FLASHUPDATE WEEK 8 TEAM NOTES/Wednesday, 26 October 2005Compiled By FlashUpdate Editor Bob Harris

=========================ARIZONA CARDINALSDespite getting a win over the Titans, it was a long afternoon for Josh McCown and the offense and head coach Dennis Green made no promises about who will start at quarterback against the Cowboys after it was over.

Will it be Kurt Warner, the two-time league MVP who started the first three games before going down with a groin injury? Or McCown, who threw for 385 and 398 yards in two games before struggling for 140 yards on 12-for-28 passing against the Titans?

Warner, Green's choice before the season, returned to practice last week after suffering a torn groin muscle in Week 3. Meanwhile, the Sports Xchange reports that McCown suffered a bruised left hand and a sprained left ankle, but he finished the game and will be ready for action this weekend.

But just like last week, Green wouldn't say.

"As far as next week, we'll take a good look," Green said during his opening statement to reporters, preceding any questions. "I haven't thought about it right now. But as I said, we are in the decision-making business. Making decisions doesn't bother us at all."

McCown sounded as if he's going to focus more on what happened Sunday than on what's going to happen next week.

"I'm not really worried about that, and I don't think Kurt would be either," McCown said. "I know this: Between me and him, whoever gets the nod, the guy who's out there is going to fight his heart out and play as hard as he can."

McCown, who has started all eight games the Cardinals have won under Green, still looks like the favorite from where I sit, but the situation certainly bears watching this week. Those interested should keep an eye out for Late-Breaking Updates. ...

Meanwhile, as Arizona Republic staffer Odeen Domingo noted Tuesday, even though the passing game has been prolific, averaging 273.3 yards per game, Green said it hasn't been helping the running game.

"Part of our problem in not being able to run the ball is we have not been opportunistic enough with the passing game," he said. "We have got a sufficient amount of yardage, but you don't win with yardage. You win with touchdowns."

The Cardinals have yet to score a rushing touchdown and the running game ranks second to last in the league at 71.2 yards per game. The team focused on that part of the offense during the off week, but the Cardinals gained only 55 yards on 22 carries against the Titans.

When he was asked why his team still isn't running the ball effectively, Green said: "C'mon now, [the media] asked me that many times. I don't really know. I'll tell you who played well, (rookie right guard) Elton Brown played very well. So it wasn't the rookie, I'll tell you that. He blasted guys pretty good."

I would suggest the fact that Green could only think of one positive is indicative of the overall woes.

Rookie J.J. Arrington's 32-yard run in the second quarter was promising. But Arrington's final total was 2 yards less than that 32-yard gain. Marcel Shipp, who had a 6-yard loss on his first carry, was jumping up and down and seemed angry at the offensive line after he was stopped for a 4-yard loss on his second carry of the game.

"It's frustrating but at the same time I don't question anyone's effort," said Shipp, who finished with 8 yards on 14 carries. "I don't question anyone of the offensive line's effort. The effort is there. We're just not getting it done. We can get it done in the week but we have to carry it over to (the game)."

Shipp didn't go over positive yards on his total rushing statistics until 7:03 left in the game. A 4-yard gain on his 13th carry gave him 2 total yards at the time. ...

In other words: Fantasy owners should continue to steer clear of this less-than-dynamic duo. ... Other notes of interest. ... For the first time in his career, Anquan Boldin didn't have a catch. He's had at least one catch in his first 31 games, which certainly played a role in the team's passing being limited to 118 net yards.

"It was nothing they did, we were prepared," said Boldin, who did have two runs for 15 yards, of the offense's troubles. "It was just the mistakes that we made whether it be route running or protections or whatever."

Just five passes were intended for Boldin, who had 18 catches and 278 yards in the past two games. ...

To throw teams off, the Cardinals are trying to show something other than the three-receiver set. To start the game, the Cardinals showed a one-back, three-tight end formation. The bunch formation helped the Cardinals gain 7 yards on a McCown pass to tight end Adam Bergen. ...

The Cardinals' woes in the red zone continue. The Cardinals were 0 for 2 in the red zone last Sunday. ...

Also according to Domingo, the Cardinals cut receiver Charles Lee on Monday after he committed two 10-yard penalties on punt returns Sunday and had an argument with special-teams coach Kevin O'Dea on the sideline.

Lee, a six-year veteran, was called for offensive holding in the second quarter and an illegal block in the third.

Lee had 11 catches this season for 152 yards, tied with Shipp for third-most receiving yards behind Larry Fitzgerald and Boldin.

The No. 4 spot could fall to seventh-round draft pick LeRon McCoy. McCoy is the only non-starting receiver on the 53-man active roster other than fifth-year veteran Reggie Swinton, who is considered strictly a kick returner.

The Cardinals could look to promote either Carlyle Holiday or Dan Sheldon, both rookie free agents, from the practice squad. They also could re-sign Reggie Newhouse, who was released in the last roster cut before the season. ...

The team added receiver/kick returner J.J. Moses to the roster on Tuesday. Originally claimed off waivers from the Chicago Bears late in training camp, Moses was cut shortly thereafter when the Cardinals inked Swinton. ...

Kicker Neil Rackers extended his club record with his 19th and 20th consecutive field goals of the season.

He continues to keep his team in games. On Sunday he posted the Cardinals' first points with a 33-yarder in the second quarter. His second field goal, a 24-yarder in the third quarter, gave the Cardinals the lead.

And finally. ... In an article published last Monday, Pro Football Weekly reported that despite a second-consecutive slow start, sources believe the only way Green could be sent packing is if he fires himself.

With Green receiving a guaranteed $2.5 million salary this year in addition to guaranteed salaries the following two seasons, the Cardinals' organization isn't likely to cut the cord any time soon.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Josh McCown, Kurt Warner, John Navarre RB: Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington, James Jackson FB: Obafemi Ayanbadejo WR: Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Bryant Johnson, LeRon McCoy, Reggie

Swinton, J.J. Moses TE: Teyo Johnson, Adam Bergen, Eric Edwards PK: Neil Rackers =========================

=========================ATLANTA FALCONSAccording to the Sports Xchange, no matter how many critics claim otherwise, Michael Vick's struggles in the passing game didn't overshadow a 27-14 win over the Jets -- certainly not in the Falcons' locker room.

Vick's three interceptions, two of which came in the fourth quarter, were a career high. His 16.3 passer rating, the kind of performance that would've made even Kurt Kittner blush two years ago, was Vick's worst since Atlanta drafted him No. 1 overall in 2001.

But the Xchange contends those numbers hold little weight when you consider that Vick is 5-1 as a starter this year, 22-6 at the Georgia Dome and 30-15-1 overall. The guy wins.

Head coach Jim Mora attributes Vick's success to maintaining composure regardless of the situation.

"Mike does a tremendous job keeping his poise when things aren't great for him," Mora said Tuesday. "Whether it is a receiver dropping a pass, or someone running the wrong route, or he's getting hit all the time, or he's just not throwing it accurately, he just keeps his poise."

Vick does have an irritable side, which he displayed in a scuffle last year at Carolina when officials penalized him and Brandon Short for offsetting unnecessary roughness penalties. Aggression toward teammates and coaches, however, is held in check.

"On the sideline, he talks to (offensive coordinator) Greg [Knapp] in a rational way," Mora said. "He understands what is going on and he doesn't get flustered. I think his teammates see that. ..."

The coach told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that the upcoming bye weekend couldn't have been timed better. Following a team meeting Wednesday, players will have the rest of the week off. Mora sensed they're just as much in need of a chance to catch a second wind as he is.

"I want them to spend four days just resting, actively," Mora said. "Resting doesn't mean sitting around with a bag of Doritos watching 'Oprah,' but just get up and do something. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... Warrick Dunn's 155-yard performance against the Jets was the fourth-best of his nine-year career. He gained 65 yards after breaking free down the right sideline in the second quarter.

"I didn't know whether to run out of bounds or to cut back, but those guys pursued it with some good angles," Dunn said. "They offensive line, I thought, did a good job. Justin Griffith did a good job of just reading what those guys were doing defensively to us. ..."

Capping a week-long free fall, wide receiver Dez White was declared inactive for Monday's game, a move that left him watching his team -- and replacements -- from the sideline in street clothes.

White was joined by tailback T. J. Duckett, who sprained his right ankle in last week's 34-31 victory over New Orleans and could not serve as Dunn's backup.

White's role reduction came as no surprise, as he was stripped of his starting job early last week after dropping two passes against the Saints, extending a run of him failing to make the plays the Falcons wanted. White was demoted to the bottom of the depth chart and, because he does not play special teams, was one of eight players the coaching staff made inactive.

During the weekend, Duckett was downgraded from questionable to doubtful, and the Falcons indicated he might not play until Nov. 6 at Miami. Duckett wore a walking support boot for three days after getting hurt but shed the device late last week. He wore sneakers and walked without a limp Monday night.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  The Falcons are idle due to the bye. =========================

=========================BALTIMORE RAVENSThe Ravens, coming of a demoralizing loss to the Bears, now face the prospect of going up against the Steelers Monday night without some of their best players.

Middle linebacker Ray Lewis (hamstring) and safety Ed Reed (ankle), the past two NFL Defensive Players of the Year, likely will be sidelined when the Ravens try to end their six-game road losing streak and salvage their rapidly fading season.

Head coach Brian Billick seemed resigned to playing without both Pro Bowl players, saying Monday that it would be "optimistic" to believe that either one would suit up for the NFL's No. 2 defense.

"It's a huge challenge, but the next guy steps up and that's the mentality," Billick said. "Is that having a little wide-eyed innocence? Possibly. But you can't approach the game any other way."

There is a likelihood that the Ravens could be without six starters -- more than a quarter of their first-team offense and defense -- in their first Monday night appearance of the season.

In addition to Lewis and Reed, quarterback Kyle Boller (toe), receiver Mark Clayton (ankle), fullback Alan Ricard (calf) and defensive end Tony Weaver (toe) are considered questionable.

Billick indicated that Clayton had the best chance of the injured starters to play. ...

Meanwhile, as Baltimore Sun staffer Jamison Hensley noted, the Ravens once again self-destructed with 11 penalties for 100 yards. And they once again couldn't get a sniff of the end zone, managing two field goals and 199 yards of total offense.

"We're not playing together as a team," quarterback Anthony Wright said. "That's the bottom line. The talent doesn't matter if you're not playing together as a team. We have to figure it out."

"We need to get over that hump where we're executing on a consistent basis," receiver Derrick Mason said. "One drive we're executing and then we don't do anything for three or four drives. In order for us to be a very good offense, we have to be consistent if we want to put more than six points on the board.

"We're averaging 10 points, and in this league that's not going to get you any wins. We have to find a way to score some points; that's our main agenda. Forget everything else. How are we on offense going to score some points? Six points isn't the norm in this league."

The nagging problem has been the regression of the Ravens' once-formidable running attack.

Jamal Lewis, who was limited to 3 yards or fewer on 14 of his 15 attempts, has yet to crack 100 yards in six games, the longest drought of his career. The Bears didn't even have to stack the line of scrimmage, holding Lewis in check with both safeties playing deep.

Without a running game or the opportunity to throw over the top, Wright finished 18-for-32 for 164 yards. He was sacked four times.

"We have to be able to run the ball to be good, there's no two ways about that," Billick said. "The most disappointing thing was our inability to sustain anything running the ball."

Lewis said the Bears did a superb job of taking away his cutback lanes by leaving a defender free to stop him if there was no daylight on straight-ahead runs.

"They force you to cut back and somebody's there waiting," Lewis said. "It was tough sledding."

Despite Lewis' struggles -- and backup Chester Taylor gaining 21 yards on two carries, the Ravens stuck with their game plan against the NFL's third-ranked defense that hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown all year.

According to County Carroll Times staffer Aaron Wilson, the Ravens' predictability on offense is a big factor in their struggles along with Lewis trying to overcome a difficult offseason that included being incarcerated for a federal drug crime and undergoing surgery on his right ankle.

"Teams kind of get your number and know what you do and scheme against you," Lewis said. "They think, 'Let's stop 31.' We can try to overpower them and be more physical, but, at the same time, we've got to balance out this offense."

After rushing for 2,066 yards in 2003, Lewis has only 326 yards on 113 carries with one touchdown this year. He averages just 2.9 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Taylor has 223 yards on 37 carries for a 6.0 average.

"We have to be able to run the ball to be good," Billick said.

What's the missing ingredient for Lewis and this offense?

"People can say, 'Oh, it's the running game, or the passing game,' but it's the offense as a whole," Lewis said. "We're just not clicking. I try to be one of the leaders of this offense and make something happen."

Ricard's injury problems haven't helped, but Pro Football Weekly suggested last Monday that those who follow the team closely say Lewis show the burst he did during his stellar 2003 season, and some wonder if he'll ever find that form again.

One last note on Lewis. ... During a local radio broadcast, former teammate Michael McCrary suggested that because the Ravens had broken a promise to Lewis about a contract extension before the start of this season, his last under current terms, the Pro Bowl back wasn't going to give 100 percent and risk injury.

Not sure that fully explains Lewis' shortcomings this year, but something is certainly going on. ...

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Anthony Wright, Kordell Stewart, Kyle Boller RB: Jamal Lewis, Chester Taylor, Musa Smith FB: Alan Ricard, Ovie Mughelli WR: Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Randy Hymes, Patrick Johnson, Clarence Moore, Devard Darling TE: Todd Heap, Daniel Wilcox, Darnell Dinkins, Terry Jones PK: Matt Stover, Aaron Elling =========================

=========================BUFFALO BILLSWhere is the Bills' vertical passing game? According to Buffalo News staffer Allen Wilson, receivers Eric Moulds and Lee Evans have been hearing that question a lot. Seven games into this season, it's one they have been unable to answer.

Wilson suggested that nobody expected the Bills' passing attack to resemble last year's Colts, but downfield throws have been far too infrequent. What is particularly baffling is the Bills' inability to take advantage of depleted secondaries.

Wilson went on to remind readers that an injury-riddled Falcons secondary held the Bills to just 36 net yards passing in a 24-16 Buffalo loss four weeks ago. Last Sunday was a repeat as the Bills faced an Oakland Raiders short-handed secondary that lost starting cornerback Charles Woodson (broken right leg) and strong safety Derrick Gibson (dislocated left wrist) in the first half. Oakland also lost nickel corner Renaldo Hill in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders used three rookies in the defensive backfield at one time or another, and yet the Bills managed just 126 net yards through the air during a 38-17 loss in Oakland.

"It's frustrating because we feel like we've got guys like Lee and myself who are capable of making plays down the field," said Moulds, who finished with four catches for 36 yards. "We came in thinking we could take a few shots, but it couldn't get anything done."

A lack of pass protection had something to do with that. Kelly Holcomb was under siege by a Raiders rush that came into the game ranked 29th in the NFL in sacks per pass play.

The Raiders recorded three sacks, but Holcomb was knocked to the ground on a number of occasions.

"I don't think I've ever been hit so much," Holcomb said. "They've got a good defensive line. We knew coming in here that they could rush the passer. We had some calls (to throw downfield), but what do you do when you're having some protection problems and you can't hold up?"

The Bills, who entered Sunday with the second-worst pass offense, have just four completions over 20 yards this season. It was the sixth game in a row that Moulds averaged less than 10 yards per catch. Evans was held to 19 yards on three receptions.

Wilson went on to note the offensive line's inability to protect Holcomb limited the receivers' opportunities, but Moulds said the Raiders' defensive coverages had something to do with it as well.

The Raiders played their two safeties deep in some situations, but most of the time they used a single deep safety with a combination of five defensive backs and linebackers playing underneath to limit gains on short and intermediate completions.

"They played different coverages, and they did some zone blitzing," Moulds said. "They got so much pressure with their front four, so they mixed things up and tried to confuse us. We still had some opportunities to make plays, but we just didn't make them."

Moulds and Evans have the size and athletic ability to make catches even when they are covered. So should the Bills take more chances by putting the ball in the air and letting Moulds and Evans try and come down with it?

"I'd like to see some of that, and I've got another guy on the other side of me who would like to see the same thing," Moulds told Wilson. "But it's really out of our hands. We just go out and run the plays that are called."

Also of interest. ... Rookie receiver Roscoe Parrish got his first taste of NFL action Sunday. Parrish had been out for 10 weeks because of a broken wrist.

He played a few snaps on offense and returned one punt for 10 yards.

"You always hear about the speed of the game, and it was a lot faster than I expected," said Parrish, who played with a soft cast on his right wrist. "When (the Raiders) came down on that punt return, they were down there in no time."

Parrish wasn't sure what to expect but said he felt much better after taking a hit for the first time.

"That really got me going, and I was ready to play once I got my first NFL contact," he said. "Being that I've got one game out of the way, I feel good about going into this week knowing what to expect as far as the speed of the game. I've just got to stay in the game plan more and get my plays down pat and go from there."

The Bills were counting on Parrish injecting big-play speed into the offense and his role should increase in coming weeks.

"We need to do something," Moulds said. "We can use all the help we can get at this point. ..."

Tight end Tim Euhus also made his first appearance of the regular season Sunday. He had been out since the middle of the preseason with an injured pectoral muscle. ...

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Holcomb is now 6-10 as a starting quarterback in the NFL after his personal three-game win streak was snapped in Oakland. His passer rating was 110.0, the fifth time he's gone over the 100 mark.

Willis McGahee proclaimed to be the best back in the NFL before the game, then went out and finished had himself a 16-carry, 50-yard game. He was stuffed on a third-and-goal run and his longest carry was nine yards.

Also according to the Xchange, Josh Reed's fifth career TD catch against Oakland was his third on the road. ... Fullback Daimon Shelton's run on fourth-and-goal at the Raiders 1-yard line was his first carry in five seasons. The last time he ran the ball was a one-yard run while playing for Jacksonville at Indianapolis on Sept. 25, 2000. Shelton was stopped for no gain on Sunday.

And finally. ... Rian Lindell has moved to 132nd place on the NFL's all-time scoring list with 514 points. He passed Tommy McDonald (510) and Mark Clayton (510) on Sunday with a field goal and two PATS.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Kelly Holcomb, J.P. Losman, Shane Matthews RB: Willis McGahee, Shaud Williams, Lionel Gates FB: Daimon Shelton, Joe Burns WR: Lee Evans, Eric Moulds, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, Jonathan Smith, Sam Aiken, George Wilson TE: Mark Campbell, Tim Euhus, Ryan Neufeld, Jason Peters PK: Rian Lindell =========================

=========================

CAROLINA PANTHERSAccording to Rock Hill Herald staff writer Darin Gantt, when asked what was wrong with the Panthers' running game, offensive coordinator Dan Henning offered a reasoned, measured, scientific response.

Gantt added that DeShaun Foster's more the intuitive sort.

"We're just in a funk, I guess," Foster said. "I don't know."

Whether you lean toward the art or the science, the bottom line is the Panthers haven't been able to run the ball with any consistency.

They're 21st in the league in yards per game (89.5), but 32nd in yards per rush (3.1), indicating that they're trying, just not succeeding.

They've scored when they needed to (tied for fourth in the league in rushing touchdowns), but also failed to convert first downs on the ground (none in Week 6). They've been without the big play, with only 10 rushes of 10 yards or longer, and only three teams have fewer.

That's sent the coaching staff back to the drawing board.

Henning said the team was in the midst of a "critical analysis" of the running game, with coaches breaking down tapes to their smallest details, quantifying what's working and what isn't.

"We have to spend this off week trying to figure out if there's a better way to approach the run game, and are we doing exactly what we want to be doing with who we're doing it with," Henning said. "So we've got the quality control apparatus in place and operating."

When asked if the breakdowns centered on the what or the who, Henning said he was still figuring that out.

"I don't know that yet," he said. "There are times when we've run the ball efficiently. And then there are times we've been real poor at it, sometimes on the same play. So there's an inconsistency element there.

"You have to study your people, find out what they do best, and lean on that. So we've done an evaluation, and in some cases we think we're right on and just need to execute better. And some places we're going to have to make a couple of adjustments on either the formation we run something out of or the direction we run it in."

What's not in the picture, Henning said, were massive personnel changes.

"If we thought so, we'd have done it, OK," Henning said.

The veteran coordinator told Gantt that in general terms, the run blocking hasn't been as crisp as hoped.

The line has been stable throughout the season, although it was missing key blockers Brad Hoover and Kris Mangum for most of the Lions game, in which it managed 54 yards on 22 carries, an embarrassing 2.2 yards per.

Gantt went on to suggested other other mitigating factors are at work here.

Teams have played more eight-man fronts than the Panthers anticipated. They've also trailed in several games when running regularly wasn't a realistic option.

"The opponent is trying to take it away in the worst way, while still trying to take Steve [Smith] away," Henning said. "We have to react to whichever way they go.

"The big thing is we're not doing as good a job as we'd like to do blocking."

He conceded there were times backs didn't hit holes at the right times. While that seems to point to 31-year-old Stephen Davis, Henning said no individual was to blame.

Davis is averaging a career-worst 3.1-yards per carry, and it's easy to draw the line between that and his comeback from microfracture surgery on his right knee.

"We're not interested in evaluating this thing off statistics," Henning said. "We're looking at it strictly from a non-emotional, technical standpoint. We think Stephen's doing the job we're asking him to do.

"Sometimes the hole's not there when he's in the best position and sometimes the hole's there when he's not in the best position. We have to do a better job totally as coaches and players of executing the running game."

Foster shrugged off questions about Davis' health, since he went through the same procedure. Of course, he did it when he was 23, so there's a difference. Foster maintained there was no drop-off in his teammate's game.

"It's all the same; there's nothing I would say, nothing noticeable," Foster said. "Just as quick, as explosive. If he wouldn't have had this injury, we wouldn't be talking about the run game like this.

"It's not that Stephen's not well. It's the luck of the draw. It just happens that last year he got hurt, and this year we're not running the ball the way we'd like to."

Coincidence? Perhaps.

Foster's also quick to point out the rushing touchdowns, and that the Panthers were 4-2 entering the bye weekend.

"We're running it when we need to, I guess," he said. ...

For what it's worth, Foster, who has been bothered by a bruised knee and didn't play against the Lions was held out of Monday's practice. According to the Sports Xchange, it's unclear if the injury is anyway related to the micro-fracture knee surgery he had that forced him to miss all of the 2002 season.

While Carolina may be able to get by without him this week against Minnesota, they would certainly like to have him back for the following Sunday's crucial match-up with first place Tampa Bay. ...

Keep an eye on this week's Late-Breaking Updates for more on Foster as the week progresses. ...

Hoover, who missed the Detroit game with a sore shoulder, expects to play against Minnesota. "I'm still sore. I'm keeping a lot of ice on it when I can," he said. "But I thought I could have gotten out there in the last game. It's probably better that the coaches wouldn't let me, but I wanted to play."

Hoover said that he felt very refreshed when he returned to work Monday morning. ...

Jake Delhomme was back on the field after sitting out last week. He was knocked out of the Detroit game late in the fourth quarter on a hit by Kenoy Kennedy.

According to Charlotte Observer staff writer Pat Yasinskas, Delhomme symbolizes the Panthers this season. At times, he's been great. At times, he's been terrible. Without a steady running game, Delhomme has tried to force things at times. He did that early last season, too, but came on strong at the end. After getting bailed out by Chris Weinke last week in Detroit, Delhomme remains the starter.

But it's obvious he needs to make better decisions, and he needs some help from the running game.

Meanwhile, Smith has come back from last year's season-ending injury better than before. He's on his way to the Pro Bowl, and already has seven touchdowns. But the Panthers have been getting next to nothing out of the rest of their receivers.

Starter Keary Colbert has nine catches for 116 yards, and Rod Gardner, acquired in a trade with Washington, has seven catches for 65 yards.

Veteran Ricky Proehl remains an effective situational receiver, but the Panthers need to develop more consistent threats opposite Smith. According to Yasinskas, Colbert needs to step up soon, because there are signs Gardner has learned the offense and could be ready to challenge for the starting job.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Jake Delhomme, Chris Weinke, Stefan Lefors RB: Stephen Davis, DeShaun Foster, Nick Goings, Jamal Robertson, Rod Smart

FB: Brad Hoover WR: Steve Smith, Keary Colbert, Rod Gardner, Ricky Proehl, Karl Hankton, Drew Carter TE: Kris Mangum, Michael Gaines, Mike Seidman PK: John Kasay =========================

=========================CHICAGO BEARSAs Chicago Sun-Times staff reporter Mike Mulligan framed it Monday: "Given the way Thomas Jones has been playing this season, it's hard to believe the Bears could ever have a running back controversy. In fact, given the way Jones is playing, it's hard to believe the team drafted a player at his position with the No. 4 selection in the April draft. ..."

After watching Jones rush for 139 yards, breaking the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in six games this season and the sixth time in his last eight games dating to last year, head coach Lovie Smith sounded redundant, repetitive and, well, redundant.

"What can I say about Thomas Jones? Really, I've said the same thing each week," Smith said. "He's had an outstanding season."

Smith was asked -- yet again -- if drafting Cedric Benson pushed Jones to his career year. So many observers are searching for positive news about Benson, the training-camp holdout who had just two carries for six yards against Baltimore.

"Having another good running back makes our team better, but if you talk to Thomas, he'll say the same thing -- he motivates himself," Smith said. "He's a good football player. He was a high draft pick also. I don't think it's anything more than that."

Whatever the reason, Jones is enjoying the best extended run of his career, and he has played an important role in every victory -- an essential one the last two weeks. Impressive stuff considering he's not even supposed to be on the field after suffering a knee injury at Cleveland that was supposed to sideline him for three weeks.

Jones surprised the Vikings last week, but his playing status was never in doubt for the Baltimore game. He missed just one day of practice.

"I sat out one day and came back on Thursday, and it felt OK this week," Jones said. "Obviously it's not 100 percent. But I rehabbed it the same way I did last week, and it held up pretty good."

Mulligan went on to note that since both the Bears and Ravens are built on speedy, physical defenses and solid running games, with both having problems at quarterback, the game figured to come down to a battle of wills in the running game. Jones had a few big plays, including a play in the fourth quarter when he bounced a run outside for 11 yards and a 42-yard run late in the game that all but sealed the victory.

That run was the longest play from scrimmage by the Bears this season.

"We just fought," Jones said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game. We have a great defense, and they have a great defense. It's just a matter of who could play for 60 minutes and execute in crunch time. That's what we were able to do. ..."

Meanwhile, Sunday's game put the Bears in a unique position. It's the first time the team has won consecutive games this season and only the second since Smith came on board. They strung together three in a row midway through last season.

"We've had a lot, well, I shouldn't say a lot; we've had a few big wins since I've been here," Smith said. "We really talked a lot about getting to 3-3, getting out of a small hole, and the guys fought their way out."

Kyle Orton effectively managed the game again, throwing for 145 yards on 15-of-29 passing, and the Bears didn't turn the ball .

And even though he failed to hit the 150-yard mark as a passer for a sixth straight game, DailySouthtown.com staff writer Gene Chamberlain advised readers that no one in the Bears' locker room was complaining after Sunday's win.

According to Chamberlain, that's because Orton showed some of the maturity they'd been hoping to see as they advance through the season.

"We tried to take some shots down the field and call some things that weren't there, so he came off to the second and third receiver and threw the ball away at times when he needed to," offensive coordinator Ron Turner said of Orton. "I think the last couple of weeks he's really taken some steps and done a real nice job.

"I was very pleased with the way he managed the game today. I thought he did some things today very well, especially in the first half when we needed to make some plays."

Orton completed passes to six different receivers in going 15-of-29 for 145 yards. He finished with a 77.5 passer rating.

The rookie hit tight end Desmond Clark for a 26-yard gain in the first quarter to get the Bears into Baltimore territory. The Bears later scored on that drive.

For the game, Clark finished with 50 yards on four catches, leading the team in receiving yards and sharing the lead in catches.

"Once again they kind of forced me to go to him a few times and he made a great catch on that first ball," Orton said of the 26-yard completion to Clark. "Guys were all over the top of him and we kind of worked on that play all week."

Orton suffered a minor injury after he was hit in the face on a play that resulted in a roughing the passer penalty. Later in the game Orton was hit late again and the Ravens got a 15-yard penalty.

When some reporters questioned whether either was actually a penalty, Orton said he wasn't sure about the second one.

"I got a bloody lip to prove it on the first one," Orton said. ...

In a couple of related notes. ... The Sports Xchange notes that Muhsin Muhammad did not lead the Bears in receiving yardage Sunday for the first time this season. Muhammad, who was frequently doubled, had season lows of three catches and 39 yards.

Rookie Mark Bradley, on the other hand, had the most productive day of his rookie season with four catches for 37 yards. His numbers could have been much better, but he was overthrown on a couple deep balls after he had beaten the coverage.

And finally. ... According to Pro Football Weekly, Rex Grossman, who continues to recover from a broken left ankle, currently is targeting a November 27 meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as his likely return date.

The quarterback hopes to begin running next week, and if no problems are reported, he could resume practicing in early November.

Even so, most observers believe that a Thanksgiving weekend comeback is unrealistic. Others wonder if Orton, who already has more experience with the first-team offense and just one fewer career start than Grossman, will ever relinquish the job.

I'm with them. ...

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Kyle Orton, Jeff Blake, Kurt Kittner, Rex Grossman RB: Thomas Jones, Cedric Benson, Adrian Peterson FB: Marc Edwards WR: Muhsin Muhammad, Mark Bradley, Justin Gage, Bernard Berrian, Bobby Wade TE: Desmond Clark, John Gilmore, Gabe Reid PK: Doug Brien, Tyler Jones =========================

=========================CINCINNATI BENGALSAs Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Mark Curnutte noted Monday, Carson Palmer's streak of nine consecutive 100-plus passer ratings came crashing down Sunday against a Steelers defense that was the last one to hold him down.

The Steelers applied constant pressure and limited Palmer to 21-of-36 passing for 227 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions.

His passer rating of 53.8 was his fourth worst in 20 NFL starts.

He had not thrown an interception since the Minnesota game in Week 2, a span Palmer had extended to 169 consecutive passes before Pittsburgh safety Chris Hope picked him off in the third quarter of the 27-13 Steelers victory.

"I just didn't play well enough to win," Palmer said.

"I gave them two turnovers, and in both of those situations, they had great field position," Palmer added.

"When you play a championship team, you can't give them anything. It's my responsibility to take care of the ball. It's my responsibility to put points on the board."

And the Bengals continued to struggle in the red zone.

Four times Cincinnati drove to the Steelers' 21-yard line or closer -- including three trips to the red zone -- only to score one touchdown and two field goals.

They did, however, come close to cashing in on their first drive of the game -- multiple times. Videotape replays reversed one touchdown; a dropped pass prevented another before a field-goal attempt sailed wide left.

"We need to take advantage of the opportunities when we get them, and we didn't," Palmer said. "When you play a good team and a good defense like that, you need to take advantage of every opportunity."

Chad Johnson appeared to score on a sensational diving catch in the left rear corner of the end zone with 10:31 remaining in the first quarter.

The touchdown was challenged by Pittsburgh head coach Bill Cowher and officials reversed the call after video replays showed Johnson had one arm out of bounds and only one foot in bounds.

"It was very early (in the game)," Johnson said. "We had plenty of time to make plays and score touchdowns beside that one."

Three plays later, rookie receiver Chris Henry dropped a pass in the end zone. Shayne Graham then pulled a 30-yard field-goal attempt wide left.

"You can't say that's the reason we lost, but it played a big role," receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. "The attitude could have been different if we get 10 points out of that. It should've been 14. ..."

Meanwhile, Palmer's 227 yards gave him 1,800 for the season, to go with 13 touchdowns and still just four interceptions. His passer rating in the season's seven games is 104.4.

Palmer picked up 75 of his passing yards on the final drive -- including a 47-yard sideline route to Chad Johnson. Palmer completed his last four passes before running into the end zone from the 4 on a quarterback draw for the Bengals' only touchdown. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Overall, Chad Johnson is third in receptions (43) and second in yards (655). As a team, the Bengals are fourth in total offense (370.3 yards a game) and 17th in total defense (315.6). ...

Also according to the Enquirer, Rudi Johnson could not shield his frustration Sunday about his lack of work in the loss to the Steelers.

Johnson ran just 12 times for 65 yards (5.4-yard average). He had run nine times for 46 yards in the first quarter alone, and his final three carries came in the third quarter.

"I'm not talking about the game," Johnson said when approached after the 27-13 loss by two reporters.

"I feel like a thief. And I don't steal."

Asked if he felt like he had not earned his game check, Johnson said, "Put two and two together."

Johnson's rushing attempts have decreased in each of the past three games. He had 19 in Game 4, 18 each of the previous two games and 12 Sunday. The 12 attempts were the fewest in the 19 games since the trade of Corey Dillon before the 2004 season. Johnson's previous low was 16, twice in 2004.

"It ain't because of me. Ain't because of me. I had 50 in the first (quarter)," he said. "You tell me. You do the math. Last time I checked. That's all I'm saying."

Then Johnson made an apparent reference to offensive coaches and the play calling of coordinator Bob Bratkowski.

"They do what they do," Johnson said. "They're trying to turn me into a thief, but I ain't a thief."

Johnson has carried 140 times for 609 yards. His average is 4.4 yards an attempt. ...

"It generally surfaces when you lose a game and a good player feels if he had had more touches the team would have had a better chance to win," Bratkowski said when asked about his running back's complaints on Monday.

Two weeks previous, Chad Johnson was not happy with his five receptions at Jacksonville.

"Same thing," Bratkowski said. ...

Graham's 30-yard misfire was his shortest miss in 73 attempts as the Bengals' kicker.

"I'm not used to missing those kinds of field goals," he said. "I didn't have good timing, which caused the bad hit."

Graham had previously only missed two attempts inside the 40-yard line, from 38 and 37 yards last season.

And finally. ... On the injury front, Palmer has a bruised left shoulder and was listed as probable for Green Bay. "It's nothing serious, just a little sore from the game," said Palmer, who is looking forward to playing against Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre.

"He's a guy I followed and looked up to," Palmer said.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Carson Palmer, Jon Kitna, Craig Krenzel RB: Rudi Johnson, Chris Perry FB: Jeremi Johnson, Nick Luchey WR: Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Henry, Kelley Washington, Kevin Walter, Tab Perry TE: Reginald Kelly, Matt Schobel, Tony Stewart PK: Shayne Graham =========================

=========================CLEVELAND BROWNSAccording to the Associated Press, Trent Dilfer will start Sunday's game against winless Houston after getting the "benefit of the doubt" from head coach Romeo Crennel.

Dilfer has had two straight poor performances for the Browns, who are a 2-point underdog this week against the Texans. Last Sunday, Dilfer completed 10 of 19 passes for 73 yards and threw three interceptions in a 13-10 loss to the Detroit Lions. His QB rating was just 22.4.

A week earlier, Dilfer went 16-of-30, fumbled twice and threw a pick against Baltimore. He has eight turnovers in his past three games and the Browns have not scored an offensive touchdown in two weeks.

Crennel contemplated personnel moves, but decided to keep his starting units intact for at least another week. His alternative is rookie Charlie Frye, who has yet to take a regular-season snap in the NFL.

According to Cleveland Plain Dealer reporter Mary Kay Cabot, Crennel believes the offense showed enough on its first drive against the Lions he's inclined to give Dilfer another go. Problem is, they managed only a field goal on that 44-yard march and Dilfer completed only one pass.

I think that you try to give [Dilfer] the benefit of the doubt and not make knee-jerk reactions," Crennel said. "You can say what is a knee-jerk? How long does it take? That's a judgment thing and the coach has to decide that."

Crennel reiterated that if he thinks Dilfer is sliding, he'll take a harder look at making the change.

"But when I looked at the film [Monday], particularly with that first drive, I still feel like this team can make some plays. If we can make them in the first half, it seems to me we should be able to make them in the second half."

Crennel said many factors go into the decision, including that Frye is a rookie.

"Anytime you're dealing with a rookie, they're going to make some mistakes," Crennel said. "And that's a critical position, so you might be a little reluctant to pull the switch on a rookie."

Asked if he thought Frye was ready to start, he said: "If you look at what Charlie did in preseason, you're encouraged by what you saw. But you have to look at the preseason with a jaded eye. Until we can put him into the game to see how he does under pressure, it's hard to say."

He said Frye is more ready now than he would've been in Week 1.

"He's made progress," Crennel said. "He's been able to study game tapes and the game plan. He's further along now."

Crennel said he also has to consider the effect a switch could have on the team.

"At the quarterback position, all of that gets taken into consideration -- the message you send to the team, the message you send to your offense, the message you send to your defense, the message you send to the individual players involved at that position," Crennel said.

Top pick Braylon Edwards, for one, said the players are behind Dilfer.

"Right now, we don't think there's any need for a quarterback change," he said. "We're sticking behind Trent 100 percent, and we're going to get this thing done together."

Crennel said one option is to start Dilfer and pull him if he struggles.

"That's a possibility at any position," Crennel said. "If there's a downhill slide, the coach has to make a determination about when he wants to make a change and look at something different."

The coach then suggested a tactic that Fantasy owners are coming to loathe by pointing out that it might not be in the Browns' best interests to keep the winless Texans guessing.

"Whoever we choose, that guy needs to know that he's going to play so he can prepare to play," Crennel said. "We need to do what's best for us."

But that doesn't mean he'll name his starter by the start of practice Wednesday. He wants the starter to get the most reps, but there's something to be said for throwing Frye in the fray.

"In preseason, we called on [Frye] at the last minute to see what would happen with him," Crennel said. "If he gets called on at the last minute, I expect him to go in there and perform."

As Cabot reminded readers, this preseason, Frye responded to a surprise start in Chicago by completing 12 of 14 attempts for 186 yards and putting 10 points on the board. He earned a 118.8 rating. But is he ready to start a regular-season game?

"I'm not sure," Frye said. "My job right now is the backup quarterback and Trent is the starter. I'm Trent's biggest supporter. Me and him are real close on and off the field."

Dilfer said he has no reason to believe he isn't starting in Houston.

"I haven't been told anything of that nature and I fully expect to go out this week and prepare to start the game," Dilfer said.

Meanwhile, Dilfer would look a whole lot better if Antonio Bryant would play with more consistency.

As Cabot suggested Monday, in a game where the Browns needed one big play to pull out a victory -- or at least a tie -- Bryant's dropped pass in the fourth quarter will go down as pivotal. With 7:21 left, Dilfer found Bryant wide open at the Lions' 31 on a third-and-16 - and Bryant dropped the ball.

Had he caught it, the Browns would've been in field goal range. Instead, they had one more possession after the drop and it blew up on penalties.

"I should've caught that ball," Bryant conceded. "These guys depend on me to come up with those types of plays. They were only beating us by three points. At the worst, you get a field goal. With Trent, I've got to make that play."

The drop was consistent with the roller coaster season Bryant's had. According to Cabot, "One minute, he's dropping a TD pass in the end zone in Indy and the next he's catching two big TDs to pull out the Chicago game."

"We've got to make some plays, especially me personally," said Bryant. "In third-down big-time situations, the caliber of receiver I want to be, you've got to make those catches. Anything that touches your hands, you should be able to a catch."

For what it's worth, Bryant had just one of the four balls caught by the wide receivers all afternoon. The other three were by Edwards, who came back quicker than anticipated from an infection in his right arm. Dennis Northcutt didn't catch any.

As Akron Beacon Journal staffer Terry Pluto noted, the Browns can't seem to get the ball to Edwards or Northcutt. According to Pluto: "Once upon a time -- like last year -- the tight ends were viable receivers." Aaron Shea and Eric Heiden accounted for nine of the Browns' 21 touchdown passes in 2004.

They caught one pass Sunday, a 5-yarder to Heiden. ...

On a more positive note, Reuben Droughns recorded his first 100-yard outing of the 2005 campaign, hitting the century mark on the nose on 19 carries. The running back logged all but three of the Browns' rushes in the game.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Trent Dilfer, Charles Frye, Josh Harris RB: Reuben Droughns, William Green, Lee Suggs FB: Terrelle Smith WR: Antonio Bryant, Dennis Northcutt, Braylon Edwards, Frisman Jackson TE: Steve Heiden, Aaron Shea, Billy Miller PK: Phil Dawson =========================

=========================DALLAS COWBOYSAccording to Dallas Morning News staffer Jean-Jacques Taylor, head coach Bill Parcells said on Monday that wasn't confident running back Julius Jones would play this Sunday against Arizona.

"It doesn't look good for Jones," Parcells said.

Jones has missed the last two games with a high left ankle sprain.

"I'm hopeful we'll get over this. I think that's why we're having a tendency to not really push it, because I don't want him to have a reoccurrence and have him be out for the rest of the year," Parcells said. "But in the meantime, someone has to pick it up, and I think Marion [Barber] did a good job trying to do that."

And as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram noted Monday, for all that went wrong for the Cowboys -- and there was plenty going wrong -- one bright spot Sunday was the emergence of Barber.

Barber, who had just 31 yards on 13 carries heading into the game, rushed for a game-high 95 yards on 22 carries, including 29 yards on the Cowboys' only touchdown drive.

"I thought he played well," Parcells said. "But it's for naught."

Barber said he isn't necessarily looking at this game as a springboard for more carries in the future.

"Yeah, I felt good, but I'm not looking at that," Barber said. "I just want to be ready every time out. It's all about preparation, you never know when your name's going to get called."

Barber not only showed off his running skills, but also an ability to pass block that saved quarterback Drew Bledsoe from a few extra hits.

"I was very impressed with his blocking," owner Jerry Jones said. "He did some good things today. We had some pretty decent play from our running backs today."

Tyson Thompson added 34 yards on six carries for the Cowboys, who ran for a 164 yards.

I'll obviously have more on Jones' status as the week progresses, but also remind you that if he takes this week off -- a game followed by the team's Nov. 6 bye -- the second-year halfback would have that much more time to be 100 percent for the Eagles game to start the second half of the season.

Watch for Late-Breaking Updates. ...

Other notes of interest. ... The Cowboys were penalized nine times for 81 yards against Seattle, topping their previous highs this season. They had drawn the most flags against San Diego (eight for 46) and their high in yardage had been 60, against Washington.

But there were other problems: Bledsoe passed for a season-low 136 yards and two interceptions; offensive-line breakdowns led to four sacks; third-down efficiency was 20 percent (3-of-15); four fumbles (none lost); and two fourth-quarter trips inside the 10 resulted in only three points. ...

Peerless Price saw his first significant playing time of the season in Sunday's game. The veteran receiver caught one pass for 19 yards, returned five punts and picked up 9 yards on a reverse in the Cowboys' only touchdown drive. ...

Also according to Taylor, two weeks ago receiver Keyshawn Johnson and Bledsoe got into it on the sideline of a game. In Seattle, there was altercation between Parcells and receivers coach Todd Haley.

As Parcells explained it on Monday, every club in the NFL received a memo from the NFL concerning conduct directed toward officials after Baltimore had two players ejected in a game against Detroit on Oct. 9.

Parcells said he shoved Haley on the sideline Sunday because he didn't want his assistant speaking to the official, regarding an apparent illegal contact penalty against the Seahawks that wasn't called.

"I told my team and coaches I'll be the one that talks to the officials, and I don't berate the officials," Parcells said. "So, I told him to stop and he didn't, so we had to have a little talk with him."

And finally. ... Less than 24 hours after missing yet another key kick, this one possibly affecting the outcome of the team's loss to the Seahawks, the Cowboys officially waived Jose Cortez from the 53-man roster. The team has signed Shaun Suisham, a rookie from Bowling Green, who has spent some time on the Cowboys' practice squad this season.

Parcells said Monday afternoon that Cortez had just become too inconsistent.

"There were just too many problems," Parcells said. "Too many erratic things."

Cortez made 12-of-16 kicks, including only 3-of-6 from the 40-49 yards.

And his release comes only a week after Cortez kicked a game-winning field goal against the Giants in overtime, giving the Cowboys a 16-13 win.

But Sunday in Seattle, with the Cowboys leading 7-3 early in the fourth quarter, Cortez missed a 29-yard field goal attempt wide left. While he eventually made another 21-yard attempt later in the fourth, the Cowboys still only led by seven points, a lead that vanished with a quick Seahawks touchdown.

"That was a big miss," said Parcells, who discounted the fact the snap was a little high and to the outside of holder Tony Romo. "The ball was down. He just missed it."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Drew Bledsoe, Tony Romo, Drew Henson RB: Julius Jones, Marion Barber, Tyson Thompson, Anthony Thomas FB: Darian Barnes WR: Terry Glenn, Keyshawn Johnson, Peerless Price, Terrance Copper, Patrick Crayton TE: Jason Witten, Dan Campbell PK: Shaun Suisham =========================

=========================DENVER BRONCOSAccording to the Elias Sports Bureau, Denver went into the game tied for the NFL record by going four games without committing a turnover. The last team to do it was Seattle, spanning Nov. 11-Dec. 2, 2001. Elias monitors the record by games, not time. It also doesn't monitor turnover records by offense or defense, just by teams.

Which, according to Denver Post staffer Bill Williamson, means that Charlie Adams lost fumble on the last play of the game -- which was an understandable attempt to keep the final play of the game alive -- doesn't end the offense's streak.

Williamson went on to remind readers that the last time Denver's offense committed a turnover was the 9:31 mark of the third quarter against San Diego on Sept. 18, when quarterback Jake Plummer threw an interception. The offense has gone 324 minutes, 31 seconds without giving up a turnover.

Making that accomplishment more impressive was the fact that New York entered the game having forced 18 turnovers in five games to lead the NFL in per-game average.

"We're continuing to hold on to the ball and play clean football," Stephen Alexander said. "We did that for 60 minutes, and that is good. It's hard right now to think of the good stuff, but we are holding on to the ball. That was a big emphasis this week, because the Giants led the NFL in creating turnovers, so we did our jobs in that phase."

Denver has six turnovers. The NFL record for fewest in a season is 12, set by Kansas City in 1982. Denver had three against Miami in a season-opening loss and two against the Chargers.

Last year, Denver committed 29 turnovers: 20 interceptions by Plummer and nine lost fumbles. Once again Sunday, Plummer was the catalyst to the Broncos' clean offensive play, passing 29 times without an interception. His five games

without an interception is his longest streak, and his three interceptions in his first seven games is also a career best.

As against Washington on Oct. 9, the Broncos had a turnover overturned by a challenge. Plummer was sacked and lost the ball, and the Giants recovered it at the 6. But replays showed Plummer's arm moving forward, and the play, first ruled a fumble, was changed to an incomplete pass.

The offensive streak lives on along with an appreciation from the Broncos' defensive players.

"The offense is doing great with that," cornerback Champ Bailey said. "It still should be a record. The end on a play we had to try ... so the offense's record should still go on."

Other notes of interest this week. ... Mike Anderson and Tatum Bell are on a roll. They combined for 180 yards against the Giants. Anderson ground out tough yards and Bell had another big play, a 37-yard run. The only negative was they couldn't keep the clock moving in the fourth quarter, which would have helped out the defense.

And while Bell made the most of his eight carries by picking up 60 yards, Anderson handled the bulk of the load for the Broncos, going for 120 yards and a touchdown on 24 rushes.

It was Anderson's second 100-yard outing of the 2005 campaign. ...

Ron Dayne, who spent five seasons with the Giants before signing with the Broncos in the off-season, didn't get an opportunity to run against his former teammates. He was one of the Broncos' game-day inactives.

Also inactive were receivers David Terrell and Darius Watts. It was the first time Watts, who lost the No. 3 receiving job during training camp, has been deactivated in his career. His inability to contribute on special teams hurts.

As the Sports Xchange suggested, Watts has fallen far down the depth chart and it will be tough for him to get back into the rotation at wide receiver.

Todd Devoe, meanwhile, was active instead of Watts. Devoe was a longshot in training camp that made the team and the coaches are happy with how he works and plays special teams.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Jake Plummer, Bradlee Van Pelt RB: Mike Anderson, Tatum Bell, Ron Dayne

FB: Kyle Johnson WR: Rod Smith, Ashley Lelie, Charles Adams, Todd Devoe, Darius Watts, David Terrell TE: Stephen Alexander, Jeb Putzier, Nate Jackson, Wesley Duke PK: Jason Elam =========================

=========================DETROIT LIONSAccording to Detroit News beat man Mike O'Hara, Jeff Garcia rated his first start at quarterback for the Lions just that -- a start.

There is more to come, and Garcia expects better performances.

"I think I was barely scratching the surface," Garcia said Monday afternoon. "I'm not at all satisfied or excited about the fact we didn't get the ball in the end zone more than one time.

"You can be excited about getting a win on the road. Those are things that are tough to come by."

Garcia scored the Lions' only touchdown on a 1-yard run in Sunday's 13-10 victory over Cleveland. O'Hara added that Garcia woke up Monday morning feeling sore from his first regular-season start since Nov. 21, 2004. He started for the Browns in a loss to the Jets.

Garcia completed 22 of 34 passes against the Browns. When he evaluated his performance on game tapes, Garcia was pleased to have most of his mobility back in his first game since going out with a broken left fibula and sprained left ankle. He was hurt in the last exhibition game.

"Obviously, I'm sore, having taken hits for the first time in seven weeks," Garcia said. "What I saw was the injuries didn't limit me or take me away from doing the things I've done in the past."

Garcia was rusty, and not just physically. He wasn't happy with the way he ran the huddle and other things related to running the offense. The Lions have had trouble getting plays in on time this year.

"That stuff has to be eliminated," Garcia said. "Those are things I need to improve on and take my game to another level. Again, for the first time back, I saw a lot of things I was happy about, but definitely a lot of things I can get better at. ..."

And as the Sports Xchange noted, for the first time since the third game of his rookie season in 2002, Joey Harrington went to work on Monday knowing the Lions starting quarterback job was not his.

Harrington said it was "very, very weird" to be watching from the sidelines with Garcia running the game. "I told people it just kind of seemed like a preseason game at first because that's the last time I've been on the sidelines and watched," Harrington said.

Considering Harrington's limited success in head coach Steve Mariucci's West Coast offense, it seems unlikely he will regain the starting job as long as Garcia can remain healthy.

That leaves his future with the Lions in doubt, but he says it won't affect the way he approaches his job.

"I'll support him and support this team," he said. "That's my job and I'll do it well. Like I said all last week, no matter what happens, this isn't going to crush me, this isn't going to beat me.

"I'm not going to go in the tank on this, and I'm not going to go in the tank because of this. I refuse to let this be a distraction to anything that goes on. My job is to be in support of Jeff and this team, and that's what I'm going to do. ..."

Meanwhile, the Lions are limping into their first legitimate showdown game in five seasons.

They are awaiting medical reports on injured players and scrounging for spare parts as they prepare for a game Sunday against the Chicago Bears. The Lions have been hit by serious injuries on both sides of the ball, including special teams. Their depth, supposedly a strong suit, is being tested to the breaking point by a string of injuries that gets longer by the game.

"Unbelievably," Mariucci said Monday at his weekly news conference. "We talked about that earlier in the season at training camp, that I thought this was the deepest team we've had since I've been here.

"It has proven to be true, and proven to be of use."

If the Lions are to make a run this year, they'll be using replacement parts. In the first six games, Mariucci has been forced to patch holes at cornerback, wide receiver, linebacker and fullback. The injury bug struck on the first series of the first exhibition game.

Fullback Cory Schlesinger's right fibula was broken. And as noted above, the exhibition season closer was no kinder with Garcia going down. Like Garcia,

Schlesinger played for the first time at Cleveland. But there has been no letup. Three more starters were hurt Sunday.

Veteran receiver Kevin Johnson was lost for the season to a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Cornerback Dre' Bly suffered a dislocated bone in his right wrist and defensive tackle Shaun Rogers went out because of ligament damage in his right knee.

Johnson has been placed on injured reserve. The Lions have signed Troy Edwards, former first-round draft pick of Pittsburgh. Edwards was with Jacksonville last season.

In all, 10 players who could be considered starters have missed at least one game because of injuries. And three of the four key special-teams players have missed at least one game.

Kicker Jason Hanson missed one game because of a strained right hamstring. Return specialist Eddie Drummond went out because of a strained left knee on the opening kickoff three weeks ago. And long-snapper Don Muhlbach has missed three games because of a strained left knee.

For the last two games, the Lions were without the two wide receivers who were opening-day starters.

Charles Rogers has served three games of a four-game suspension for a failed drug test. Roy Williams missed two games because of a pulled left quadriceps.

At the end of the game in Cleveland, Garcia was playing with receivers that he referred to as "somewhat of a makeshift group, so to speak."

According to O'Hara, help could be coming at wide receiver. Williams' injured thigh is healing.

"I've got to practice if I want to play," Williams said. "I think I'm pretty close. It's feeling pretty good."

The injury has been diagnosed as a grade three strain, which makes it a significant tear, Williams said.

"You can't do the things I do with a pulled muscle," he said.

There is no way to compare his injury to the sprained left ankle suffered the previous week by offensive tackle Jeff Backus, Williams said. Backus played the whole game against Cleveland, despite not practicing until Friday.

"Backus runs two yards a play," Williams said.

For what it's worth, Pro Football Weekly reported last Monday that team officials will Williams closely as he rehabs. Williams was dogged by a sprained ankle for weeks last season because he attempted to play through it.

The coaches will have more say in the pace Williams takes with the leg injury to avoid a repeat.

Meanwhile, rookie receiver Mike Williams caught five passes for 95 yards, but he also lost a fumble for the second straight game. "I'm not happy with that," Mariucci said. "He's got to do a better job. I've got to do a better job" in emphasizing ball security. ...

For what it's worth, R.W. McQuarters played the role of two Pro Bowl players Sunday. He returned punts in place of Drummond and finished the game at left cornerback after Bly went out with an injured right wrist.

McQuarters played for Chicago the last five years. He signed with the Lions as a free agent this year and has been the nickel back. He probably will start at left cornerback in Sunday's game against the Bears.

"I guess you could say I was an insurance policy," McQuarters said. "We buy insurance on jewelry, houses and cars. Insurance comes on different levels."

Also according to PFW, the coaching staff is disappointed in the inconsistent hands of Marcus Pollard, who has dropped too many passes. Team sources say the Lions weren't pleased to have the offense's oldest member ripping then-starter Harrington for an overthrow -- especially when he's let the quarterback down himself.

And finally. ... Hanson has made six straight field goals of 50 yards or more. He's 2-for-2 this season. ... Garcia's rushing touchdown was the first by a Lions quarterback since Mike McMahon scored Dec. 22, 2002, at Atlanta. ...

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Jeff Garcia, Joey Harrington, Dan Orlovsky, Todd Mortensen RB: Kevin Jones, Artose Pinner, Shawn Bryson FB: Corey Schlesinger WR: Roy Williams, Mike Williams, Scottie Vines, Troy Edwards, Eddie Drummond, Charles Rogers TE: Marcus Pollard, Casey Fitzsimmons PK: Jason Hanson =========================

=========================GREEN BAY PACKERS

As Associated Press sports writer Arnie Stapleton noted Tuesday, Tony Fisher is a fine third-down running back, whether catching passes out of the backfield, blocking defenders, picking up blitzers or scampering for first downs.

Now the third-year pro, who went undrafted out of Notre Dame, is going to be the featured tailback in the Green Bay Packers' offense with starter Ahman Green (torn thigh tendon) joining No. 2 running back Najeh Davenport (ankle) on injured reserve Tuesday.

"There's always mixed emotions because if you're going to become one of the men, you don't want to have to do it under circumstances of people getting hurt," Fisher said.

Green went down in the fourth quarter of the Packers' last-second loss at Minnesota on Sunday. He finished his injury-filled season -- and perhaps his career in Green Bay -- with just 255 yards on 77 rushes with no touchdowns.

Davenport broke his ankle three weeks ago when he started in place of Green against New Orleans and scored the team's only two touchdown runs this season.

Fisher, who has 20 yards on 14 carries so far, will make his second career start Sunday when the Packers visit Cincinnati.

"He's been a very resilient, reliable back for us," head coach Mike Sherman said. "He's not Ahman Green, but he is a different type of back and somebody we're going to have to lean on."

The Packers will also have to lean on newcomer ReShard Lee, who has run seven times for 7 yards.

For what it's worth, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel staffer Tom Silverstein advised readers that this injury muddles the future for Green, whose five-year, $21.57 million contract expires after this season, and raises doubt whether the 28-year-old four-time Pro Bowl running back will play again for the Packers.

The front office hasn't made any attempt to sign Green to an extension before the year runs out, but they might have been willing to bid against other teams in free agency in March.

Green's rehabilitation will probably last throughout much of the off-season and it won't be known until late spring or early summer whether he'll be the same player.

As Silverstein summed up: "he'll be battling long odds given his age, the number of carries he has had in his career and the severe nature of his injury. ..."

Meanwhile, the Packers are also depleted at wide receiver, where Brett Favre has lost Pro Bowler Javon Walker and promising rookie Terrence Murphy for the season and could be without Robert Ferguson for up to a month.

Even with an ever-changing lineup, Favre has been white hot of late, playing like he's 26 and not 36.

Since midway through the third quarter of a game against Carolina on Oct. 3, Favre has completed 62 of 87 passes (71 percent) for 715 yards and eight touchdowns with no interceptions and no sacks.

The best throw in that stretch was a 25-yard rope to Ferguson for a touchdown against New Orleans.

But he's losing more and more targets every week.

On Tuesday, the Packers made a series of moves to bolster their depleted roster after putting Green on IR: They signed wide receiver Taco Wallace, re-signed running back Walt Williams, claimed Tennessee wide receiver Andrae Thurman off waivers and released wide receiver Jamal Jones.

Former Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell worked out for coaches, but the team went with Wallace and Thurman instead.

Wallace was a seventh-round pick by Seattle in 2003 out of Kansas State, when Packers general manager Ted Thompson was with the Seahawks. He played in three games for Seattle last year without a reception.

Williams played for Green Bay last year before going on IR with an ankle injury, and Thurman was the Packers' leading kickoff returner in the preseason before being waived on the final cutdown and signing with Tennessee.

One last note here. ... The Packers kept Donald Driver very busy in Sunday's loss, as the veteran wideout hauled in a season-high eight passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. In six games this season, he has 31 catches for 456 yards and three TDs.

Driver owners can expect more of the same in coming weeks.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Brett Favre, Craig Nall, Aaron Rodgers RB: Tony Fisher, ReShard Lee FB: William Henderson, Vonta Leach WR: Donald Driver, Antonio Chatman, Taco Wallace, Andre Thurman, Robert Ferguson

TE: Bubba Franks, David Martin, Donald Lee PK: Ryan Longwell =========================

=========================HOUSTON TEXANSAs Houston Chronicle beat writer John McClain framed it: After Indianapolis toyed with the Texans through a 14-14 first half, the Colts showed why they're the only undefeated team in the NFL.

"And the Texans showed why they're the only winless team in the league, dropping to 0-6 with their seventh consecutive loss going back to last season. ..."

The Colts stampeded through the second half and trampled the Texans 38-20 to improve to 7-0. How bad was it? Houston, last in the league in offense, had 143 yards at halftime and finished with a miserable 139.

But wait. ... It gets worse. ...

David Carr threw for 48 yards but lost 42 on five sacks. Entering Sunday's game, the Texans averaged 86.2 yards passing against the Colts. Finishing with just six net yards passing didn't sit well with the players.

"It's a little embarrassing," Carr understated. "I let my emotions get the best of me sometimes, and that's not always good. But we just have to find a way to keep executing. That's all there is to it"

"There is nothing you can say to describe this," said receiver Jabar Gaffney, who caught a touchdown pass against the Colts. "It's terrible. This is the lowest point of my career. It was just really depressing out there"

Even though they scored more than one touchdown for the first time this season, and even though rookie Jerome Mathis scored on an 89-yard kickoff return, there was little to be happy about.

Domanick Davis, who carried 28 times for 98 yards and pulled the Texans within seven points with an eight-yard, second-quarter run, was one. But most of the damage was done in the first half.

In fact, the Texans rushed for 119 of their 133 yards in the first half and the Texans were hopelessly out of it by the time Mathis returned the first kickoff for a touchdown in the franchise's four seasons. He had seven kickoff returns for 266 yards, the fifth-highest total in NFL history.

Unfortunately for the Texans, Mathis' contributions were not enough.

Also of interest. ... Andre Johnson's absence because of a calf injury means defenses don't have to double a wide receiver. Gaffney had four catches for 25 yards but Corey Bradford was shut out. No other wideout had a reception.

Tight end Marcellus Rivers had one catch for 16 yards. Mathis dropped a first-down catch. ...

On the injury front. ... Johnson (calf) and Davis (wrist) will practice on a limited basis this week.

"What I'd like to anticipate is Andre Johnson coming back," head coach Dom Capers said.

I'd like to anticipate it, too. But at this point, anybody who drafted the highly-touted Johnson this year already realizes they'll never get the value expected out of the talented-but-struggling receiver.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: David Carr, Tony Banks, Dave Ragone RB: Domanick Davis, Vernand Morency, Tony Hollings FB: Jonathan Wells, Moran Norris WR: Andre Johnson, Jabar Gaffney, Corey Bradford, Jerome Mathis, Derick Armstrong TE: Mark Bruener, Marcellus Rivers, Matt Murphy PK: Kris Brown =========================

=========================INDIANAPOLIS COLTSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Michael Marot, the Colts spent September listening to the rave reviews about its improved defense. Now, the offense finally has answered.

With an average of 35.5 points in four October wins, Edgerrin James leading the AFC in rushing and Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison tied for second in the conference with 37 receptions, the Colts have found a winning balance.

"What we've done the last few weeks is play very efficient on offense, special teams has been winning the battle of field position, and the defense is getting us the ball back in scoring position," head coach Tony Dungy said Monday. "That's what we're looking for."

As Marot suggested, "It's a combination that has been as perfect as the Colts' record."

A 38-20 victory at Houston on Sunday sent Indy (7-0) into its bye week as the only unbeaten team in the NFL. The offense and defense are ranked among the league's top 10, helping the Colts to the best start in franchise history.

While Indianapolis continues to allow a league-low 11 points a game, the offense has righted itself after a sluggish start. It now ranks third in the NFL with 27 points a game, and everybody, including two-time MVP Peyton Manning, seems to be in sync.

Marot went on to note that opponents have dared the Colts to run and James has responded with a league-leading five 100-yard games. His 801 yards rushing and 973 yards from scrimmage lead the NFL entering Monday night, and James is producing a career-high 4.9 yards a carry.

With James overpowering opponents, Manning and his receivers have gotten better opportunities. Manning has thrown nine TD passes in the last four weeks and is suddenly getting some one-on-one matchups he can exploit.

Wayne and Dallas Clark have taken advantage of their chances. While Clark has nine receptions for 118 yards over the last three weeks, Wayne has 22 catches for 223 yards in the same span.

"I think Reggie continues to grow," Dungy said. "He's getting better and better, and he's a quality, quality receiver. They're trying to take away the running game, take away [Harrison]. I think it's a combination of Reggie getting better and because of our offense."

The Colts' offensive resurgence couldn't have come at a better time, either.

Indy faces its toughest stretch of the season -- visiting New England, hosting Houston, then going to Cincinnati before finishing November at home against Pittsburgh.

These next four games are imperative to maintaining a stranglehold on the AFC South and in the battle for home-field advantage in the playoffs. Every other AFC team has at least two losses.

The Colts then finish the season with four of their final six games at home, so getting home-field advantage would mean the Colts could avoid playing in cold weather after their Nov. 20 date at Cincinnati. Indy's last two road games are at Jacksonville and Seattle.

Still, the Colts are in very good shape.

The defense ranks sixth in the NFL in yards allowed, leads the league in sacks (26), hasn't allowed a 100-yard runner all season, and has helped the Colts to a plus-8 advantage in turnover margin.

The offense, meanwhile, has been making opponents pay for their mistakes. In Week 6 against St. Louis, the Colts ended the game by running 36 consecutive plays in Rams territory. On Sunday, the Colts scored 24 straight second-half points while limiting Houston to 10 offensive plays.

As Marot put it: "With Manning calling the shots, James wearing down opponents, Wayne and Clark taking advantage over the middle and a defense that continues to force turnovers, Dungy couldn't design a better scenario heading into the bye."

Also of interest. ... According to Indianapolis Star News staff writer Mike Chappell, the the Colts and referee Bill Carollo don't see eye-to-eye on what amounts to a bit of trickery on the part of the Colts' offense.

Twice this season, the team has used a direct snap to a running back in an attempt at catching the defense off guard. Before the ball is snapped, Manning takes a few paces down the line of scrimmage as if he's changing the play. While he's still motioning, center Jeff Saturday snaps the ball.

That was the situation with just over a minute remaining in the third quarter with the Colts facing a second-and-goal at the Houston 7. Dominic Rhodes took the direct snap to the 2 only to have Carollo penalize Manning for illegal motion. The 5-yard penalty contributed to the drive stalling and the Colts settling for Mike Vanderjagt's 36-yard field goal.

It was Carollo who penalized the Colts for attempting the direct snap to James in their 20-3 playoff loss to New England in January. That time, Carollo's ruling was correct because Manning temporarily took position under center before moving.

The Colts learned their lesson. Each time this season, Manning has not "taken the quarterback position" behind the center.

"Now we've run it three times in the regular season and it's been OK the first two times the way we did it," Dungy said. "[Carollo] said in his mind it wasn't OK today. He said today we were too close to being under center.

"We've got to get that straightened out with the league. We'll get that clarified (this week)."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  The Colts are idle this week due to the bye.

=========================

=========================JACKSONVILLE JAGUARSAccording to the Florida Times-Union, head coach Jack Del Rio likes to focus on the next game, but he said he has explained the big picture of the rest of the season to the players.

"We talk about the big picture, but I think when we do that, we always come back to what you have control over and that's the next opportunity, the next play," Del Rio said. "But do I show the team where we stand and where we'd like to be and what our goals are and our aspirations? Absolutely."

The Colts' second-half schedule includes a Dec. 11 date at Alltel Stadium, plus road games at New England, Cincinnati and Seattle, and home games against Pittsburgh and San Diego. But for the Jaguars to have a realistic chance of catching Indianapolis, the offense must become more productive.

The Jaguars had hoped that Carl Smith's vertical offense would be more productive than the West Coast offense utilized by former coordinator Bill Musgrave. But statistically, that hasn't happened.

Through six games, the Jaguars ranked 25th in yardage, compared to 20th last season. They've scored 13 more points than last year, but 12 were in two overtime games and set up or scored by the defense.

Byron Leftwich and veterans Jimmy Smith and Fred Taylor are producing numbers similar to last year. Only Reggie Williams, who went from 10 to 21 catches in the first six games, has shown much statistical improvement. But Williams has yet to catch a touchdown pass.

Still, the Jaguars insist they have improved on offense.

"I know I'm a better quarterback," Leftwich said. "We're a better football team. Everything about the Jaguars is better. A lot goes into stats that can be false advertising."

"The good thing," added Jimmy Smith, "is we've yet to play our best game offensively."

Part of the problem may be the Jaguars have faced so many good defenses.

The good news? Jacksonville's offense is likely to be more productive in the final 10 games against weaker competition. ...

Meanwhile, as Times-Union staffer Vito Stellino reported Tuesday, Taylor had a positive message Monday as the Jaguars returned to work after having the bye weekend off.

"I'm good, man. That's what I want the headline to be: I'm good. Period. That means you don't need to ask me any more questions [about his ankle injury]," Taylor said.

That was Taylor's way of saying the sprained ankle that kept him out of the Pittsburgh game has healed and he'll be ready to start in St. Louis next Sunday.

"I just heal quick," Taylor said.

Taylor's return should give a boost to the running game. In his absence, Greg Jones ran for 77 yards in Pittsburgh, but 59 of it was in the first quarter and he had to move back to the fullback spot in the second half because Derrick Wimbush was carrying a heavy load on special teams. Rookie Alvin Pearman only had 22 yards on 15 carries in place of Jones.

Taylor wasn't the only player to benefit from having the bye week off.

Although he won't issue the weekly injury report until Wednesday when it is mandated by the league, Del Rio said that all 22 starters are expected to be ready to play in St. Louis.

Leftwich said the week off game him a chance to heal bruises he suffered during the first six games when he was sacked 16 times and took many other hits.

Leftwich said this is the best he's felt since before the team played its first preseason game against Miami in August.

"We've been banged up," Leftwich said. "The guys up front, myself, not having Fred last week, we haven't been playing with a full deck of cards. It's going to be great to come back and play fresh."

Leftwich didn't want to elaborate on the nicks he's overcome. He insists playing hurt is just part of football.

"Let's just say we were nicked up. I think we were all fighting through something. The bye week came at a great time," he said.

Del Rio seconded that motion.

"We're a healthy team coming out of the bye week," he said. ...

And finally. ... According to Pro Football Weekly, some observers believe the Jaguars' refusal to expand the role of receiver Ernest Wilford is a blatant effort to justify first-round picks spent to acquire Williams (2004) and Matt Jones (2005).

Williams and Jones have made minimal impacts, and insiders question whether Jones already has lost some of the fire that drew the Jaguars toward him.

But Wilford plays on almost every special-teams grouping and the team said it will keep him in that spot while limiting his offensive role.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Byron Leftwich, David Garrard RB: Fred Taylor, Alvin Pearman, Greg Jones, LaBrandon Toefield FB: Greg Jones, Derrick Wimbush WR: Jimmy Smith, Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, Earnest Wilford, Cortez Hankton TE: Kyle Brady, George Wrighster PK: Josh Scobee =========================

=========================KANSAS CITY CHIEFSAccording to Topeka Capital-Journal beat writer Rick Dean, Larry Johnson, who once described the two-man Chiefs backfield as The Church Backfield -- "Priest [Holmes] prays over 'em, and I bury 'em!" -- now has a new name for the duo.

"Sometimes we're like Blackjack -- you get the ace and the 10 at the same time," Johnson said.

Johnson was the ace in Kansas City's 30-20 short-notice victory over the Dolphins last Friday. He carried 23 times -- third most in his three-year career -- for 90 rushing yards. He also took a screen pass 26 yards to finish with 116 yards from scrimmage.

But Holmes is still the King.

The 32-year-old veteran actually ran five fewer times than did his understudy, but he averaged 5 yards a pop and scored touchdowns of 5 and 35 yards -- the second of which immediately answered a Miami breakaway score that cut the Chiefs lead to 14-13 early in the fourth quarter.

The rotation kept both backs fresh in the withering Miami humidity. That was, of course, part of the idea all along when the Chiefs implemented a plan to keep Holmes fresh and Johnson involved.

"It was a good game for both of us," Johnson said. "We needed to get back in a rhythm, and we got that by knowing we'd run the ball. He gets two series, I get one.

"That was really important in a short week. Both guys came out prepared and ready, and the offensive line did a great job blocking for both of us.

"You could see that [the Dolphins] were sucking wind and sweating more than I was sweating along the front line," Johnson added. "It's hard to hold up for long when we're stretching things, running things from side to side (with Holmes) before we then bust it up the middle (with Johnson).

"After a couple of quarters, they were through."

Kansas City's offensive line, however, maintained its dominance throughout.

According to Dean, though left tackle Willie Roaf lost a couple of pass-rush battles to former Chief Vonnie Holliday, and right tackle Jordan Black had to be replaced by John Welbourn after experiencing some heat-related stomach distress, the Chiefs line won most of its battle throughout the muggy south Florida evening.

"Sometimes you just let them play, just let them come off the ball and bang people around," head coach Dick Vermeil said of his line. "Don't be disappointed if you only make two yards, four yards on a play. Come back and get six the next time."

As Dean summed up, "Just like playing blackjack. ..."

Meanwhile, Kansas City Star staff writer Elizabeth Merrill reports that the Chiefs may play without starting receiver Samie Parker in San Diego this weekend. Vermeil said Parker was doubtful and will have a second opinion on his knee today. Parker was injured in the Washington game Oct. 16.

He isn't expected to be out long-term, and Vermeil said the Chiefs aren't planning on picking up another receiver. Marc Boerigter and Chris Horn both suited up in Miami, and both came up with big plays. Boerigter caught two passes for 34 yards, including a key 29-yard completion on third and 1 in the first half.

Horn caught a 50-yarder on the Chiefs' first touchdown drive of the game. ...

In a semi-related note, Tony Gonzalez, after being limited to just five catches in his previous three games, had his best game this year with a seven-catch, 67-yard effort against Miami. Gonzalez, however, is still looking for his first trip to the end zone. ...

And finally. ... Lawrence Tynes, who kicked the two longest field goals of his short NFL career from 51 and 52 yards against Miami, credited the weather and the playing field at Dolphins Stadium with an assist on his career night.

Kicking in heat and humidity is something Tynes had gotten used to at Troy State in Alabama.

"In college, our punter's dad nicknamed us "The Swamp Kickers," so I'm used to this kind of weather," Tynes said.

Tynes became the first Chief since Nick Lowery in 1985 to kick two field goals from 50-plus yards in the same game. Lowery, however, was kicking inside the New Orleans Superdome when he got his. ...

Tynes has mad a nice recovery from the days late in training camp when his preseason misses had Vermeil threatening to find another kicker. But instead of being worried, Tynes made a statement designed to bolster his own confidence.

"I said I was going to be one of the best kickers in the NFL, and I believe that," Tynes repeated after his three field goal night against Miami raised his conversion rate to 12 of 14 field goals this year. "I'm not going to back down from what I said."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Trent Green, Todd Collins, Damon Huard RB: Priest Holmes, Larry Johnson FB: Tony Richardson, Ronnie Cruz WR: Eddie Kennison, Dante Hall, Marc Boerigter, Chris Horn, Samie Parker TE: Tony Gonzalez, Jason Dunn, Kris Wilson PK: Lawrence Tynes =========================

=========================MIAMI DOLPHINSAccording to South Florida Sun-Sentinel staff writer Alex Marvez, Gus Frerotte didn't try to make excuses for his 11-for-29 passing performance following last Friday night's 30-20 loss to Kansas City.

"It is just like we are out of sync," Frerotte said. "We had a great week of practice and we get in the game and for me personally, it felt like it fell apart a little bit,

whether it was that they played a good defense or we have to make better throws. Whatever it is."

The Dolphins have to decide quickly what "it" is in regards to their quarterback position.

As Marvez suggested, to single-handedly blame Frerotte for the offense's aerial failings against the Chiefs is wrong. Kansas City did a great job shutting down receiver Chris Chambers, who tallied 77 of his 88 receiving yards on a touchdown catch when the game already was out of reach.

Fellow receiver Marty Booker dropped a third-down pass -- albeit one that was thrown slightly behind him. And while the offensive line held up in pass protection for the most part, the Dolphins never had enough success or original play-calling from offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to stop the Chiefs from frequently blitzing as many as eight defenders.

Frerotte, though, overthrew his intended target on six of 18 incompletions. He had two more passes batted down at the line of scrimmage and short-hopped three others, including what would have been a 5-yard touchdown pass to an open Chambers. Of his final nine throws in the second half, Frerotte had as many completions (one) as interceptions.

And this was against the NFL's 30th-ranked pass defense.

Combined with the fact Frerotte has now completed less than 50 percent of his passes in four of the past five games, it's fair to question whether at age 34 he is still physically capable of consistently making the necessary throws.

Still, Miami Herald staffer Jason Cole reported Wednesday that head coach Nick Saban said he will stick with Frerotte as the starter for now and took the rest of the offense to task for inconsistency in execution.

"At this point, I'm not ready to say that changing quarterbacks is going to solve all our problems, so that's where it's at," Saban said Tuesday in his first comments since Friday night.

There had been the usual ranting by fans for backup Sage Rosenfels after Frerotte again struggled and Rosenfels threw the above-mentioned 77-yard touchdown on his only pass of the game. Frerotte has completed fewer than half his passes in four of six games.

But Saban said the lack of success on offense has more to do with the overall poor play of the players around Frerotte.

"The quarterback is only going to function relative to how the people around him give him an opportunity to do that," Saban said. "In the past two games, the quarterback has been affected by what has gone on around him.

"I think that any quarterback probably would and that execution has to get better for the whole group. We can't improve and adjust on routes, we have to have discipline in what we're doing and we have to do a better job in protection.

"And obviously, the cumulative effect of not doing well on first and second down relative to our execution puts us in a bad position in third-down situations."

It's worth noting, however, that Saban was singing a slightly different tune in immediate aftermath of Friday night's loss.

"We've got two outstanding runners," said Saban, referring to Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams. "We've got some decent receivers. We've got a very good tight end [Randy McMichael]. Those guys have to be playmakers for us, and we've got to come up with a scheme that helps those guys. We have to get the kind of execution at quarterback that will give it to them."

Others agree with that assessment.

In an article published Monday, ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli cited an unnamed NFL personnel man as saying: "Look for Rosenfels to get a start at some point in the next month or so for Miami. You can't put all their offensive problems on Frerotte, but a change might do something to create a spark.

"This is a franchise, no doubt about it, that has to address the quarterback situation in the draft. Nick Saban won't tolerate that kind of play. ..."

Also of interest. ... As initially reported by the Palm Beach Post, fullback Heath Evans Evans, who was acquired in the offseason, was waived after six games.

Saban told Evans that his release was part of a numbers game, Evans said.

The team needs to keep receiver David Boston active because Booker may not quickly recover from the ankle sprain he sustained on Friday night against the Chiefs, Evans said.

Sammy Morris has been told he will now play more fullback and tight end Lorenzo Diamond will see more action at H-back. ... The Dolphins also signed Darian Barnes, who was expected to serve as the Dallas Cowboys' starting fullback going into the 2005 campaign, but was released by the team after missing most of training camp with a sprained ankle. ...

And finally. ... In two games since he returned from his drug-related suspension, Williams has carried 11 times for 7 yards. His longest rush is for 4 yards, four carries have been for losses, and six have netted 1 yard or less. The official breakdown: 4, 2, -1, 3, 0, 0, -3, 4, -2, -3 and 3 yards.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Gus Frerotte, Sage Rosenfels, Cleo Lemon RB: Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, Sammy Morris, Travis Minor FB: Darian Barnes, Sammy Morris WR: Chris Chambers, Marty Booker, Wes Welker, David Boston, Bryan Gilmore TE: Randy McMichael, Lorenzo Diamond PK: Olindo Mare =========================

=========================MINNESOTA VIKINGSAs St. Paul Pioneer Press staffer Don Seeholzer noted Monday, "Nose tackle Pat Williams got the game ball after the Vikings' 23-20 victory over Green Bay on Sunday and kicker Paul Edinger got the accolades.

"But Marcus Robinson had a hand in two of the game's biggest plays. ..."

On a day when he had three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown, the Vikings' ninth-year wide receiver saved his best for last, catching a 12-yard sideline pass from Daunte Culpepper and stepping out of bounds with two seconds to play to set up Edinger's game-winning, 56-yard field goal.

"We knew we needed to get out of bounds," Robinson said. "We called a comeback (route) because you knew you'd have to come back toward the sideline. ... Paul said he needed to get to the 40, so I went 3 yards past the 40, [Culpepper] scrambled out and we made the play."

That wasn't the only big play by Robinson, who hooked up with Culpepper for a 27-yard touchdown pass that allowed the Vikings, who trailed 17-0 at halftime, to close to 17-10 in the third quarter.

Robinson was called for offensive pass interference in the end zone on the previous play, offsetting an offside penalty on Green Bay. But he said the touchdown catch wasn't the same call.

"The first was a free play so [Culpepper] just throws the ball up," Robinson said. "The other was a different play. Pep saw that I had one-on-one (coverage) on the backside, and we took advantage of it."

Robinson wasn't the only receiving hero for the Vikings.

Nate Burleson, back on the field after missing the past three games because of a sprained knee ligament, caught just three passes for 37 yards. One was big, however, a 10-yard grab on third and 8 for a first down at the Green Bay 13 that set up Culpepper's 14-yard touchdown pass to Mewelde Moore two plays later.

"Actually, Travis [Taylor] was the first option," Burleson said, "But Pep did a great job recognizing the coverage and seeing exactly what the defense was giving him. He took a shot and got me the ball."

Burleson took a shot of his own after the catch, as Packers cornerback Jason Horton knocked him head over heels, but the Vikings' No. 1 receiver said he and his knee came through fine.

"It felt great," he said. "I didn't go out there as a hurt guy getting back on the field. I was just another guy suiting up for another game. I felt terrific out there."

So did the Vikings' offense, but according to Seeholzer, players and coaches said the second-half turnaround wasn't the result of any magical halftime adjustments. The Vikings just played better and won a game they probably had to have if they're going to salvage this season.

"I think it's really big for us right now," Robinson said. "We just needed a win, no matter how we got it."

Added Burleson: "It was kind of like a brand-new car that died out. When you get a jump-start, everything's back to normal. This might be the jump-start that we needed."

For what it's worth, Burleson said he received treatment Monday and felt "pretty good."

Other notes of interest. ... The Vikings went with an empty backfield about 10 times in Sunday's game, the first time they have used the look this season.

"It was to give us some easy reads for the quarterback and also enabled [Culpepper], because he's healthy, to be able to run with the football and just kind of spread them out a little bit more," offensive coordinator Steve Loney said.

The above-mentioned 27-yard pass to Robinson came out of the empty look. ...

Edinger's 56-yard field goal as time ran out Sunday was the second-longest game-winning field goal in NFL history, behind only Tom Dempsey's 63-yarder for New Orleans in 1970. ...

As Pioneer Press staffer Sean Jensen noted on Monday, with players struggling on and off the field, Tice has been the most accessible target on the team.

Sports Illustrated revealed that Tice threatened to fight players late in the 2004 season, and ESPN aired a feature Sunday morning that included a critical quote from former Vikings receiver Jake Reed.

Still, according to Burleson, Tice was poised in his preparation last week.

"Coach Tice is dealing with a lot of pressure from fans, the media and everybody else," Burleson said. "But when he came to work this week, he came to work excited and focused on what needed to be done, and he showed us what we needed to do."

After the must-win victory over the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, Tice deflected the credit for the team's success.

"I'm happy for the players and for the coaches. I'm not worried about me. I'm fine," he said. "I'm very pleased for them. They went out and won a big game for us. We're 2-4. We have an opportunity to go on the road this week and get better, and hopefully, we can build on this.

"I'm proud of the players and the coaches. I'm proud of them all for sticking together for this week."

Michael Bennett said he was thrilled for his embattled coach.

"As much as he has been through emotionally, it's great to get a win for coach Tice," Bennett said. "You could see him on his knees (as Edinger lined up for the game-winning 56-yard field goal) like, 'Come on, come on.' When the kick went through, he jumped high enough to touch the top of the Metrodome."

Early in the game, Tice tried to turn around his offensive line. After Culpepper was sacked twice on the opening series, Tice bee-lined toward his linemen as they walked off the field. He screamed at them and slapped starting right guard Adam Goldberg in the chest.

Asked about Tice's interest in his unit, left tackle Bryant McKinnie said, "We just looked at it as, if all of us block our guy, that'll give other guys a chance to make a big play."

At halftime, with the Vikings trailing 17-0, Tice was admittedly annoyed with his players. He said he gave a "stern" address to his players, adding that he talked "negatively for the first time in two years."

The reaction was mixed.

"He wasn't angry," Burleson said. "He was emphatic. It was like another guy with pads was talking. Coach Tice is a tremendous leader. ..."

According to the Sports Xchange, Moe Williams, usually a key goal-line and third-down back, continues to battle a knee injury. His role has been reduced to a blocking back on third down. In fact, rookie Ciatrick Fason was active on Sunday, and would have been used in third-and-1 situations if the Vikings had had any.

And finally. ... Tight end Jermaine Wiggins had six catches for 56 yards, reaching 100 receptions in his 20th game for the Vikings -- the fastest to that mark in team history.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Daunte Culpepper, Brad Johnson, Shaun Hill RB: Mewelde Moore, Michael Bennett, Moe Williams, Ciatrick Fason HB: Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan WR: Nate Burleson, Travis Taylor, Marcus Robinson, Troy Williamson, Koren Robinson TE: Jermaine Wiggins, Richard Owens PK: Paul Edinger =========================

=========================NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTSAs the Sports Xchange noted Tuesday, with 1,821 passing yards (No. 1 in the NFL through six weeks), Tom Brady is on pace to throw for the second-most yards in a season in NFL history. His projected total of 4,856 would be topped only by Dan Marino's 1984 mark of 5,084.

Unfortunately, the passing game has been inconsistent.

In the Patriots' three losses, Brady has submitted two good halves (the first half against San Diego and the second half against Denver). Part of the problem is that he has had neither a reliable running game nor a sturdy defense to back him up. Still, he has been terrific at times, directing two game-winning drives late in the fourth quarter and falling a yard short of authoring four 300-yard games.

Receiver Deion Branch (37 catches for 437 yards, one touchdown) has been healthy, unlike last year, and is on track to blow away his previous career highs in catches (57) and yards (803). Fellow wideout David Givens (31-355, TD) has been solid and fullback Patrick Pass (16-164) has filled in nicely for injured third-down back Kevin Faulk.

Tim Dwight and Daniel Graham are tied for the team lead with two touchdown catches each, even though they have combined for just 15 receptions.

Still, except for a big day in Atlanta, the tight ends have been quiet, with only 15 catches between them.

As for the rushing attack. ... Corey Dillon sets the franchise rushing record (1,635 yards) in his first year with the team but can't get started in Year 2.

He's on pace to finish with fewer than 900 yards, and his average carry is 3.4 yards -- well below the 4.7 he posted in 2004. On the plus side, Dillon has five rushing TDs -- his most ever at this point in a season -- and he showed signs of emerging from his slumber in his last game, nicking the Falcons for 106 yards with a 4.6-yard average.

Dillon sat out the next week with an ankle injury, and the Patriots are keeping their fingers crossed that he is rested and back in form for the final 10 games. The Patriots have remained committed to the run, but Dillon is still on pace to finish with almost 90 fewer carries than last year.

Other notes of interest. ... Also according to the Xchange, Andre' Davis, who was re-signed on Oct. 19, could take over the No. 3 receiver spot from Troy Brown, who is nursing a foot injury. Brown missed the Patriots' last game before the bye week. ...

According to Pro Football Weekly, there is no word on the severity of Faulk's foot injury, which was reported by one source as possibly being a career-threatening injury. PFW was quick to note that projection is likely a worst-case scenario.

In the meantime, the Pats are working to get Amos Zereoue up to speed so he can assume Faulk's third-down back role. ...

And finally. ... Tedy Bruschi practiced again Wednesday, two days after his first practice with contact in more than eight months since he had a mild stroke.

The veteran linebacker, saying he felt like he usually does the day after such practices, added head coach Bill Belichick will decide whether he will play Sunday night against the Buffalo Bills.

"Whatever my coach decides to do, I trust that," he said.

Bruschi, who remains on the physically unable to perform list, returned to practice Oct. 19 after receiving medical clearance from several doctors. He had been working out and attending team meetings regularly in training camp and the regular season.

But he said he had no expectations about his upcoming activity.

"I'm not setting any because I'm sort of doing something I've never done before and that's jump into a season six, seven weeks in," Bruschi said.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Tom Brady, Doug Flutie, Matt Cassel RB: Corey Dillon, Patrick Pass, Amos Zereoue, Kevin Faulk FB: Patrick Pass WR: Deion Branch, David Givens, Troy Brown, Tim Dwight, Bethel Johnson, Andre' Davis TE: Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, Christian Fauria PK: Adam Vinatieri =========================

=========================NEW ORLEANS SAINTSAccording to New Orleans Times-Picayune staffer Brian Allee-Walsh, the injury count continues to mount for the slumping Saints.

The list of walking wounded grew to 14 Monday, more than a quarter of the team's 53-man roster, including veteran defensive end Darren Howard, who underwent surgery to repair a dislocated right ring finger originally injured at practice Friday.

Howard is joined on the list by receiver Donte' Stallworth (shoulder), tight end Ernie Conwell (knee), wide receiver Az-Zahir Hakim (ribs), and running back Aaron Stecker (ankle), all of whom were injured in Sunday's 28-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome.

Old injuries include wide receiver Joe Horn (hamstring) and rookie tackle Jammal Brown (ankle).

All 14 are questionable for Sunday's "home" game against the Miami Dolphins at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, meaning they have a 50-50 chance of playing.

"We got a lot of injuries; the league's got a lot of injuries," said head coach Jim Haslett, whose team has lost three consecutive games and five of its past six. "We just have to deal with it. It's not the best thing in the world, but we'll figure ways around it. We got other guys on the team who got to step up and play. We've been doing it all year."

Haslett already has lost seven players to season-ending injuries -- including running back Deuce McAllister (knee), return specialist/wide receiver Michael Lewis (knee), tight end Boo Williams (knee), and rookie wide receiver Chase Lyman (knee).

Horn, a four-time Pro Bowler, continues to be sidelined with an injured left hamstring and his return is uncertain. He aggravated the injury early in the first quarter against Atlanta in Game 6 at the Alamodome and pulled himself from the game.

"It's been a long time with Joe," Haslett said. "It's been a lot longer than I thought it would take, at least from my perspective. But a coach always looks at it that way. He's already missed four games.

"A hamstring (injury) is kind of a touchy thing. I've never had one, so I don't know what it's like. But, as a receiver who uses his speed all the time, you have to have your legs under you. I don't know where he's at (health-wise), and I don't know where he'll be when he comes back."

Haslett said Stallworth, Hakim and second-year wide receiver Devery Henderson have played well in Horn's absence. But Horn brings certain things to the offense that other receivers don't.

"First of all, Joe's one of the league's best route runners in the red zone," Haslett said. "He catches a lot of balls in the red zone and catches a lot of balls across the middle, so we miss all that. He's been in the top five receivers around the league the last five years, so he's another threat. Not having him hurts. ..."

Stay tuned. ... I'll have more on all the Saints walking wounded as the week progresses. ...

Meanwhile, going against the NFL's 29th-ranked run defense, the Saints finished with 119 yards on 32 carries. But they averaged only 3.7 yards per attempt with the long run being 15 yards by quarterback Aaron Brooks.

Antowain Smith and Stecker, who have been sharing the bulk of the carries with McAllister sidelined, had 56 and 33 yards, respectively. Brooks added 28 yards on three carries.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Aaron Brooks, Todd Bouman, Adrian McPherson RB: Antowain Smith, Aaron Stecker, Jesse Chatman, Fred McAfee FB: Mike Karney WR: Joe Horn, Donte' Stallworth, Az-Zahir Hakim, Devery Henderson, Nate Poole TE: Ernie Conwell, Zach Hilton, Shad Meier PK: John Carney =========================

=========================

NEW YORK GIANTSAccording to the Sports Xchange, the maturation of quarterback Eli Manning appears to be on a fast track and last Sunday's miraculous victory over the Denver Broncos is just another bookmark in the emergence of a soon-to-be-star.

Manning, who hasn't completed a full season as a starter, took the New York Giants to a dramatic fourth quarter victory over the Broncos, who were 5-1 and on a five-game winning streak. He did it by directing two touchdown drives in the final quarter, capping the comeback with a 2-yard scoring pass to veteran wide receiver Amani Toomer with five seconds showing on the scoreboard.

The 24-23 victory moved the Giants to 4-2 and into a three-way tie for first place in the NFC East with Washington and Philadelphia. Dallas, which had been the leader, fell to "last" with a loss to Seattle and a record of 4-3.

"He is so calm and poised in the locker room it's hard to believe how young he is," Toomer said. "He just tells us to calm down, that it's going to be fine and that we are going to score what we need to score. It's amazing."

Meanwhile, as the New York Daily News suggested, after being virtually absent from the offense all season, Toomer's game-winning catch went over well in the locker room. It wasn't just that 2-yard, over-the-middle pass, either; Toomer had eight receptions in the game, four during the game-winning drive.

No matter who made that final catch, the Giants were going to be thrilled with their come-from-behind, last-minute victory. But because it was Toomer, a 10-year veteran who hasn't bemoaned his decreasing share, they seemed especially pleased.

"I'm happy for Amani," said head Tom Coughlin, who usually doesn't express much personal feeling. "I really am."

"There's no person on this team that deserves it more than Amani Toomer," Jeremy Shockey said. "He's been a complete team player."

Being a "team player" often means having to watch someone else on the team succeed. Such has been the case for Toomer since the Giants signed Plaxico Burress in the offseason.

While Manning looked increasingly and almost exclusively for Burress, Toomer -- who shifted to the slot position with Burress' addition -- almost disappeared. Toomer had 11 catches in the Giants' first five games and had his streak of consecutive games with a catch snapped at 98 in Week 1.

Through it all, though, the franchise's all-time leader in receiving yards said he never leaned on Manning to throw to him more.

"It's hard to be upset when you're winning," Toomer said. "Plax has had great success, and you can't really be upset about somebody else doing well."

Yesterday, though, Toomer may have made the biggest catch of the Giants' season.

"When they called the play in the huddle, I was really excited because I knew I was going to have an opportunity to make a play," Toomer said. "It just makes me feel good to do that because I haven't had the opportunity to do that in the first couple of games. ..."

Though he is still waiting for his first breakout game of the season, Tiki Barber finally got back into the flow of the offense in the win over Denver -- and played a role in helping Toomer do the same.

Barber scored a touchdown and finished with 86 yards on 19 carries. His crushing block on a blitzer also gave Manning time to find Toomer in the end zone on the game winner.

"It's a good feeling to be able to make a difference," he said, speaking of himself and Toomer, one of his best friends on the team.

Barber, obviously upset about his role in the Dallas game, made it known last week he thought he should have been given the ball more.

Barber also caught six passes yesterday for 24 yards. On the Giants' final drive, he caught a 6-yard pass, a middle screen, that moved the ball to the Denver 2. ...

Also of interest. ... According to Newark Star-Ledger staff writer Mike Garafolo, in Week 2, it was defensive end Michael Strahan who recovered in two days to record five tackles and one sack against the Saints. This time Burress, who missed Friday's practice with back spasms, caught six passes for a game-high 84 yards and one touchdown against the Broncos.

"I felt it a little bit," Burress said. "But once I got out there and warmed up, it didn't really bother me."

It was a good thing Burress had a chance to warm up because he was Manning's target on the Giants' first play from scrimmage -- an 8-yard completion on the right side. His next reception came on the team's second drive and it gave the Giants a 7-3 lead.

Burress ran a fade down the left sideline on the play, stopped himself in the end zone -- while Broncos corner Champ Bailey overran the ball -- and leapt for an 18-yard touchdown. It was Burress' team-leading fifth touchdown of the season

and tied his 2004 total. Burress also had back-to-back 6-yard catches on the game-winning drive.

According to the Xchange, Burress was having his right shoulder checked out after injuring it in the final two minutes of Sunday's game, coach Coughlin said.

"He came out and went back in and finished the game. But, we're running all the tests on that," the coach said Monday. "He's sore today."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Eli Manning, Tim Hasselbeck RB: Tiki Barber, Derrick Ward, Brandon Jacobs FB: Jim Finn WR: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Tim Carter, David Tyree, Jamaar Taylor, Willie Ponder TE: Jeremy Shockey, Visanthe Shiancoe PK: Jay Feely =========================

=========================NEW YORK JETSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Andrea Adelson, when the Jets arrived in New York early Tuesday morning, they had to walk about a quarter-mile lugging their suitcases in the rain.

As Adelson framed it: "Weary from another embarrassing loss, their season in tatters, they got off the plane to find their buses were parked in a different terminal. So off they trudged -- a fitting ending to a miserable trip. ..."

The Jets were outclassed on national television, losing 27-14 to Atlanta. After new center Pete Kendall failed to get the snap off to Vinny Testaverde on their second play from scrimmage, they were in for a long night.

In all, they had four turnovers and might have seen the last of Testaverde, who was hailed as the white knight when he got off his couch to help the Jets following shoulder injuries to Chad Pennington and Jay Fiedler.

His magic lasted one game, a victory over Tampa Bay. And as Adelson noted, in the two games since, he has looked every bit of 41, perhaps even older. Against the Falcons, he had three turnovers that led to 17 early points, then left in the third quarter with a strained lower right calf.

Testaverde underwent an MRI exam Monday, which showed the strain. The Jets have a bye this weekend, then host the Chargers, and Testaverde said on his weekly radio show, "I'll be ready to go against San Diego."

Head coach Herman Edwards avoided any prolonged controversy when he confirmed on Wednesday that Testaverde would indeed start Nov. 6 against San Diego -- provided the veteran quarterback is healthy.

"It's over. It's done. It's Vinny," Edwards said. "Vinny's going to go for San Diego if he's well."

That Edwards is sticking with Testaverde rather than switching to Brooks Bollinger shows he believes the offensive problems are not all the quarterback's fault. Though quarterbacks account for 13 of the 22 fumbles the team has this season, most have come because of the offensive line.

Brandon Moore is the only player starting in the same spot as opening day. Kendall had an awful game, taking the blame for all three fumbles.

"There's no question that for us to be successful, we need solid protection so I can throw the ball down the field," Testaverde said. "I'm not going to hurt anybody scrambling all over the field like Michael Vick. We have to do a better job of making sure no one comes free. At least hit them at the line of scrimmage to give us a chance."

Curtis Martin is hobbling with a sore right knee. He had 28 yards against the Falcons and averaged 2 yards a carry. The receiver corps is banged up: Justin McCareins played with a strained calf and Laveranues Coles bruised his left elbow in the game.

The Jets haven't thrown a touchdown pass in five games, the longest stretch since 1993. Of course, it doesn't help when the Jets keep spotting teams huge leads. They have been outscored 40-7 in the first quarter this season.

Testaverde has been less than stellar, going 36-of-63 for 464 yards with no touchdowns, four interceptions and a quarterback rating of 53.9. Is this what he really came back for?

"I'm committed to it," he told Adelson. "Once you commit to something, you stick with it. We're still in the mix of things, and we have to believe that as a team."

Here's hoping the off week helps them get a little healthier and perhaps even gain Testaverde's belief that they still have something to play for.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  The Jets are idle this week due to the bye. =========================

=========================

OAKLAND RAIDERSAs the Contra Costa Times noted Monday, the Raiders entered Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills 31st in the league in rushing at 70.6 yards per game. Also, only three teams had attempted fewer rushes than Oakland's 105 (21 per game).

LaMont Jordan lobbied during the week for more action than the 17 carries he averaged in Oakland's first five games. He got what he wanted against the league's worst rushing defense (Buffalo had allowed an average of 158.5 yards through six games). Jordan rushed for 122 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries in Oakland's 38-17 victory.

"(Head coach) Norv [Turner] did a good job of sticking with the run," Jordan said after the game.

And Jordan made good on his assertion that committing to the run leads to good things.

He got five rushes in each of the first three quarters and totaled 63 yards during that span. He reached the 100-yard barrier with his 23rd carry late in the fourth quarter.

"We were going to work hard to make sure he got his 25 carries," Turner said.

Jordan said he needs 23 to 26 carries per game for him to get into the groove he needs to be at peak efficiency. He reached that range only once in Oakland's first five games.

"We got back to the things that we do well," Kerry Collins said. "It showed in the way we play." Jordan accomplished another goal Sunday: He outperformed counterpart Willis McGahee. That's something Jordan seeks to do each game.

McGahee finished with only 50 yards on 16 carries and didn't score a touchdown. He also caught three passes for 36 yards and no TDs, while Jordan had four receptions for 40 yards. ...

Meanwhile, everyone celebrated a surprise end zone appearance by injured receiver Randy Moss and a once-dormant offense that rang up 416 total yards.

Rib, pelvis and groin injuries Moss sustained on a pass play against the Chargers on Oct. 16 made it difficult for him to practice last week. His status remained in question until just before game time.

Turner said he didn't plan on Moss playing until Moss emerged from a pre-game test run.

"He made a couple of big plays that made a difference for us," Turner said.

Moss factored into Oakland's first four scoring drives. His 15-yard reception gave the Raiders the ball at the Buffalo 10-yard line on their second possession. The Raiders kicked a field goal four plays later.

Moss tied the game by taking a Collins pass just inside the front corner of the end zone and keeping his feet in bounds for a 22-yard touchdown. His 6-yard reception two drives later once again gave the Raiders a first down at the Bills 10. The Raiders scored a touchdown two plays later.

He rounded out his day by throwing a key block near the end zone on a 17-yard touchdown run by Jordan in the third quarter.

"His presence out there is big for us," Collins said. "People are going to give him attention and open up other things for us."

Collins took a fair amount of heat for his inconsistent play in the loss to the Chargers. You won't hear the Bills finding fault with Collins' performance Sunday.

Collins shredded the league's top-ranked pass defense for 261 yards and had a season-high passer rating of 113.3.

"They were better than us today," Bills head coach Mike Mularkey said. "We really had no chance to stop them. ..."

Collins had his streak of passes without an interception this season snapped by San Diego last Sunday on his 141st attempt -- it had reached 151 overall. However, Collins attempted 46 passes without an interception after he got picked by the Chargers and tacked on 27 more against the Bills. ...

Third-year receiver Doug Gabriel posted career-highs in receptions (five) and yards (101). ... Jerry Porter dropped a pass at the goal line in the second quarter and has no touchdowns this season. ...

And finally. ... Moss came out of Sunday's game without any further injuries. "Randy was no worse than he was," Turner said. "And again, I think each day he'll continue getting better."

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Kerry Collins, Marques Tuiasosopo, Andrew Walter RB: LaMont Jordan, Zack Crockett, Justin Fargas FB: Zack Crockett WR: Randy Moss, Jerry Porter, Doug Gabriel, Alvis Whitted, Randal Williams, Johnnie Morant, Carlos Francis

TE: Courtney Anderson, Zeron Flemister PK: Sebastian Janikowski =========================

=========================PHILADELPHIA EAGLESAs Associated Press sports writer Rob Maaddi noted Tuesday, every time Terrell Owens has caught a touchdown pass, the Eagles have won.

It's when Owens is kept out of the end zone and prevented from performing one of his innovative celebrations that the Eagles have trouble.

The Eagles are 17-4 in games Owens has played, including a 24-21 loss to New England in the Super Bowl. They are 13-0 when Owens scores a TD, 4-4 when he doesn't.

It took an improbable 65-yard return by Matt Ware after a blocked field goal by Quintin Mikell to defeat San Diego on Sunday and keep that streak intact. Owens had a 4-yard TD catch against the Chargers, the only time Philly's struggling offense has found the end zone in the last two games.

Owens, an All-Pro in his first season with the Eagles after eight years in San Francisco, has 130 receptions for 1,931 yards and 19 TDs in 21 games. In the 17 wins, he has 102 catches for 1,594 yards and all 19 TDs. In the four losses, he has 28 receptions for 337 yards.

Though Owens is putting up big numbers again this season -- he's tied for the NFL lead with 44 receptions and has 609 yards receiving and five TDs -- defenses have been containing him more frequently than last year.

Owens caught seven passes for 53 yards against San Diego. It was the first time he didn't have a catch longer than 12 yards since he joined the Eagles.

In Philadelphia's 33-10 loss at Dallas before the bye, Owens had five catches for 50 yards, even though the Eagles threw the ball most of the game after falling behind 17-0.

Owens was outstanding in a comeback victory over Kansas City on Oct. 2, catching 11 passes for 171 yards and one TD. He made nine catches for 80 yards and one TD against Oakland a week earlier.

In Week 2, Owens tore up his former team, making all five catches for 143 yards and two TDs in the first 19 minutes in a rout over San Francisco. He had seven catches for 112 yards in a season-opening loss against Atlanta.

Owens invigorated the Eagles' passing attack upon his arrival from San Francisco. He helped quarterback Donovan McNabb have his best season and the Eagles won nine games by double-digit margins with Owens in the lineup.

However, Owens' production started slipping before he went down with a severe ankle injury and broken leg in Philadelphia's 14th game against Dallas.

Owens made an incredible recovery, returned to play against the Patriots just 6 1/2 weeks after ankle surgery and had nine catches for 122 yards, but didn't score in the Super Bowl.

Since catching three TDs in a victory at Dallas last Nov. 15, Owens has just one multiple-TD game in the last 12.

Opposing defensive coordinators obviously focus their game plans on neutralizing Owens, but also must be wary of running back Brian Westbrook. The Eagles have abandoned their run game this season, allowing defenses to put more emphasis on stopping the pass. Conversely, Owens could be expected to have even better numbers because the Eagles are throwing nearly 80 percent of the time.

"If you just take Westbrook out of the offense, you have to worry about T.O.," McNabb said. "I would think you would try to take a receiver out of the offense before you take a running back out."

For what it's worth, head coach Andy Reid admitted on Monday that the offense had gotten out of whack, that the Eagles were throwing the ball too much. After a staggering 58 called passes and just 10 called runs Sunday resulted in one offensive touchdown, Reid said for the first time this year that needs to be fixed.

"I have to do a better job on my side, of getting this thing a bit more balanced up in the run/pass ratio," Reid said. "I'll go back to the drawing board and work on that, and see if we can do a better job.

"We need to balance it up more. We're too heavy on the pass side."

Informed of Reid's quote about needing more balance, offensive coordinator Brad Childress didn't seem totally convinced. In fact, Childress grinned and said: "I'm going to need to see the transcript of that press conference."

But the veteran coordinator agreed with the concept.

"You always need to work in that direction," Childress said. "If you're one-dimensional, they'll gang up on you."

And McNabb really could use the help.

The veteran signal caller continues to play with a sports hernia, and as CourrierPostOnline.com suggested, his body seems to be giving out as the game wears on -- in the fourth quarter this season, McNabb has a 68.5 quarterback rating, his worst of any quarter and he's thrown just one fourth-quarter TD pass.

He's still throwing the ball plenty (McNabb has thrown more fourth-quarter passes than first-quarter passes), but he's not as effective.

And as the Philadelphia Inquirer advised readers, based on how Dallas and San Diego defended McNabb, there is reason to worry that a pattern is forming, and that a belief is growing among the league's defensive coordinators that McNabb cannot beat you deep.

Since the hernia limits his mobility and pains him when he stretches the lower portion of his body, McNabb hasn't thrown long very often in recent weeks and opponents are picking up on that shortcoming.

McNabb admitted on Monday that there are certain throws he is unable to comfortably make.

"Sometimes going across the body when [I'm] rolling out, I'm not able to get on it as much," McNabb said. "That pretty much comes from not being able to use your legs."

Reid sidestepped the issue and the other Eagles didn't want any part of it, either.

"He's still our leader," Westbrook said.

As Inquirer columnist Bob Ford noted, Billy McMullen caught a 36-yard pass against the Chargers, but that was the only completion of the day for McNabb longer than 15 yards. Against Dallas, McNabb's longest completion was 23 yards.

Ford added: "If coordinators don't believe McNabb can wind up and heave it right now, then the only challenge is to stop the short and medium passes. (They certainly aren't worried about stopping the running game.) So it doesn't matter if McNabb has time to throw.

"It doesn't matter if Owens can streak 60 yards down the field in that time. The ball probably won't get there."

Hard to argue with Ford's assessment. ...

Also of interest. ... With David Akers close to returning from a hamstring injury, the Eagles shuffled their kicking game on Tuesday, claiming Jose Cortez off waivers from the Cowboys and releasing Todd France.

The release of France is surprising since he has kicked well in three games since replacing Akers, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury. France has made 6-of-7 field goals, with his only miss being a block.

According to PhiladelphiaEagles.com insider Dave Spadaro, the Eagles expect Cortez to handle the full-time duties in Denver and, hoping Akers comes back for the Washington game, can ease Akers back into his groove by allowing Cortez to kick off.

In his 33 kickoffs this season, Cortez' average landing spot has been the opponents' 3.6-yard line. He had 5 touchbacks among those 33 kickoffs.

On his field goals, Cortez was 12 of 16. He also had a situation in which the Cowboys changed long snappers and weren't entirely confident in their holder.

For the record, there's still a chance Akers could return this week, but next week seems more likely. ...

And finally. ... According to the Sports Xchange, Stephen Spach suffered a lower leg contusion Sunday against the Chargers. Spach, the club's No. 2 tight end, got his most extensive playing time of the season as the Eagles frequently went with an extra tight end to protect McNabb.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Donovan McNabb, Mike McMahon, Koy Detmer RB: Brian Westbrook, Lamar Gordon, Reno Mahe, Ryan Moats FB: Josh Parry WR: Terrell Owens, Greg Lewis, Reggie Brown, Billy McMullen, Darnerien McCants TE: L.J. Smith, Stephen Spach, Mike Bartrum PK: Jose Cortez, David Akers =========================

=========================PITTSBURGH STEELERSAs Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staffer Joe Bendel asked Tuesday: "Willie or Jerome? Jerome or Willie?"

"It doesn't matter who it is, as long as we're running the ball and we're winning games," Willie Parker said.

"We both have the ability to make plays for this football team," Jerome Bettis said.

That produced a combined 187 yards in a physically dominating, 27-13, victory against the Cincinnati Bengals this past Sunday at Paul Brown Stadium.

Parker did his damage on the outside, running for 131 yards on 18 attempts (7.3 per rush), and Bettis did his work on the inside, pounding his way to 56 yards on 13 tries (4.3).

They ran behind an offensive line that demoralized the Bengals.

The performance couldn't have come at a better time. The running game faltered a week earlier in a 23-20 overtime loss to Jacksonville, and clouds of doubt began forming around Parker, Bettis and the line.

The Steelers were averaging just 85.3 yards rushing the previous three games, including 79 on 30 carries in a Week 3 loss to the Patriots, and neither Parker nor Bettis had come close to eclipsing 100.

Bettis ran for only 4 yards on four carries against the Jags, while Parker finished with 55 on 21. Parker opened the season with 272 yards in his first two games, but managed just 136 the ensuing three weeks.

"The key, though, was not to give up on the running game," Bettis said. "Running the ball is who we are. It's Steelers football. Until you stop us, we're going to keep doing it. Everybody knows that."

Head coach Bill Cowher blamed himself for failing to use Bettis in the second half and in overtime against the Jags and made amends Sunday when he used Bettis at the outset of the second quarter.

Bettis responded by reeling off runs of 3, 10 and 5 yards before tight end Heath Miller caught a 2-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone thanks to a play-action fake to Bettis.

"Ben [Roethlisberger] told me in the huddle, 'Hey JB, give me a good fake on this one,'" Bettis said. "When we get down there (in the red zone), everybody knows that's my territory and they know what we like to do, so that was a great changeup."

And it was the beginning of the end for the Bengals, who were pounded by the Steelers running game in the final three quarters. The Steelers ran the ball 41 times for 199 yards during that span and held the ball for 31 minutes, 9 seconds.

Bendel went on to advise readers that three running plays stood out in the second half. The first was a 4-yarder by Bettis, in which he "torpedoed" through the Bengals line and maintained his balance despite appearing to be down. The

yeoman's effort provided the Steelers with a first down and kept alive a drive that resulted in the Steelers' final touchdown.

That play, more than any other, was a microcosm of Sunday's game.

"It let them know, 'Hey, if you can't stop us up the gut, when you have to stop us, it's going to be a long day,'" Bettis said. "It was third-and-3. They knew what we were going to do, and we were still able to get (the first down). That meant a lot."

Complimenting Bettis' carries were runs of 37 and 13 yards by Parker. On the 37-yarder, he followed blocks by fullback Dan Kreider and wideout Hines Ward before shedding a tackler and taking off down the sideline, displaying his track-star speed in stretching the margin to 24-6.

On the 13-yarder, he took a counter-pitch, cut inside a block by Ward and kept the Steelers' final scoring drive alive. He ran for 20 more yards on the ensuing play before giving way to Verron Haynes.

"We made it a priority to run the football, because the strength of the (the Bengals) is their secondary," Bettis said. "We knew if we put the ball up 30 times, it was going to be a tough road for us. So, we went back to the basics this week."

Roethlisberger, improved to 17-0 as a starter when the Steelers' opponent is someone other than the New England Patriots.

"You know the biggest stat with him? 'W'," offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said. "He's got wins. And he manages the game so well."

Meanwhile, for the second consecutive game, Miller was the Steelers' leading receiver. In fact, he was darn near their only receiver, catching six passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Ward was the only other player who caught a pass for the Steelers, hauling in three for 35 yards and a TD.

"I told him if he keeps it up, he is going to break the touchdown record for Steelers tight ends," said Roethlisberger. "He is a threat down the middle and down the field. He did a great job today of twice getting his body between the ball and the defender. He has long arms and big hands."

After a slow start, Miller has 14 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns in the past three games.

Overall, he has 16 catches and four TD's. No Steelers tight end has caught 20 passes in a season since Mark Bruener caught 26 as a rookie in 1995. ...

One last item here. ... Cedrick Wilson did not have a catch Sunday and has only two receptions in his past three games, for 33 yards. He also has a broken bone

and a torn ligament in his right wrist.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Tommy Maddox RB: Willie Parker, Jerome Bettis, Verron Haynes, Duce Staley FB: Dan Krieder WR: Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El, Cedrick Wilson, Quincy Morgan TE: Heath Miller, Jerame Tuman PK: Jeff Reed =========================

=========================ST. LOUIS RAMSAccording to Associated Press sports writer R.B. Fallstrom, a day after announcing he'd miss the rest of the season with a heart infection, head coach Mike Martz harshly criticized team management and said he didn't know if he could coexist with the team's president of football operations.

Jay Zygmunt, the team's second-highest ranking official, stopped a representative for Martz at the door of the coaches' booth during Sunday's game against the Saints. The representative, team director of security Dan Linza, had been trying to bring a cell phone to offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild so Martz could talk to him from his home.

Zygmunt brought Linza to team president John Shaw, who decided against having an "open phone line" in the booth.

The confrontation brought to a head once again the team's front office power struggle. Martz has long been at odds with Zygmunt and general manager Charlie Armey, and he told radio station KSLG that he didn't know whether he and Zygmunt could coexist if he returned to coach the team next year.

"That's a personal question that I'm not really prepared to answer," Martz said. "There is a lot of history there. From a business standpoint, yes. From a personal standpoint, I don't know. There have been just too many things that have happened."

Martz had been in telephone contract from his home with Fairchild before and during halftime of a 28-17 victory over the Saints.

"I was very, very angry to say the least," Martz told the radio station. "I don't understand why that happened, what the whole thought process was. And if they had an issue with that why didn't they tell me ahead of time?"

Martz said he wasn't trying to interfere, just to help a young coach.

"There are some things as a playcaller that you need to look for," Martz said. "Those are the things I try to talk to those coaches about."

Martz admitted the impasse might be partly his fault, too, the result of strong wills clashing.

"My personality, I'm not the easiest person to get along with," he said. "My whole deal is to make this a better organization. As I tell our players and our coaches, everything we do we are trying to do the right thing.

"It's hard thing to do, but it's easy to say."

The Rams will play their third game without the 54-year-old Martz on Sunday against the Jaguars. Joe Vitt, the linebackers coach and assistant head coach, has been named interim coach for the remainder of the season.

Martz expects to coach the team next season and could return to duty as soon as January. But he said Monday that he won't interfere with the team any more this season,

"I've got to divorce myself of this," he said Monday. "I'd become a distraction for them. They need to go and do this job and use their judgment."

The organization's stance appears to be that Martz, 57-37 as head coach in six seasons counting the postseason, will not be fired.

Next year would be the final year of a three-year contract for Martz, who helped the Rams win their first Super Bowl as offensive coordinator after the 1999 season and led them to another Super Bowl in 2001.

Martz told the radio station he talked with owner Georgia Frontiere before the season and said she told him he could be the head coach "as long as you want."

Zygmunt has been working on a month-to-month basis since last season, but there are those -- ESPN insider Chris Mortensen and St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bernie Miklasz among them -- who believe Martz has coached his last game with the Rams. ...

Meanwhile, as Post-Dispatch beat writer Bill Coats suggested Monday, no sooner had safety Adam Archuleta pounced on a New Orleans fumble midway through the final period Sunday than Fairchild decided to place the game squarely on the shoulders of Steven Jackson.

And that was just fine with the 6-foot-2, 231-pound second-year running back.

"In this league, if you want to be successful, that's what you want," said Jackson, the team's first-round draft pick in 2004. "But it starts up top, with the play-calling. I think coach Fairchild did a great job of staying with the run and not abandoning it."

Fairchild might have been sorely tempted to keep the ball in the air. Jackson had ripped off a 43-yard burst on the Rams' first play from scrimmage, but he'd mustered a mere 19 more yards on 11 carries since then.

Yet with the Rams 42 yards from the end zone and trailing by three points with 8 minutes 40 seconds remaining, Jackson was his man.

"He has a great combination of speed and strength, which is rare," receiver Dane Looker said. "He has a big heart. And he runs as hard as anyone in the NFL."

The drive took only five plays and lasted just over 2 minutes. Jackson carried three times for 29 yards and took a short pass from Jamie Martin for an additional 8. Receiver Kevin Curtis scampered 5 yards on a reverse for the touchdown that put the Rams up, and they turned aside the Saints 28-17.

"That was something that we needed," Jackson said. "We've got one more game before the bye week, and we just want to be at .500" with a 4-4 record. That would require a win over Jacksonville next Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

Jackson also scored the Rams' first touchdown, on a 6-yard burst up the middle on an eight-play, 86-yard drive. He finished with his most productive ground game of the season, piling up 97 yards on 20 carries. He's averaging 4.2 yards per try and is on pace to finish his sophomore year with almost 1,100 rushing yards.

"We kind of knew this week that we were going to have to carry the load" with Marc Bulger, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt sidelined, Jackson said. "It wasn't just me; we all prepared for it, and it was a tough one. ... We were in a battle, and the offensive line did a great job of just grinding it out. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... On Thursday, Holt said his injured right knee felt noticeably better than it did entering the Monday night game in Indianapolis. But on Sunday, he was a surprise pre-game scratch.

"At the beginning of the week, things felt fine," Holt said after the Saints game. "Then as I practiced a little bit, things kind of gave out on me, and I didn't feel comfortable with it. ... So I felt it'd be best that I take some time off."

The injury is more than just a bruised knee as originally announced.

"Actually, I've got a strain in my PCL," Holt said, referring to the posterior cruciate ligament in the knee. "I have to rest that and continue to get rehab."

The New Orleans contest marked the first game Holt has missed in his seven NFL seasons.

His status is uncertain for this week's game against Jacksonville. The same goes for Bruce, although his chances of playing this week seem remote at this point.

Dominique Thompson was the team's fourth receiver Sunday with Holt and Bruce out. An undrafted free agent, Thompson had a reception for 13 yards, his first NFL catch. ...

One last note here. ... Bulger threw for the first time Monday since injuring his shoulder Oct. 17 against the Colts and felt "pretty good," according to Vitt. Bulger has a chance to play Sunday against Jacksonville, but it would seem to be slim chance at best -- especially with a bye looming in Week 9.

Either way, keep an eye on this week's Late-Breaking Updates for more Holt, Bulger and Bruce as the week progresses.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Jamie Martin, Marc Bulger, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Smoker RB: Steven Jackson, Marshall Faulk, Arlen Harris, Aveion Cason FB: Madison Hedgecock WR: Torry Holt, Kevin Curtis, Shaun McDonald, Dane Looker, Dominique Thompson, Isaac Bruce TE: Brandon Manumaleuna, Cam Cleeland, Jeff Robinson PK: Jeff Wilkins =========================

=========================SAN DIEGO CHARGERSAs San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Jay Posner reported it, the first carry went for a loss of 3 yards; the second was for double that. By the end of the first quarter, when LaDainian Tomlinson had lost 13 yards on four attempts, it was clear this would not be a normal day.

"It's been awhile since I felt like that," Tomlinson would say later, at the end of a day that truly was like no other in his career.

The Chargers' All-Pro running back, generally considered the best player in the league at his position, if not all of them, carried the ball 17 times yesterday in San Diego's 20-17 loss to the Eagles.

He gained 7 yards. This, from a back who was averaging nearly 4.9 yards a carry and 108.7 yards per game this season.

Tomlinson had also scored at least one touchdown in his last 18 games, equaling a 40-year-old NFL record established by Hall of Famer Lenny Moore. One more score Sunday would have given him sole possession of the mark.

He never got it. He came close, landing about a half-yard short of the goal line on a critical fourth-quarter attempt, but a holding penalty on the next play pushed the Chargers too far from the goal line for Tomlinson to have another chance.

"It's not much of a disappointment," Tomlinson said about missing out on the solo record. "I've had a great run at it. I'm happy with being tied with Lenny. Any day, I'll take that. Like I said, everything must come to an end and I've had a great run. I'm certainly not disappointed at all."

Maybe not with the record, but the game was another story. After all, it wasn't the first time Tomlinson had been kept out of the end zone, but it certainly was the first time he finished in single figures, probably at any level. His previous professional low was 29 yards (on eight carries) on Nov. 16, 2003, in Denver.

Six of his first eight carries went for negative yardage, plus another one in the final period. He gained more than 2 yards only three times – a pair of 5-yard runs and a 7-yarder.

"They just played good defense," Tomlinson said. "I don't know specifically what they did; I have to wait to see the film."

As Posner suggested, it figures Tomlinson won't like the replay any more than he liked the live action. The Eagles played eight, sometimes nine defenders close to the line of scrimmage, and the Chargers simply were unable to get everyone blocked.

"No matter how many people they put up in there, we have to get a hat on a hat and expect (No.) 21 to find a lane," tackle Roman Oben said. "I think we failed in certain circumstances."

Said head coach Marty Schottenheimer: "They played like a six-man line, the way they were bringing up their linebackers and safeties. I think you have to credit them. Their scheme posed problems for us. It wasn't that we didn't try. There just wasn't anything there in the running game."

The passing game produced a season-high 299 yards (270 net) from Drew Brees, but the big story afterward was Tomlinson, just because his day was so far from the norm.

The Eagles blitzed a lot and made sure "everything was funneled inside," as safety Brian Dawkins put it. Fullback Lorenzo Neal said the Chargers practiced against everything the Eagles threw at them and termed it "kind of baffling" that they played so poorly.

"The plan was there; we didn't execute," he said. ...

Other notes of interest. ... Reche Caldwell was on his way to a fabulous game, having tied his career high with four catches and amassing 97 yards.

But fighting for those final yards left him second-guessing himself.

"I was just trying to make a play," Caldwell said of his run after a catch that concluded with Sheldon Brown forcing a fumble that effectively ended the game. "I should have just gone down instead of trying to get upfield. He had a good play on the ball. I've got to hold on. ... I didn't see him at all. I felt him, so I should have covered the ball up better than I did."

Replays appeared to show Caldwell's knee going down before the ball came out, but the fumble call was upheld after a replay review.

"It shouldn't even have come down to the referee's decision," Caldwell said. "I shouldn't have let the ball go. ..."

After Keenan McCardell caught a 19-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter, he immediately took a towel, laid it over his arm and then held the ball aloft as if he were a waiter.

It was a re-enactment of Terrell Owens' celebration of his second-quarter touchdown catch.

"We're good friends," McCardell said. "I was messing with him."

The two talked after the game.

"He was laughing," McCardell said. "People don't know him. He's not a bad guy at all."

McCardell, who yesterday caught five passes for 78 yards and moved past Shannon Sharpe into 23rd place on the NFL's all-time receiving list with 10,134 yards, said he appreciates Owens' myriad antics after scoring.

"He really keeps you guessing," McCardell said. "When you get in the end zone like he does, he should (celebrate)."

Owens caught just two passes in the second half and was held to seven catches for 53 yards in the game, his second-lowest total of the season.

"He plays the game extremely hard," McCardell said. "You've got to give our secondary credit."

And finally. ... With a season-high 299 yards, Brees became the fourth quarterback to throw for more than 10,000 yards as a Charger, joining Dan Fouts, John Hadl and Stan Humphries.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, A.J. Feeley RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Darren Sproles FB: Lorenzo Neal WR: Keenan McCardell, Eric Parker, Reche Caldwell, Kassim Osgood, Vincent Jackson TE: Antonio Gates, Justin Peelle PK: Nate Kaeding =========================

=========================SAN FRANCISCO 49ERSAs initially reported by the Associated Press, Alex Smith sprained his right knee in San Francisco 's fifth straight loss, and the 49ers aren't certain their rookie franchise quarterback will play against Tampa Bay.

Smith, 8 of 16 for 92 yards and one interception in the Niners' humiliating 52-17 defeat, was hurt when his cleats got caught in the turf while LaVar Arrington tackled him in the first quarter.

He played the rest of the game, feeling only momentary pain -- but after his knee stiffened up overnight, the No. 1 overall draft pick wore a heavy wrap and a brace Oct. 24 at the 49ers' training complex. He is listed as probable on the injury report, but the 49ers will wait until later in the week to determine whether Smith can make his third career start.

Smith sprained two ligaments on the inside of his knee, and fluid built up behind his kneecap. Though he had previous back injuries from weightlifting, he had never been hurt while playing football in high school or at Utah.

"I guess that's why I do things like that," Smith said, referring to his dangerous attempt to make a play while Arrington was bearing down on him. "Other people would have gone out of bounds or gone down. Obviously, I need to learn from that."

Last week, the 49ers traded Tim Rattay, Smith's veteran backup, to the Buccaneers for a low-round conditional draft pick. The move was meant to cement their faith in Smith while adding a ninth draft choice for next spring -- but it left Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett as the only backups for a 21-year-old rookie whose head is still swimming at the speed of the NFL game.

Smith underwent an MRI exam, and he'll have therapy and rehabilitation before practice on Oct. 26.

"We've just got to see how much I can tolerate," he said.

The season has been equally rough for Smith and his teammates. The 49ers have fallen to 1-5 with dismal efforts on offense, defense and special teams -- but Smith's numbers are just as bad as you might expect from a rookie quarterback on a rebuilding team that had the NFL's worst record last season.

After two starts and two relief appearances in place of Rattay, Smith is 23 of 50 for 200 yards. He has thrown five interceptions and is still waiting for his first touchdown pass, leading to a quarterback rating of 17.5.

Smith also has been sacked 12 times, including five by the Redskins. Yet head coach Mike Nolan believes Smith improved in the 49ers' loss at Washington, specifically citing his decreased turnovers after making five against Indianapolis earlier in the month. Smith fumbled three times against the Redskins, but lost only one.

"He did drop the ball, but in comparison, I thought that he played better," Nolan said. "How much better? That's a good question. I know that the game did slow down for him a little bit, which is good. In two or three years, that is a good thing for a quarterback. ..."

Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle suggested Monday that with the season close to being lost, the pressure will be on coaches to play younger players. That might include rookie running back Frank Gore.

Gore, in spelling starter Kevan Barlow, broke loose for a 72-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Never mind it was near the end of a blowout loss and that the Redskins were playing some reserves.

Gore, who had major surgeries on both knees while at the University of Miami, looks like he has regained his speed. That was the opinion of Redskins running back Clinton Portis, who played with Gore at Miami.

"He told me you can't tell I had two knee surgeries," Gore said. "He said, 'You're back.'"

Gore and Portis worked out together in Florida during the past offseason. Gore was keen to know if he had out-gained Portis at the end of the game. He fell 12 yards short, with 89 yards on nine carries, while Portis raced for 101 yards on 19 totes.

"He told me to keep fighting, keep working hard," Gore said of his short conversation with Portis after the game. Gore also posed for a photograph with him.

"That's my boy," Gore said.

As for his TD run, Gore hopes it will leave an impression on his coaches.

"It was my first touchdown in the NFL," he said. "Hopefully, it will show my coaches that they can believe in me when I'm in the game that I'm going to keep fighting no matter if we are up or down."

Other notes of interest. ... The 49ers will receive a sixth-round pick from Tampa Bay for Rattay. The pick could improve to a fifth-rounder depending upon Rattay's playing time. Regardless, the 49ers now have nine picks in next year's draft.

As noted by the Sports Xchange, Brandon Lloyd is the team's leading receiver with 19 catches for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Last year through the first six games, tight end Eric Johnson had 45 catches for 484 yards.

In fact, Lloyd's numbers would have ranked him fourth last year through six games.

On the injury front. ... The 49ers were without punt returner Otis Amey, who was deactivated because of an ankle injury.

With backup return man wide receiver Arnaz Battle also inactive because of a knee injury, rookie Rasheed Marshall stepped in to handle punts and also shared time at the No. 3 wide receiver position with Jason McAddley.

Marshall fielded two punts and returned them 12 yards. Two other punts were downed by the Redskins.

The 49ers listed fullback Fred Beasley (bruised hand), Barlow (bruised quad) and Smith on their post-game injury report. Beasley and Barlow are considered probable. It remains to be seen if Battle can make good on Nolan's predictions he'll return to practice this week.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Alex Smith, Ken Dorsey, Cody Pickett RB: Kevan Barlow, Frank Gore, Maurice Hicks, Terry Jackson FB: Fred Beasley. Chris Hetherington WR: Brandon Lloyd, Arnaz Battle, Johnnie Morton, Otis Amey, Rasheed Marshall, Jason McAddley TE: Steve Bush, Trent Smith, Billy Bajema PK: Joe Nedney =========================

=========================SEATTLE SEAHAWKSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Gregg Bell, the Seahawks' reward for their thrilling, comeback win over the Cowboys on the final two plays is a rare, six-day vacation in the middle of the NFL regular-season grind.

Head coach Mike Holmgren told his NFC West-leading team at its Monday meeting that he would follow through with a promise he first made two weeks ago, before the team's Texas two-step past Houston and Dallas: Two wins equal one week off.

Immediately after the team's third straight victory, Holmgren faked going back on his promise. He asked his players Sunday, "What did I say?"

"We almost had a mutiny in the locker room," he said.

The players are due back in Seattle on Sunday. Their next game is at division-rival Arizona on Nov. 6.

Holmgren said he even expects his assistant coaches, who are normally bolted to their offices and game plans this time of year, to also take a couple of days off.

As for Holmgren, he said he was going to "get out of town and ride my motorcycle for a few days."

Holmgren said he has given his team the entire bye week off only one other time in his 14 seasons as an NFL head coach, 1996 in Green Bay. That worked out OK. Those veteran-laden Packers returned to win that season's Super Bowl.

"We had a veteran team. I really trusted them," Holmgren said. "This group, I talked to them today and said, 'You really deserve it. But this trust thing, it works both ways."

That is especially poignant in the wake of last week's assault on starting safety Ken Hamlin in the historical, entertainment district of Seattle. Holmgren has now declared Pioneer Square off-limits at night.

Holmgren said he would have given his reminder about trust anyway. "Then, given the circumstances of the last couple weeks, it would be even more appropriate, I would say," the coach said.

"I do trust them to have a good week off and come back ready to go."

As for his current team winning on Jordan Babineaux's interception and Josh Brown's subsequent, 50-yard field goal on the final two plays of Sunday's 13-10 win over the stunned Cowboys -- a finish some are already calling the greatest in the Seahawks' 30-year history -- Holmgren was still gushing Monday.

"Boy, that was really something," he said. ...

Other notes of interest. ... According to the Seattle Times, Shaun Alexander became the Seahawks' all-time leading rusher Sunday. The record became his on his final carry of the day.

The sixth-year pro passed Chris Warren and Curt Warner for first place on the team's career rushing yards list with an 11-yard run with about a minute left in the 13-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys.

Thwarted for most of the afternoon in his attempts to take over the game, Alexander finished with his lowest yardage total in a game in 2005 -- 61 on 21 carries. But he needed only 55 yards to pass Warren for first place, and his final run gave him 6,713 rushing yards in his career.

He downplayed the record after the game.

"Our goals have been the same, to get better every week and getting into the playoffs and have this city win its first Super Bowl," Alexander said. "For me to get caught up in this. ... I wasn't going to allow myself to think about just that one thing. No matter what it took for us to get the 'W,' that's what it was all about."

The Cowboys held the Seahawks to just 72 rushing yards in the game. Alexander had been averaging almost 105 yards per game at home since 2001.

"I'm happy for him," Matt Hasselbeck said, also mentioning the support from the offensive line and skill players in blocking for Alexander. "It's a feather in their cap when things like that happen. Unselfish play by everybody and Shaun having a great year, it's a winning combination for our offense. ..."

According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Holmgren was done with his post-game comments, but before he left the room he stopped by Jerramy Stevens' locker. Just one more word of praise for the tight end who was Seattle's leader in receiving yardage on Sunday.

"I can't be prouder of a guy on our team than Jerramy Stevens," Holmgren said. "As the saying goes, you just keep chopping wood and pretty soon something good will happen."

Stevens caught five passes for 60 yards. His biggest play of the game came on the final possession of the game when Dallas blitzed and Stevens ran up the middle, catching a pass over his shoulder for a 22-yard gain.

"He headed down the middle, really fighting hard," Hasselbeck said. "Used his speed and size, and that was a really big play."

Stevens caught a pass on Seattle's first play from scrimmage. ...

As noted by the Tacoma News Tribune, the Seahawks were held 109 yards below their per-game average in total offense entering the game, but are still the No. 1 offense in the NFL for another week at 391.6 yards per game.

The Seahawks now have four players with 300 or more receiving yards and 20-plus catches in 2005. Darrell Jackson has 29 catches for 376 yards, Bobby Engram has 27 for 316 yards, Joe Jurevicius has 25 for 323 yards, and Stevens has 22 for 308 yards.

And finally. ... Jurevicius was forced to leave Sunday's game after landing on his arm while making a catch in the fourth quarter.

The receiver, who was unable to return to the Seahawks' lineup, has been diagnosed with a pinched nerve in his neck, but the injury is not considered serious. He has been listed as day-to-day.

Engram is expected to return from cracked ribs after the bye week while fellow wideout D.J. Hackett was banged up during the game Sunday, but should also return after the bye week.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  The Seahawks are idle this week due to the bye. =========================

=========================TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERSAccording to St. Petersburg Times staff writer Stephen F. Holder, the question has simmered for several weeks: Why did Carnell "Cadillac" Williams carry the ball 37 times on his injured foot against Green Bay?

Though head coach Jon Gruden and the organization took some heat for the move, Williams says the decision was his. And he has no regrets.

"I don't think about it at all," Williams said Thursday. "I made the decision, so I'm just rolling with it. There's nothing I can do about it, so I'm not going to beat myself up about it and say maybe I should have done this or that."

Williams' unprecedented roll at the start of the season (434 yards in his first three games) has been interrupted by the mid-foot injury he suffered five weeks ago against the Buffalo Bills. The injury grew progressively worse in the next two games. He said he has strained tendons in the arch of his left foot and is improving.

Williams has missed consecutive games, but remains hopeful he can return to practice next week and play Oct. 30 at the 49ers.

Much of the focus the past several weeks has centered on why he carried such a heavy workload (37 rushes) the week after the injury. But those familiar with Williams' determined attitude aren't surprised at the lengths he went to play against the Packers, and a week later against the Lions (when he played sparingly because of the foot problem and a hamstring strain).

How far did he go?

"He tried hiding (the injury) from us," running backs coach Art Valero said. "But you could tell as the (Detroit) game went along that he wasn't full speed and couldn't make the cuts he normally makes. He's a very soft-spoken guy anyway, so he's going to give you yes sir, no sir answers no matter what. Then he did a great job of masking it, going through practices and hiding it. But that's the competitive nature in him."

His nature nearly got him in trouble. Williams said it took considerable time for him to admit that he had to sit.

"It was tough because, for one, even besides the good things I was doing, I just love to play the game of football," Williams said after another therapy session. "I definitely wanted to be out there. I (initially) felt that I could definitely play through the injury. But it just kept getting worse and worse, so I decided I needed to get this thing right going into the second half of the season."

That meant missing playing time, especially maddening for someone off to such a dramatic start. He made league history, becoming the first rookie to begin his career with three straight 100-yard games as the Bucs got off to a surprising start. He also broke Alan Ameche's 50-year-old rushing mark for the first three games of a career.

"It's frustrating for you to start so hot, do so well and then have things happen like this," Williams said. "But I was always taught that you take the good with the bad,

and I do. I'm keeping a level head and waiting this thing out so I can do what I do."

Williams, 23, said he has learned the importance of patience during his recent layoff, as well as the need to be smart about injuries. He had to tap into those lessons before Sunday's game against the Dolphins when team trainer Todd Toriscelli and his staff presented their medical opinions to Williams.

"That was a collective decision," Williams said of sitting out. "They sat me down and told me it would be in my best interest if I didn't play, and once they came at me with the information I felt like it was a good idea."

Now, as Williams plans his comeback, it remains to be seen how he will respond once he plays. As Holder asked: "Will he be the same supercharged Cadillac he was at the outset of the season, or will he need additional time to rev up?"

"No doubt," he said, "mentally, I'm still here preparing as if I was playing every week. Once I physically get back and get going, things will be much better. ..."

Keep an eye on this week's Late-Breaking Updates for more on Williams' status as the week progresses. ...

Meanwhile, as the Sports Xchange reminded readers on Monday, Chris Simms will take over as the Bucs quarterback against the 49ers. How well he does the remainder of the season could determine the future of Brian Griese.

"I think he'll be back," Gruden said. "He's done a good job for us."

But even Gruden knows it's not that simple.

Griese signed a five-year, $32-million contract last spring that included a $3-million signing bonus. But the way it's structured, it's essentially a series of one-year deals.

The Bucs will owe Griese a $2.6-million roster bonus, as well as commit to a $3.5-million base salary before the start of free agency in '06, escalating his salary cap value to $7.1 million.

If Simms establishes himself as the starting quarterback in the next 10 games, or at least someone capable of out-performing Griese, the Bucs will have a difficult decision to make.

"If you put it in perspective, he's thrown for about 66 or 67 percent for 15 games," Gruden said of Griese. "As far as I know, somebody told me he's the single-season passing efficiency leader in Buccaneer history. He did some great things for us, and will do some great things in the future."

But so much of Griese's future is tied to Simms. If the third-year pro from Texas is going to fulfill his dream of being a starting NFL quarterback in Tampa Bay, he will guide the Bucs to the playoffs this year.

Simms will be a restricted free agent following the season, meaning the Bucs will have the ability to match any offer and/or demand compensation if he signs with another team, based on the offer he is tendered by Tampa Bay.

This is Griese's biggest problem. He can't throw another pass this season, but how his performance is remembered will have everything to do with how Simms plays.

The Bucs are hedging their bets. That's why they traded for 49ers quarterback Tim Rattay. Simms and Luke McCown have a combined six starts in the NFL and the Bucs aren't jumping into their division schedule without a fall-back plan.

Remember, when the season started, the Bucs didn't have faith in any of their quarterbacks. As the Xchange noted, they didn't trust Griese enough to give him more than $3 million to sign. They didn't trust Simms enough to not re-sign Griese.

It'll be interesting to see if Simms can gain that trust given this opportunity. But even if he's unable to win Gruden over, Simms should be able to provide sufficient production for Fantasy owners to consider him an emergency starter if need be.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Chris Simms, Luke McCown, Tim Rattay RB: Carnell Williams, Michael Pittman, Earnest Graham FB: Mike Alstott, Jameel Cook WR: Michael Clayton, Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Mark Jones, Edell Shepherd, J.R. Russell TE: Anthony Becht, Alex Smith PK: Matt Bryant =========================

=========================TENNESSEE TITANSAccording to the Associated Press, Steve McNair should start Sunday against the Oakland Raiders after sitting out a game to rest his sore back.

McNair has missed five practices over the last two weeks and didn't play in Sunday's loss in Arizona. Head coach Jeff Fisher said Monday the team decided to leave McNair in Nashville for continued treatment and rest.

"It really helped him," Fisher said. "He went out and threw today and felt pretty good. It's good to get him back. I would expect he would be able to do some things for us on the practice field on Wednesday."

Billy Volek sustained a concussion on the same play as Jones' injury, but Fisher said Monday that Volek felt fine, despite a slight headache. Fisher said Volek is also suffering from a thigh bruise, but it should not keep him from practicing this week.

Team doctors ran tests on running back Chris Brown, who got a shoulder stinger that caused him to loose feeling in his right hand. He was hurt early in the second quarter and didn't return. Fisher said the feeling was returning, and that the injury was to the brachial plexus, a network of nerves that runs down the arm.

The Titans get running back Travis Henry back to practice this week after his four-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

According to Fisher, Brown and Henry will continue to share the workload much like they did before Henry's suspension.

Meanwhile, as the Sports Xchange reported Tuesday night, the Titans are moving the wrong direction at wide receiver.

Drew Bennett went down against Cincinnati with a dislocated left thumb that needed surgery. Rookie Brandon Jones suffered a right knee injury in Arizona, and while the team received positive results last night from an MRI, his status for this Sunday remains unclear.

And to make room for the return of Henry , the Titans released receiver/ punt returner Andrae Thurman, who was deactivated Sunday after breaking team rules Saturday in Arizona.

"That was a combination of needing a spot and Andrae violating team rules, which I won't go into detail with, but it was the best thing for the club right now," Fisher said.

If Jones is out, the Titans could be down to Tyrone Calico and rookies Courtney Roby and Roydell Williams at receiver.

"We are thin at receiver," Fisher said. "We'll look and see what our options are depending on how Brandon is."

I will, of course, monitor the situation closely and bring you more on Jones as the week progresses. ...

In the meantime, it's worth noting that the team agreed to terms with receiver Sloan Thomas on Tuesday, moving him from the practice squad to the active roster to help relieve a shortage of healthy receivers.

The 6-foot-2, 212-pound receiver joined the Titans' practice squad after being waived by Houston in training camp. At the University of Texas, he had 88 catches for 1,362 yards and 12 touchdowns.

It's not clear how Sloan's promotion will affect former Redskin and Dolphin Derrius Thompson.

Thompson, a 6-foot-3, 220-pounder, is a six-year veteran with 29 NFL starts, 105 catches, 1,543 yards and nine touchdowns. He spent the last two years with the Dolphins but was released at the end of training camp this year.

Thompson was on his way to Green Bay for a workout Monday when he got the call from the Titans. On his layover in Detroit, he boarded a plane to Nashville.

According to his agent, Vann McElroy, the Titans said they were going to sign Thompson. Titans general manager Floyd Reese, however, told the Nashville Tennessean there's a chance other wide receivers could be brought in to work out. ...

One last note here. ... Fisher said fullback Troy Fleming has a chance to return to the practice field this week as he works his way back from an ankle injury.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Steve McNair, Billy Volek, Matt Mauck RB: Chris Brown, Travis Henry, Jarrett Payton, Damien Nash FB: Troy Fleming WR: Brandon Jones, Tyrone Calico, Roydell Williams, Courtney Roby, Sloan Thomas, Drew Bennett TE: Erron Kinney, Ben Troupe, Bo Scaife PK: Rob Bironas =========================

=========================WASHINGTON REDSKINSAccording to Associated Press sports writer Joseph White, the Redskins are playing like it's 1999.

Not since the franchise's last playoff season has the team amassed yards like this. The performance of Mark Brunell and cast in recent weeks brings back memories of Brad Johnson and company six years ago, the only time in the past decade that the offense has worked the way it should for an extended time.

"It's a lot like that year," said right tackle Jon Jansen, one of two players remaining from the 1999 squad. "Because we have a lot of the same talent, but I think we have better people this time around. We had Albert Connell, Michael Westbrook that could get downfield; we've got Santana Moss and David Patten. We've got Clinton [Portis] instead of Stephen Davis. We've got Ladell Betts. We've got probably a better stable of backs than we had at that point. "It definitely is flashbacks of that year, except I think we can be so much better because we have, I think, better character of guys, for when things get rough."

The 1999, the Redskins went 10-6 and lost 14-13 to Tampa Bay in the second round of the playoffs. They scored 50 points against the New York Giants and 48 against Chicago. Their 443 points and 5,965 yards were the third highest totals in both categories in franchise history.

Johnson threw for 4,005 yards -- No. 2 on the team's all-time list -- and let Washington know what could have been when he won the Super Bowl four years later with Tampa Bay, having been essentially run out of town by owner Dan Snyder and the dubious signing of Jeff George.

The instability of the franchise means it's taken a half-dozen years for the Redskins to get back to offensive prominence. The play of Brunell, Moss and Jansen have been indispensable, but Jansen's top reason for the resurgence is the fact that head coach Joe Gibbs and the bulk of the players have been together for two years in a row.

"I know Moss is new. I know David is new," Jansen said. "But the majority of the guys -- offensively, defensively and special teams -- have been here for the two years now. And for here, that's an eternity. We haven't had that consistency for a long time."

And as White pointed out, the raw numbers look impressive. The Redskins had 447 yards at Denver and 398 at Kansas City but lost both games because they wilted in the red zone and committed untimely turnovers. They then unleashed 457 yards in a 52-17 win Sunday against San Francisco, a needed outburst even if it came against a noncompetitive team.

As a result, Brunell -- who was thought to be washed up a year ago -- is the NFC's leading passer with a 98.3 rating. He has 12 touchdown passes and only two interceptions. Moss leads the NFL with 743 yards receiving. The offense is ranked No. 2 and the defense is No. 4, making Washington the only team in the NFL in the top five on both sides of the ball.

"We were one-dimensional last year," Brunell said. "We ran the ball very well, I thought, but our passing game was lacking. When you can have that balance, you're more efficient."

A year ago, Portis created a tempest when he said the offense was so predictable that other defenses knew which plays were coming. Now the offensive players see a completely different reaction when they look across the line of scrimmage.

"Frustrated and guessing," left tackle Chris Samuels said. "A little bit of both. You can just look in their eyes a lot of times. You can tell when you're getting the best of them. ..."

Meanwhile, as the Washington Times noted Monday, Portis waited eight games, 161 carries and 295 days for a touchdown.

So he decided to triple his pleasure with a three-touchdown performance against the Niners.

"Man, that was the best feeling," said Portis, who performed dance moves after his first score, cartwheels after his second and after his third a jig he said derived from the film "Napoleon Dynamite."

Gibbs, who prided himself on his rushing offense during his first tenure with the Redskins, was as relieved as Portis to see him finally reach the end zone.

"There's no reason we shouldn't be a good rush football team," Gibbs said. "It was frustrating for us and certainly for Clinton, so it was good to get a couple down in there. Maybe that was a good omen for us."

Portis carried 19 times for 101 yards before being pulled from the game midway through the third quarter with Washington up 42-7. Backup Ladell Betts added 92 yards on 12 carries, and third-stringer Rock Cartwright scored a touchdown late in the game.

"I know Clinton was definitely excited to get in the end zone," Jansen said. "I'm happy for him and that we got some rushing touchdowns, but no matter who scored 'em, we're happy we had 52 points."

Also of interest. ... Santana Moss has 38 catches, 743 yards (19.6 average) and five touchdowns through six games, putting him on pace for the greatest season by a receiver for a franchise that has employed Hall of Fame wideouts Charley Taylor and Bobby Mitchell as well as standouts Art Monk, Gary Clark, Ricky Sanders, Charlie Brown and Henry Ellard. ...

Mike Sellers, who caught just 26 passes and scored only six touchdowns in his first five NFL seasons, scored on each of his two receptions Sunday, giving the H-back four touchdowns on five catches this season.

"I was shocked. That play was designed for me. I'm not going to try to figure that out or why it's happening," Sellers said. "I'm just taking it as it comes."

Sellers opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown reception that was typical of his short catches. The 19-yard grab he made just before halftime to give the Redskins a 35-7 lead was a different story.

"Mike is getting open because nobody wants to tackle him," Brunell said of the 260-pound former fullback's sudden scoring prowess. "He was the go-to guy on that play. We looked at the film and saw an opportunity depending on the coverage. We got the right coverage, and he ran a great route. ..."

Patrick Ramsey got back on the field with 13:02 left, the first appearance by the erstwhile starter since he was briefly hurt in the season opener. Brunell came on in relief in that game, and his strong play since has kept Ramsey on the bench.

"It felt good to get back in there and get a little work in," said Ramsey, who handed off eight times and threw an 8-yard pass to backup tight end Brian Kozlowski. "I love to get in there in whatever capacity. I knew at halftime there was a good chance I would get in, but I didn't know exactly when it was going to be. But I knew when we scored early [in the third quarter], I would probably get a chance to play."

And finally. ... According to the Washington Post, place-kicker John Hall, out since the opener with a torn quadriceps, continues to make progress and Gibbs said the team will decide later in the week if he'll be activated. Nick Novak will get the nod once again if Hall isn't ready.

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  QB: Mark Brunell, Patrick Ramsey, Jason Campbell RB: Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts FB: Rock Cartwright, Nehemiah Broughton WR: Santana Moss, David Patten, James Thrash, Taylor Jacobs TE: Chris Cooley, Robert Royal, Mike Sellers, Brian Kozlowski PK: Nick Novak, John Hall =========================Copyright© 2005 Fantasy Sports Publications, Inc.