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Saturday Roundup NFL bans ephedra as performance enhancer
Updated: Sunday September 09, 2001 3:01 AM
NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL has banned the stimulant ephedra as a performance enhancer, a source familiar with the decision told The Associated Press on Saturday. The league and the NFL Players Association agreed on the decision. The ban is immediate, although a plan for testing ephedra still is being formed. Use of the herbal stimulant in highly competitive situations has been linked to heart attacks, strokes and seizures in otherwise healthy young people. A report in the New England Journal of Medicine last November said at least 54 deaths and about 1,000 reports of complications have been linked to the popular bodybuilding supplement since the mid-1990s. The Food and Drug Administration has since said about 80 deaths have been associated with ephedra. "We've been talking about this for a while with the league," NFLPA executive director Gene Upshaw told The New York Times, which originally reported the ban. "It's time to be proactive in this area. It may not be popular with some of our players, but it is needed because we just don't know enough about these substance and we have to be careful." Upshaw has said that the death of Minnesota Vikings tackle Korey Stringer of heatstroke has made the union more diligent in its approach to stimulants. Products containing ephedra often are sold in health food stores. There are hundreds of unregulated ephedra products on the market. The NFL and its union are concerned that ephedra in strong doses for performance enhancement reasons has the potential for doing harm. Ephedra also can be found in such products as herbal tea, where it is present in such small amounts that it is not believed harmful. John Hathcock of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, a trade group for supplement makers, said that while excessive use of any stimulant can be harmful, "ephedra can be used safely and responsibly. Those with hypertension and heart disease should avoid it." Report: Broncos sign RB Anderson to extensionDENVER (AP) -- The Denver Broncos have signed second-year running back Mike Anderson to a four-year contract extension. The deal binds Anderson to the Broncos through 2006 and is worth more than $10 million in so-called "new money." It includes a $1.5 million signing bonus and increases Anderson's base salary for this season from $298,000 to $350,000, Anderson's agent Steve Weinberg said Saturday night. "It's a real compliment to Mike," Weinberg said. "The Broncos stepped up." A sixth-round choice in the 2000 draft, Anderson moved into the lineup when Terrell Davis and Olandis Gary were injured. He rushed for 1,487 yards and 15 touchdowns on 297 carries, starting 12 games. Anderson is expected to back up Davis in Monday night's season opener against the New York Giants. "Here's a guy who's the backup going into the season and yet he gets a new contract," Weinberg said. "It's almost unheard of. I'd like to find another player in the league who gets a new contract and he's not even a starter." Broncos officials declined to comment. Weinberg said Anderson had been in talks with the Broncos since February to renegotiate his contract. According to Weinberg, Anderson wanted to have a new deal in place before this season began. The 29-year-old former Marine had a strong preseason, rushing for a team-high 223 yards on 49 carries. His 4.6-yard average was the highest of Denver's three running backs. The contract extension was first reported Saturday by the Rocky Mountain News and ESPN.com. Bills place K Christie on IRORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- Buffalo Bills placekicker Steve Christie's 188-game kicking streak will end Sunday after the team placed him on injured reserve Saturday. The Bills activated newly acquired kicker Jake Arians from the practice squad. He will kick Sunday against New Orleans. Christie strained his right groin Wednesday and had not kicked since. He had a poor preseason and probably has played his final game for the Bills. In nine seasons with the Bills, Christie has 1,011 points - the 18th player in leage history to score more than 1,000 with one team. Christie also scored 163 points in his first two pro seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Rams backup QB Justin out for seasonST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis Rams reserve quarterback Paul Justin underwent surgery to repair a torn knee ligament suffered Aug. 6 against Miami.Justin, on injured reserve since Aug. 9, will require at least six months to recover from Friday's surgery on the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. Justin, 33, was active for five games last year while Kurt Warner was sidelined with a broken finger. He also was the backup quarterback during the Rams' 1999 Super Bowl championship season. This preseason, Justin was 1-for-2 for 23 yards and was the Rams' third-string quarterback when injured.
Court rules against developer in Redskins caseWASHINGTON (AP) -- A New York real estate developer who tried to buy the Washington Redskins will not get back his $20 million deposit. A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Howard Milstein is not entitled to recover the deposit made to the estate of Jack Kent Cooke. Milstein and his company, Washington Sports Ventures, Inc., struck a deal in January 1999 to buy the Redskins for $800 million but gave up in April when it was clear NFL owners would not approve it. Milstein's former partner, Dan Snyder, bought the team in July 1999 and got back his $10 million deposit he made when he was with Milstein's group. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit rejected Milstein's claim that Cooke's son, John Kent Cooke, who also wanted the team, interfered with his bid, and Cooke's estate failed to help steer Milstein's bid to approval. The judges found insufficient evidence of a conspiracy among Cooke and other NFL team owners to reject Milstein. Instead, they wrote the owners had "grave reservations" about Milstein and his financing. The three judges agreed that Milstein's $20 million was a nonrefundable part of the bidding process. The ruling upheld the decision issued last year by a federal judge in Alexandria.
Former NFL QB Marinovich faces hearingLOS ANGELES (AP) -- Former Raiders quarterback Todd Marinovich, convicted of heroin possession, faces a probation violation hearing after missing three drug tests. Marinovich appeared in court Friday for a progress report on his court-ordered drug treatment and was ordered back Oct. 4. "Let's be clear, he had problems before," Judge Stephen Marcus said. "This is one more example that Mr. Marinovich may be on the edge here, and I want to find out what's going on." If he is found to have violated probation, Marinovich could be ordered into a more rigorous drug program and could face jail time for another violation, said his lawyer, Tom Johnston. Johnston said Marinovich missed two random drug tests because he was late arriving at the outpatient drug treatment facility, and he missed the third because of a garbled phone message about the testing time. In each case, Marinovich tested negative for illegal drugs the next morning, Johnston said. Marinovich told the judge that he has been tested three to four times a week as part of a court-ordered drug treatment program. The 32-year-old Marinovich, currently a quarterback with the Avengers of the Arena Football League, was arrested in December near downtown Los Angeles. Police said they found heroin after stopping him for driving a car without a license plate. He pleaded no contest March 27 to a felony possession charge. Lions implement West Coast offenseGREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- Brett Favre has some friendly advice for Detroit quarterback Charlie Batch, who is running the West Coast offense for the first time: Don't expect to be an overnight sensation. "It took me a couple of years of learning on the run," the Green Bay Packers quarterback said. "As good as my first year seemed, it wasn't until my second year that I finally felt comfortable. It takes time." Batch realizes that. "It's not going to happen overnight. Everybody knows that," he said. "There will be a learning curve throughout the whole season." Still, Favre said the Lions' new braintrust of Matt Millen and Marty Mornhinweg will lead the Lions to big things down the road. "I told Marty this offseason, 'Within a couple of years, you guys are going to be contending for the Super Bowl,'" Favre said. "I think both of them are very good at what they do. "I said, 'I just hope you wait until I'm gone. Just give us a couple years to beat up on you.'" Millen, the former analyst and NFL linebacker, has made sweeping changes as Lions president and CEO over the last eight months. He fired popular head coach Gary Moeller and replaced him with Mornhinweg, 39, who has a good resume, but no head coaching experience at any level. Mornhinweg, San Francisco's offensive coordinator the last four seasons, earned a Super Bowl ring in the 1996 season as Favre's quarterbacks coach in Green Bay. "I knew he'd be a head coach at some point in this league," Favre said. "I thought of him as a great offensive mind." Batch will be asked to execute Mornhinweg's version of the West Coast offense behind an inexperienced offensive line, and with running back James Stewart and receivers Germane Crowell, Johnnie Morton and Herman Moore. Cornerback Tyrone Williams is ready for the Lions, who haven't won in Wisconsin in a decade. "We run the West Coast offense here and we've seen it a lot," Williams said. "It's nothing new to me and it shouldn't be nothing new for our secondary." But it's new to Batch and the Lions, and that could make for a very long season. "The first two or three years in the system is a grind for the quarterback," Mornhinweg acknowledged. The West Coast offense is based on quick slants and short routes in which the quarterback progresses rapidly through his multiple reads. "It's totally different than what it has been in the past," Batch said. "I'm excited about it. The receivers are excited about it. With this offense you know it's been successful." Batch said the Lions' old run-oriented attack never had defenses guessing. "Defenses know you are not aggressive offensively, you are playing the percentages," Batch said. "We were trying to grind it out, trying to run the ball a lot, and you are going to get basic coverages. If you don't exploit that, you don't use the offense like you're capable of." Moore, who turns 32 next month, feels like a new man in this offense. "If you're on the field, you have a chance to make a play," he said. "In the past, there were certain plays where you knew you weren't getting the ball. That's not the case anymore and that's exciting. Even if you're the fourth option, you might still get the ball." While the Lions are singing the praises of the West Coast, the Packers are about to inch away from the system's heavy reliance on passing. Never in Favre's nine seasons in Green Bay have the Packers had so much potential to be this good running the ball. So, Favre is ready to hand off aplenty to Ahman Green and Dorsey Levens, both of whom missed much of training camp with nagging injuries. "I don't mind if I don't throw 40 touchdown passes," Favre said. "That doesn't bother me. I'd love to do that. But if we can run the football very effectively and win games, I'm fine with it." Favre said he wants to be like Troy Aikman in the mid-'90s, when the Dallas Cowboys won games with tailback Emmitt Smith chewing up the clock. "They would just run the football up and down the field. No one could stop them, and when he did throw, it was a big play," Favre said. "We're capable of being that type of team." Two seasons later, Hearst finally faces FalconsSAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The last time Garrison Hearst got tackled by the Atlanta Falcons, he was out for two years. On Jan. 9, 1999, Hearst was at the top of his game. Fresh off a stellar season in which he rushed for a career-high 1,570 yards, his San Francisco 49ers had a playoff game in his hometown of Atlanta. He was facing the high-powered Falcons in front of dozens of friends, family members and fans. The fun ended with frightening speed. On the 49ers' very first play, a bone in Hearst's lower left leg snapped beneath him as he was pulled awkwardly to the Georgia Dome turf. Just like that, his big day was over -- and his career was in jeopardy. Complications developed from the injury, and Hearst eventually went through four operations, two missed seasons and innumerable hours of rehabilitation "I always thought I would be back on the field," Hearst said. "I always wanted to play, and I never thought it was over for me." He was right. Exactly 32 months later, Hearst will be the 49ers' starting running back in Sunday's season opener against the Falcons. Atlanta is looking forward to the limited debut of No. 1 draft pick Michael Vick. In addition, the 49ers will be playing their first regular-season game since 1984 without Jerry Rice on the roster. But all eyes will be on Hearst. Will his leg hold up? Will he be as good as he once was? Will he be able to replace Charlie Garner, whose rushing propelled the offense the past two seasons? "I wouldn't ever bet against Garrison," 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci said. "Everybody knows how hard he's worked for this. We believe in him, and we think he's ready to come back and contribute." Falcons running back Jamal Anderson missed most of the 1999 season with a knee injury. He's as impressed as everyone else by Hearst's tenacity. "If he was playing anybody else, I'd want him to kill them," Anderson said. "Against us, obviously, we don't want him to run wild, but I think it's a tremendous accomplishment for him. I know what it's like being out for a season -- but two seasons? Wow." The psychological significance of facing the Falcons has occurred to Hearst before. Last fall, even though his leg was nowhere near full strength, he begged 49ers head coach Steve Mariucci to activate him for San Francisco's game against Atlanta. It didn't happen, thankfully, but Hearst's comeback is no novelty act this time. The 49ers are depending on him, along with rookie Kevan Barlow, to give them a running game. "Garrison Hearst was probably as good as anybody in the league when he got hurt," Atlanta head coach Dan Reeves said. "If he comes close to that form, they're always very difficult to stop in the running game. I think he'll do an outstanding job if he's healthy." The Falcons haven't won on their annual trip to Candlestick Point since 1991. If they can't do it on Sunday, they might not get another chance soon, because the NFC West will be reshuffled next season. Reeves said Vick will be used in some capacity during the game. The rookie's strong arm and running ability pose a completely different challenge than immobile veteran Chris Chandler, who will get the start. Still, the 49ers plan to be ready for any eventuality. "They paid him too much money to have him on the bench," 49ers safety Lance Schulters said. "He's a great athlete. He's definitely going to try to run the ball. He'll run first, pass second. It's going to be a challenge." The Falcons are eager to erase the memories of a 4-12 season in which they started strong, but lost 11 of their last 13. The 49ers started poorly last fall, but came on strong to finish 6-10. Each team beat the other at home, with Atlanta posting a 36-28 victory against San Francisco in the season opener. In a way, both teams fell as quickly as Hearst after that fateful playoff game. San Francisco has won just 10 games in the two seasons since, missing the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1979-80. The Falcons plummeted from their NFC championship season with just nine victories since. "We've done a lot of rebuilding," 49ers receiver Terrell Owens said. "Garrison is only part of that, but he's a big part. We hope to look like a new team with him out there." Skins, Chargers meet in Norv BowlSAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Washington Redskins tried to buy their way into the Super Bowl last season, flopped bigtime and fired head coach Norv Turner. The San Diego Chargers thought they'd make the playoffs, but barely avoided the infamy of losing every game. Then they hired Turner as their offensive coordinator. The schedule makers decided to give Turner an early shot at revenge. The Redskins and Chargers, both eager for new starts after embarrassing seasons, open against each other Sunday in San Diego. "That may not have happened by accident," said Turner, who was 49-59-1 in seven-plus seasons before being fired with three games to go last year. "I didn't expect it to be in the opener, but it is, and you go out and do the best you can." Added Chargers head coach Mike Riley: "I think it means a lot to everybody, but there might be some added incentive there." Even if Turner comes up with a killer game plan for the new-look Chargers, he's been diplomatic in talking about his old team. He refuses to criticize Redskins owner Dan Snyder and notes the Chargers will be busy dealing with Bruce Smith and Darrell Green. "There's great anticipation, no matter who you play in an opener," Turner said. And this game isn't all about Turner vs. Snyder's team. Marty Schottenheimer, whose Kansas City Chiefs got great pleasure from pounding the Chargers for most of the 1990s, makes his debut as Washington's head coach after a two-year hiatus from the NFL. Green will begin his 19th and final season at cornerback. Doug Flutie will debut as San Diego's quarterback, giving the Chargers hope as they try to dig out from three years of turnovers and tantrums by Ryan Leaf. Rookie running back LaDainian Tomlinson will make his NFL debut. And an incredibly green Chargers left tackle -- either Damion McIntosh or Ed Ellis -- will try to protect Flutie's blind side by stopping Smith, the 11-time Pro Bowl defensive end. Smith has 181 sacks in 16 seasons, second to Reggie White. San Diego is one of three teams he's never had a sack against. That could change, because McIntosh has yet to play a regular-season snap and Ellis has made one start in four NFL seasons. Ellis is coming off arthroscopic knee surgery and McIntosh practiced at left tackle during the week. Smith, who will play despite a bruised shoulder, would like to think the Skins can take advantage of the Chargers' young line. "But that's not always the case," he said. "They have an insurance policy playing quarterback." Smith and Flutie were teammates for two seasons with Buffalo. "I have the utmost respect for Doug," Smith said. "Everybody counted him out." Flutie, who may need his scrambling ability now more than ever, said Smith has a knack for cranking it up in big games. "He finds that extra gear," Flutie said. "I have a feeling this will be one of those games, because it's opening day, and he'll come flying. He's a little older, just like I am, and there are good days and bad days, athletically." Flutie and Smith are both 38. The Redskins, 8-8 last year, played poorly in the exhibition season. "Versus last year, we're nobody," left tackle Chris Samuels said. "I think it's a good advantage, at least for the first couple of games. A lot of people are pretty much going to sleep on us, and if we go out there and play hard, we can take it to them." Linebacker LaVar Arrington predicted a strong start, saying the Skins are younger, but still talented. "It might be a bold statement, but I think people might start changing how they view us a little bit," he said. "Once we let it loose and come there and let those dogs out, we're going to be fine." And the Chargers would like to start forgetting their horrendous 1-15 season, when only a field goal by John Carney in the closing minutes against Kansas City on Nov. 26 kept them from making the wrong kind of history. "We're tired of hearing about it, but we realize nothing's going to get that taste out of our mouths except winning," said right tackle Vaughn Parker. "This is a great opportunity, a team we can definitely compete with and beat," strong safety Rodney Harrison said. "It's just a great opportunity for us to go out there and show the world what we can do." Ready or not, Bills must face SaintsORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -- During training camp, Buffalo Bills first-year head coach Gregg Williams enjoyed making light of Jim Haslett's assertion the New Orleans Saints had been ready to play since June. If that was the case, Williams said the Bills had a lot of catching up to do. With September's arrival, and the Bills opening the season against Haslett's Saints on Sunday, not much has changed. New Orleans, 10-6 last year, carries the swagger of a team intent on defending its NFC West title. And Buffalo, following a tumultuous offseason, remains chock full of question marks. "That gap was a joke gap. I can't assess that," said Williams on whether the Bills have caught up to the Saints. "They're an awful good football team. We'll have to be very well prepared this week." The Bills might have the fourth-easiest schedule, but they didn't get any favors in opening against the Saints. New Orleans' intimidating pass rush, which led the league with 66 sacks last year, and a balanced offensive attack bolstered by rookie running back Deuce McAllister, threaten to expose many of the Bills' deficiencies. An inexperienced offensive line, featuring three new starters, faces a daunting task of protecting quarterback Rob Johnson, who has a tendency of holding the ball too long. And Buffalo's newly introduced 4-3 defense, including four new starters, has had little time to jell. The Saints have no such problems. "It wasn't a statement made at anybody," said Haslett, referring to his team's early readiness. "It's just that we were so much further ahead this year than we were last year. This year, we kind of lined up and played the game because our guys were together and knew what was going on." As a rookie last season, Haslett orchestrated the NFL's biggest turnaround. New Orleans went from worst to first in its division, and was especially dominating with a 7-1 road record. "I think we're better on paper," Haslett said. "But that doesn't necessarily mean it'll correlate into wins." It should, considering the team's depth. Running back Ricky Williams has not only recovered from a broken left ankle, but got extra motivation from McAllister's addition. Receiver Joe Horn is coming off a career year. And Aaron Brooks, who adeptly took over for Jeff Blake late last season, won the starting quarterback's job in training camp and has a keen sense of the Saints' offensive philosophy. On defense, New Orleans' strength continues to be its front four, led by right tackle La'Roi Glover, whose 17 sacks were second in the NFL last season. "We want to make a statement throughout the entire year and it starts Sunday," defensive end Joe Johnson said. Glover said the key is getting to Johnson early. "If he can build confidence, he can have a good day against you," Glover said. "It's very important for us to try to rattle him and take out the running game." The Bills, who had a weak running attack last season, do have a potential game-breaker in Travis Henry, the first rookie tailback to start a season in Buffalo since Thurman Thomas in 1988. "He played tremendous in preseason," Johnson said of Henry. "He's going to wear teams out, because he punishes people when they tackle him." That doesn't mean Johnson, sacked once for every seven times he dropped back last year, doesn't expect to get hit. "It's not even a question of whether they're going to get home or not," Johnson said of the Saints' defenders. "But it's when they get home if we can sting them when they're bringing pressure." Steelers, Jaguars look to realign rivalriesJACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) -- With a punishing running game, a blue-collar work ethic and a storied record of success, the Pittsburgh Steelers were exactly what the Jacksonville Jaguars wished they could be when they entered the league seven seasons ago. Sadly for both teams, their annual rivalry is coming to an end. On opening day Sunday, the Steelers visit the Jaguars for the final time as AFC Central rivals. "It's a rivalry that will be missed by the two teams," Steelers head coach Bill Cowher said. The balance of power has shifted the last few years in the AFC Central. But from 1996-99, Jacksonville and Pittsburgh were the teams to beat, and the meetings between the teams were always important. Jacksonville's first home victory came, appropriately, Oct. 8, 1995 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The teams split their two games every year except 1999, when the Jaguars swept. Pittsburgh won the division from 1994-97, and the Jaguars overtook the Steelers in 1998 and '99. "When we came into being, the Steelers were the team to beat," Jaguars head coach Tom Coughlin said. "That's where you set your sights." Coughlin never liked the image of his Jaguars as the anti-Steelers, despite their high-flying offense and pretty teal-and-white uniforms contrasted against black-and-gold, Jerome Bettis and Cowher's fiery sideline temperament That's why Coughlin always viewed a victory against Pittsburgh as more than just a win, but a statement. "In order to beat them, you had to play physical football, or you weren't going to get it done," Coughlin said. "You're not going to finesse this team." Maybe that's why so many former Steelers wound up on Jacksonville's roster. When the Jaguars signed former Steeler Leon Searcy in 1996, they had their first player who could really personify the tough-guy image they wanted to project. Until a leg injury sidelined him last season, Searcy was the guy who prided himself on taking the field every week, without complaint, no matter how bad the injury. Carnell Lake, Deon Figures and, just this week, Ainsley Battles, are other Steelers who made their way to Jacksonville, as Coughlin hoped some of that Steelers grit -- and maybe some of the Pittsburgh game plan -- would find its way to Alltel Stadium. "They added some flavor, and we added some flavor to our conference because we played each other," Jaguars safety Donovin Darius said. "We've always looked forward to it." The best year for this rivalry was 1997. Still something of a mystery despite their big playoff run the season before, the Jaguars made their debut on Monday Night Football against the Steelers. Led by Mark Brunell, who made a fast recovery from a preseason knee injury, Jacksonville took a late two-point lead with 4:14 left. Pittsburgh had a chance to win, but Clyde Simmons blocked a field goal and Chris Hudson returned it for a touchdown. Cowher had to restrain himself from jumping onto the field to hit Hudson. The 30-21 victory was sealed, and the Jaguars had established themselves as a real threat to the Steelers in the division. "It was a heck of a finish," Coughlin said. "It's one of my best memories." Five weeks later, Pittsburgh beat Jacksonville 23-17 in overtime, a back-and-forth affair in which Jaguars defensive end Tony Brackens made a name for himself with 11 tackles, two sacks and two forced fumbles -- all in vain. Steelers fans voted the game one of the 10 best ever played in Three Rivers Stadium. When realignment takes effect next season, the Steelers will still have the Browns and Bengals in the new AFC Central, two division foes who have been around much longer than Jacksonville. In the AFC South, the Jaguars will still have the Titans, who became a rival in 1999 when they beat Jacksonville three times, including in the AFC title game. But they won't have each other, and of all the rivalries that are being pulled apart for the sake of progress, this one might be missed the most. "There has always been a mutual respect there," Cowher said. "When you have two teams that are very proud and accustomed to winning, then you're going to have that kind of atmosphere." Raiders help Chiefs start Vermeil eraKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- An extra reason to be hated in Kansas City is just about the last thing Oakland needs. Arrowhead Stadium always rocks when the Raiders hit town anyway. It's a colorful, flavorful rivalry that dates back to the 1960s. But this time there's more. It's the season opener, for one, and that's always a time of excitement. More importantly, Sunday's game will usher in the Dick Vermeil/Trent Green era for an army of Chiefs fans who haven't bubbled with this much optimism in nearly a decade. "Everybody knows about Arrowhead. It's going to be fanatical," said Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon. For the first time since Hank Stram was in charge in the early 1970s, the Chiefs have a head coach who's won a Super Bowl. Not since Joe Montana arrived in 1993 have they had a quarterback everybody was eager to see. "In Arrowhead Stadium, with the noise and the genuine enthusiasm for opening day, it's going to make it a very difficult game for the Raiders," said Oakland head coach Jon Gruden. Chiefs cornerback Eric Warfield agrees. "Being against the Raiders does make the home opener more exciting," he said. "It is a big rivalry. And being swept by them last year makes it that much more intense for us." The Raiders, coming off a 12-4 season and an appearance in the AFC championship game, will be unveiling some bigtime new additions themselves. Star receiver Jerry Rice, 1,000-yard rusher Charlie Garner and pass-rush specialist Trace Armstrong will all be making their Oakland debuts amid the noisy, red-clad Chiefs fans. With Garner and Tyrone Wheatley, the Raiders are the only team in the NFL with two 1,000-yard rushers from last year. "If you're not [excited], you really should hang it up," said Oakland wide receiver Tim Brown. "Were going to have some in-your-face competition this week, you know, and just going to try and get it going." While enjoying a home-field advantage, the Chiefs, 7-9 last year under Gunther Cunningham, who was fired, also face some potentially drastic problems. It will be the first real game for Vermeil and a staff that is almost entirely new. It will be the first time Vermeil's new offense and defense are put to a test. Plus, it will be the first time a bevy of new starters, including quarterback Green and running back Priest Holmes, have played a meaningful game together. "We're going to try to prepare for a lot of different things," said Gruden. "I don't know how to begin. Coach Vermeil in Philadelphia with Wilbert Montgomery took a lot of pride running ball. In St. Louis, they took a lot of pride in scoring points by throwing the ball." Green, playing only about one quarter in all four exhibition games, was 35-of-60 for 477 yards, with three TDs and one interception. "It's a great way to start," said Vermeil. "You'll get a test right off the bat, and no finer place to get your first test than in your home. If we're going to be a good football team, we might as well try to demonstrate it right off the bat." The teams have been separated by only six points in their last two meetings in Kansas City. In first downs in those two games, it's Kansas City's edge 45-44. In total yards, the Raiders hold a 799-775 edge. "We certainly respect this rivalry, but we aren't going to rely on anything that happened in the past to help us now," Gruden said. "This will be a great challenge for me to go against him. I've got a lot of respect for Dick Vermeil." Vermeil, who tried to hire Gruden as his offensive coordinator in St. Louis, has cautioned people all week that the Chiefs are not as good now as they ought to be in November. "If we beat them, all it means is we're 1-0, and if we lose, all it means is we're 0-1," he said. "You can't base everything on one game. But it will be a good gauge to evaluate where we are as a new football team at this time. When we walk out of the stadium Sunday, we'll know where we are and how far we have to go." Dallas could be easy pickings for Tampa BayIRVING, Texas (AP) -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers couldn't have picked a better team to open the season against than the Dallas Cowboys. How's this for a gift from the league office to help the Bucs build some early momentum?
Throw in the fact Tampa Bay is considered a Super Bowl contender and Dallas is ranked near the bottom of the league and the game looks even more lopsided. The Bucs are downplaying their advantage, trying to respect the rebuilding Cowboys by calling them "America's Team" and saying they fear a loud crowd -- even though fan interest in Dallas is way down. "The main thing is to get a win. If we win ugly, we'll take it," Dunn said. "We have 15 others to go." Tampa Bay's next game, at home against Philadelphia, the team that eliminated the Bucs from the playoffs last year, will be a better barometer. This game provides a nice transition from the preseason into a season in which the Bucs have the NFL's second-toughest schedule. "As long as we're going out and being fundamentally sound in what we're doing, that's the good start we need," Sapp said. The Cowboys would be the first to say the opener can be a tone-setter for the season. Last year, they failed to recover the Eagles' onside kick on the season-opening kickoff. That led to a 41-14 loss, which turned into a 5-11 season, Dallas' worst since going 1-15 in 1989. "Murphy's Law was in full effect last year," tight end Jackie Harris said. "It seemed like after that onside kick everything just went downhill." An offseason overhaul resulted in Troy Aikman's departure and Carter's arrival. Carter will be the fifth rookie QB starter in team history, joining Aikman, Steve Walsh, Kevin Sweeney and Don Meredith. That group went a combined 3-16, with two wins coming from Sweeney during the 1987 games with replacement players. "He's going to be like all the young quarterbacks when they first start playing. He's going to have some decision-making issues, some things that don't look exactly clear to him," Tampa Bay head coach Tony Dungy said. "But he's got the ability, the arm strength, the mobility and the awareness in the pocket to get away from things and create some good plays when nothing is there. "You'd rather play him Week 1 than Week 16. We played Donovan McNabb in Week 2 of his first year and he had a tough time. But by the time we played them in the playoffs a year later, he was the possible MVP of the league." Carter's game plan is to avoid Sapp and to get the ball to Emmitt Smith and receivers Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail, both coming off knee injuries. Smith, 104 yards from passing Barry Sanders for No. 2 on the NFL's career rushing list, hardly played in the preseason, but vowed he won't be rusty. "If they open up a lane, I know how to get into it," he said. There were plenty of open lanes against the Cowboys last season, when Dunn was among an NFL-record three running backs to burn them for 200-plus yards. With some new faces and a new blueprint that's awfully similar to Tampa Bay's, Dallas' top priority this season is to force more second-and-longs. But, of all people, Dunn might be the worst to open with, because he practices against the same scheme -- only with better players. "You might as well start with one of the best and see where you are," Cowboys defensive tackle Brandon Noble said. Clyde Christensen is Tampa Bay's third offensive coordinator in three seasons. The team's former quarterbacks coach is expected to spruce up the attack with help from new QB Johnson. Although Johnson went 0-3 against Dallas the last two years with Washington, he was 73-of-117 (62.4 percent) for 841 yards with four touchdowns and one interception in those games. Opener could be big downer for Patriots, BengalsCINCINNATI (AP) -- For the Patriots, it's pretty straightforward: Stop Corey Dillon and they can stop all those worries about another demoralizing 0-for-September. It's pretty simple for the Bengals, too: win or else. A lot of optimism will get ground into the new Kentucky bluegrass at Paul Brown Stadium on Sunday when two downtrodden teams line up and find out if there's any reason to believe things have changed. "Every year, everybody starts off thinking, 'Why not? We have just as good a chance as everybody else,'" Patriots safety Lawyer Milloy said. "It's definitely a big point of emphasis, trying to get that first win to just get into the race. This is what it's all about." The Bengals are at it, too. The NFL's worst team since 1991 has added an unfamiliar word to its daily vocabulary -- head coach Dick LeBeau has started referring to the upcoming "championship season." "There's a purpose for us using that word," LeBeau said. "It is a championship season." The playoff musings sure seem amusing, coming from these two teams. The Patriots are in a symmetrical slide. Their total number of wins has dropped from 11 in 1996 to 10, 9, 8 and 5 over the last four seasons. The Bengals haven't had a winning season since 1990, let alone a championship season, and have won a total of 11 games in the past three years. Last year, New England lost its first four games, setting up a lost season. The Bengals went 0-3 in September, which was nothing new -- they're 7-31 in the month since 1989, setting up a lost decade. One of them will get a temporary reprieve this year. "Both teams are looking at each other and thinking this is a great opportunity to start the season with a win," Bengals linebacker Brian Simmons said. "We feel we've gotten better, but until you reap some benefit, it's just you thinking it. You've got to win to assure yourself of it." As for how the game will play out, everyone's thinking the same thing. Dillon will determine it. The slashing, stiff-arming running back set an NFL record with 278 yards in a game last season and established a Bengals season record with 1,435 overall. He's the focus of a revamped offense featuring Jon Kitna at quarterback. "He's the motor that drives the car," Patriots linebacker Bryan Cox said. "In order to beat them, you've got to stop him. It's just that simple." He's right. Even though Dillon had his best season in 2000, the Bengals finished with another 4-12 record because he was the only threat in a one-dimensional offense. The Patriots want to let Kitna decide the game. In a dozen starts for Seattle last season, he threw 19 interceptions and fumbled 17 times, most in the NFL. "If we let him get going, he can be very productive," Milloy said. "Our emphasis is to try to get to him early and try to rattle him like any quarterback." Milloy and Kitna are friends from their grade school days. They played on the same high school team in Tacoma, Wash., and are looking forward to playing against each other for the first time. "Before the game, I'll give him a hug," Milloy said. "I hope I get a chance to blitz him one or two times and the outcome is in my favor." While the two high school teammates get reunited, Kitna will get acquainted with what it's like to lead the NFL's most woeful team. The season opener didn't even sell out in Cincinnati, where fans expect an 11th consecutive losing season. Last year, the Bengals opened with a drubbing by the Cleveland Browns in the inaugural game at Paul Brown Stadium. Fans abandoned them in an 0-6 start. The Bengals have a chance for a decent start this year, because four of the first seven opponents had losing records last year. Of course, they've had similar chances in the past 10 years, and blown them all. A lot is riding on the first game. "The first game of the season is always different," Kitna said. "Teams are a little more amped up. The speed cranks up two, three or four times what it was in the preseason. Really, I don't know if the intensity for the home opener is matched throughout the season, except for when the playoffs start. "This is special, but at the same time, it's not a make-or-break game." Oh yes it is. Davis, Browns ignoring dire predictionsCLEVELAND (AP) -- Butch Davis hasn't even coached his first NFL regular-season game, and his Cleveland Browns have already taken a beating. The national media have been blasting Cleveland. Four wins and a sixth-place finish in the AFC Central is what most experts forecast for Davis and the Browns in 2001. Some publications have been downright nasty in their appraisals. One scout told Sports Illustrated that quarterback Tim Couch could be a "bust", the personnel department's decisions have been "inexcusable," and the Browns' defensive secondary is "embarrassingly weak". Nobody has had anything good to say about the Browns this summer. And Davis, who'll make his NFL head coaching debut Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, couldn't care less. "I don't read them," Davis said of the preseason preview magazines. "Anyway, I quit reading Sports Illustrated when they said Miami should drop the program." Davis has proved SI wrong before, rebuilding the Hurricanes' program from a national disgrace -- the magazine's cover story called for the university to disband football -- to a model program. Davis' next reclamation project is the Browns, who went just 5-27 the past two seasons. "We'll find out after 16 Sundays whether the national publications were right," Davis said. "I'm a huge believer in you don't let anybody decide your success or failure. We have an opportunity to make our own success. We have a chance to win every ballgame." That starts Sunday when the Browns play a rebuilding Seattle team missing two defensive starters, cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Willie Williams, and with quarterback Matt Hasselbeck making his first NFL start. "Grim," head coach Mike Holmgren said when asked about his situation at cornerback. "We've rigged it so that we'll have all kinds of combinations." The Seahawks will start rookie Ken Lucas and third-year player Paul Miranda against the Browns, who are running a new, uptempo offense. Miranda hasn't started a regular-season game. Holmgren expects Couch to go after Lucas and Miranda. "If the shoe was on the other foot, I would certainly think about doing that myself," he said. The shoe was on the other foot last season for the Browns, who were savaged by injuries. A surprising 2-1 start quickly dissolved as they lost 12 of their last 13 and head coach Chris Palmer lost his job. "We got hit by the injury bug last year," said Couch, who missed nine games last year after fracturing his thumb in practice. "I'm glad it's them and not us, but the guys they have are going to be good, too." Couch and the Browns are eager to put the pain of the last two years behind them. Davis has virtually cleaned Cleveland's house, releasing several prominent players -- starters Errict Rhett, Jim Pyne -- while trading backup QB Ty Detmer and Travis Prentice, last year's top rusher, to Minnesota. The Browns have 11 new starters from last year and 22 new faces on the roster. Even for a rookie coach that's a major shakeup. "Forget Seattle's roster, I need to see ours to figure out who's in here," said Browns safety Percy Ellsworth, who has managed to avoid Hurricane Butch's housecleaning. "I can't keep up with it." Davis has been optimistic about the Browns' chances since taking over in February, and said he actually expected the team's turnover "to be worse." "My goals for winning this season have not changed one inch in the last seven months," he said. "We're putting a team together with the expectation that we're going to play to try and win every single game." The Browns have bought into Davis' plan, and following a solid preseason, think they can surprise a lot of people this year. "It has to get better," said wide receiver Kevin Johnson. "How much worse could it get?"
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