 yards to go with three catches for another 14. Smith scored the game-winning touchdown on a two-yard run up the middle behind fullback Robert Holcombe with 3:31 left in the game.

Smith tacked on another significant run on a play that started with 2:27 remaining, rambling 11 yards for a first down that let the Titans hold onto the ball with a three-point lead until there were just 25 seconds left for Jacksonville's offense.

"One of the biggest first downs of the year for us," head coach Jeff Fisher said.

"He's here for this reason, to carry the load for us if called upon. He's a physical runner."

With Brown out of action, it was important for the Titans to establish early they could still run it, and Smith alleviated any fears with carries of four and seven yards on his first two touches. ...

For what it's worth, Brown said doctors told him when he got to the stadium he wasn't going to play. "It was a win, yeah, but I want to be out there playing, not watching," Brown said. "I should be back [this] week ready to play."

According to the Sports Xchange, Brown will get out of the boot he has been wearing on his left foot and work on conditioning and run around some this week, Fisher said.

I'll have more on the second-year halfback's status as the week progresses.

"The immobile, turnover-prone Ramsey of the last two seasons wasn't on hand in the 28-6 loss to NFC powerhouse Philadelphia. This Ramsey didn't hit a deep ball but was accurate on the underneath throws and nimble enough to avoid the Eagles' pass rush. ..."

Ramsey's numbers -- 21-of-34 for 162 yards, a 61.2 passer rating and a late interception that sailed through fullback Rock Cartwright's hands -- weren't impressive, but he gave his coaches and teammates encouragement that he's the right man for the job.

"Patrick was very solid," head coach Joe Gibbs said. "He had a lot of poise. He handled things real well. It's a tough place to come and play, a tough place to get your first start this year."

Right tackle Ray Brown, who has blocked for Super Bowl MVPs Steve Young and Mark Rypien and Pro Bowl passer Jeff Garcia, liked what he saw in his first start in front of the 25-year-old Ramsey.

"Patrick's got it," Brown said. "He managed the game well. The reason we didn't get touchdowns was that I jumped offsides in the red zone and we didn't make a completion [to receiver Darnerien McCants] in the end zone. The quarterback's going to get too much blame for this loss."

While not blaming himself for the defeat that dropped the Redskins to 3-7, Ramsey wasn't as upbeat about his play.

"You can never be encouraged by a loss," Ramsey said. "I felt like for the most part I was accurate, but other than that, there are things that I can do better. ... I tried to play smart. I tried to be efficient, complete the ball and not hinder our team. It was a little different as far as my mind-set and where I was throwing the ball. Some of those shots downfield [of which he took just three yesterday], if you get one picked, it creates momentum, especially on the road."

Assistant head coach Joe Bugel saw a "different" Ramsey than the error-prone quarterback of the Steve Spurrier era and this preseason. Gibbs and Bugel scaled back the passing game to counteract the aggressiveness of Philadelphia's defense and Ramsey responded to the change in tactics from his bombs-away days under Spurrier.

"I'm encouraged," Bugel said. "The kid's learning that when you go back three steps or five steps, you've got to get the ball in the air real fast. He was very cool and calm in the pocket, and he was accurate. I saw a lot of balls [that should have been caught]."

Ramsey did have the underdog Redskins within 14-6 of the Eagles with a first down at the Philadelphia 10 and 13:49 remaining. However, that series concluded with a missed 48-yard field goal try by Ola Kimrin and Washington's other red-zone penetrations produced just a pair of Kimrin field goals as the Redskins failed to reach the end zone for the first time this season.

"We were in the game [but] it came down to not being able to score to capitalize in the red zone," Ramsey said. "It's really frustrating."

As Elfin suggested, it won't get any easier Sunday in Pittsburgh against the 9-1 Steelers, but the Redskins believe they are heading in the right direction at quarterback for the first time since Ramsey's 2003 season ended with a broken foot last Nov. 23 at Miami. ...

Other notes of interest. ...

According to the Sports Xchange, Clinton Portis often was cut down behind the line of scrimmage, and his long run was just 13 yards. He finished with 17 carries (for the third time in four weeks) for 37 yards.

According to the Washington Post, reserve running back Ladell Betts was more heavily involved in the offense than usual, running five times, catching six passes and dropping several throws his way.

And a few final injury notes. ...

H-back/tight end Mike Sellers sprained a toe in the Eagles game and was in severe pain, but he seemed to be okay Monday and should practice later this week.

Also according to the Xchange, place-kicker John Hall (groin) will resume his normal kicking regimen at practice Wednesday and could play against the Steelers.