FLASHUPDATE WEEK 15 TEAM NOTES/Wednesday, 12 Dec. 2007
Compiled By FlashUpdate Editor Bob Harris
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ARIZONA CARDINALS
According to Arizona Republic staffer Bob McManaman, Anquan Boldin said he hopes to play in Sunday's must-win game at New Orleans despite his dislocated toe and fellow wideout Larry Fitzgerald plans to wear a specially designed football girdle to make sure he's in the lineup, too. 
"I am encouraged by the progress we made from Monday through (Sunday), and that's what I wanted to see," said Boldin, who added that it was a coaches' decision that he sit out Sunday's loss at Seattle. 
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt said the team would have a better feel for Boldin's status when practice resumes Wednesday. 
Fitzgerald, meanwhile, who played with a left groin strain, found a valuable piece of newfangled equipment to keep him active. 
McManaman explained the girdle is a tight-fitting, pull-up garment with attached rubber pulleys on the side of the injury that allows him to stretch his leg with reasonable comfort as well as to better push off from the line of scrimmage and make cuts up field. 
"I don't know if I could have played without it," said Fitzgerald, adding that he got the idea from teammate Monty Beisel, a linebacker who wore a similar device while playing for the Chiefs with a groin pull a few years ago. "I'll probably keep wearing it until I feel a lot better. ..." 
Fitzgerald reportedly looked better this Wednesday than he did last Wednesday and seems likely to play. Boldin was in a walking boot Wednesday a appears to be heading for a "Dreaded Game-Time Decision. ... 
Also on the injury front. ... Tight end Leonard Pope is out for the season (he was placed on IR Tuesday) after suffering a dislocated right ankle in Sunday's loss, and Whisenhunt said that next week's game against the Saints figures to be a "position-by-committee type thing." 
"I think it will be the function of the plan when we finish determining what we are going to do, offensively, against New Orleans," he said. "Obviously (on Sunday), Troy [Bienemann] ran all of our no huddles, which he does a good job with. And there's going to be things that Ben [Patrick] does well, too." 
Tight end Tim Euhus, who was released recently, was re-signed on Tuesday. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... According to AZCardinals.com staffer Darren Urban, the first words out of Kurt Warner's mouth were enough. "I cost the team the game," the veteran QB said, a short while after the Seahawks had hung a 42-21 beating on the Cardinals. 
It was a harsh self-assessment -- but accurate enough. 
Although Warner, as Whisenhunt said Sunday, has been "a warrior," playing with torn elbow ligaments, bad ribs and – from what it looked like during one fourth-quarter play – a possible knee injury, he still didn't miss a snap. 
Maybe he should have. ... Warner threw a career-high five interceptions, more than offsetting his gaudy 337 yards passing and three touchdowns. ... 
On a more positive note. ... With Boldin out and Fitzgerald working through the sore groin, some of the team's younger receivers picked up the pace. Rookie Steve Breaston had his best day as a pro with four catches for 52 yards, while Jerheme Urban set his personal standard with six receptions for 123 yards, to go with a touchdown. 
Urban played for the Seahawks in 2004 and 2005. 
"This was a big game for our team and obviously I wanted to play and play well," said Urban, who missed the previous three games with a heel injury. ... 
And a few final notes. ... Neil Rackers' struggles continued on field goals when his 50-yard attempt in the first half was on target but just short. Rackers has now missed 5-of-8 tries from at least 50 yards this season. ... 
Edgerrin James, who had 46 yards rushing on 13 carries, surpassed John Riggins for 13th place on the NFL's all-time rushing list. 
Last but not least. ... Pro Football Weekly advised readers to forget any concerns about the commitment level of Matt Leinart, who is out for the season after fracturing a collarbone in Week 5. 
According to PFW, Leinart has been grinding away behind the scenes on a daily basis at team headquarters, watching videotape, studying different defensive schemes and pretty much helping out any way he can. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Kurt Warner, Tim Rattay, Tim Hasselbeck 
RB: Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington 
FB: Terrelle Smith 
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Bryant Johnson, Sean Morey, Jerheme Urban, Steve Breaston 
TE: Ben Patrick, Troy Bienemann, Tim Euhus 
PK: Neil Rackers 
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ATLANTA FALCONS
As the Associated Press reported, barely 24 hours after another blowout loss with the Atlanta Falcons, Bobby Petrino was back in college football. Petrino was hired Tuesday by Arkansas, capping a whirlwind day in which he stunningly resigned from the Falcons after just 13 games. 
Petrino succeeds Houston Nutt, who stepped down at Arkansas two weeks ago and became the head coach at Mississippi. 
"Today was a day of decision," Petrino said at a late-night news conference in Fayetteville. "It was difficult on one side, very easy on the other. It was difficult to leave Atlanta, the staff, players, fans. The timing of it probably is the thing that made it most difficult. Coming to Arkansas was the easy part." 
In January, Petrino left as head coach at Louisville to take over in Atlanta, agreeing to a five-year, $24 million contract handed out by a team that felt he could help Michael Vick reach his full potential. 
However, the star quarterback came under investigation for a grisly dog-fighting operation that led him to plead guilty to federal charges. On Monday, Vick was sentenced Monday to 23 months in prison without ever taking a snap for Petrino. That night the Falcons lost to New Orleans 34-14, and hours later Petrino left the team with a 3-10 record to return to the college ranks. 
Petrino called a Falcons staff meeting late Tuesday afternoon, a meeting which last about 10 seconds, sources told FOXSports.com's Jay Glazer. 
"He just said to us, 'Guys I've resigned, I'm going to Arkansas. I'm sorry. I'll be talking with you guys in the future.' And with that he turned and walked out the door. We haven't been told anything else," one assistant coach told Glazer. 
Petrino did not address the Falcons following his resignation. According to Glazer, players are livid with the way Petrino left the team and several called his handling of the situation "classless." 
But clearly, Petrino already had decided to bail. ... Nice. 
For what it's worth, Petrino wrote a four-sentence letter that was given to the players at the team's headquarters Wednesday. 
"Atlanta Falcons players; 
Out of my respect for you, I am letting you know, with a heavy heart, I resigned today as the Head Coach of the Atlanta Falcons. This decision was not easy but was made in the best interest of me and my family. While my desire would have been to finish out what has been a difficult season for us all, circumstances did not allow me to do so. I appreciate your hard work and wish the best. 
Sincerely, 
Bobby Petrino" 
The letter was hand signed. ... 
Petrino's stint in Atlanta was one of the shortest for a non-interim coach since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Pete McCulley was fired after starting out 1-8 with San Francisco in 1978, and Sid Gillman lasted only 10 games in his second stint as San Diego coach, going 4-6 in 1971 before quitting. ... 
So now, the Falcons must move forward. 
NFL Network insider Adam Schefter first reported the team selected their defensive backs coach, Emmitt Thomas, as the team's interim head coach. 
The 64-year-old Thomas has been with the Falcons since 2002. Following a 13-year NFL career as a defensive back with the Kansas City Chiefs, he has been coaching at both the college and pro ranks since 1979. 
Prior to joining the Falcons, he had NFL stints with the Cardinals, Redskins, Eagles, Packers and Vikings. This will be his first stint as a head coach. 
Owner Arthur Blank and general manager Rich McKay held a news conference Wednesday to announce the move. 
Getting back to Petrino's tenure. ... After losing Vick, Petrino tried three quarterbacks without success. The Falcons have lost four straight, all by double-digit margins, and are assured of the 32nd season of .500 or worse in their 42-year history. 
"Anytime you're without one of the best athletes in the National Football League, it's going to be tough," cornerback DeAngelo Hall said earlier in the season. "Take Peyton Manning from the Colts, and they'll go through a little slump." 
Just two weeks ago, Petrino said he had no interest in any of the high-profile college jobs that had opened up, and he apparently told Blank in recent days that he would be staying with the Falcons. 
"I haven't given it one bit of thought," Petrino said Nov. 26. "I certainly don't want to get into any speculation and rumors and having to deal with that. I'm focused on our football team here." 
The resignation of Petrino was another jarring blow to the Falcons, who dealt with Vick's legal troubles since the first day of training camp, when a plane flew overhead pulling a sign that said: "New Team Name? Dog Killers?" 
That was a far cry from Petrino's introductory news conference, when he talked of his reasons for leaving Louisville. 
"I was able to see the commitment that has been made here," he said. "I believe this is truly the best football job in the NFL. It was an easy decision for me." 
Of course, he had no idea what Vick was doing in his spare time. 
Petrino leaves with the third-worst winning percentage among Atlanta coaches. Only Norb Hecker, who was 4-26-1, and Marion Campbell, who went 17-51 in two stints as head coach, rank below Petrino's .231 mark. 
The resignation had to be a major surprise to Blank, who fired Jim Mora just two seasons after he led the Falcons to the NFC championship game and lured Petrino with a lucrative contract. 
Before Monday's game, Blank said he felt better than ever about his decision to hire Petrino given all the adversity the team faced this season. 
"I feel real fortunate we have a terrific guy leading our team, our CEO, in Bobby Petrino," Blank said. "I think he's proven to me he's a better head coach than we thought he was going to be, dealing with a set of cards we didn't see unfold this year, which probably never in the history of the NFL has anything like this happened. Bobby has done a wonderful job dealing with all of these issues. He's kept the players focused." 
But there were signs of dissension, especially in the way Petrino dealt with his players. 
As the AP noted, Petrino ran the team with an aloof style, feeling no reason to share his decisions on personnel with the affected players. He could walk through the locker room without speaking to anyone and was openly criticized by two of the team's stars, Pro Bowlers Hall and Alge Crumpler. 
Petrino drew the ire of the veterans with his decision to cut nose tackle Grady Jackson, one of the team's most productive defensive linemen, during the bye week. Quarterback Joey Harrington was noticeably perturbed a few weeks ago when, after leading the Falcons to two straight wins, he heard from the media that Petrino still considered injury prone Byron Leftwich the starter. 
Against the Saints, the Falcons made another change at the most crucial offensive position, giving Chris Redman his first start since 2002. While Redman threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, the Falcons lost again. 
They have been outscored by an average of 18.5 points in their last four defeats. 
After the latest loss, Petrino sounded as though he was still committed to getting the Falcons turned around. 
"We'll come back on Wednesday to take a look at it, and then we'll get back to work," he said. "We have to find something to rally around." 
As for the team's long-term plans. ... Profootballtalk.com editor Mike Florio cites an industry source in reporting that 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary is the guy whose name initially popped up in discussions regarding the potential successor to Petrino. 
Per the source, Blank wants Singletary; Petrino was hired at the behest of McKay. ... 
Whatever the case, Atlanta Journal-Constitution beat writer Steve Wyche notes that recent failures in landing the right coach would suggest that Blank and McKay will pursue candidates with extensive NFL experience. 
Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher, who resigned after last season and is working as a television analyst, would be the most attractive -- and expensive -- candidate. 
Former San Diego coach Marty Schottenheimer, Detroit assistant coach Mike Martz and former Detroit and San Francisco coach Steve Mariucci also could be available. Current Falcons coordinators Mike Zimmer and Hue Jackson could be among the NFL assistant coaches under consideration. ... 
Meanwhile, we'll learn more about Thomas' plans for the offense as the week progresses. For now, it's safe to say those relying on Atlanta skill players -- at least those not named Roddy White -- are obviously reaching. 
Redman wasn't bad in his first start since 2002. But he was pressured and hit hard the same way Harrington and Byron Leftwich were in their failed stints as starters. He completed passes on routes that frequently were yards short of needed first-down yardage and he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown. 
Of primary interest to Fantasy owners is the fact that Atlanta scored 14 points, their season average, which rates among the NFL's worst. 
"You've got to be able to put the ball in the end zone and we didn't get there enough," Redman said. "We're just not there yet." 
And there's no reason to believe Petrino's surprise departure will yield sudden improvement. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Chris Redman, Byron Leftwich, Joey Harrington 
RB: Jerious Norwood, Warrick Dunn, Jason Snelling, Artose Pinner 
FB: Ovie Mughelli, Corey McIntyre 
WR: Roddy White, Joe Horn, Michael Jenkins, Laurent Robinson, Adam Jennings 
TE: Alge Crumpler, Dwayne Blakley, Courtney Anderson 
PK: Morten Andersen 
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BALTIMORE RAVENS
Brian Billick reaffirmed at his Monday news conference that he thinks he will return as the Ravens' coach next season. 
"I'm going to be back," he said when addressing the future of the team. "Now, once the season's over, we'll see what happens with regards to [the players], my staff, myself and all those other things. But right now, you only have the one mind-set." 
According to Baltimore Sun beat writer Jamison Hensley, a team spokesman couldn't confirm whether Billick has been told by owner Steve Bisciotti he will come back next season, but Billick, Bisciotti and general manager Ozzie Newsome meet regularly throughout the season. 
Billick's job status has been a hot topic during the franchise-record seven-game losing streak. 
He said two weeks ago that he was "confident" about coming back as coach, pointing out that Bisciotti is committed to keeping continuity. But he made his most definitive statement about staying as coach Monday. ... 
In a related note. ... Billick said he wouldn't hesitate to give up his play-calling duties after the season. 
It's unclear what the Ravens will do, though, if offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Rick Neuheisel lands a college job, which he attempted to do by interviewing for the Georgia Tech job landed by Navy coach Paul Johnson. 
If Neuheisel doesn't secure a job offer, then the Ravens could hand him the play-calling duties or look for someone else. 
"I think I've made it abundantly clear that all those things that we normally do at the end of the season, by way of evaluation, will go on again, and we'll put ourselves in the best position going forward that we can," Billick said. "If that's something that we think can make a difference, and want to configure ourselves that way, absolutely. 
"Especially at the end of a year like this, or not, like last year. Everything is on the table, and that's exactly what we'll do at the end of the year is evaluate everything and move forward. ..." 
Meanwhile, Billick reiterated that Kyle Boller will be under center for the remainder of the season despite some public clamoring for rookie Troy Smith. 
Boller turned in one of his worst games of this season, throwing three interceptions and fumbling once in a 44-20 loss to the Colts. He passed for just 132 yards with a 61.2 quarterback efficiency rating. 
Smith, a former Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State, scrambled for his first career NFL touchdown on a six-yard run in the final minute of the game. 
"Kyle is our starting quarterback," Billick said. "It was nice to get Troy in a little bit and get his feet wet. If that presents itself going forward, that would probably be a good thing. But our best chance to win going forward is Kyle Boller remaining our starter." 
Boller completed 19 of 25 passes and was sacked four times. He was intercepted twice by Gary Brackett, failing to look off the middle linebacker with his eyes. 
Afterward, Brackett said it wasn't hard to read Boller's intentions. 
"They say, 'Don't miss the layups,'" he said. 
Billick defended Boller's decision-making even though the mistakes appeared highly similar to the fundamental breakdowns that have plagued him throughout his career in Baltimore. The coach indicated that he believed that Boller was pressing given the nature of the game. 
"I think the game got into a situation where everybody, to a certain degree, felt like, ‘I have to make a play. I have to make something happen,'" Billick said. "And when you do that as a quarterback, you better be careful, because you're going to put the ball in places you don't want to. We're a week away from Kyle playing very, very well on a Monday night, to where, like the entire team, he could have done some things better. 
"So we're not going to overreact to it. Clearly, he'll look at the film and see and make those judgments that, ‘Did I read this out? Or, was I trying to make something happen here that wasn't there?'" 
As for Smith, he completed three of five passes for 33 yards and appeared comfortable on the field and in the huddle. 
As Carroll County Times staffer Aaron Wilson suggested, it was a much better showing than Smith's erratic preseason performances. 
"Under circumstances to where we would have been winning, it would have been much better," said Smith, who didn't lobby for the starting job. "Moments like that are for your family. It helps your team a little bit, but we need to get a win. Kyle is a pretty popular guy. I definitely stepped into a situation being behind him, backing him up. ..." 
Also according to Wilson, Billick refused to rule out tight end Todd Heap for the season. He has missed seven of the past nine games with a strained hamstring. 
"I think he's going to give it a go early in the week," Billick said. "If he can push through pretty good on Wednesday, we'll have a better idea then." 
Daniel Wilcox got the start in place of the injured Heap. Wilcox is finally healthy again and caught three passes for 30 yards. ... 
Veteran receiver Derrick Mason broke his own team record for receptions in a season. He now has 88 catches this season, which is two more than the record he set in 2005. ... 
And finally. ... Willis McGahee fumbled and rushed for just 45 yards on 17 carries. "It's tough, man," he said. "You can't put yourself in predicaments like this. We did, and it's hard for us to get out of it." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Kyle Boller, Troy Smith 
RB: Willis McGahee, Musa Smith, Mike Anderson 
FB: Le'Ron McClain. Justin Green 
WR: Derrick Mason, Mark Clayton, Devard Darling, Yamon Figurs, Demetrius Williams 
TE: Daniel Wilcox, Quinn Sypniewski, Todd Heap 
PK: Matt Stover, Rhys Lloyd 
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BUFFALO BILLS
According to Rochester Democrat & Chronicle staff reporter Sal Maiorana, Thurman Thomas couldn't help but remember the days when he and Kenneth Davis formed a dynamic duo at running back for the Buffalo Bills and provided Fantasy owners with two -- legitimate -- starting candidates. 
As Thomas watched the Bills crush the hated Miami Dolphins on Sunday, he did so with a smile as Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson both tore through the decimated Dolphin defense for a combined 222 yards. 
"It kind of reminds me of what Kenny Davis and myself were doing in the early 1990s," Thomas said Monday morning during his weekly appearance on Buffalo radio station WGR SportsRadio 550. "I think it's great that they have a 1-2 punch for the rest of the season." 
So, too, do the Bills. 
Lynch returned to the Buffalo lineup after missing three games with a high-ankle sprain and he carried 23 times for 107 yards in the Bills 38-17 victory over the Dolphins. 
Maiorana went on to note that Jackson, who played a key role in Buffalo's win in Washington the previous week in his first career NFL start, served as the perfect tag-team partner for Lynch against Miami as he piled up 115 yards on 15 carries. It was the first time since Dallas' Chris Warren in 1998 that a Division III running back had topped 100 yards rushing in an NFL game. 
It was just the 12th time in team history that two Buffalo backs surpassed 100 yards rushing in the same game, the first since Thomas and Darick Holmes did it in 1996. 
"That's that two-headed monster that you're talking about, me and Fred," said Lynch, who raised his season total to 858 yards. "It's great while I was down and Fred took care of me; he took care of the team. It's always great to have somebody there on the side that can get in there and you don't have any worries about 'Is he going to make the play or is he not?'" 
Jackson, who spent all of last year on Buffalo's practice squad and then most of the first 11 games this season on the sidelines, opened some eyes with his performance against the Redskins when he gained 151 yards rushing and receiving while starting in place of the injured Lynch and Anthony Thomas. 
So the plan against Miami was to work Jackson into the game in an effort to make sure Lynch -- still a little tender -- wouldn't be overworked. 
Given the way Jackson has played the last two games, coach Dick Jauron said the rest of the teams on Buffalo's schedule -- starting on Sunday with the Cleveland Browns who have the 28th-ranked run defense in the league -- can expect to get a healthy dose of both. 
"We like this, we really like this," said Jauron of the 1-2 punch. "We were talking about it coming in and the way it worked, there is no reason we wouldn't stay with it." 
But there is a clear-cut delineation between No. 1 and No. 2, and Jackson understands that. 
"More than anything it keeps Marshawn fresh and anytime he's fresh that's a weapon the defense has to pay attention to," said Jackson. 
However, Jauron said he wouldn't hesitate to stick with Jackson on a particular day. 
"Marshawn will probably get a little more, but just a little more," Jauron said. "And then it's one of those deals where you can just go with the hot guy. You know you have a rotation, but if one of them is hotter than the other then you just let him go for a while and see where it leads us. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... Trent Edwards not only threw a season-high four touchdown passes, becoming the first Bills quarterback to do so since Drew Bledsoe in 2004, but he answered two very big questions in Buffalo's 38-17 victory over the winless Dolphins, keeping both Buffalo's playoff hopes and Miami's quest for perfect imperfection alive: 
?  Yes, he can throw the deep pass with accuracy, so the offense no longer has to be limited to short to medium-range throws delivered in staccato sequence. 
?  Yes, he can play in the December cold, which for a Buffalo quarterback is a quality more in demand than a good smile. 
"It helps when you're winning," said Edwards, who is 5-1 as the Bills' starting quarterback, 2-0 since taking the job back from an ineffective J.P. Losman. "You don't notice the weather as much when you're ahead by a couple of touchdowns, so it was nice to get that lead early on." 
Edwards' hot hand produced touchdowns of 13 and 28 yards to tight end Robert Royal and nine yards to wide receiver Lee Evans, helping to give the Bills a 31-7 halftime lead. 
Those short, accurate throws delivered on time were the reason, among many factors, that Jauron went back to Edwards two weeks ago. 
For the record, Edwards put together his best single-game passer rating (111.4) as he completed 11 of 23 passes for 165 yards with four TDs and no interceptions. 
Evans and Royal each caught two TD passes against the Dolphins, the first time that had happened since 1996, when Andre Reed and Steve Tasker hauled in two each against the New York Jets. 
As the Sports Xchange noted, it was just the sixth occurrence in team history, and Reed was involved in three. ... 
The two-TD effort was the first of Royal's six-year career. ... 
Rian Lindell made his 18th consecutive field goal to set a team record, but he then missed a 46-yarder on a slick field to snap the streak. 
And finally. ... ESPN and Profootballtalk.com are reporting that offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild is leaving the team to become the head coach at Colorado State. 
According to PFT editor Mike Florio, Fairchild's status with the Bills is unknown. Florio pointed out, however, that in 2005, Charlie Weis juggled both his old job as the Pats offensive coordinator and his new job as Notre Dame head coach until the NFL season ended. 
Still, the sooner Fairchild gets to work for the Rams, the more time he'll have to shape his first class of recruits. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Trent Edwards, J.P. Losman 
RB: Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson, Dwayne Wright 
FB/HB: Ryan Neufeld 
WR: Lee Evans, Josh Reed, Roscoe Parrish, Sam Aiken 
TE: Robert Royal, Michael Gaines, Tim Massaquoi 
PK: Rian Lindell 
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CAROLINA PANTHERS
As Charlotte Observer staffer Stan Olson suggested on Monday, the Panthers' offense was virtually non-existent Sunday, in a season when that has happened all too often. And now, after Sunday's 37-6 clobbering at the hands of Jacksonville, the Panthers are wondering what they have to do to fix it. 
With starting quarterback Jake Delhomme healthy, Carolina scored at least 21 points in each of its first three games. In the 10 games since, the Panthers have topped 20 points twice. 
Sunday, after a 31-point aberration against San Francisco the week before, Carolina had 149 total yards and averaged 2.8 yards per play. 
"We all played terrible," said guard Mike Wahle. "There's no excuse for it, but let's be honest -- that was garbage. That's it." 
Players keep pointing to inconsistency and a lack of execution, but the struggles continue. 
"I feel bad for our defense," said offensive tackle Jordan Gross. "We're not giving them a whole lot of chances and are putting them in some real bad spots. 
"This whole season on offense, it's just been frustrating because the consistency is so terrible. That's what's killed us. We can't rely on any one thing to be there every week. 
"We need to get some production going on offense and give our defense a chance. They've got to be totally gassed after this game, because they were out there all day. ..." 
Carolina's most dangerous offensive weapon, Steve Smith, caught six passes Sunday for 44 yards. That marked the ninth time in his past 10 games that Smith has been held to 64 or fewer yards, and his sixth in a row without a touchdown. 
"We threw the ball deep some; some of it was out-of-bounds," head coach John Fox said about the difficulty of connecting on big plays. 
"It's been difficult to get the ball to any of (the receivers), really; we've struggled in that area." 
Meanwhile, Fox was non-committal as to who'll start at quarterback next Sunday against Seattle. 
With a 5-8 record, the Panthers are now two games out in the NFC wild card hunt with three games to play, meaning their playoff hopes are all but shot. That leaves Fox to ponder the option of playing rookie Matt Moore. 
As Gaston Gazette staff reporter Steve Reed noted, Moore relieved an ineffective Vinny Testaverde in the fourth quarter, but struggled to move the team, picking up only one first down on two possessions. He completed 3 of 10 passes for just 21 yards. 
"Let us look at the tape first," Fox said after the game when asked about who'll start next week. 
Testaverde completed 13 of 28 passes for 84 yards with one interception that was returned 39 yards for a touchdown. The Panthers had less than 100 yards total offense with him at the helm. 
"I'm disappointed," Testaverde said. "I feel like I missed some throws that I could have had -- the interception for one. They were quite a few plays out there that we let get away today. ..." 
It's worth noting Testaverde was held out of practice Wednesday and Fox still wasn't ready to name a starter. ... 
DeShaun Foster's fumble on the first play of the second half led directly to a Jacksonville touchdown. It was Foster's fifth fumble of the season. 
"We fumbled the opening play and it started the second half for us on a negative play and we couldn't get anything going after that," Testaverde said. 
When asked why the team didn't give DeAngelo Williams the football more on Sunday, Fox pointed out that Williams was actually on the field more (33 snaps) than Foster (24 snaps). 
But as the Sports Xchange noted, Foster got 11 carries and Williams only three. 
"I think sometimes the way the game's going and the opponent's defense dictates that," Fox said. "It's not all based on carries, it's also opportunities. I think we had fewer carries after that early in the third quarter." 
A week earlier, Williams ran 17 times for 82 yards. 
Fox would prefer a more even balance in carries, "I think like most two-back offenses," he said. "Between Fred Taylor and Maurice Jones-Drew, those are similar to what other teams do. We strive to maintain that as much as possible. 
"Unfortunately (Sunday), we didn't have as many runs, so they're hard to split up. ..." 
David Carr was the team's emergency quarterback even though the Panthers were playing on the road, not at home. 
When asked last week about Carr, Fox said, "I don't know if I wanted to expose him here at home. Definitely yesterday and we'll kind of weight that as we move forward. Anytime you don't have success it has an affect on you mentally. I still have confidence in David Carr." 
But not that much. ... 
And finally. ... Dwayne Jarrett has been inactive the last three weeks with what he called a strained medial collateral ligament in his right knee. Jarrett has played in only four games this season, catching six passes for 73 yards. One source told Pro Football Weekly that Jarrett has been a total disappointment and wouldn't be surprised if he didn't play again this year, regardless of the severity of the injury. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Vinny Testaverde, Matt Moore, David Carr 
RB: DeShaun Foster, DeAngelo Williams 
FB: Brad Hoover 
WR: Steve Smith, Drew Carter, Keary Colbert, Ryne Robinson, Dwayne Jarrett 
TE: Jeff King, Christian Fauria, Donte Rosario 
PK: John Kasay 
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CHICAGO BEARS
As the Associated Press first reported it, "Another quarterback switch for the floundering Chicago Bears." 
Kyle Orton, who started 15 games as a rookie in 2005, returned to the role ahead of veteran Brian Griese on Monday. 
Orton, who hasn't played since the season finale two years ago, will start Monday night's game against the Minnesota Vikings in the Metrodome. 
With the Bears out of the playoff picture at 5-8, with Rex Grossman expected to miss the rest of the season with a sprained knee ligament from Thursday's loss to the Redskins, head coach Lovie Smith decided to go with Orton. 
"Brian has done a lot of good things. We'll just try to see exactly what Kyle can do," Smith said, adding that Orton gave the Bears the best chance to win against the Vikings. 
Orton was 10-5 as a starter in 2005. Grossman, who was also injured most of that season, returned to start a playoff loss against Carolina. 
Griese has completed 61.5 percent of his passes for 1,803 yards with 10 TD passes and 12 interceptions this season. Orton, a fourth-round pick out of Purdue in 2005, has primarily been the team's third-string QB the past two seasons. He has not attempted a pass this season. 
"I think everybody knows I've been frustrated," Orton said. "I'm going to try to make the best of it." 
Smith wouldn't say if Orton would start the final two games of the regular season against Green Bay and New Orleans. 
But as Chicago Sun-Times staffer Mike Mulligan asked readers Tuesday, "Exactly what about the current state of the team's offense makes you think Orton can have success Monday night in Minnesota?" 
With the offensive line struggling, the running game nonexistent and the receivers seeming to drop as many passes as they catch, Mulligan suggests you have to reach to find anything about this assignment that benefits Orton. 
An extra day of preparation due to the Monday night kickoff might be the only thing. But of course, Orton didn't find out he was starting until Monday morning, so if extra preparation really mattered, why let Friday, Saturday and Sunday slip away? 
Mulligan went on to remind readers the rhetoric from the offense all season, be it coaches or players, is that quarterback hasn't been the problem. Nonetheless, the Bears are going to start their third player, and they insist it has nothing to do with evaluating the position or planning for the future. 
"We're trying to win the football game, period," said Smith. "Football-team-wise -- the evaluation, next year, all that -- no. We're trying to beat the Minnesota Vikings. We're trying to finish off our season on a high note." 
Good luck with that coach. ... It certainly won't be easy this week. 
The Minnesota defense specializes in stopping the run, while the Bears are a one-dimensional team with virtually no running game. If they could run, they would have done so in Washington when they were stuffed at the goal line and had to settle for a field goal. 
Adrian Peterson managed 35 yards on 17 carries with a long gain of seven yards. As the Sports Xchange suggested, more than anything, he made injured Cedric Benson look more valuable than he had while he was playing. 
Rookie Garrett Wolfe showed flashes of elusiveness in limited duty. 
Wolfe has always had to overcome the negative assumptions that come with his lack of size. 
"Some people may have a (negative) opinion about me," said the 5-7, 185-pound Wolfe. "Some people may feel that I'll never pan out. But I feel that there are more people who are really supportive of me and my career and who hope I'll do well, than those who aren't." 
Wolfe caught his first four passes of the season Thursday night for 37 yards and rushed for 13 yards on three attempts. ... 
As DailySouthtown.com staffer Gene Chamberlain noted, Bernard Berrian has reached a career high in yards receiving (883) and will become the sixth Bears receiver since 1970 to reach 1,000 yards with 117 more. 
Still, he is facing free agency unless the team signs him to a contract extension after the season. 
"I'd like to be here in Chicago. I'd like to stay here," he said. "I like the city. I like what we got going here. I like the coaches. I like my teammates. ..." 
And finally. ... According to Pro Football Weekly, team sources saw rookie tight end Greg Olsen involved in a very animated discussion with one of the coaches in a practice before the team's recent loss in Washington, apparently pleading his case for more downfield receiving opportunities. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Kyle Orton, Brian Griese, Rex Grossman 
RB: Adrian Peterson, Garrett Wolfe 
FB: Jason McKie, Lousaka Polite 
WR: Bernard Berrian, Muhsin Muhammad, Devin Hester, Rashied Davis, Mark Bradley, Mike Hass 
TE: Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, John Gilmore 
PK: Robbie Gould 
=========================

=========================
CINCINNATI BENGALS
As Cincinnati Enquirer staffer Shannon Russell suggested, Rudi Johnson may not feel 100 percent recovered from a Week 3 hamstring strain, but it didn't show Sunday. 
The running back rushed 23 times for 92 yards and a touchdown, and posted a season-best long run of 22 yards in the Bengals' win over St. Louis. 
He led a ground campaign that produced a season-best 192 yards. Johnson alone rushed for more than what the Bengals' 26th-ranked run game is averaging (89.3 yards), and second-year player DeDe Dorsey came close with a career-high 81 rushing yards. 
Dorsey had only four carries, with a long run of 45 yards. The running back nearly doubled his season-long rushing output in the win. 
Johnson, who said his health is getting "better and better each week," struggled at the game's start. He was hit for a six-yard loss on the Bengals' first series, and finished the first half with eight carries for nine yards -- but his hamstring wasn't necessarily the culprit. 
"You had to feel sorry for him a little bit," head coach Marvin Lewis said. "We didn't get the guys up front blocked and he took some hits right when he received the ball. He had a couple of good, productive runs today. We ran some more Rudi-style runs, which helped us out." 
What's a Rudi-style run? 
"A lot of power stuff down-hill, right at you," Johnson explained. "Smash-mouth, in-your-face-type football. We have had success with that, especially today when it counted." 
Johnson ran in a 1-yard score in the first quarter for his third rushing touchdown this season. 
But he rolled up 83 of his yards in the second half, including 46 yards on the Bengals' last full series, which culminated in a Shayne Graham field goal. 
"That's what I do. I'm a closer, baby. Whenever the game is on the line, you know, that's what I'm going to do. I've been doing it all my career, so for that to happen today definitely felt good," Johnson told Russell. 
Dorsey averaged 26 yards a carry in the first half but played little in the second half. He had a 3-yard run in the third quarter. 
"I definitely want it to expand (my role), but like I said, I trust my coaches," Dorsey told Russell. "I'm sure they know what they're doing, so anytime they can use me, when they call my number, I'm going to take advantage of it." 
Lewis said Dorsey has "done a good job of finding his niches." 
Dorsey broke several tackles and sprinted down the sideline for a second-quarter, 45-yard gain. It was cut short by free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who pushed him out of bounds. 
Dorsey attributes moves like that to his 5-foot-11, 196-pound frame. 
"It helps to be really, really small. Not much of me to hit," Dorsey said. "Being smaller, I try to use quickness to my advantage. Anytime there's a hole I think I can squeeze through, I go for it. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... For the third time in the past five games, Carson Palmer did not throw a touchdown pass. For the third time in that span, he had an interception returned for a touchdown. 
As Enquirer staffer Mark Curnutte noted, even though the Bengals have been playing better defensively to win three of their past five, they're not getting a whole lot of help from Palmer. 
He has thrown seven interceptions in five games. He has five touchdown passes, and his ratio has narrowed this season to 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. His passer rating is 85.5, which would be his lowest since 2004, his first season as a starter, when he finished at 77.3. 
Palmer struggled against the Rams. He was 21-for-29 for 189 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. His rating of 60.8 was just .2 better than St. Louis' Brock Berlin in his first NFL start. 
And for the first time in four seasons as Bengals starter, Palmer is taking heat from fans. Is that criticism just part of the job, Carson? 
"Yeah, at this position, and where we are as a team," he said. "I need to play great every week, and I haven't been great every week. As far as I'm concerned, I just want to give us a chance to win. 
"Of course, I want to throw a bunch of touchdown passes and throw the ball all over the field. But at this point in the year, where we're at, we need wins." 
Palmer threw a deep ball to Chad Johnson for 52 yards. 
His worst throw of the day was intended for T.J. Houshmandzadeh but was picked off by cornerback Fakhir Brown and returned 36 yards for a touchdown. 
Was it miscommunication? 
"No, T.J. and I will have a chance to look at it," Palmer said. "But they did a good job on that play defensively, kind of bluffing one coverage and then flying out late with another one. They caught me with my eyes looking in the wrong spot. 
"I need to do a better job of seeing that and expecting that coverage earlier, readjusting my read and decision earlier." 
In the end, what mattered most -- the only thing -- was the victory. 
"In this league, it's tough to just win a single game," Palmer said. "At the end of the year, it's a win in the column and nobody worries about how many yards we threw for or whatever case it is. 
"It's just a win. It's good to get one because we've been struggling to get them ..." 
Houshmandzadeh set a career high with 96 receptions, grabbing eight for 52 yards Sunday. 
He had 90 catches last season and is now five from bettering Carl Pickens' single-season franchise record of 100 from 1996. 
"I don't really concern myself with it; just go play," Houshmandzadeh said. "I've probably dropped maybe like six or seven balls this year, so I'd have more than 100 if I had caught them all. ..." 
Chad Johnson had two receptions for 60 yards -- including the 52-yarder. He stands just 13 yards from reaching 1,200 receiving yards for the fifth season in a row. ... 
Graham made all four of his field goal attempts to move past the 100-point mark for the fifth season in a row with the Bengals. He is 26-of-29 on field goals and 30-of-30 on extra points for 108 points. ... 
Tight end Reggie Kelly suffered an ankle injury Sunday, but it should not keep him out of the San Francisco game Saturday night, Lewis said. ... 
And finally. ... Lewis refuted reports that he is a candidate for the vacant head coaching position at the University of Michigan. He was reported to be on a short list with Saints head coach Sean Payton and two college coaches. Lewis, who spent 2002 as Washington defensive coordinator, also has been rumored as a replacement for Joe Gibbs if the Redskins go another coaching direction. 
"Marvin Lewis doesn't know any of these reports," Lewis said. "I appreciate the fact that you guys haven't brought those up, until now. Let's beat the San Francisco 49ers." 
Are they unfounded? "Yes," Lewis said. 
As the Sports Xchange noted, Lewis is under contract through 2010 with the Bengals. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Carson Palmer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jeff Rowe 
RB: Rudi Johnson, Kenny Watson, DeDe Dorsey 
FB: Jeremi Johnson 
WR: T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chad Johnson, Chris Henry, Glenn Holt, Antonio Chatman 
TE: Reginald Kelly, Daniel Coats, Nate Lawrie 
PK: Shayne Graham 
=========================

=========================
CLEVELAND BROWNS
As Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Bill Livingston framed it Monday: "Rain was falling like the Browns' lead, and the cold was settling into men's bones as if establishing squatter's rights to hypothermia. The days are short and sullen. It is December in the NFL. The games are meaner and more brutish. 
"It is Jamal Lewis' time. ..." 
And as the Sports Xchange suggested, Lewis continues to make general manager Phil Savage look smart. 
Lewis had another 100-yard game, his third as a Brown, and his 31-yard ramble on third-and-four late in the game secured the win. "Jamal broke loose like a madman," receiver Braylon Edwards said. 
Lewis' running continues to impress, and be more and more important as time goes on. Late in the season, when the weather turns cold, teams that run the ball win games. 
Lewis isn't supposed to be known as a pass catcher, but he got wide open after a play fake to catch a short touchdown pass from Derek Anderson. It was his second touchdown reception of the season. ... 
Meanwhile, in only his third season, Edwards tied Gary Collins' franchise record of 13 touchdown catches set in 1963. 
He did so on a 4-yard catch in the end zone on which he climbed up over the back of New York Jets rookie Darrelle Revis and snatched the ball. 
"It feels good," Edwards said of tying the record. "You look at the guys who have played here -- the Paul Warfields and Gary Collins and Webster Slaughters and Ozzie Newsomes and to tie the all-time record for touchdowns in a season means a lot." 
He gave his teammates an assist for the feat. 
"It's an individual record, but it was really a team accomplishment," Edwards told Plain Dealer reporter Mary Kay Cabot. "Whether it be [Anderson] stepping in to make some throws or [Lewis] running the ball and causing the defense to come down or people fearing Kellen [Winslow], everyone contributed." 
On the TD catch -- and his two other receptions -- he got the best of the 5-11 Revis. 
"We like to put the taller guys against the smaller defenders," said Edwards. "Put the ball up in the air and give him a chance. I don't think he got a good read on the ball. I saw it first and tried to reach for it and make a play." 
Said Revis: "On the fade route, I didn't even know he had the ball. It wasn't a positive game for me. You don't want to get frustrated." 
Revis also gave up a 45-yard catch to Edwards on a crossing route two plays before the TD. Edwards' only other catch was a twisting 14-yarder over Revis on the sideline that withstood a replay challenge. Officials ruled that both feet came down inbounds. 
Edwards is also on pace to set the club record for most yards in a season. ... 
Receiver Joe Jurevicius came up big at the end with not one -- but two -- recoveries of the last two onside kicks. The Jets got the first one. 
"I was able to catch [his first one] and saw that I had a little room on the sidelines to try to get a few yards," he said. Jurevicius' recovery and 9-yard return led to Lewis' 31-yard TD run. 
"The third one, it was a hot potato. He kicked it in there as hard as he could and tried to get the ball to bounce down a little bit, and fortunately I was able to slow it down and jump on it eventually." 
He said he's never seen three onside kicks in a game, "and I hope I never do again." 
As for making the two crucial plays, he said, "It's just my job. That's why coaches have [Steve] Heiden and I on there to try to make plays. Fortunately today, we were able to make two of the three." 
Jurevicius also made a fine 7-yard catch on third down over the middle at the end of the third quarter to the Browns' 44 that led to a 49-yard field goal by Phil Dawson. Dawson's kick, his second-longest of the season, came in a driving rain. 
For the record, Anderson had another bad interception and threw for just 185 yards on 16 completions. The wet, rainy conditions had much to do with that, but as the Xchange suggested, the Browns offense never got into a good rhythm, in part because they did not have the ball a lot. ... 
According to Canton Repository reporter Steve Doerschuk, Jerome Harrison remains the Browns' best-kept secret -- a secret some would argue they're guarding the secret too closely. 
Harrison has dressed for only six of games, touching the ball in only three -- all wins. 
Browns fans didn't see last year's Round 5 pick in 2007 until Game 6 against Miami. In his first series, which covered 67 yards for a touchdown, he ran three times for 28 yards and made a 15-yard catch-and-run. 
He showed up again a week later at St. Louis. All five of his carries -- producing 32 yards -- came on a drive that produced a field goal and kicked a Browns lead to 27-20. 
That was Oct. 28. He didn't touch the ball again until Sunday. 
The first time he carried the ball against the Jets, the Browns were nursing a 14-6 lead late in the third quarter. He ran 17 yards, helping set up a field goal. 
Why did it work? 
"I really don't know," Harrison said. "I haven't played in a while, but I still practice hard. ... 
On the injury front. ... Jurevicius (knee) was slated to miss Wednesday's practice, but all involved expect him to start and play as usual. ... 
One last note here. ... The Browns season has come to this: Win three games and they're in the playoffs. And if they win this Sunday's game against Buffalo and get some help, they'd have clinched a spot. 
The Xchange notes the formula is complex and would require a Cleveland win, a Titans loss to Kansas City and a Denver loss or tie against Houston. 
"Playoffs? Playoffs?" head coach Romeo Crennel said. "I don't know anything about playoffs." 
Crennel has done his best to adopt the Bill Belichick theory on the NFL, and that is that the only game that matters is the next one. So just try to win that game and move on to the next week. 
"That's been the focus all year, to try and get ready for the next game," Crennel said. "We're not the New England Patriots. We know that we can improve and we have been working every week trying to improve." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Derek Anderson, Brady Quinn, Ken Dorsey 
RB: Jamal Lewis, Jason Wright, Jerome Harrison 
FB: Lawrence Vickers, Charles Ali 
WR: Braylon Edwards, Joe Jurevicius, Tim Carter, Joshua Cribbs, Travis Wilson 
TE: Kellen Winslow, Steve Heiden, Darnell Dinkins 
PK: Phil Dawson 
=========================

=========================
DALLAS COWBOYS
Here's a surprise. ... Tony Romo was nearly flawless in Sunday's come-from-behind win over the Detroit Lions, completing 35 of 44 passes for 302 yards with two touchdowns. 
Jason Witten had a career day for tight ends, catching a club-record 15 passes for 138 yards and the game-winning touchdown. 
But as Dallas Morning News staffer Tim Cowlishaw noted, minutes before he would break a mark that has held its ground in the Cowboys' record book for 40 years, Witten nearly broke the Cowboys' hearts. 
Stretching the ball inside the 1-yard line, the Cowboys tight end lost possession just before his knee touched the turf at Ford Field. With 5:47 to play, Detroit held a six-point lead and possession of the football. 
"I felt like the goat right there," Witten said. "But the defense got the ball back for us." 
Romo and Witten did most of the rest as the Cowboys drove 83 yards in 11 plays to win the game. 
And Lance Rentzel's record of 13 catches in one game that has withstood all the big days of Bob Hayes, Drew Pearson, Tony Hill and Michael Irvin was erased by a tight end. Witten finished with 15 catches for 138 yards. 
As Cowlishaw suggests, opposing defenses take away Terrell Owens at a price. Owens did not hurt the Lions. He caught three balls for 21 yards. 
But Romo, exhibiting great patience, knows what to do when safeties are favoring Owens. He connected with Witten and Marion Barber 25 times Sunday afternoon. 
The tight end and tailback amassed 199 yards through the air and caught two touchdown passes. Barber had a career-high 10 catches for 61 yards and one touchdown. He also had seven carries for 43 yards (6.1 yards per carry) and two touchdowns. 
On the winning drive, Sam Hurd made a big 16-yard grab on the sideline. But the rest of the completions went like this: 
Witten for 13 yards. Barber for 6. Witten for 4. Barber for 13. Witten for 6. Barber for 4. Witten for a 16-yard touchdown. 
"You've got to just find a way to win a game at the end sometimes," Romo said. "You've got to give the Lions a lot of credit. They deserved probably to get a win. But we were able to come out of here with a victory." 
Although the game the week before the Pro Bowl is the goal, there can be little doubt that Romo will have his two favorite receivers accompany him to Honolulu. 
Owens already has 1,270 yards receiving and 14 touchdowns. With three games to go, Witten has 80 catches for 955 yards. He already is close to matching his career best totals (87 catches, 980 yards in 2004). 
"They were just playing that Cover Two [where two safeties split the field] and a lot of that [attention] goes to Terrell," Witten said. "That's when your quarterback's got to be smart." 
And as Cowlishaw summed up: "[Romo] was. Again. Another week, another 300-yard landmark performance. ..." 
For the record, there are six Hall of Fame tight ends, and none of them ever surpassed 15 catches in a game. 
In fact, no tight end in NFL history has. 
Kellen Winslow and Mike Ditka had 15 in a game, Ozzie Newsome 14, Dave Casper 12, Charlie Sanders 10 and John Mackey eight. ... 
In a related note. ... According to Fort Worth Star-Telegram staffer Rick Herrin, Owens' streak of consecutive games with a touchdown ended at seven. He needed one more to break the club record. His 21 yards was his lowest output since three catches for 19 yards in his second game with the Cowboys last season against Washington. 
Owens also did not have a reception in the first half and did not have a pass thrown in his direction. It was his first half without a catch since the season opener against the New York Giants. 
So how do you know things are different in Dallas this year? 
Owens was happy as any of the other Cowboys after Sunday's win. 
"I know a lot of things I do enable a lot of guys to make plays," Owens said. "We won. The only thing that matters is the (NFC East champions) hat on my head. ..." 
According to SI.com insider Peter King, head coach Wade Phillips has done some really smart things this year, not the least of which is making Owens a team leader by having him stand in front of the team -- often -- and talking like a leader. 
King added: "Maybe T.O. isn't the perfect guy to do that, but it makes Owens feel like a king and makes him toe the line as a team player. ..." 
Also according to Herrin, owner Jerry Jones said receiver Terry Glenn will practice this week in his attempt to return from two knee surgeries. 
Glenn, who has missed all season, will not play against Philadelphia this week, but his chances of returning for the final two weeks are becoming more of a possibility. 
"He's got a shot," Jones said. 
Jones said Glenn caught 20 passes Friday and felt good. Glenn had his most recent arthroscopic surgery Sept. 13. ... 
And finally. ... Patrick Crayton injured his foot in the fourth quarter of Sunday's win and it's not yet clear if the injury will be an issue against the Eagles this Sunday. 
Crayton, whose foot was heavily wrapped after the game, finished with three catches for 46 yards. We'll have more on his status going forward as the week progresses. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Tony Romo, Brad Johnson 
RB: Julius Jones, Marion Barber, Tyson Thompson 
FB: Oliver Hoyte 
WR: Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton, Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback, Terry Glenn 
TE: Jason Witten, Anthony Fasano, Tony Curtis 
PK: Nick Folk 
=========================

=========================
DENVER BRONCOS
Who could have guessed? The Denver Broncos have more running backs than footballs. Again. 
And once again, they like all of them. 
Does Mike Shanahan believe Selvin Young can be a No. 1 tailback in the NFL? Without a doubt. 
"I said it in the preseason: It wouldn't surprise me if he was a starter in the National Football League and be over a 1,000-yard back," the coach said of Young. "I kind of like him where he's at, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. That's pretty good for a young kid." 
Does that mean the undrafted rookie, fresh off his second 100-yard rushing performance, is the Broncos' featured back now? 
According to Denver Post beat writer Bill Williamson, not necessarily. 
As Williamson understated, Shanahan, a longtime running back fanatic, likes a logjam of talent. Perhaps next year Young could be his full-time starter, but Shanahan isn't ready to proclaim that. For the rest of the 2007 season, Shanahan likes a three-pronged running back attack consisting of Young, Travis Henry and Andre Hall. 
"You can never have too may backs," Shanahan said Monday with the Broncos preparing to play a Thursday night game at Houston they need to win to keep their faint playoff pulse alive. 
While lauding Young, who gained 156 yards on 17 carries against Kansas City in Denver's 41-7 victory on Sunday, Shanahan also defended Henry. Henry missed three games because of a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament, then struggled in Denver's past two games, when he gained only 73 yards on 25 carries. 
While Young is garnering raves, Shanahan warned Monday not to throw in the towel on Henry. He was the leading rusher in the NFL through the first four games of the season before he was injured and distracted by a successful appeal of a drug-related suspension. He had three games in which he gained at least 128 yards. 
"Everybody's kind of throwing Travis Henry under the bus," Shanahan said. "He led the National Football League after four games, averaging 5 yards per carry. He had a rib injury and obviously he had (a knee injury) where he missed three or four games. You just don't come back in football shape right away. It takes time. 
"Travis Henry is still the same back he was after the first four games. He was going through a tough time with the rib injury and obviously with the (knee injury), he's got to get back in football shape. ..." 
Shanahan is intrigued by the idea of using Young, Henry and Hall in the same game. 
According to Williamson, Henry still is not 100 percent healthy, so it wouldn't be a surprise if Young remains in the starting lineup. 
Young has gained 569 yards on 100 carries and became the sixth undrafted rookie in NFL history to reach 500 yards rushing. He has 569 yards rushing. Last year, Mike Bell became the fifth undrafted rookie to reach 500 yards. Bell, now a fullback, had 677 yards. 
Henry is due a large option bonus in the offseason and could be expendable if Young continues to excel. Hall has averaged 5.0 yards per carry on 41 attempts. 
For now, Shanahan likes the glut of backs, in particular because each has suffered injuries. Young has dealt with a knee injury and Hall has coped with an ankle sprain and a thumb injury. 
In other words, owners with Young, Henry and -- to a lesser degree -- Hall will be forced to continue playing "running-back roulette" in the most important Fantasy games of the season. ... 
Also of interest. ... Also according to the Post, it's time to wonder about Javon Walker's future with the Broncos. 
Discomfort in a surgically repaired knee, coupled with the emergence of veteran Brandon Stokley as the No. 2 receiver, were factors in the Broncos' decision to not dress Walker against the Chiefs. Walker watched the game from the press box and declined comment. 
The Broncos' No. 1 receiver last year and to begin this season, Walker has just three catches since the second game of the season. He underwent arthroscopic knee surgery Oct. 19 and has not recovered as hoped. 
Walker is due $4.4 million in option bonuses during the offseason, so he would likely have to accept a restructured contract if he is to return next year. 
Meanwhile, Stokley, a prototypical slot, or No. 3, receiver throughout his career, has excelled in the No. 2 wideout spot to the point the Broncos just gave him a three-year extension. He beat Ty Law on a broken pattern for a 21-yard touchdown reception on the game's opening possession. 
Stokley said he couldn't be happier to have signed a three-year contract Friday with the Broncos. Stokley has flourished since signing a one-year deal in March with Denver. 
"It really came up quickly," Stokley said. "This is a great place to be, and it was a real nice opportunity to stay here. ..." 
With Walker unable to stay healthy, second-year man Brandon Marshall has emerged as Jay Cutler's top target, leading the team with 75 receptions for 1,029 yards and six scores. 
And as the Associated Press sports writer Arnie Stapleton notes, he also leads the Broncos in jaw-dropping moves, which he credits to his roots as a running back, as he dekes defenders with an athleticism uncommon for a man who stands 6-5 and weighs 230 pounds. 
"You never know what he's going to do when he catches the ball, but you know that he's going to make a play out of it," Cutler said. "He might run back and forth for a 1-yard gain. But, more times than not, he's going to give you a 10- or 20-yard gain." 
Marshall caught a career-high 10 passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns in Denver's 41-7 shelling of Kansas City on Sunday. He also drew a flag for tossing three handfuls of snow into the air following his first score. ... 
Cutler had a near-perfect game against the Chiefs. He completed 20 of 27 passes for 244 yards, no interceptions, and four touchdowns and a 141.0 passer rating, the last two career bests. 
"It took a little longer than I wanted to," Cutler said of his first four-touchdown game coming in his 18th NFL start. "The offensive line did a great job the whole day, so I have to give them a lot of credit." 
Tight end Daniel Graham was a bigger part of the passing game on Sunday. He caught three passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, his second of the season. As the Sports Xchange suggests, he'll never post huge receiving numbers, but is a reliable target. ... 
On the injury front. ... Two days after pain in his strained left knee limited him to just over two quarters in Kansas City, Stokley did not practice Tuesday or Wednesday. 
"He's still a little sore," Shanahan said after Tuesday's session. 
Stokley said that he wouldn't even hit the treadmill for some jogging, opting for complete rest. He worked out on the treadmill last Thursday before practicing a day later in advance of the Chiefs game. 
"Today I'm going to rest it, see how it feels and then see how it does (Wednesday), see how it feels and then it will probably be a game-time decision," he said. He didn't make it onto the field Wednesday, so an outcome of the "Dreaded Game-Time Decision" is hard to read. 
Stokley also didn't believe the upcoming two-and-a-half-hour flight to Houston would exacerbate the issues with his knee. 
"I didn't think about that, but it probably won't be that big of a deal," he said. ... 
Walker "went full speed" both Tuesday and Wednesday. Young and Henry both practiced, too. ... 
On the legal front. ... Marshall's court date to enter a plea on a drunken driving charge has been rescheduled until next week, attorney Harvey Steinberg said. 
Marshall had been scheduled to appear in court Thursday, less than 12 hours before the Broncos play at Houston. He now is scheduled to appear on Tuesday, Steinberg said. 
Marshall was arrested in downtown Denver hours after the Broncos defeated Pittsburgh on Oct. 21. 
Steinberg also said a court date has not been set for punter Todd Sauerbrun, who faces an assault charge for an altercation outside a Denver restaurant last weekend. ... 
And finally. ... The Broncos will face former offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, in his second season as the Texans' coach, Thursday night. 
There are several people in the Houston organization with Denver ties, including Shanahan's son, Kyle Shanahan, an assistant coach. Shanahan joked if the Broncos lose to the Texans, his son will never let him hear the end of it. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jay Cutler, Patrick Ramsey 
RB: Selvin Young, Travis Henry, Andre Hall 
FB: Cecil Sapp, Mike Bell, Paul Smith 
WR: Brandon Marshall, Brandon Stokley, Glenn Martinez, Javon Walker, Taylor Jacobs 
TE: Daniel Graham, Tony Scheffler 
PK: Jason Elam 
=========================

=========================
DETROIT LIONS
The Cowboys entered Sunday's game against the Lions as the NFL's fourth-best run defense, allowing 85.6 yards per game. But the Lions had 152 yards on the ground -- their highest in more than two years -- to complement a balanced attack that featured 248 passing yards. 
Kevin Jones led the way with 23 carries for 92 yards and two touchdowns -- giving him a career-best eight rushing touchdowns on the season. 
And while nobody's spirits were especially high after the Cowboys rallied to beat them on the game's final drive, the rushing attack was clearly a positive. 
"We had balance, that's the key thing we had today, which really helped our offense out," right tackle Damien Woody said. "We had balance, and we were able to control the clock and keep their offense off the field, and we were able to put up some points on the board." 
T.J. Duckett was the Lions' only other rusher. He had nine carries for 60 yards, including a 32-yarder into the end zone that put the Lions ahead, 7-0, in the first quarter. The Lions' three rushing touchdowns were the most since they had four against Baltimore in 2005. 
"I think me and Kevin, when we are rolling, it is tough for the defense to know what we're doing," Duckett said. "It also opens up the receivers. They had a great day today catching the ball. 
"The offensive line, once they get in a groove coming off the ball, that's what they want to do is come off and hit people in the mouth. The offensive line played amazing, giving Kevin and myself running room. It's just a tough one." 
As with any successful running game, the Lions' offensive line was integral to ground gains and as Detroit Free Press staffer Carlos Monarrez pointed out, it also limited Dallas to one meaningless sack in the last few seconds. 
"There's no better feeling than when you're able to impose your will on the defense, and that's what we were able to do today," Woody said. "The whole key today was finishing. We didn't finish the job. We let them off the hook, and I tip my hat to them. " 
Head coach Rod Marinelli singled out Woody, who has rebounded from losing his starting job at right guard. 
"I think Woody has added a lot to the front as a right offensive tackle, and we've really solidified the pass protection over there," Marinelli said. "I just think they're coming alive, and we knew one thing we had to do, we felt we had to keep their offense off the field." 
They did. The Lions had nearly five more minutes of possession. They also held receiver Terrell Owens to three catches for 21 yards. They stuck with the running game. They seemed to do almost everything but win. 
"We gave it everything we had, but it wasn't good enough," Duckett said. "That is the frustrating part. We had them. We had them where we wanted them. A play here or a play there and the locker room would have been a lot different." 
Maybe so, but owners who rolled with Jones last week will tell you, it was an outstanding Fantasy effort. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... According to the Sports Xchange, Shaun McDonald led the Lions with eight catches for 96 yards Sunday, but he made a mistake during the four-minute drill when he ran out of bounds, stopping the clock. 
Troy Walters suffered a concussion returning a kickoff in the first quarter. Aveion Cason returned kickoffs afterward. Brandon Middleton, just signed from the practice squad, returned the last one because the Lions hoped his speed might produce a big play. ... 
Fullback Casey Fitzsimmons left late in the first with a lower leg contusion. 
Marinelli said the Lions would wait to see how Walter feels Wednesday. The coach said Fitzsimmons would be okay. ... 
Jason Hanson missed a critical 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter Sunday. Before that, he had made 248 of 259 attempts (95.7 percent) inside 40 yards in his 16-year career. 
And finally. ... During his regular weekly radio appearance in Detroit, receiver Roy Williams told listeners there's still a chance he could return before the season is over. 
"I am working towards that," he said. "It is all up to the team. If we are still in the hunt, I want to be there." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jon Kitna, J.T. O'Sullivan, Dan Orlovsky 
RB: Kevin Jones, T.J. Duckett, Aveion Cason, Tatum Bell 
FB/HB: John Bradley 
WR: Calvin Johnson, Shaun McDonald, Mike Furrey, Troy Walters, Roy Williams 
TE: Sean McHugh, Casey Fitzsimmons 
PK: Jason Hanson 
=========================

=========================
GREEN BAY PACKERS
As Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel staffer Greg A. Bedard noted on Monday, the Packers' once-embarrassing ground game showed considerable promise with four 100-yard games entering play Sunday against the Oakland Raiders. 
But could they do it when it counted, in December, when the temperatures drop but the magnitude of each game increases? 
The Packers answered emphatically in the affirmative as they rushed for a season-high 179 yards -- 156 coming from Ryan Grant, the accidental running back -- in a 38-7 victory over the Raiders in freezing temperatures. 
It was a performance that left quarterback Brett Favre in the mood to reminisce. 
"When you think about the teams we've had in the past and how far we've went, it comes down to a lot of things, but it comes down to running the football," Favre said. "In the mid-1990s, it's not like we overpowered people running the ball, but we were able to control the clock with a rushing attack. 
"I think we have a better rushing game today. ... What we did today, to me, was as impressive as anything we've done this year." 
As Bedard suggested, considering where the Packers' running game was about two months ago, that's saying something. 
Bedard went on to remind readers that entering their Week 8 game against the Broncos, the Packers were averaging a league-worst 65.7 yards per game on the ground. They were almost a full 10 yards behind the next team. 
But when Grant entered the Broncos game with 14 minutes 16 seconds left in the second quarter -- only because starter DeShawn Wynn was injured -- everything changed. 
Since that moment, the Packers have had the league's 12th-best rushing offense at 115.6 yards per game, and Grant has led the NFL with 747 yards. 
"I think he's legit," Favre said. "He really can play. I think he's only going to get better barring some crazy injury in his career. I think he can be a really good player." 
The Packers went into the game with Grant as the focal point of the offense because they thought Grant could exploit Oakland's 30th-ranked run defense at the point of contact. 
"We felt like we wanted to see if they could tackle us," offensive coordinator Joe Philbin told Bedard. "They struggled to tackle him at times." 
Grant, who turned 25 on Sunday, found ample room to run behind an offensive line that has been just as impressive in the past seven games. 
"We're miles ahead of where we were in Week 1 and I feel great about that," Philbin said. "But we're still scratching the surface to where we can be. ..." 
Also of interest. ... Head coach Mike McCarthy called a hit that Raiders defensive end Derrick Burgess made on Favre low and unnecessary. Favre, making his 250th consecutive start, got hit twice by Burgess, once on a play before the 2-minute warning that left Favre limping. 
"It was one of those 'Ooooh' (hits)," Favre said after the game. "It didn't particularly feel good and it was an awkward way to fall for me." 
Favre fell from the contact, which caused his legs to stiffen from the shot to the shin. McCarthy wasn't as upset on that play as the one later in the second half, when Burgess caught Favre around the lower part of the knee. 
"The (first) he was in contact with the tackle and then was pushed a little, but the other one he went low on him," McCarthy said Monday. "It was clearly evident. It was unnecessary." 
Neither hit drew a penalty. 
Philbin said he thought the hit was questionable, too. 
"It looked low, kind of right around here," Philbin said, pointing at the side of his knee. "I'm not an official, I don't spend a lot of time on that and I don't claim to be a rule expert ... but one of them specifically looked like it was very questionable." 
Raiders coach Lane Kiffin said Burgess slipped. 
Had backup Aaron Rodgers been available, McCarthy said he would have considered pulling Favre, who finished 15-of-23 for 266 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Rodgers was relegated to the third-string role with a hamstring injury that occurred in practice last week and also may keep him out of Sunday's game at St. Louis. 
"I didn't feel we were in any danger with Brett as far as the point in the game and what we were doing with him," McCarthy said. "It's a little concerning as you watch the tape today, a couple of low hits that he took from Burgess, the two low hits that he took in the pass rush. But at that particular point in the game, we were managing the game, managing the clock. I did not feel that he was in danger." 
According to Associated Press sports writer Colin Fly, Favre said after the game his knees and shin would be fine. He'd already battled through a bruised right elbow and separated left shoulder suffered in the loss to Dallas late last month. The three-time MVP also said he didn't think Burgess' hits were dirty. 
"I got hit a fair amount. Some seemed kind of low, but I don't think any of them were on purpose. To me, it's kind of a vague call from a referee's standpoint," Favre said. "Sometimes I think he's either blocked into a guys or is stumbling or falling. 
"It just happens that way, and to me that's what happened on that play and the other ones. ..." 
One last note here. ... Tight end Bubba Franks might return to game action Sunday. He's been sidelined since suffering a sprained knee Oct. 14. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Brett Favre, Craig Nall, Aaron Rodgers 
RB: Ryan Grant, Brandon Jackson, Vernand Morency 
FB: Korey Hall, John Kuhn 
WR: Donald Driver, Greg Jennings, James Jones, Ruvell Martin, Koren Robinson 
TE: Donald Lee, Ryan Krause, Bubba Franks 
PK: Mason Crosby 
=========================

=========================
HOUSTON TEXANS
One day after the Texans doubled the score on Tampa Bay, Houston Chronicle beat writer John McClain reports that head coach Gary Kubiak took it easy on his players as they began preparations for Thursday night's nationally televised game against Denver. 
The Texans and Broncos have only three days to get ready for the game at Reliant Stadium that features Kubiak against his mentor, Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, who is the father of Texans quarterbacks coach Kyle Shanahan. 
"I think [Kubiak] would like to get a win against his old team, and we'd like to help him do that," said tight end Owen Daniels, who caught a touchdown pass against the Buccaneers. "That hasn't been talked about too much. 
"We're just kind of getting our game plan down, but I'm sure that'll be in the back of our minds when we go out there." 
Kubiak scheduled a walk-through that lasted half as long as a regular practice. Players who are nursing injuries didn't get on the field because Kubiak wants all hands on deck for the Denver game. 
"We're a beat-up team," Kubiak said. "A lot of guys didn't do anything." 
If the Texans defeat the Broncos, they will be 7-7 for the first time. A victory also would guarantee at least a tie for the best record in the team's six seasons. 
Running back Ron Dayne is among the players recuperating from injuries suffered against Tampa Bay. 
Dayne (ankle) said after sitting out Tuesday's practice that he hopes he can play Thursday night. If not, Darius Walker is expected to start in his place. ... 
Sage Rosenfels will start in place of Matt Schaub, who is going to California to get a second opinion on his dislocated left shoulder. Rosenfels is 2-0 as a starter this season, and he threw three touchdown passes against Tampa Bay. 
"It's not new to me," Rosenfels said about playing a prime-time game. "In Miami, we played, it seemed like two Monday night games and a couple Sunday night games every year, so it's not really a new thing to me. I think playing the prime-time game definitely helps you heal faster, and you get your juices running a little quicker to have only four days to turn around and play. ..." 
Based on his performance to date, SI.com insider Don Banks asked on Sunday if it's crazy to suggest that Rosenfels has played as well as Schaub this season? 
At the very least, Banks suggests, Rosenfels has given the Texans decision-makers something to think about in the future. ... 
Getting back to Schaub's shoulder. ... "I'm going to get a second opinion and see how things go," he said Monday. "The range of motion's getting there. I'm starting to work on the strength. It's a work in progress, but it's getting better." 
Schaub is hoping to return this season, but the odds are against him. 
"As a competitor, I don't want to shut it down," he said. "I want to get back out there on the field and help my team and be a part of what we're doing here in the end of the season and finish the regular season off right, so I want to get back out there with my guys. ..." 
Also according to McClain, receiver Andre Johnson clicked with Schaub immediately. He's developing a good on-field rapport with Sage Rosenfels, too. Johnson caught nine passes, seven for first downs, in the victory over Tampa Bay. 
"Sage has been here," Johnson said. "This isn't my first time on the field with Sage. Like I said before, we have confidence in him, just as much confidence as we have in Matt, so that doesn't change anything when Sage comes in. The confidence is still there. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... Walker made his NFL debut against the fourth-ranked defense in the league. With Dayne nursing the above-mentioned sore ankle, Walker had the bulk of the load, finishing with 46 yards on 16 carries. He added six catches for 35 yards. 
"As the game went on, I started feeling more comfortable out there," said Walker, who was signed to the 53-man roster three weeks ago. "You stop thinking about, 'Oh my God, I'm in the game!' And you start thinking, 'OK, this is what I have to do.'" 
Despite Ahman Green's season-long battle with injuries, it took until Week 13 for Walker to get his opportunity. There were concerns about his pass protection and his ability to protect the ball. According to Chronicle staffer Megan Manfull, the youngster handled both well Sunday. 
Walker, who was not drafted out of Notre Dame, will continue to compete with Adimchinobe Echemandu for repetitions behind Dayne; both have now had solid debuts. It'll be interesting to see if Walker gets a better chance to follow up than Echemandu has. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Sage Rosenfels, Shane Boyd, Matt Schaub 
RB: Ron Dayne, Darius Walker, Adimchinobe Echemandu 
FB: Vonta Leach, Jameel Cook 
WR: Andre Johnson, Kevin Walter, Andre' Davis, Jacoby Jones, David Anderson 
TE: Owen Daniels, Mark Bruener, Joel Dreessen, Jeb Putzier 
PK: Kris Brown 
=========================

=========================
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
As Associated Press sports writer Michael Marot noted on Tuesday, Peyton Manning is making the touchdowns look easy, and the Indianapolis offense is again scoring points by the dozens. 
In other words, the Colts are finally playing like their old selves. 
After enduring nearly a month of slow starts, missed opportunities, struggles and questions, the Indy offense has gotten back in sync just in time for the playoffs. 
"I thought we'd been playing better the last few weeks, really since the second quarter of the Atlanta game," head coach Tony Dungy said Monday. "We kept it going against Jacksonville. Then last (Sunday), so much of it is poise and identifying where they are and picking up blitzes. If you do that, you know you're going to have a chance to make big plays." 
Which, of course, the Colts executed perfectly at Baltimore. 
Despite running a season-low 49 plays, Indianapolis still hung 44 points on a defense once considered one of the league's best. It was a stark contrast to last January's playoff game in which the Colts failed to score a touchdown and settled for five field goals in a 15-6 victory at Baltimore. 
According to Marot, part of the explanation for Sunday's breakout performance, in which Manning threw four touchdown passes in just 17 attempts, was because the Ravens were without either of their starting cornerbacks. Baltimore also appeared to be reeling after a last-minute loss to New England the previous Monday. 
But it was every bit as much about the Colts taking advantage of their chances. 
A rash of injuries left Indy without either of its starting tackles, Tony Ugoh and Ryan Diem, the previous couple of weeks, and Manning played six games without his favorite receiver, perennial Pro Bowler Marvin Harrison. 
During that span, the Colts looked ordinary. 
On Sunday, with Harrison and Diem still out, everything changed. 
Manning moved around in the pocket long enough to take advantage of his open receivers and threw three TD passes of at least 34 yards. 
"You feel like any time a team is without its two starting corners, it's still football and you've got to go after whoever is in there," Manning said after the game. 
Throughout November, opponents had been more successful going after Manning. 
In a 24-20 loss to New England, the Super Bowl MVP fumbled twice, losing one, and threw an interception. The next week, Manning broke the franchise record by throwing six interceptions in a 23-21 loss at San Diego. 
The trend continued against Kansas City and Atlanta, which combined for six sacks and two more interceptions, leaving many to question what was wrong. 
Apparently, it just took time to work out the kinks. 
Over the past two games, against Jacksonville and Baltimore, Manning has thrown eight touchdowns against one interception and finished with passer ratings better than 126. 
As Marot pointed out, one difference has been the emergence of rookie receiver Anthony Gonzalez, Indy's top draft pick in April. He caught the first two TD passes of his career at Baltimore and produced his first two 100-yard games in the past three weeks. 
Gonzalez broke open for a 57-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, his first NFL score, then added his second on a third-quarter deep ball of 40 yards. 
"After last week, I needed to get in there," Gonzalez said, referring to what would have been his first score had he not been flagged for offensive pass interference in the Colts' win over the Jaguars. 
"It was nice to get in, especially in such a dominant game. It was exciting for me. ..." 
"We've been able to settle down," Dungy said. "Anthony has gotten comfortable in his role outside, and we're running the ball well. I think guys understand what they have to do." 
Joseph Addai certainly does. ... The second-year tailback had a three-TD outing -- two on rushes and another on a reception -- against the Ravens. Addai has scored more only once before, four touchdowns against Philadelphia last year. 
His 1-yard run made it 14-0 in the first quarter. About five minutes later, he took advantage of a blown coverage to practically walk into the end zone on a 19-yard reception. His third score came on an 11-yard run with 11:57 remaining in the second quarter. The Colts led 30-0. 
Addai exited early in the third quarter. By the fourth, he was thinking about how many he could have scored if he stayed in. 
"I started thinking about that," he said. "I was feeling a little bit selfish. I wanted to get more touchdowns, but three is good." 
Addai had more receiving yards than rushing. His three catches were for 49 yards. His 13 rushes gave him 32 yards against the NFL's No. 3 rush defense. 
According to the Indianapolis Star, Manning's four touchdown passes pushed him two past Hall of Famer John Elway's 300 for fourth in NFL history. 
His early exit prevented him from moving up the completion list. At 3,404, he's six completions shy of passing Hall of Famer Joe Montana for eighth on the career list. 
The Colts' win nudged Manning past Warren Moon into eighth all-time as a starter with 103. He's four shy of Pittsburgh Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw. ... 
According to the Sports Xchange, Kenton Keith suffered a sprained thumb in the third quarter of the Baltimore game. He did not return to play in the game. 
Keith's status for this week's game with the Oakland Raiders will be updated later in the week. He was scheduled to undergo an MRI early this week. 
Harrison (knee) continues to rehab his bruised left knee. Harrison practiced early last week but did not play at Baltimore. He has played in one of the Colts' past nine games, at Jacksonville (Oct. 22). His status for the Oakland game will be re-evaluated this week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Peyton Manning, Jim Sorgi 
RB: Joseph Addai, Kenton Keith 
FB: Bryan Fletcher 
WR: Reggie Wayne, Anthony Gonzalez, Craphonso Thorpe, Devin Aromashodu, Marvin Harrison 
TE: Dallas Clark, Ben Utecht, Bryan Fletcher 
PK: Adam Vinatieri 
=========================

=========================
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Coming off an emotional game at Indianapolis and looking to another game against a division leader in Pittsburgh next week, the Jaguars struggled in the first half before routing the Panthers 37-6 with a 27-point second-half surge. 
And as Florida Times-Union staffer Vito Stellino noted, Fred Taylor put an exclamation point on the game when he burst 80 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. 
Taylor finished with 132 yards, surpassed the 100-yard mark for the third consecutive game, moved into 18th place on the all-time rushing list and was given a Gatorade bath from teammates. 
"Fred's hungry," David Garrard said. "He wants to do something special this year. We all do." 
When Taylor was asked about getting "deep into the playoffs," he talked about winning the Super Bowl. 
"You've got to go all the way. Deep isn't good enough," he said. "Winning it would be the only thing. You can't be satisfied just to go [to the playoffs]." 
As the Sports Xchange suggested, Taylor is running over defenders more than he did early in his career. 
"I think part of that is my growth as a runner over the years. A lot of guys expect me to try and make them miss. Not every time. I'm 230 pounds. I've got to be able to show a little power in my legs, too. Just try to change it up. Early in the game, you want to try and punish them so later in the game they'll break down. And then when they break down, you make them miss. I don't know if I'm getting stronger. I just go out there and run as hard as I possibly can," he said. 
He said he doesn't feel the wear and tear on game days. 
"On Sundays, I feel great. Wednesdays are the days I have trouble with. Man, it's stiff. It hurts like crazy. The coaches take pretty good care of us so I can be a lot fresher on Thursday and then Friday is kind of a fast Friday, don't do a whole lot. Then I get excited again on Sunday. Nothing like Sundays," he said. 
He's been showing that excitement on the field. 
Taylor passed Eddie George and Tiki Barber on the all-time rushing list with his effort against the Panthers and the 80-yard touchdown run the longest run of his life. He now has 944 yards for the season and is tied for fifth place in the AFC. 
And as SI.com's Peter King pointed out, Taylor has averaged 7.4, 7.4 and 7.3 yards per rush in the last three weeks. 
In his last five games, against the likes of Tennessee, San Diego, Buffalo, Indianapolis and Carolina, Taylor has run for 470 yards and three touchdowns. The Jaguars are 4-1 in that span, losing only at the Colts. ... 
Maurice Jones-who? 
For what it's worth. ... Taylor likes the challenge of playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers. As the Xchange notes, the veteran has played nine games against them and gained 768 yards, including 234 yards in Pittsburgh in 2000 that is the 17th-best game on the all-time list and a record at Three Rivers Stadium before they tore it down. 
Of playing the Steelers, Taylor said, "It'll be tough. The Steelers do what they do. The smashmouth style. Still love playing the Steelers; every chance you get an opportunity to play the Steelers, you've got to excited. The old division we were in. Playing 'em twice a year. Never back down. Knew what they were going to bring. 
"They're going to play great defense. It's going to be cold. The field is nasty. That's football. We're ready for it. ..." 
Also of interest. ... Garrard didn't have a vintage day as he posted a 93.5 quarterback rating, below his mark of 104.7 for the season. But he still threw for 230 yards and two touchdowns, didn't throw an interception and wasn't sacked. 
His touchdown passes were a 22-yard throw to Reggie Williams and a 6-yard toss to Matt Jones in the back of the end zone. 
"Whenever we step on the field, we feel like we can do anything," Garrard said. 
According to Times-Union staffer Garry Smits, both receivers were pleased with their contributions. 
"It was a real battle at that point," Williams said of his seventh touchdown of the season and third in four games. "I had to break a tackle or two on that play but I got a good pass from David. He hit me right in stride. In that coverage, they were crowding the run and it was an opportunity for me to have to beat only one guy." 
Williams caught five passes for 90 yards, his second-best total in each category this season. It also came a week after he committed an ill-timed personal foul penalty in a 28-25 loss to the Colts. 
That incident was a blip in a recent surge of good games for the late-blooming Williams. Since catching 12 passes for only 102 yards in the first seven games, Williams has nearly doubled his receptions (22) and more than quadrupled his yardage (439) in his last six. 
Williams said he was not motivated by trying to make up for last week's mistake. 
"I get motivated by playing my best and helping this team get to the playoffs," he said. "I wasn't thinking about that penalty at all." 
Jones' touchdown, his first since catching a fade pass for the winning points against Tampa Bay Oct. 28, was similar to a pattern he had run in the second quarter where he caught the ball, but had only one foot in bounds on a third-down play from the 3. 
The Jaguars settled for the first of three Josh Scobee field goals after that. 
"They were about the same. ... Get to the back of the end zone," Jones said. "I thought I was forced out on the first one. I knew only had one foot in bounds, but I thought they [the two Carolina defenders] forced my second foot out. But I knew right away that I got both feet in on the second one. That was very cool." 
Jones' playing time has been sparse this season. He has been inactive three times and did not appear in one other game. 
"I knew I would get more playing time [Sunday]," Jones said. "When I get in the game and my number is called, all I can do is the best I can." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: David Garrard, Quinn Gray 
RB: Fred Taylor, Maurice Jones-Drew, Greg Jones, LaBrandon Toefield 
FB: Greg Jones, Montell Owens 
WR: Dennis Northcutt, Ernest Wilford, Reggie Williams, John Broussard, Matt Jones 
TE: Marcedes Lewis, Richard Angulo 
PK: Josh Scobee 
=========================

=========================
KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
As Associated Press sports writer Doug Tucker suggested, fans who have been calling on the Kansas City Chiefs to just pack it in for the rest of this lost season and aim for a high 2008 draft choice must have loved what they saw in Denver. 
With only a few notable exceptions, the players looked anything but committed during a humiliating 41-7 loss, as bad a performance as the Chiefs have put on the field since Carl Peterson and Marty Schottenheimer arrived in 1989. 
The Chiefs were no better than three-and-out on 10 of their first 11 possessions. Reduced by injury to their third- and fourth-team running backs and with a left tackle who was making his first NFL start, the ground game averaged less than 1 yard per carry. 
The Chiefs could not catch, run, tackle or block. 
Especially, Tucker further suggested, they could not block. 
In the continuation of a problem that has been getting worse by the week, the injury-weakened offensive line consistently got whipped. On one play, every blocker failed to do his job except one, left guard Brian Waters. 
As the Sports Xchange put it, "When you manage only 16 yards on 17 carries against a Denver rush defense that was giving up 149 yards on average, you need to do some soul searching." 
Now, there's only one home game left, this week against Tennessee. Then the Chiefs close at Detroit and the New York Jets, raising a distinct possibility that head coach Herman Edwards' second Kansas City team could finish on a nine-game losing streak and wind up 4-12, its worst record in 20 years. 
Positives? 
Tight end Tony Gonzalez, who left the game for a while in the second half with an ankle injury, had seven catches for 76 yards and one TD, representing almost 60 percent of the feeble Chiefs' total offense. 
Besides Gonzalez, Edwards could think of only one player who did not perform poorly. 
"The quarterback did OK," he said. 
Brodie Croyle, making his third NFL start, was fighting off onrushing defenders as his offensive line collapsed on almost every play, but hung in long enough to connect on 15 of 29 usually hurried throws for 132 yards. 
"They dropped some balls on him. He would have had a better day if they hadn't dropped some balls," Edwards said. "I couldn't really give anybody an award for playing real well." 
Croyle, who had missed the previous game with a sore back, managed to survive Denver and should be able to start this week against Tennessee. Edwards said running back Larry Johnson would miss his sixth straight game with a foot injury. 
Edwards announced on Tuesday that Kolby Smith, Johnson's replacement, will be questionable this week due to a sore knee. "We'll see how he feels (Wednesday) but he should be good to go," Edwards said of the rookie ball carrier. "We'll just bring him along slow. ..." 
Meanwhile, Tucker reminded readers that getting a handle on whether Croyle could be the quarterback of the future was a main goal this year. But that's going to be difficult with the rest of the offense, particularly the line, virtually failing to show up. 
"His poise in the huddle, some of his throws, some of the decisions he has to make. You can look at all of that. That's something he needs and the only way he can get it is to go through it," Edwards said. "We have found out how tough he is. There's no doubt about that. 
"Do you get a truly full picture? No. But you get a good enough picture." 
According to Kansas City Star staffer Adam Teicher, Croyle believes playing under the current circumstances is preferable to not playing at all. 
And Teicher suggests, the current circumstances, since they've been in place since the September day the season began in Houston, don't figure to change in the final three games. 
In other words, Croyle won't be able to fall back on a reliable running game, his receivers will continue dropping passes, the Chiefs will be reluctant to allow him to drop back and throw deep because of protection problems -- problems that don't seem to be solved by shorter drops. ... 
Not good. ... 
One last note here. ... The Chiefs put the ball in the hands of fullback Boomer Grigsby for the first time. Croyle threw a 9-yard pass to Grigsby in the second quarter. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Brodie Croyle, Damon Huard 
RB: Kolby Smith, Gilbert Harris, Larry Johnson 
FB: Kris Wilson, Boomer Grigsby 
WR: Dwayne Bowe, Eddie Kennison, Samie Parker, Jeff Webb, Eddie Drummond, Bobby Sippio 
TE: Tony Gonzalez, Jason Dunn, Kris Wilson 
PK: John Carney 
=========================

=========================
MIAMI DOLPHINS
As FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez first reported, the Dolphins are hoping another quarterback switch will help spur the team's first victory of 2007. 
Cleo Lemon will start Sunday against visiting Baltimore, Marvez learned Tuesday. Barring a last-minute change of heart, head coach Cam Cameron is expected to officially announce his decision later Wednesday. 
It's worth noting the Miami Herald reports that Lemons was indeed running the first-team offense in Wednesday's practice. 
Lemon has regained the position from rookie John Beck, who struggled in his first four NFL starts. Beck failed to lead Miami's offense to a touchdown and was replaced by Lemon in the first quarter of last Sunday's 38-17 loss at Buffalo. 
The Dolphins also (obviously) didn't win in Lemon's four starts before he was benched in favor of Beck. But Lemon's four years of NFL experience make him better prepared to handle Baltimore's blitz-heavy defensive schemes. 
Marvez went on to remind readers that Beck was considered Miami's quarterback of the future after the Dolphins passed on Notre Dame's Brady Quinn to select him in the second round of April's NFL draft. But that status is now in question. Beck has thrown three interceptions and fumbled six times, including one returned for a touchdown that led to his benching against Buffalo. 
In Beck's defense, Marvez notes that Miami has lost a slew of offensive talent because of injuries -- including standout running back Ronnie Brown -- and the mid-season trade of leading wide receiver Chris Chambers to San Diego. 
Trent Green started Miami's first five games before suffering what is likely a career-ending concussion against Houston. ... 
In fact, Beck loses his job after starting last week's game without two veteran starters: Tailback Jesse Chatman and receiver Marty Booker 
Chatman, who has been battling a sore right ankle for three weeks, was a game-time scratch. 
"I didn't want to re-aggravate it. I'd rather be out there 100 percent," said Chatman, who admitted he wasn't healthy enough to play. "I'd rather be effective than defective." 
Samkon Gado replaced Chatman as the Dolphins' starter and contributed 93 all-purpose yards and two rushing touchdowns. 
Gado was inactive for his first two games in Miami, and was cut to make room for Ricky Williams before a loss to Pittsburgh on Nov. 26. 
The Dolphins re-signed Gado, 26, when Williams was lost for the season with a chest injury, and he rushed for 2 yards on two carries last week against the Jets. 
On his touchdown runs of 12 and 20 yards, Gado ran over and through several defenders. Gado became the third Dolphin this season to score two touchdowns in a game, joining Brown and Lemon. 
"He's a hard, hard worker, and he did a good job," Chatman said after the game. "I just told him (to) keep it up." 
With Patrick Cobbs leaving the game with a hip injury, Gado and Lorenzo Booker were the only healthy running backs by the end of the game. 
"It's been awhile since I've actually been through an entire game like that," Gado said. "I've always felt I could do that if given the chance. I'm glad I (didn't) disappoint. ..." 
Second-year receiver Derek Hagan started in place of Booker, who has been battling knee soreness since last week. In his first career start, Hagan contributed a career-high eight receptions for 93 yards. But he also had a few critical drops. ... 
It remains to be seen if Chatman, Booker or Cobbs will be available this week. ... Booker was the only one of the three who wasn't on the field for Wednesday's practice. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... After a week of dodging questions about possibly surrendering some of his play-calling responsibilities to tight ends coach Mike Mularkey and Green, it appeared as if Cameron was making all the calls Sunday. 
Green wasn't wearing a headset like he did against the Jets. ... 
And finally. ... Associated Press sports writer Steven Wine pointed out on Monday that Cameron has been on the job nearly 11 months and still seeks his first victory, which raises a question: How much longer does he have with the Dolphins? 
Wine believes Cameron's job may be in jeopardy after only one season if he becomes the first coach to go 0-16. 
The Dolphins have lost their past two games by a combined 78-30. In Sunday's loss at snowy Buffalo, Miami had a franchise record eight fumbles and tied a team record by giving up 24 points in the first quarter. 
The defeat was Miami's 16th in a row -- a season's worth. 
"Obviously it hasn't gotten easier," Cameron said. 
The Dolphins are last and least in the league by such a wide margin they're already virtually assured of the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft for first time. 
Owner Wayne Huizenga last spoke to the media in October, when he said Cameron had done a "great job" keeping the team together and the atmosphere positive despite an 0-7 start. But Huizenga must be alarmed by the direction of a franchise that has become a national punch line. 
Cameron is under contract through 2010. Firing him would acknowledge Huizenga made a bad decision choosing Cameron over at least 12 other candidates after a two-week coaching search, the most extensive since the franchise's first season in 1966. Cameron's departure would add to the instability of a franchise that has had four coaches in the past four seasons. 
But other coaches -- including some good ones -- have been fired after only one season with a team. The list includes Cameron's mentor Marty Schottenheimer (Washington in 2001), Art Shell (Oakland in 2006) and Pete Carroll (New York Jets in 1994). 
Also uncertain is the future of general manager Randy Mueller, who with Cameron has made several key personnel decisions that have yet to reap much benefit. 
Cameron has maintained his consistently low-key demeanor with the media and his team since the summer. The even-keel approach won praise from the locker room during training camp, but lately players have been coy when asked if they believe in Cameron. 
They readily admit, however, that it's been a tough season. How tough? 
As SI.com's Peter King wondered on Monday: "How, exactly, will NFL Films put a highlight film together for the Miami Dolphins?" 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Cleo Lemon, John Beck 
RB: Jesse Chatman, Samkon Gado, Lorenzo Booker, Patrick Cobbs 
FB: Reagan Mauia 
WR: Marty Booker, Ted Ginn, Derek Hagan, Greg Camarillo 
TE: David Martin, Justin Peelle 
PK: Jay Feely 
=========================

=========================
MINNESOTA VIKINGS
San Francisco could not find a way to beat the Vikings on Sunday, but as Minneapolis Star Tribune staffer Judd Zulgad noted, the 49ers did something few opponents have been able to do -- stop rookie running sensation Adrian Peterson. 
Peterson gained 3 yards on 14 carries, an average of 0.2 yards, with a long run of 4 yards in the Vikings' 27-7 victory over the 49ers in San Francisco. 
Zulgad reminded readers that is only 293 fewer yards than Peterson had in setting the NFL's single-game rushing record against San Diego last month and 117 fewer yards than he had averaged on the ground in his first 10 games. 
Even quarterback Tarvaris Jackson scrambled for more yards (13) on five fewer rushing attempts. 
"You have to give credit to their defense," said Peterson, who had a 21-yard run in the fourth quarter erased because of a holding call on center Matt Birk. "Those guys played well on the other side of the ball. But things didn't go well for me today. They were able to slow me down but we had Chester, and he did a great job." 
Veteran Chester Taylor picked up 101 yards on eight attempts, including an 84-yard touchdown dash down the left side in the second quarter that gave the Vikings a 27-0 lead. That was the third-longest scoring run in team history, trailing Taylor's 95-yarder against Seattle last season and Michael Bennett's 85-yarder against Tampa Bay in November 2002. 
"It was a call to the weak side," Taylor said of his touchdown. "[Fullback] Tony Richardson did a great job of leading through and taking out the linebacker and all I had to do was get to the secondary. [Receivers] Robert Ferguson and Sidney Rice did a great job of coming with me and blocking the [defensive backs] out there." 
Sunday's game marked Peterson's second since returning from the slightly torn ligament in his right knee that caused him to miss two games. 
The Vikings got a brief scare on the play before Taylor's touchdown run. On first-and-10 from the Vikings 19-yard line, Peterson lost 3 yards on a carry and then took himself out of the game. He briefly had his knee examined on the sideline. "Actually, I got hit on the opposite knee, but it was nothing serious," he said. 
Sunday's low output bumped Peterson out of the top spot among the NFL's rushing leaders. Pittsburgh's Willie Parker, who rushed for 124 yards against New England, leads the league with 1,217 yards. Peterson is second at 1,200 and San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson is third at 1,195. 
The Vikings entered Sunday ranked No. 1 in the NFL in rushing and San Francisco's defense was 26th in stopping the run. Nonetheless, Peterson and Taylor both figured it would be a tough day. 
"Watching film on them we knew that they brought the corners a lot and that's what they did," Peterson said. 
Peterson also saw plenty of 49ers rookie linebacker Patrick Willis, who led the NFL in tackles entering the game. Both are likely in line for rookie of the year honors. Sunday, Willis looked like a rookie-of-the-year candidate with a team-leading eight tackles. 
But certainly Peterson has to expect days like this after having six games with more than 100 yards, right? 
"Every now and then," he said. "I just have to keep my head up and just look forward to next weekend. Come out and do something different. ..." 
Meanwhile, it's hard not to notice the change Jackson has made in recent weeks. 
"Early in the season, my job was to go out and manage the football game, don't turn it over," he said. "Now I'm looking to make plays. You've still got to take care of the football. You have to play smart, not play scared." 
As St. Paul Pioneer Press staffer Tom Powers noted, Jackson has been playing smart. Against the 49ers on Sunday, he threw no interceptions and avoided getting sacked. Six weeks or so ago, that alone would have been enough to earn him a high grade. But on Sunday, he also completed 16 of 25 passes for 163 yards and a touchdown. His quarterback rating was a sharp 95.9. 
"Each game you learn something," he said. "Each play you learn something. That's the mind-set I've been taking into every game. Everything is a process." 
Said Ferguson, who caught the TD pass from Jackson: "Tarvaris is gaining more confidence, and we're gaining more confidence in him. People think we have a good running game, and we do. But we show that we are not one-dimensional. Tarvaris has been making huge strides." 
As Powers suggested, the quarterback controversy is over. Jackson is the guy, and everybody knows it. He says that actually leads to more pressure, not less. 
"No matter how good the other guys are, you're only as good as your quarterback is," Jackson said. "I know that. I understand that. It's more pressure to keep going well." 
Jackson noted that the 49ers were able to shut down Peterson, but not the Vikings' offense. In other words, they are not one and the same thing. 
"They tried to keep us from running outside," Jackson said. "But as you saw, we made them pay a couple of times. They must have brought their corners up about 20 percent of the time (to stop the run). 
"With us, you can't just stop one guy. I made a play or two today. Ferguson also came through. It was a team effort. It wasn't any one guy." 
But the one guy under center is clearly making a difference. ... 
Also of interest. ... The Vikings deactivated receiver Troy Williamson on Sunday for the second consecutive game and the fourth time this season, raising the question of whether the team is slowly moving on after three largely unproductive seasons from the former first-round draft pick. 
Officially, Williamson was held out because of lingering headaches from a concussion suffered Nov. 25 against the New York Giants. But Williamson said he could have played Sunday in the Vikings' 27-7 victory over San Francisco. 
Williamson said he felt post-concussion symptoms "a little bit" last week but characterized the pain as "two out of 10." 
He added: "I feel like I was ready to go, but it's better to take the safe route." 
While Williamson has recovered, rookie Aundrae Allison seems to have claimed the lead kickoff returner's job. Rice, Ferguson and Bobby Wade all appear to be ahead of Williamson on a depth chart that usually provides only four active receivers for each game. 
Barring injuries elsewhere, Williamson appears to be in competition with Allison for the final receiver spot on the game-day roster for the remainder of the season. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Tarvaris Jackson, Kelly Holcomb, Brooks Bollinger 
RB: Adrian Peterson, Chester Taylor, Mewelde Moore 
FB: Tony Richardson, Jeff Dugan, Naufahu Tahi 
WR: Bobby Wade, Sidney Rice, Robert Ferguson, Aundrae Allison, Troy Williamson 
TE: Visanthe Shiancoe, Jim Kleinsasser, Jeff Dugan, Garrett Mills 
PK: Ryan Longwell 
=========================

=========================
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
According to Associated Press sports writer Howard Ulman, Bill Belichick has been watching videotape of the New York Jets -- the kind that won't cost him $500,000. The kind that could help his Patriots stay unbeaten next Sunday by beating the team that turned him in for having an on-field camera snoop on the sideline. 
In preparing for Sunday's 34-13 win over Pittsburgh, Belichick studied tape of a game three weeks earlier when the Jets upset the Steelers 19-16 in overtime. 
"My impression of them was in the Pittsburgh game they played very well. And they beat Pittsburgh," he said Monday. "They have some outstanding players." 
Belichick didn't mention Jets coach Eric Mangini, his former defensive coordinator who blew the whistle on him after New England's 38-14 season-opening win over New York -- the first in a string of 13 wins that leaves the Patriots just three short of a perfect regular season. 
In the first quarter of that game, the Jets had a Patriots sideline camera shut down. They complained the Patriots were trying to steal their coaches' defensive signals in violation of league rules. 
The punishment: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell fined Belichick $500,000 and the team $250,000 and took away one of the Patriots two first-round draft choices. 
Is it payback time? Will the juggernaut accused of running up the score in some blowout wins make those look like squeakers? 
Belichick wasn't saying. 
He was asked five times at his news conference Monday about the impact of the spying scandal on Sunday's rematch and responded with his stock answer: Belichick will prepare the same way he does for all games. 
Any added motivation? "We're going to approach it like every other game." 
And what is that approach? "Just the way we've done all of them. Come in, look at the film, get together a game plan, try to figure out the best way to attack and defend them. Try to win." 
As Ulman suggested, whether Belichick or his players reveal their true feelings, the complaint about the camera should provide extra incentive. It did when New England crushed San Diego 38-14 three days after Goodell slapped the Patriots and their coach for the shenanigans. 
"After everything that went on this week, we wanted to do our best for Belichick," Tom Brady said after the win over the Chargers. 
And just last week, they used Pittsburgh safety Anthony Smith's guarantee of a victory to fire themselves up. 
"We took it as a challenge. We were going to come out here and show them what we had," said Jabar Gaffney, who burned Smith for a 56-yard touchdown reception. 
The Patriots had pulled out their previous two games by three points each with fourth-quarter comebacks against losing teams. Then they dominated the Steelers, as they did most of their first 10 opponents, when their average victory margin was 25.4 points. 
Brady threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns and wasn't sacked by a defense that had allowed the fewest yards in the NFL. 
"Pittsburgh blitzed us a lot," Belichick said. "It was almost all blitz. It was a blitz-a-thon the whole day. Defensively, we played better in the red area and the goal line, made a couple big stops there." 
So Ulman believes if they could roll over a Steelers team that dropped to 9-4, it should be much easier against the Jets, who are 3-10 with a coach who chilled their already frosty relationship by accusing his former boss of cheating. 
It could get ugly. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... Randy Moss pulled in seven catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns against the Steelers and now has 19 touchdowns on the season, just three shy of tying Jerry Rice's NFL record for a season, set in 1987. 
In the team's previous two games, Moss had been limited to nine catches for 77 yards, with one touchdown, as opponents adopted a physical approach. The Steelers also played physical, but Moss had the answers. 
"Sometimes it's frustrating to get bumped and then once you get up to another level, you're still going to get bumped," Moss said. "My main thing is just to try to stay focused and do what I have to do week to week to help the team move the ball." 
Moss also has been coaxed along by Brady. 
"He's determined to kill [the opponent] at any given time. They can give you a fourth and 24 and Tom's still ready to kill you. I don't know how you're going to get it, but that's really his mindset," Moss said. "When you have a guy like that leading your team, leading your offense, everybody else has to pick up and get on his level." 
Moss has enjoyed developing a rapport with Brady off the field as well, as the two have lockers that are side by side. 
"In my time here, we have gotten to know each other," Moss said. "We talk about everything. That's one thing -- I really have trust in him that I can talk to him about anything that's going on. It's not just even football-related. I hope he has the same trust in me. That's how you develop a relationship." 
As for his pursuit of records, Moss indicated it is not on his radar. 
"One thing I really try to do is to stay in straight tunnel vision," he said. "Coach Belichick doesn't let his players get ahead of themselves." 
Naturally, Brady was happy to see Moss put forth his big-time performance. 
"He works extremely hard and we'll continue to find way to get him the ball and, obviously, he had a huge impact on the game," Brady said. 
But of course, all involved had a huge impact on the game -- and on the season. 
As Providence Journal staffer Shalise Manza Young pointed out, Moss has 1,264 receiving yards for the season, making him just the second player in franchise history to eclipse 1,200 yards; Stanley Morgan's 1,491 yards in 1986 is the team record. 
It was the 54th 100-yard receiving day of his 10-year career. That is third-most in NFL history. 
Brady's four touchdowns gave him 45 for the season, the third-most in NFL history behind Peyton Manning's 49 in 2004 and Dan Marino's 48 in 1984. 
Brady is on pace to throw 55 touchdowns. 
Coming up a yard shy of a 400-yard passing game, Brady has 4,095 yards for the year, the second time he's surpassed 4,000 yards and just the fourth such season in franchise history. Drew Bledsoe threw for 4,000-plus in 1994 and 1996. 
Brady is now 95-26 (.785) overall and 49-10 at home; 22-3 when passing for more than 300 yards; 35-2 on artificial turf; 43-8 after Thanksgiving; 73-3 when leading at halftime; 76-2 when leading after three quarters; and 48-1 when his passer rating is higher than 100 (it was 125.2 Sunday). 
Wes Welker caught nine passes for 78 yards and a touchdown, and now has 93 receptions for the season. 
The fourth-year vet is the fourth Patriots player with 90 or more catches in a season -- Troy Brown's 101 in 2001 are the team record; Brown also had 97 in 2002. Tight end Ben Coates recorded 96 catches in 1994 and Terry Glenn had 90 in 1996. 
Welker is on pace for 114 receptions. 
By scoring 34 points Sunday, New England has 503 for the season, the 12th time in league history a team has scored 500 or more points. At their current rate of 38.9 points per game, the Patriots would finish with 619 points. 
The league record is 556 points by the 1998 Minnesota Vikings, a team that, coincidentally, also featured one Randy Moss. ... 
Meanwhile, Gaffney continued to show his value to the offense, finishing with seven catches for a career-high 122 yards including the most dazzling play of the game, the above-mentioned 56-yard touchdown pass from Brady that started with Brady throwing a lateral to Moss, who dropped the ball, picked it up, and then sent it back across the field to the quarterback, who let it fly. 
Gaffney came up huge last week against the Ravens, catching the winning touchdown pass with 44 seconds left, and the week before that he had six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown in a 31-28 victory over the Eagles. 
In the last three weeks, Gaffney has given the Patriots' passing game an extra threat, as he's caught 14 balls for 253 yards and three touchdowns. 
"Yeah, just getting the opportunity," said Gaffney. "They're putting me in there and I'm making plays when they come to me and my number is called. ..." 
Chad Jackson returned kickoffs and punts in the first half, replacing Ellis Hobbs and Welker, respectively. His best was a 39-yard kickoff return. Jackson did muff his final return, boxing the ball around before recovering it. 
Jackson's activation meant the Patriots went with six wide receivers on the 45-man game day roster. 
Even though he's been put on the 53-man roster, wide receiver Troy Brown has yet to make it into a gameday lineup as Sunday marked the second straight week he's been inactive. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Tom Brady, Matt Cassel, Matt Gutierrez 
RB: Laurence Maroney, Kevin Faulk 
FB: Heath Evans, Kyle Eckel 
WR: Randy Moss, Jabar Gaffney, Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth, Kelley Washington, Chad Jackson, Troy Brown 
TE: Ben Watson, Kyle Brady 
PK: Stephen Gostkowski 
=========================

=========================
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
Reggie Bush is out the season, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reported on its web site Tuesday. 
Citing a league source with knowledge of the situation, the newspaper is reporting that Bush's torn left posterior cruciate ligament will not require surgery but will sideline him for the remainder of the year. 
"It's been a very bad knee for about four weeks, and he shouldn't have been playing on it," the source told the newspaper. 
Sources have told ESPN's Chris Mortensen -- who first reported the story last Friday -- and Len Pasquarelli the same. 
Bush, who visited with Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., on Monday for a second opinion on his damaged left knee, missed Monday's victory over the Atlanta Falcons after suffering the injury in a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on December 2. 
However, the Times-Picayune reported that he also missed some practice time with a shin bruise in previous weeks before an MRI exam on Thursday revealed the PCL tear. 
So, with Bush out Monday night, the Saints lined up in Atlanta with a running back tandem of veteran third-stringer Aaron Stecker and undrafted rookie Pierre Thomas. The two -- combined with Devery Henderson's 15-yard gain on an end-around -- rushed for 145 total yards, better than in any of their previous 12 games. 
"We have guys that stepped up and played real well last night," head coach Sean Payton said Tuesday after he reviewed game film. "You're going to lose some players. ... You know you're going to have to rely on some other players during their time off. That's just the reality of our game. Hopefully you can still have consistency within your attack, either on defense or offense and in your kicking game." 
For the record, the Saints aren't saying whether they think they'll get Bush back at all this season. Payton said he expected to have some sort of update on Wednesday afternoon. 
The Saints have only three games left in the regular season, but at 6-7 still remain only a game behind Minnesota for the final wild-card playoff spot in the NFC. 
Should the Saints place Bush on injured reserve it would mean they believe his injury is serious enough that he could not help even if New Orleans made the playoffs. 
Bush took over as New Orleans' featured running back after Deuce McAllister went out, but his production was as inconsistent as his team's performance. 
Bush has scored six touchdowns with 581 yards rushing and 417 yards receiving. His longest run was 22 yards and his longest reception 25. He also had 10 dropped passes and fumbled eight times, losing three. 
He did not have any 100-yard rushing games. Stecker was the first Saints player to do so this season on Monday night, gaining 100 yards on 20 carries. 
The striking improvement in New Orleans' running game with Bush on the sidelines begged the question: Are the Saints a better rushing team now than they were when Bush got most of the carries? 
"The team is better off with Reggie Bush and with Deuce McAllister," Payton asserted. "Those are guys that are important parts of what we do. When you lose players like that, you have to get to your next plan. ... I'd much rather have Reggie Bush healthy and involved in a game plan where he can be explosive; no different than Deuce McAllister. Right now we're having to play without both of those players and that's what it is. It might involve throwing more, it might involve running more. I thought we had decent balance last night, which was encouraging." 
According to one trend, it could be better for the Saints if it involves more running. Since Payton took over in 2006, including playoff games, the Saints are 11-0 when they have at least 30 rushes (They had 30 against Atlanta on Monday.) 
Of course, teams tend to run the ball more when they have the lead, so it's likely that playing winning football in all phases of the game led to more rushes than the other way around. 
New Orleans certainly had a strong passing attack to thank for much of its scoring against the downtrodden Falcons. 
Drew Brees passed for 328 yards and three touchdowns, with two scoring passes going to Marques Colston, who had had nine catches for 92 yards. Receiver David Patten had nine catches for 122 yards and a score. 
Still, it's clear that the Saints tend to play better when they're in position to run more. 
And as Martel suggests, there's growing evidence that Stecker and Thomas might be effective as New Orleans' primary two running backs for the rest of this season, at least. 
It's Thomas, after all, who's had the Saints' longest rushing play from scrimmage this season -- a 24-yard touchdown earlier this season. 
"Any time you play well, you want to build on that," Payton said. "You want to look at the things you feel that you did well. ..." 
For what it's worth, Brees joined the 20,000-yard passing club late in the first quarter against Atlanta. Brees, who went into Monday night's game with 19,942 career yards, eclipsed the 20,000-yard mark on his seventh completion of the evening -- a 36-yard toss to tight end Billy Miller. 
Brees went on to throw for 328 yards against the Falcons and now has 20,278 yards for his seven-year NFL career. He has 7,922 yards since coming to the Saints in 2006. ... 
Brees wasn't the only player to reach a personal milestone against the Falcons. 
Colston's nine catches were a single-season career high. His first catch of the night to start the Saints' third drive was his 71st this season -- which surpassed his total of 70 receptions last year as a rookie. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Drew Brees, Jamie Martin 
RB: Aaron Stecker, Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush 
FB: Mike Karney 
WR: Marques Colston, Devery Henderson, David Patten, Lance Moore, Terrance Copper, Robert Meachem 
TE: Eric Johnson, Billy Miller 
PK: Olindo Mare 
=========================

=========================
NEW YORK GIANTS
As New York Daily News staffer Filip Bondy noted Monday, Tom Coughlin spends six days each week preparing his Giants for the next Sunday, dedicating his precious time and energy to nuanced adjustments. So Plaxico Burress must confound the coach. 
He has trained a grand total of one day all season with the team, on the Wednesday before the Cowboys' game at the Meadowlands. He felt miserable that Sunday, his sprained right ankle aching worse than ever. He gained only 24 yards on four receptions. 
Burress vowed not to repeat the mistake, and there he was Sunday floating like a butterfly, creating space for himself, breaking tackles. He was rested and revived. 
And despite playing with a bum knee and still-aching ankle, Burress caught seven of Eli Manning's passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. 
"I'm starting to come around at the right time," Burress said. "I'm getting rehab three times a day and getting acupuncture massage at home. I'm doing whatever I can to make me feel better, and it's responded a little bit." 
Though Manning tried to go deep to him, he was unable to outrun cornerback Sheldon Brown on any of those shots. It was the medium stuff, the slants over the middle, where Burress made his mark. 
His 20-yard touchdown -- his 10th of the season to tie his career high set last year -- that put the Giants up 13-10 in the third quarter came off a slant-in underneath Brown's soft coverage. Burress, wide-open, had no trouble accelerating through the open middle for the score. 
His 41-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter that set up Lawrence Tynes' final field goal came off another slant off an all-out blitz. And his 31-yarder in the fourth that included a little high-stepping from Burress should have produced points, if not for Brandon Jacobs' subsequent fumble. 
"He stepped up and made a couple of huge plays for us throughout the game," Manning said. 
It wasn't because Burress stood silently on the sideline in the first half, when four passes came his way for only 44 yards. 
"Oh, man, it was just good to get out there and get a little single coverage," Burress said. "The corners were playing me outside, and I came to the sidelines and told (offensive coordinator) Kevin Gilbride we can catch anything inside. 
"We said, let's get inside, break a tackle, and see what I can get. We made an adjustment and made some big plays." 
They weren't exactly the home-run balls one might expect in healthier times between Burress and Manning, but they were effective. More than anything, Burress felt in the rhythm of the game, something that wasn't happening earlier. 
"I guess [Manning] gets that feeling like, 'OK, No. 17 is ready to go today,'" Burress said. "We get in a rhythm. He notices it, the coaches notice it, and we just kept going to it, making big plays. 
"Down the road, we're going to need to make plays in the intermediate passing game because the weather's not going to be so good. We'll need to catch some short balls and turn them into big plays." 
In the meantime, Burress just wants to keep getting healthier. 
It appears now the ankle was the problem with Burress, not the lost training time. 
Burress insists he really wants to practice, that he is now forced to watch film clips and count his steps more carefully on game day because of his inactivity. As Bondy suggested, "Practice isn't for everybody. Preparation is in the eye of the beholder, and the right ankle of the receiver. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... According to Daily News reporter Ohm Youngmisuk, Brandon Jacobs wanted to make something very clear Sunday. Even though he was officially charged with two fumbles, Jacobs says he only lost one. 
"I'm going to call it a fumble," Jacobs stressed. "The first one was a bogus call (on a ruled catch and fumble). The last one, that was all on me." 
Of course, that last one nearly cost the Giants their victory. 
After missing the previous two weeks with a hamstring injury, Jacobs returned to the starting lineup and rushed for 70 yards. However, he failed to find the end zone and had difficulty hanging onto the ball. 
Immediately after the game, Coughlin did not come down hard on Jacobs. Monday, though, the coach was not as forgiving. 
"We've got to continue to force the issue there in terms of where the ball is held and how it's held," Coughlin said. "You see how close these games are, how one play here or there can be the difference in a game. Certainly you don't want it to come from that. 
"The thing of it is, it's got to be understood and it's got to be corrected. I don't really care that it makes a guy a little bit uncomfortable and slows him down a hair. That's not significant. What's important is the ball." 
In a semi-related note. ... New York Post reporter Paul Schwartz contends the best thing Manning did in Philly is what he did not do: Throw an interception. The only other game he has managed to avoid any interceptions was three weeks ago in Detroit. 
"There isn't any question he is a tough minded individual who stands up to all the criticism in the world and just resolves and focuses and has enough belief in himself that he's going to go out and win the game," Coughlin said. 
And finally. ... Rookie receiver Steve Smith practiced all last week -- and was listed as probable on Friday's injury report -- but the youngster was declared inactive for Sunday's game. Given Sinorice Moss' recent shortcomings, Smith should get a shot to contribute at some point down the stretch. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Eli Manning, Anthony Wright, Jared Lorenzen 
RB: Brandon Jacobs, Reuben Droughns, Ahmad Bradshaw 
FB: Madison Hedgecock, Reuben Droughns 
WR: Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer, Sinorice Moss, David Tyree, Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon 
TE: Jeremy Shockey, Kevin Boss, Michael Matthews 
PK: Lawrence Tynes 
=========================

=========================
NEW YORK JETS
According to Associated Press sports writer Dennis Waszak Jr., Laveranues Coles needed a quick lesson on the recent history of bad blood between the Jets and Patriots. 
A day after New York lost to Cleveland, the questions Monday were naturally focused on the Jets' next game at undefeated New England. Coles was asked how the spying scandal after their Week 1 matchup might have motivated the Patriots to maul their opponents this season. 
He pondered the question for a second and then gave a quizzical look. 
"What is 'Spygate?"' the veteran wide receiver asked, and, yes, with a straight face. 
When given the basics of the incident -- a Patriots employee was caught by the Jets filming New York's sideline -- Coles was still puzzled. 
"To be honest, I don't know anything about it," he said, "so it doesn't mean anything to me personally." 
As Waszak suggested, either Coles hasn't read a paper or watched TV this season, or he's the best actor on the team. 
All the Jets were careful in their comments, determined not to provide any bulletin board fodder the way Steelers safety Anthony Smith did last week when he guaranteed a win. 
"I think our coach keeps us pretty much in check when it comes to things like that, so you don't have to worry about anybody in this locker room saying anything that's locker-room board material," Coles said. "That's just not us. That's not the way guys are in this locker room. I think we keep a tight hold on guys pretty much around here to let them know not to step out of line." 
It's not as though the Patriots need any extra motivation, not when they're playing the Jets. The teams have harbored ill feelings toward each other dating to the days when Bill Parcells left New England for New York. It only increased when Bill Belichick resigned as Jets coach after a day and took the job with the Patriots instead. 
After helping Belichick and the Patriots win three Super Bowls as an assistant, Mangini left to become coach of the Jets. The relationship between the two has been frosty since, and only got chillier after the Jets reported the Patriots' rule-breaking in Week 1. The NFL took away New England's first-round draft pick, fined the team $250,000 and fined Belichick another $500,000. 
Some have speculated that was the spark that fueled the Patriots' run toward history. It's becoming clear this week the Jets have no desire to further fuel that fire. ... 
So it appears somebody decided to fuel the fire for them. 
New York Newsday reported on Wednesday that an NFL sources familiar with the situation said that the Jets were caught using a video-taping device during a game against the Patriots in Foxboro last season, which resulted in the removal of a Jets' employee. 
The camera was not confiscated by the Patriots or stadium security and the Jets admitted on Tuesday that they did videotape the game and that their employee was confronted. However, the report states that the Jets said they had permission from the Patriots to film from that location in an attempt to record a second end-zone angle. 
As if there wasn't enough hype already surrounding this week's game. ... 
Also of interest. ... Jerricho Cotchery was down as doubtful last Friday, but he had a special cast placed on his broken right index finger and started Sunday's game against the Browns. Coles had been questionable with his sprained left ankle. 
He didn't start, but he worked as the third receiver. 
The two Jets with the big hearts gutted it out. Their team fell 24-18 in Sunday's game against Cleveland at the Meadowlands. And the bottom line fell to 3-10 in this lost cause of a season. But they felt they had to play. 
"We love our teammates, and we feel like if we can help out our team, we're going to go out there and give it our all," Cotchery said. "We're not just going to sit around just because we have a losing record. We went through the entire offseason together. We sweated together. So we want to go through this together. If we feel like we can help the team, we're definitely going to try and do it." 
And they did help. 
Cotchery had broken his finger in practice on Nov. 26 and underwent surgery that week, forcing him to sit out last Sunday's win at Miami. There was talk that he could be out for the season. But he came back and had a very large day, catching six Kellen Clemens throws for 119 yards. 
Coles, meanwhile, hobbled around on the ankle that he hurt on Nov. 18 in the win here over the Steelers, but he still caught seven passes for 48 yards. 
The price tag? 
Pain. 
"I'm going through a tough time right now physically," Coles said. "It's just something I am dealing with and will continue to deal with. Our staff is doing a great job of keeping me out there, and that's the main thing right now." 
"A lot of people are playing through pain," Cotchery said. "A lot of people are banged up right now. We're just trying to fight through it. Any time you have an injury, you have to fight through. You have to focus on every aspect of the game, focus on every little detail. ..." 
Kellen Clemens continued his uneven season: one step forward, one step back. Sunday was a step backward, as he threw two interceptions. He passed for 286 yards, but he had only 193 through the first 55 minutes. 
"There were some things that weren't very good and weren't what we were looking for," Mangini said. "But he did some good things as well in terms of clock management." 
Clemens dropped to 2-4 as a starter, with four touchdowns and nine interceptions. ... 
Thomas Jones had his fourth 100-yard game of the season, but it was a bit misleading. He had 65 yards on eight carries in the fourth quarter when the Browns were playing a soft zone against the pass. Jones was stuffed twice at the 1-yard line in the second quarter as the offensive line didn't get much of a push. 
Jones is tied for ninth in the NFL in rushing with 944 yards and a TD on 255 carries. ... 
Mike Nugent made field goals of 35, 41, 38 and 35 yards and has now made his last 14 attempts and 21 of his last 22 with the only miss a 54-yard attempt. He's 26-of-31 this season. ... 
And finally. ... According to Newark Star-Ledger staffer Dave Hutchinson, tight end Chris Baker, who was thought to be in Mangini's doghouse after criticizing the play-calling following a controversial loss to the Eagles in Week 6, quietly had his contract renegotiated last month. 
Baker, in his sixth season, signed a new three-year contract worth $5.4 million. The complicated deal didn't include a signing bonus, but Baker received roughly $800,000 in new money. His base salary went from $850,000 this season to $2.37 million. 
As with his previous contract, signed in March 2006, the new deal runs through 2009. 
This season, Baker has 29 receptions for 305 yards and three touchdowns and has repeatedly made clutch catches. ... 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Kellen Clemens, Chad Pennington, Marques Tuiasosopo 
RB: Thomas Jones, Leon Washington 
FB: Stacey Tutt 
WR: Laveranues Coles, Brad Smith, Justin McCareins, Wallace Wright, Jerricho Cotchery 
TE: Chris Baker, Joe Kowalewski, Jason Pociask, Sean Ryan 
PK: Mike Nugent 
=========================

=========================
OAKLAND RAIDERS
As Contra Costa Times beat writer Steve Corkran suggested, one might think that the Raiders being eliminated from playoff contention Sunday would clear the way for rookie quarterback JaMarcus Russell to start the final three games. 
Head coach Lane Kiffin has quite a different way of viewing the situation. 
Yes, Russell will play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, Kiffin said Monday. No, it has nothing to do with the Raiders having little to play for other than pride and gleaning information for next season. 
"Since the last time he played, I planned on playing him when we got back here for this game," Kiffin said in reference to Russell's NFL debut Dec.2, against the Denver Broncos. "He'll play in some role. The length of that role I haven't determined yet." 
Kiffin said Russell will not start against the Colts. That role likely will fall to Josh McCown (finger) or Daunte Culpepper (quadriceps) depending upon who is most healthy. 
Russell entered the Broncos game early in the second quarter and directed two eight-play drives before giving way to McCown for the rest of the game. 
Kiffin hasn't decided yet when Russell will enter the game or how long he will play. 
"There's a chance he could play more and could play in different situations than he did last time," Kiffin said. 
Russell was unavailable for comment Monday. However, he said after the Broncos game that he is ready for whatever the Raiders throw at him. 
"They came to me asking what plays I like," Russell said, "and I told them, 'Put me in and find out. ...'" 
For what it's worth, ESPN.com insider John Clayton believes Russell to take part in two series against the Colts, probably in the second quarter. Russell will probably back up McCown unless Culpepper gets healthy. 
The reason Kiffin wants to use Russell for two series in the second quarter is that it would give him time after those series to point out mistakes or positives. ... 
Meanwhile, as Corkran further notes, McCown had enough to worry about playing against a fired-up Packers defense, in frigid weather and with a dislocated left pinkie finger. 
He awoke Sunday morning with a severe case of the flu. He received two intravenous infusions before the game. Still, his day kept getting worse. 
McCown was intercepted twice and hit numerous times. On one play, the aluminum splint on McCown's left hand was driven into his injured finger. 
On another play, McCown was flattened by Packers defensive end Cullen Jenkins in the middle of an interception return. Jenkins was called for a 15-yard penalty for hitting McCown away from the play. 
"It's part of the game, so I don't get too bent out of shape about it," McCown said of Jenkins' blindside hit. "Anytime you go after a guy, hit a guy who's not looking, and hit him like that, it's probably a little uncalled for, but I don't complain about it. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... Running back Justin Fargas said the injury he sustained to his ribs Sunday is only a bruise and nothing is broken. Therefore, he said, "I should be good for (this Sunday's) game." 
Fargas was injured late in the third quarter on a hit he received from Packers middle linebacker A.J. Hawk, who drilled Fargas in the ribs with his helmet. ... The good news? Fargas was among those on the field for Wednesday's practice. ... 
In a related note. ... According to ESPN.com insider Len Pasquarelli, at 27, Fargas might be a little older than some teams like, especially for a feature-type back. But the fifth-year veteran, who has dramatically improved the Raiders' running game since being inserted into the lineup, doesn't have a lot of tread rubbed off his tires, because he played so sparingly his first four seasons. 
Because of that, Fargas could merit pretty solid attention as an unrestricted free agent in the spring. ... 
As the Sports Xchange noted, Jerry Porter has caught touchdown passes in each of the past two games and leads the Raiders with five. SI.com's Peter King, noting that Porter "stole" his touchdown pass from Al Harris, added: "What hands. What concentration. ..." 
Pro Football Weekly advised readers to look for rookie fullback Oren O'Neal, the team's sixth-round draft pick, to continue to get more work in place of Justin Griffith. The team is quietly raving about the rookie's play, and his increased playing time is a result of the fact O'Neal brings more to the table, not an indictment of the veteran Griffith. ... 
And finally. ... Sebastian Janikowski has made just two of his last five field goal attempts after going 19-for-21 from Weeks 2 through 12. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Josh McCown, JaMarcus Russell, Daunte Culpepper, Andrew Walter 
RB: Justin Fargas, LaMont Jordan, Dominic Rhodes 
FB: Justin Griffith, Oren O'Neal 
WR: Ronald Curry, Jerry Porter, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Tim Dwight 
TE: Zach Miller, John Madsen, Tony Stewart 
PK: Sebastian Janikowski 
=========================

=========================
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
As Associated Press sports writer Rob Maaddi framed it Tuesday: "Donovan McNabb makes few mistakes and doesn't produce enough points. A.J. Feeley moved the offense and threw costly interceptions. 
"With either quarterback, the Philadelphia Eagles can't win. Is it time for Kevin Kolb?" 
"Donovan's the quarterback right now," head coach Andy Reid said Monday. 
That doesn't mean Kolb won't get a chance to play later this month. Once the Eagles are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, there's a chance the coaching staff will take a look at the rookie. 
For at least another week, it's McNabb's team. But as Maaddi noted, the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback is having a difficult time leading the offense this season. 
With McNabb, the Eagles have scored 195 points and 21 touchdowns in 41 1/2 quarters for an average of 9.4 points per half. When Feeley filled in after McNabb got hurt in the second quarter on Nov. 18, the scoring picked up. He led the Eagles to 76 points and nine TDs in 10 1/2 quarters for an average of 14.5 points per half. 
Maaddi went on to explain the problem with Feeley is his decision-making. He threw eight interceptions in a short span, including crucial picks late in the fourth quarter that cost the Eagles a chance to beat New England and Seattle in his two starts. McNabb has six interceptions in far more chances, and has always protected the ball well. 
So, why can't the Eagles score when McNabb plays? 
"It's not all Donovan. Everybody has a little piece of the pie on this thing," Reid said, reiterating a common line. 
McNabb had decent numbers in a 16-13 loss to the New York Giants on Sunday. He was 20-for-30 for 179 yards, one TD and no turnovers. But he didn't throw the ball downfield much and didn't complete a pass longer than 19 yards against a defense starting a pair of rookie backups at safety. 
If the receivers aren't getting open for McNabb, they certainly did when Feeley played. It could be that McNabb is too cautious and doesn't allow his wideouts to make a play by putting the ball up before they are completely open. Or maybe the playcalling is more conservative when McNabb is in there. It might be that McNabb goes through his reads too quickly and settles for the short passes too often. 
"I wouldn't say abnormally cautious. I look at it the other way and say he's being smart with the football," Reid said. "Obviously, he's not throwing the interceptions that could have been devastating. He tried to get the ball to the quick throws as fast as he could get it to them and go from there." 
McNabb is clearly not the same player he was before he tore a knee ligament in Week 11 last season. But he showed flashes of his old form at various points this season and is only 31. It's not unrealistic to think he could play at a high level for a few more years. Whether that happens in Philadelphia will be answered after the season. 
It would've helped McNabb early in the season when he was still feeling his way around if Reid and offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg didn't rely so heavily on the passing game. Giving the ball more to running back Brian Westbrook worked down the stretch last season when Jeff Garcia led the Eagles to a 5-1 record after McNabb got hurt. 
Maybe the same strategy would've made a difference in one or two of those close losses -- Philly has lost five games by four points or fewer. 
Instead, Maaddi notes, the Eagles are left to play for nothing except pride the final three weeks. ... 
Meanwhile, as CourierPost Online staffer Sean McCann suggested Monday, no one in his right mind would have dared blame the latest loss on Westbrook. 
Except maybe Westbrook. ... 
Philadelphia's shining offensive star continued his Pro Bowl season on Sunday, posting 154 total yards from scrimmage and a touchdown. But it was a third-quarter fumble that he wanted to talk about. 
"It was a bad situation. We turned the ball over and it really led directly to a score for them," he said. "I really hurt this ball club today with that fumble." 
Westbrook doesn't often hurt his team. 
On the first play from scrimmage on Sunday, Westbrook's 16-yard gain on an end around put him over 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season. 
He's the first Philadelphia running back to accomplish that feat since Duce Staley in 1998 and 1999, and just the fourth all-time, joining Staley, Ricky Watters and Wilbert Montgomery. 
Only Watters extended his streak to a third straight 1,000-yard year. 
He came into the game as the league leader in yards from scrimmage, and didn't do a thing to hurt that status. 
Westbrook carried the ball 20 times for 116 yards -- his fifth 100-yard performance of the year -- and he caught five passes for 38 yards and an 18-yard first-quarter score. 
That touchdown was the only one the Eagles got all afternoon and it was the 12th of Westbrook's season, far and away the team high and a new career high. 
He finished the game with 4,565 career rushing yards, behind only Montgomery (6,538), Steve Van Buren (5,860) and Staley (4,807). 
But it's the fumble that he'll remember. 
Westbrook's turnover broke a streak of 559 straight offensive touches without a fumble, and it set the Giants up in the Philadelphia end of the field. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... Correll Buckhalter suffered a concussion that Reid described as being what he thought was a, "pretty significant one." 
L.J. Smith had a pair of MRIs on Monday, one on his knee and one on a small cartilage tear in his ribs. The tear is a minor issue, but Reid said that the knee injury was very sore and that Smith had limited range of motion. 
Wide receiver Reggie Brown and Westbrook both suffered minor knee injuries. 
Though Reid did not seem overly concerned about any of the injuries other than those to Smith and Buckhalter, the bumps and bruises are simply another obstacle that must be overcome if the Eagles are to hold onto their slim playoff hopes against the Cowboys. 
According to the team's official site, Buckhalter, Smith and Brown were all scheduled to be held out of Wednesday's practice. ... 
David Akers barely missed a desperate, 57-yard field goal try in 35-degree weather. With 1 second to play, the kick hit the right upright, about 10 feet up, and deflected left, preserving the Giants' win. 
Akers hit from 29 and 39 yards and moved to 19-for-19 inside the 40. However, he now is 2-for-9 from 40 yards and beyond. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Donovan McNabb, A.J. Feeley, Kevin Kolb 
RB: Brian Westbrook, Correll Buckhalter, Tony Hunt, Reno Mahe 
FB: Thomas Tapeh 
WR: Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Hank Baskett, Greg Lewis 
TE: L.J. Smith, Matt Schobel, Brent Celek 
PK: David Akers 
=========================

=========================
PITTSBURGH STEELERS
According to Pittsburgh Tribune-Review staffer Scott Brown, Ben Roethlisberger chose his words carefully -- something Anthony Smith had neglected to do less than a week earlier -- when analyzing why the Steelers had moved the ball against the Patriots but only scored one touchdown Sunday and didn't put up any points in the second half. 
"I may be completely wrong and crazy by saying this -- and I'm not trying to say they're old -- but when you drive down the field and get momentum on them, they're bending," Roethlisberger said after the Steelers' 34-13 loss to unbeaten New England. "Because they're such a smart, veteran team, by the time you put together a long drive, they've figured out a way to stop you." 
Brown went on to suggest it's too simplistic to say the Steelers lost to New England because of big plays. But they were in short supply for the Steelers, while the Patriots scored two of their touchdowns on long pass completions. 
The difference in what head coach Mike Tomlin calls "splash plays" was evident in the discrepancy on the scoreboard. The Patriots only outgained the Steelers 421 yards to 349. 
There was a feeling in the Steelers' locker room after the game that they had not been beaten as badly as the final score indicated. 
The Steelers dominated time of possession -- they had the ball for almost 10 more minutes than the Patriots -- and didn't commit a turnover offensively. 
But two times they drove inside New England's 10-yard line and came away with a total of three points. 
"We beat ourselves," said running back Willie Parker, who rushed for 124 yards on 21 carries. "We've got to do a better job of scoring. They can score at will. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... Parker's 30-yard run was his third-longest run of the season. With 1,217 rushing yards, he's had three consecutive seasons over 1,200. 
And as Pittsburgh Post-Gazette staffer Ed Bouchette noted, Parker's effort against the Patriots boosted him ahead of the Vikings' Adrian Peterson as the top rusher in the NFL. 
No Steelers player has led the NFL in rushing in 60 years. The last to do it was Hall of Famer "Bullet" Bill Dudley in 1946, when he gained 604 yards. Dudley also led the NFL with 696 yards as a rookie in 1942. 
The only other Steelers player to lead the NFL in rushing was Byron "Whizzer" White with 567 yards in 1938, also as a rookie. 
Barry Foster is the only player to lead the AFC in rushing with the Steelers when he set the team record of 1,690 in 1992. 
Also making a run at the NFL rushing title is San Diego's LaDainian Tomlinson, who has 1,195 yards. 
Only two other players have topped 1,000 yards: Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook with 1,110 and Baltimore's Willis McGahee with 1,093. The Steelers play at Baltimore in the season finale. 
Parker has gone over 1,200 yards three consecutive seasons and is on pace for 1,498 yards at an average of 93.6 per game. He had 1,494 yards last season. 
Najeh Davenport's 32-yard TD catch tied for the longest reception of his career, and it was his longest scoring catch. ... According to SI.com's Peter King, Roethlisberger's throw to Davenport on that play was a thing of beauty. 
As King described it: "Big Ben stepped out of trouble in the pocket, waited for just the right moment for Davenport to shake his coverage, and laid a perfect rainbow into his arms in the end zone. 
"A couple of years ago, I don't think Roethlisberger would have had the pocket presence to sidestep the pressure on the play, and I don't think he'd have thrown the ball with such beautiful touch. ..." 
In a related note. ... Roethlisberger has been sacked 38 times, eight fewer than last season, when he finished with 46. 
Asked bout kicker Jeff Reed, whose 2-for-2 performance in New England made him 21 of 23 on field goals this season, Tomlin replied: "He's having a great year, but we prefer him to kick extra points." 
Reed's only misses came from 65 yards in Denver and from 44 in the muck against Miami in Heinz Field. ... 
On the injury front. ... Roethlisberger has a sore right shoulder. Tomlin downplayed the injury by stressing: "I don't want to make more out of it than what it is; it is just sore." 
Santonio Holmes returned to start in New England after missing two games with a high ankle sprain, Tomlin said he might limit Holmes' practice time as well, although he should be available to play. 
As the Sports Xchange noted, Holmes was not effective against the Pats, catching one pass for 13 yards. ... 
And finally. ... Pittsburgh can clinch a wild-card playoff berth with a victory Sunday, and it can wrap up the AFC North Division at any point in the final three weeks with one victory and one Cleveland loss. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Charlie Batch, Brian St. Pierre 
RB: Willie Parker, Najeh Davenport, Gary Russell 
FB: Dan Kreider, Carey Davis 
WR: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Nate Washington, Cedrick Wilson, Willie Reid 
TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth 
PK: Jeff Reed 
=========================

=========================
ST. LOUIS RAMS
As St. Louis Post-Dispatch staff writer Bill Coats framed it Tuesday, "Another week, another muddled quarterback picture for the Rams. Their starter Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome could be a) Marc Bulger, b) Gus Frerotte, c) Brock Berlin, or d) none of the above. 
"OK, if it's d), then things will truly have reached the level of the absurd in this peculiar season. ..." 
Almost surely, one of the first three will be in the lineup against the Green Bay Packers. Still, that person won't be identified until Friday afternoon, at the earliest. 
"We'll evaluate our quarterback situation as we go through the week," head coach Scott Linehan said. "We won't know anything until we get through the week of practice." 
Obviously, Bulger would be the choice if he's fully recovered from the concussion he suffered Nov. 25 vs. Seattle. It appeared as if he had reached that point last week, but after Bulger practiced Wednesday and Thursday without obvious difficulty, his symptoms resurfaced and he was scratched. 
With Frerotte, who started in Bulger's place Dec. 2 against Atlanta, nursing a bum shoulder, the Rams turned to Brock Berlin on Sunday. In his first regular-season NFL action, Berlin completed 17 of 28 passes for 153 yards in a 19-10 loss at rainy Cincinnati. 
Frerotte is slightly improved, Linehan said. More important, offensive coordinator Greg Olson said Bulger told him Monday that "he's feeling better, and he said he's ready to give it a try again on Wednesday. So, we're optimistic about that." 
After last week's episode, though, Linehan is firmly in wait-and-see mode. 
"There are no more tests to be done; it's now about how he feels," he said. "It's all going to be based on my interaction with him and his interaction with the doctor. ... We have to be prepared for having someone else ready. ..." 
According to the Sports Xchange, Bulger talked to former Rams quarterback Kurt Warner, now with Arizona, about the post-concussion issues he's experiencing. In 2000, Warner suffered a concussion in the final regular-season game against the Saints, but played the next week in a playoff loss to New Orleans. 
Bulger had a hard time describing his feeling of not being right. He told the Post-Dispatch, "I talked to guys that have had (concussions). I talked to Kurt actually on Friday morning, just to get a better insight because he's been through it. It's one of those things where it's real tough to describe how you're feeling. 
"Especially after talking to Kurt. He described to me exactly the way I feel. And it's the first time I heard that -- he hit the nail on the head with me, and said he still has some small issues because he thinks he came back too soon a couple times. That's not good to hear." 
Noting that he felt good in practice last week, Bulger said, "That's the tough part because you can practice and you can throw the ball well, but you just know something's a little bit off. And if something's off, then that's not normal. 
"It's tough, because you want to tell your guys or tell your coaches, 'OK, yeah, I'm back next week.' But you don't know how you're going to feel the next day. 
"So if I can get through Monday, Tuesday, and get going again, then I hope this will be the week. ..." 
Other notes of interest. ... For the fifth time, the Rams' offense failed to score a touchdown -- Fakhir Brown's 36-yard interception return produced their lone TD. The problems ran deeper than their untested quarterback, Olson stressed. 
"We had some difficulties, and to say it's all based on that quarterback change. ... Certainly that didn't help," he said. "The fact that [Berlin] was unable to get any reps on Wednesday or Thursday didn't help his cause at all. The elements, I think, had something to do with the performance and what he was able to do. 
"But I don't think Brock Berlin was the total reason why we failed to score." 
Should running back Steven Jackson have handled the ball more, considering the soggy conditions and Berlin's inexperience? Jackson had 22 touches -- 18 carries for 91 yards and four catches for 26 -- and said afterward that he'd expected a greater workload. 
Yet that was about an average day for Jackson, considering that the Rams ran only 52 plays, about a dozen fewer than their season average. In his previous eight games (he missed four because of injuries), Jackson was involved in 41.5 percent of the plays; the percentage Sunday was 40.0. 
"I believe in getting the ball to him as many times as we can," Linehan said. "Like most competitors he wants the football, and I have no issues with that whatsoever. ..." 
Jackson became the first player in team history to have a run of 50 yards or more in three consecutive games, but he also failed to reach 100 yards rushing in those games. Aside from that run, Jackson totaled just 37 yards on 17 carries, and had eight carries for one yard or less. ... 
Torry Holt went over 1,000 yards for the season Sunday for the eighth consecutive season. He is one of only five players in NFL history to do that eight years in a row. ... 
Also of interest. ... Linehan won't lose his job because of the St. Louis Rams' 3-10 record. 
Team president John Shaw told Linehan on Monday it would be unfair to judge his performance this season, given the team's lengthy injury list. Later in the day, Linehan said he was looking forward to an end-of-season meeting in early January. 
"It's important to know you've got support and those things," Linehan said. "But at this point it's really not my issue. My issue is trying to get our fourth win." 
The Rams were 8-8 in Linehan's first season and were perceived as a contender in the NFC West in the preseason. But they began the year with eight straight losses, mitigated by numerous injuries. 
St. Louis has 11 players on injured reserve, seven of them starters. The two feature players on offense, Bulger and Jackson, both have missed significant time because of injuries. 
"I felt the last month or so that the obstacles were somewhat insurmountable for him," Shaw told Associated Press sports writer R.B. Fallstrom. "From the first game the offensive line was a mess, and then Marc and Steven got hurt. 
"From Day 1, it was almost impossible to evaluate him." 
Shaw said the last couple of weeks he's emphasized that Linehan just keep trying, and believes it's clear that players still believe in him. 
"I felt all along I was kind of telling him that myself and ownership felt it was very hard to evaluate him just on this year's performance," Shaw said. "I told Scott today and he kind of sensed it was coming." 
Linehan said Shaw has told him to be prepared for a comprehensive meeting after the season. 
"He wants me thinking about some of the things we want to get done," Linehan said. "He definitely wants my mind in that direction. 
"I'm sure we'll talk about pretty much everything." 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Marc Bulger, Brock Berlin, Gus Frerotte 
RB: Steven Jackson, Brian Leonard, Antonio Pittman, Travis Minor 
FB: Brian Leonard, Richard Owens 
WR: Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, Drew Bennett, Marques Hagans, Dane Looker, Brandon Williams 
TE: Randy McMichael, Joe Klopfenstein, Dominique Byrd, Aaron Walker 
PK: Jeff Wilkins 
=========================

=========================
SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
According to San Diego Union-Tribune staffer Kevin Acee, in such a good place, controlling their fate after three straight victories, the Chargers are now hoping to survive until the playoffs. 
"You just hope you can get through these three and win and have everybody as healthy as you can heading into January," Philip Rivers said. "Obviously, you've got to get there first. So this week against Detroit is obviously very important." 
The Chargers will face the Lions on Sunday without linebacker Shawne Merriman and fullback Lorenzo Neal and possibly without Rivers. 
Merriman will be out this week and perhaps the rest of the regular season with a sprained knee. Neal had surgery Monday to place a plate in his fractured fibula. Rivers has a sprained knee as well but was at least walking around Monday. 
"It shouldn't be anything I can't manage, and I'll be better during the week," he said. 
Rivers said he will try to practice Wednesday but did not sound optimistic about doing so. 
His understanding is he cannot make the injury worse and whether he plays will be a matter of how much pain he can tolerate and how mobile he can be. 
Limping, his left knee grossly swollen, Rivers wore a wrap to keep the swelling down and a brace around the knee. He emphatically said, "Oh yeah" when asked if it hurt worse than the day before. 
"We'll see how it goes during the week," he said. "I expect to (play). You're always more sore on Monday and Tuesday than you are Sunday. It's early, but I have every plan to (play)." 
Rivers said an MRI done Monday was negative, which would mean there is no tear. But a source told Acee he thought there was at least a partial tear. 
Rivers, Merriman and Neal were the worst of numerous Chargers injured in Sunday's 23-17 overtime victory. 
Rivers left the game early in the second quarter after being rolled up on by Antwan Odom following a handoff, a play others had questioned but Rivers termed a "freak accident." Rivers returned on the Chargers' first drive of the third quarter and was stellar in the game's fourth quarter and overtime. 
Neal was injured on the Chargers' first play of the fourth quarter when he was hit in the leg by a Titans defender. 
Antonio Gates (bruised back) was also injured Sunday but is considered in much better shape than the others. He could be eased into practice this week. ... 
Also according to Acee, LaDainian Tomlinson saw the three seconds of video that has had the football-speaking world agog for two days. 
He understands how it would appear that he was disrespecting Rivers by getting up from the bench just as Rivers sat down during Sunday's game at Tennessee. 
"I saw why it looked like that," Tomlinson said. "But the crazy thing is that was the time I just got done talking to [Neal]. I didn't realize Philip had sat down." 
That is the same explanation Tomlinson had Sunday when asked about the clip, originally aired during the CBS telecast and then shown and repeatedly diagnosed on other networks and on the Internet. 
Fans and media have been watching for signs of a rift between Rivers and Tomlinson ever since they had a brief verbal confrontation in Green Bay in September. 
He and Rivers were seen several times talking and smiling and even hugging during the fourth quarter, overtime and after the game. 
"I didn't see it, didn't notice it," Rivers said. "I don't see any need to comment on it. I have seen the clip, and I still make nothing of it. ..." 
In a semi-related note. ... Elias Sports Bureau said Monday that Tomlinson is the all-time leader in overtime touchdowns. Sunday was his third. He also scored on a 41-yard run in 2005 at Washington and a 19-yard run in 2002 at Oakland. 
"It's either incredible," Tomlinson said, "or we're going to overtime too much." 
The Chargers have played 10 overtime games since 2001, fourth-most in the league in that span. 
For the second time in his four seasons Nate Kaeding prepared to kick the winning field goal with a game tied at 17 in overtime. And, for the second time (along with Washington in 2005) Tomlinson ended the game with a touchdown run to the left side. 
"They came and asked me where I wanted it on the field," said Kaeding, who preferred having the ball in the middle or toward the left hash mark. "I was hoping to have to kick one but obviously it worked out well with LT running it in there. 
"I'll walk into the locker room. No worries." 
Meanwhile, Tomlinson eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark for the second consecutive week and 42nd time in his remarkable career. ... 
Andrew Pinnock will replace Neal at fullback. ... Darren Sproles (knee) wasn't able to go Sunday, and he could stay down another week. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Philip Rivers, Billy Volek, Charlie Whitehurst 
RB: LaDainian Tomlinson, Michael Turner, Darren Sproles 
FB: Andrew Pinnock, Lorenzo Neal 
WR: Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, Craig Davis, Legedu Naanee, Kassim Osgood, Malcom Floyd 
TE: Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna, Scott Chandler 
PK: Nate Kaeding 
=========================

=========================
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
Alex Smith will have season-ending surgery on his right shoulder. Smith met with doctors Monday afternoon and the team made the announcement after it was determined that surgery was necessary to correct a third-degree separation of his right shoulder. 
Smith was hurt when he was sacked by Rocky Bernard of the Seattle Seahawks on September 30. 
Smith missed two games following the injury, but returned against the New Orleans Saints on October 28. After two more starts, Smith said he did not feel 100 percent and an MRI exam by Dr. James Andrews revealed that the injury had not healed. 
The 49ers' medical staff suggested no activity for two weeks and Smith resumed a program of light throwing last week. However, Monday's evaluation revealed that surgery was the next course of action. 
In addition, Smith's relationship with head coach Mike Nolan also is not healthy these days. 
According to San Jose Mercury News staffer Dennis Georgatos, Smith claimed Nolan has tried to "undermine" him in the team's locker room by insinuating the quarterback had used his injuries as an excuse for poor performance. 
Smith told Georgatos he had no problem with the public controversy, but did not like Nolan making it an issue in the locker room. "He came out and said some things to the team. It was like he was telling his side of it, and I didn't want to get into it," Smith said. "That was my biggest concern when he did that -- I felt it was trying to undermine me with my teammates." 
A month ago, after a 24-0 loss to the Seahawks, the quarterback volunteered that his separated shoulder was "killing him." Nolan repeatedly had said Smith's health was fine. 
As Georgatos suggested, blaming poor performance on injury is a cardinal sin of the athlete's code -- especially in the ferocious warrior culture of the NFL. Frank Gore runs weekly on a sprained ankle; offensive lineman Justin Smiley made no mention of a torn labrum last season until after the season; Nolan even refused to answer questions about the death of his father, who died a day before the Seattle game, rather than risk it being interpreted as an excuse for a lopsided loss. 
Smith understands. 
"I think if (my teammates) would have heard what I actually said out there that day, it wouldn't have been an issue," he said. "But all of a sudden Nolan spins it as if I was making excuses for an injury. What I really felt like was, 'Yeah, I tried to play on it. And that was my decision and obviously I wasn't playing well enough.' 
"But at that point my arm wasn't getting any better. In fact, it was getting worse and I was going to go get a second opinion. (Nolan) can spin it however he wants to, but the first thing Dr. Andrews told me when he saw me was 'This is much worse than I thought. ...'" 
Nolan acknowledged at the time that there was a misunderstanding, but since has said his relationship with Smith had been patched up. He has, however, grown increasingly dismissive of questions about his quarterback's health. 
No teammates were willing to go on the record with Georgatos when asked about the quarterback's leadership status, but no player rushed to his defense, either. "I'm not touching that one," one veteran said. 
The No. 1 overall pick in 2005, Smith had a disappointing season, throwing for 914 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games. His struggles this season began Sept. 30 against Seattle when he suffered a separation of his throwing shoulder on an opening-drive sack. 
A month later, during his first game back, he clutched at his ailing shoulder so often that the game-day broadcasters repeatedly said the 49ers "had to get him out of there." 
Smith finished that game -- as well as the next two -- and looked woeful, missing open receivers by several yards on errant throws. After his last game, Seahawks linebacker Julian Peterson said Smith was grimacing after every throw and clearly wasn't right. 
Told that comment the next day, Nolan quipped, "That might mean something to me if Julian was a doctor. ..." 
Not surprisingly, the 49ers moved quickly Tuesday to refute Georgatos' report. In a statement issued by the team later in the day, Smith said the article "does not reflect how I truly feel." 
Really? 
"I can see how an article like this can be very damaging, but I know my relationships with coach Nolan and my teammates are stronger than that," Smith said in Tuesday's statement. "I met with coach Nolan (on Tuesday), and I never intended this to be a distraction for the team or their preparation for the upcoming game. My focus now is to concentrate on getting healthy so I can return and continue to help my team." 
"It is a difficult time for Alex," Nolan said in Tuesday's statement. "He has not had to deal with an injury that will require surgery before. The relationship Alex and I have developed over the past three years is stronger than a negative news story." 
Sure coach. It'll be interesting to see if either/or Nolan and Smith get a chance to prove that next season. ... 
Meanwhile, Shaun Hill likely will start for the 49ers on Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals after Trent Dilfer, who was starting in place of Smith, suffered a concussion during a 27-7 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. 
Hill had previously never thrown a pass in an NFL game until Sunday, but finished 22-of-28 for 181 yards and a touchdown. He is playing with a broken and dislocated right index finger. 
For the record, Dilfer was released from Stanford Hospital Sunday night after going in for observation after sustaining a concussion in the second quarter. He is doubtful for Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals. ... 
Chris Weinke was signed on Tuesday to serve as Hill's backup. The club announced that seventh-year veteran will fill the roster spot opened when the club placed Smith on injured reserve. 
Weinke spent six seasons with the Panthers after being a fourth-round draft pick. 
He has played in 27 NFL games with 19 starts and completed 373 pass attempts for 687 yards with 14 touchdown passes and 26 interceptions. ... 
And a few final notes. ... Gore, who had just one lost fumble in his first 10 games this season, lost two fumbles in the 49ers' loss to the Viking on Sunday. Gore needs 219 yards in the last three games of the season to go over the 1,000-yard mark. 
Ashley Lelie started in place of Arnaz Battle, who was slowed by an ankle sprain. Lelie caught two passes for 17 yards. ... Return man Maurice Hicks had two 55-yard returns in the second quarter, the third-longest returns of his career. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Shaun Hill, Chris Weinke, Trent Dilfer 
RB: Frank Gore, Michael Robinson, Maurice Hicks 
FB: Moran Norris 
WR: Darrell Jackson, Arnaz Battle, Ashley Lelie, Bryan Gilmore, Jason Hill, Michael Lewis 
TE: Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Billy Bajema 
PK: Joe Nedney 
=========================

=========================
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
According to Associated Press sports writer Gregg Bell, the Seahawks' latest streak feels a lot like the one the 2005 team went on en route to the Super Bowl. 
Just don't ask head coach Mike Holmgren about any similarities. 
"I really don't want to compare the teams," he said Monday. 
As Bell suggested, Holmgren has reasons for his reluctance. 
Sure, Seattle has won five consecutive games to clinch its fourth consecutive NFC West title, the latest Sunday's 42-21 domination of Arizona. 
But this season has gotten comfortable only in the last month, after Holmgren declared he was going to depend more on Matt Hasselbeck's passing. Before that, the Seahawks endured three months of injuries and maddening inconsistency, primarily on an offense that was relying on a running game which was plodding to nowhere. 
"In 2005, things were coming a lot easier," Hasselbeck said. 
Yes, at this point two years ago, Seattle was finishing a franchise-record 11-game winning streak. It was equally lethal with Shaun Alexander's MVP running and Hasselbeck's throwing. And it was about to secure the NFC's No. 1 seed for the postseason. Seattle used the home-field advantage throughout the playoffs to win the conference championship. 
This season's Seahawks better hope three is their magic number. Even though Holmgren said he will begin preparations for Sunday's game at Carolina by emphasizing to his players the need to stay focused through the end of the regular season, Seattle appears locked into the conference's third seed. 
"We have three games left really to try to achieve better positioning," Holmgren said. "I will absolutely talk to them about that." 
The Seahawks are two games behind Green Bay for the second seed and three games behind dominant Dallas for the top position. The Packers don't appear ripe for a swoon, not while playing at St. Louis (3-10) and Chicago (5-8) and hosting Detroit (6-7). And the Cowboys are carrying a seven-game winning streak into final games against Philadelphia (5-8), at the Panthers and at Washington (6-7). 
As for the only threat behind them, Seattle is essentially two games ahead of Tampa Bay (8-5), which is on the verge of clinching the NFC South. The Seahawks beat the Buccaneers in Week 1 and would win the tiebreaker with the Bucs for the No. 3 seed. 
So Seattle likely will have to play in the first round of the playoffs at home, even if it sweeps the Panthers, Baltimore (4-9) and Atlanta down the stretch. Then potentially the Seahawks would have to go to Green Bay or, less likely, Dallas in the second round. 
Then again, it's not that No. 3 is so bad. The Indianapolis Colts won the Super Bowl last January as a third seed. 
Of specific interest to Fantasy owners, Bell reports that no matter what might or might not be at stake in these final games, Holmgren said he will not rest his starters -- not even in practice -- unless it's because of an injury. And the Seahawks are perhaps healthier than can be expected for this late in the season. 
Holmgren said receiver D.J. Hackett may return from a sprained ankle sooner than anticipated, but not this weekend. ... It will be the third game Hackett missed since reinjuring his right ankle. ... 
Other notes of interest. ... According to Seattle Times staff reporter Jose' Miguel Romero, Holmgren was pleased with the running-back rotation he tried Sunday, starting with Shaun Alexander and switching to Maurice Morris for some series. 
"They ran hard. They got what was there," Holmgren said. 
According to Tacoma News Tribune beat writer Frank Hughes, Holmgren said they decided that each back was going to get a series rather than shuttling them in and out on different plays. It just so happened that Morris ran the ball more because the game dictated that Holmgren call more running plays when Morris was in the game. 
Asked if his play-calling is affected by which back is in the game, Holmgren essentially said that he is going to call plays in a normal fashion and it is up to the back to execute what is called, regardless of that back's individual strengths. 
The Seahawks' 28 rushes and 33 pass attempts Sunday were normal for Holmgren's offense, he said, particularly when the team has a lead and is purposely running the ball to take time off the clock in the second half. 
The things Holmgren said he would like to see improved over these last 3 games: Red zone productivity; third-and-short situations; making field goals; and running the ball more effectively. 
The team addressed one of those issues on Tuesday. ... According to Pro Football Weekly, the primary reason for Josh Brown's recent FG slump -- 1-of-4 on field goals the last two games -- was the high placekick snaps of Boone Stutz, who took over as the snapper for Derek Rackley in early October. 
So, the team signed veteran long snapper Jeff Robinson to replace the erratic Stutz. 
Robinson is a 14-year veteran who most recently played for the St. Louis Rams in 2005. He will play in his 182nd NFL game Sunday when the NFC West champions play at Carolina. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Matt Hasselbeck, Seneca Wallace, Charlie Frye 
RB: Shaun Alexander, Maurice Morris, Josh Scobey 
FB: Leonard Weaver, David Kirtman 
WR: Deion Branch, Bobby Engram, Nate Burleson, Ben Obomanu, Courtney Taylor, D.J. Hackett 
TE: Marcus Pollard, Will Heller, Ben Joppru 
PK: Josh Brown 
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TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
For the first time in three weeks, there's definitive word on Jeff Garcia's sore back. The veteran quarterback is expected to return to the lineup this week after missing two games and most of a third with a lower back bruise that has kept opposing teams guessing about his availability. 
Head coach Jon Gruden said Monday that despite vague statements he made about Garcia's status leading up to games against New Orleans and Houston, he never planned to play him against the Saints or Texans. 
"I just don't think the opponent needs to know exactly who to prepare for," Gruden said, emphasizing he's confident the 37-year-old now has had adequate time to recover from the injury and will play Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. 
"I don't believe I should apologize, but I don't feel like we have to divulge everything or let everyone know exactly where it is in terms of the timetable for Jeff. We felt it was a two-week injury. ... We feel we did the right thing, the only thing to let the injury get better." 
As Associated Press sports writer Fred Goodall reminded readers, Garcia, injured Nov. 25 on the first play of a victory over Washington, practiced last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, fueling speculation he might be ready to play against Houston. Gruden waited until just before kickoff to reveal that backup Luke McCown would start. 
The coach said Garcia probably could have played, but declaring him the third quarterback was "what we felt was the best interest of Jeff Garcia and his health." 
"A lot of guys can play hurt. Jeff clearly could have played," Gruden said. "It was our decision as an organization to hold him for two games." 
McCown threw for 266 yards and no interceptions, but was sacked four times and lost a fumble that set up a touchdown in a 28-14 loss that stopped the Bucs from clinching the NFC South. 
While Gruden is looking forward to getting his regular starter back on the field, he said he saw enough from McCown the past two weeks to feel better about the team's backup situation. 
Bruce Gradkowski replaced Garcia against the Redskins, but was so ineffective after Tampa Bay took an early lead that Gruden sent Garcia back into the game in the fourth quarter. McCown had a big day passing and led a last-minute TD drive to beat the Saints two weeks ago, but was not nearly as sharp against the Texans. 
"Clearly there were seven or eight plays in the game that weren't as good as the others, but I'm really pleased with what he's done," Gruden said. "There's still plenty of room to grow, but I think what we all see is a big, athletic guy that has promise and potential to be outstanding." 
Garcia may be back, but receiver Ike Hilliard's status is less certain. He left Sunday's game with what Gruden described as an upper back injury that trainers were still evaluating on Monday. 
Without the sure-handed Hilliard, who has a team-leading 58 catches for 663 yards and is the Bucs' most effective receiver on third downs, the Bucs converted just 3-of-13 third-down plays. 
"We're confident he'll be able to play," Gruden said of Hilliard's availability against the Falcons. "But we are concerned about him." 
If the 11th-year pro doesn't play, Michael Clayton and Maurice Stovall will assume bigger roles in the offense. 
"Obviously they have to step up," Gruden said. 
Gruden also noted that fullback B.J. Askew, who's fighting an ankle injury, was limited against Houston. 
As the Sports Xchange reported, every week, Askew spends his time with team trainers, icing his sprained left ankle and trying to reduce the swelling enough so he can play on Sunday. 
He doesn't practice. He just shows up on game day and paves the way for Earnest Graham. 
"I go out there and try to warm up and say, "This really hurts," Askew said. "They'll ask how does it feel. I'll say, 'Good.' 
"Then I think, 'What am I doing?'" 
Last week, trainers were so concerned with Askew's ankle that they took another approach -- putting it in a hard cast until Thursday rather than giving it the hot-cold treatment. 
"This guy might be the acquisition of the year," Gruden said. "But he's not a big stat guy, so nobody talks about him. He doesn't practice. All he does is show up on Sunday and play his butt off. ..." 
Askew has been in a factor in Graham scoring at least one touchdown in five consecutive games. ... 
Also according to the Xchange, Michael Pittman, who did not accompany the team to Houston, is questionable for Sunday with an ankle sprain. 
In a semi-related note, Michael Bennett expressed disappointment following Sunday's game at Houston that he was only involved in one offensive play as a decoy. ... 
Finally this week. ... Reserve tight end Jerramy Stevens was suspended without pay for one game Tuesday for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. He will miss Sunday's game against Atlanta and was also fined an additional game check. 
Stevens, who signed with the Buccaneers in April after being released by Seattle, was convicted in September of driving under the influence of alcohol in Scottsdale, Ariz. 
The charge stemmed from an arrest while the sixth-year pro was a member of the Seahawks. 
"When we signed Jerramy this spring, we knew there was a possibility that he could face some type of disciplinary action from the NFL for his prior actions," Bucs general manager Bruce Allen said in a statement released by the team. "Since he has been with the Buccaneers, Jerramy has been a great teammate and productive player for our team." 
The 28-year-old Stevens has 10 receptions for 86 yards and one touchdown. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Jeff Garcia, Luke McCown, Bruce Gradkowski 
RB: Earnest Graham, Michael Bennett, Michael Pittman 
FB: B.J. Askew, Michael Pittman 
WR: Joey Galloway, Ike Hilliard, Michael Clayton, Maurice Stovall 
TE: Alex Smith, Anthony Becht, Jerramy Stevens 
PK: Matt Bryant 
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=========================
TENNESSEE TITANS
As Nashville Tennessean staffer Paul Kuharsky, the Titans were doing what Jeff Fisher teams do with a fourth-quarter lead: Running the ball, moving the chains, trying to salt things away. 
The coach's generally conservative philosophies have plenty of critics, but his team was 7-0 this season when leading after three quarters and 63-7 in such situations since 1999. 
On Sunday, the Titans led 17-3 with less than eight minutes remaining in the game and lost 23-17 to the Chargers in overtime. 
It was far from what the Titans envisioned after Chris Barclay fielded a kickoff and returned it 20 yards to the Tennessee 26 with 7:29 on the clock. 
Offensive coordinator Norm Chow called seven consecutive plays for LenDale White, who gained 27 yards and earned two first downs. After Chris Brown got a carry, the Chargers burned their second timeout at 2:37 with the Titans facing a third-and-4 at the San Diego 46. 
Another run play would have kept the clock running or forced San Diego's last timeout. But another first down would have effectively ended the game. 
The Titans called for Vince Young to drop back and throw. 
"I was trying to win the ball game," Fisher said. "They had a timeout and the two-minute warning. I'm trying to win the ballgame when it's third-and-4, third-and-4½, third-and-5. We make a catch, we win the game." 
But linebacker Matt Wilhelm broke up Young's pass for tight end Bo Scaife and the Titans were forced to punt. 
"He just stuck his arm out," Scaife said of the pass defense. "They were lucky, Vince threw a good ball and (Wilhelm) just stuck his arm out. … It was good to take a shot, we like to be aggressive." 
The Chargers moved 80 yards in 14 plays in 2:15 to tie the game with nine seconds remaining. Then they won it in overtime. ... 
After his fourth 100-yard game of the season, White now has 867 yards and seven touchdowns. 
"It's upsetting because we did have the game won. We could have had one more first down, that would have milked it," White said. "I don't know if the best team won, but the guys who made more plays won. ..." 
For what it's worth. ... According to the Sports Xchange, stitches on a finger White lacerated and dislocated in Week 13 came apart late, but shouldn't be an issue this week. ... 
Also of interest. ... Young had sore ribs Monday following his collision with San Diego linebacker Shawne Merriman that may limit him in practice. Fisher said the injury should not keep him out of Sunday's game with Kansas City. 
Young had just handed off to Brown and turned away Sunday, finishing off a fake, when he collided with Merriman and went to the ground. He was tended to by trainers and a team doctor and left for a play, returning on the next series and finishing the game. 
Fisher said he didn't believe there was any malice on Merriman's part, who was being partially blocked upfield. 
"Vince didn't expect it. He was carrying out his fake and looking back. That's the last time you expect to have a collision. I think it shocked [him] and took the wind. But he's got some minor rib issues that we'll deal with," Fisher said. ... 
After combining for 13 catches and 167 yards against Houston last week, Titans wide receivers managed only five receptions for 57 yards against the Chargers. 
Those totals might have had more than a little to do with the play at quarterback. 
Young threw two horrible interceptions and looked confused on both. He and Kerry Collins combined for just 14 completions on 24 attempts for 119 yards and no touchdowns. Tennessee didn't hit a pass play longer than 17 yards. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Vince Young, Kerry Collins 
RB: LenDale White, Chris Brown, Chris Henry 
FB: Casey Cramer, Jeremy Cain, Ahmard Hall 
WR: Roydell Williams, Justin Gage, Eric Moulds, Mike Williams, Chris Davis, Paul Williams, Biren Ealy, Brandon Jones 
TE: Bo Scaife, Ben Troupe, Ben Hartsock 
PK: Rob Bironas 
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WASHINGTON REDSKINS
Jason Campbell doesn't appear likely to return this season, leaving the team's playoff hopes resting on the arm of longtime bench-warmer Todd Collins. 
An MRI on Campbell's dislocated kneecap revealed that the injury probably would not require surgery, head coach Joe Gibbs announced last Friday. The normal recovery time is about four weeks, but the coach and Campbell tried their best not to rule out a return. 
"We're taking things day by day and week by week," said Campbell, standing on crutches with a brace around his left leg. "We'll see how things improve over the next couple of weeks. The thing I have to do right now is stay off it as much as possible and let the swelling get out of it and see what happens." 
As Associated Press sports writer Joseph White noted, Washington likely needs to win its final three games -- all against teams jockeying for playoff position -- to reach the postseason. 
Campbell was hurt when his leg buckled under the weight of defensive end Mark Anderson in the second quarter of Thursday night's 24-16 win over the Chicago Bears. Campbell will become the 11th of 22 regular starters to miss at least one game this season due to injury. 
"You don't want to look at it. Your kneecap was sitting on the side of your knee," Campbell said. "It takes them two times to pop it into place. It's not a fun feeling." 
Campbell will be replaced by Collins, who will make his first start in 10 years Dec. 16 against the New York Giants. 
"This has been a tough year for us, period," right guard Randy Thomas said. "And losing your starting quarterback -- it's a big blow." 
As White suggested, the hope for the Redskins is that Collins can come through, just as he did after Campbell was hurt against the Bears. Collins, who had not thrown a pass in three years, led four scoring drives and finished 15-for-20 for 224 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a quarterback rating of 144.6. 
"Todd was awesome in the huddle," tight end Chris Cooley said. "It was so funny; he was so pumped up. We'd get a 4- or 5-yard run and he's like, 'C'mon, let's run it down their throats.' He's fired up about a 5-yard run." 
The excitement is understandable. Collins had been waiting a long, long time to get on the field. 
His only year as a No. 1 quarterback came when he started 13 games for the Buffalo Bills in 1997. He spent the next eight years playing behind Elvis Grbac and Trent Green in Kansas City, throwing only 27 passes from 1998-2005 before joining the Redskins last year. 
But, while in Kansas City, he became an expert on assistant coach Al Saunders' offense. When Saunders brought the offense to the Redskins last year, Collins helped tutor the other quarterbacks. 
"I've been with Todd a long time," Saunders said. "And there was no doubt in my mind if given the opportunity that he could perform at a very high level. I think he demonstrated what he is capable of doing." 
Keeping it going won't be easy. After the Giants (8-4), the Redskins travel to Minnesota (6-6) and finish the season with a home game against Dallas (11-1). 
And, overall, the Redskins still aren't playing very well. The shuffled offensive line is allowing too much pressure -- Campbell's injury is Exhibit A -- and the running game has become "very poor," to use Gibbs' words. 
Clinton Portis is averaging 47 1/2 yards over his last four games. Although he took a screen pass 54 yards against the Bears (his longest play since Sept. 24, 2006), that was 18 more yards than he managed on 17 carries. 
Portis' six catches tied for the second-most of his career while his 86 receiving yards were a career-high. 
As the Sports Xchange noted, Cooley added to his strong season with five catches for 93 yards, giving him 26 catches for 367 yards and two touchdowns in the last four games. 

DEPTH CHART AS OF WEDNESDAY AT 14:00 PT  
QB: Todd Collins, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell 
RB: Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright 
FB: Mike Sellers 
WR: Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Keenan McCardell, Reche Caldwell, Jimmy Farris, Anthony Mix, James Thrash 
TE: Chris Cooley, Todd Yoder, Cody Boyd 
PK: Shaun Suisham 
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