A Glimmer Of Hope

Chances are better than 50-50 that Chargers quarterback Stan Humphries has thrown his last NFL pass. His second concussion in 18 days—on Nov. 2 while playing against the Bengals—was his fourth in two years. On Sunday in San Francisco he missed his 13th game due to injury in six seasons with San Diego.

The Chargers, who can't rely on Humphries to stay healthy, could save his $3.8 million 1998 salary by waiving him after the season, and besides, the 32-year-old quarterback doesn't fit into first-year coach Kevin Gilbride's read-and-react offense. It's likely he'll slip into retirement with his wife, Connie, and two kids. "Some people who keep playing after concussions maybe don't have the wife and kids at home like I do," Humphries said recently.

Dispatches

Backup Patriots defensive back Larry Whigham kept the ball that he intercepted and returned for a 60-yard touchdown against Dan Marino. He wanted Marino to sign the keepsake but didn't have the nerve to ask. Drew Bledsoe interceded, and Marino obliged....

Bledsoe on his lack of overt leadership: "I am the way I am. If something needs to be said, I say it to a person individually. If you want me to turn into Dan Marino and yell at people, that's not going to happen."

...Odd, and telling, stat: NFC East teams, so dominant for so long, are 6-9-1 in interconference games (all against the AFC Central) this season....

Here's the biggest reason the Dolphins are contending for the AFC East title: None of the last 10 Don Shula-coached teams forced more turnovers than they committed; since Jimmy Johnson took over in 1996, Miami is plus-15....

Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary, of his club's 4-7-1 record after a 16-13 loss to the Cardinals: "This is a terrible waste of a team."...

There are 19 former World League quarterbacks in the NFL, and Jets coach Bill Parcells plans to use the spring league to groom another. Parcells will send former Rutgers quarterback Ray Lucas, a practice-squad player for most of the season, to the league in hopes of making him a backup NFL signal-caller....

Marino on playing in the twilight of his career: "You learn to appreciate the game as you get older. I take losing a lot harder now. You never know when your last game or your last play will be."