Home >  Sports >  Notebooks

Sunday, October 29, 2000

The Eagles are making noise about leaving their dilapidated nest in Philadelphia if the mayor doesn't come up with a plan to build them a new stadium soon.

The city has until Nov. 30 to cut a stadium deal or it must pay the team $23 million for their new practice facility that's nearly complete, near Veterans Stadium. Plus, they must pay another $85 million for repairs to the current stadium.

While the Eagles would willingly pocket the $23 million, it might prompt them to leave. They feel they can break their lease, which has 11 years to go, because of the lack of maintenance at Veterans Stadium.

"There isn't going to be another warning," said Joe Banner, the team's chief operating officer. "This is the third year we've been asked to give people more time. There's not going to be another 'next.' There's been enough 'nexts.'

"It's bizarre for anybody to think there wouldn't be options, that there aren't cities that want teams desperately. That is very naive."

Plus, Jeffrey Lurie, the Eagles owner, has ties to Hollywood, and Los Angeles still doesn't have a team.

Timing is everything

Cade McNown's injury becomes a lucky break for Jim Miller, who will start at quarterback for the Bears for the next six weeks and, maybe, beyond.

Mother Nature, though, caused another kind of break that might not have been so lucky for Miller.

After McNown hurt his shoulder in Philadelphia last Sunday, Miller had to run to the locker room in the second half for a bathroom break. He nearly didn't make it back to the field on time. Had he missed it, they would have had to use No. 3 quarterback Shane Matthews. Had that happened, Matthews would have had to finish the game because of NFL rules regarding No. 3 quarterbacks designated as inactive for the game.

Said Miller, "Even in a game, when you have to go, you have to go."

Best in the clutch

The fourth quarter is when Daunte Culpepper really has to go.

Culpepper completed 8 of 11 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns in Minnesota's 31-27 victory over Buffalo last week. That raised his passer rating in the fourth quarter to 140.5, best in the NFL.

Deion who?

It took two players to replace Deion Sanders in Dallas, and they're both doing a better job of it.

Ryan McNeil plays cornerback for the Cowboys, and while he may not be able to cover the way Sanders could, he tackles better. He has 44 tackles, one more than Sanders had all season.

Wane McGarity is the only punt returner in the NFL with two touchdowns and his 15.5 yards per return beats Sanders' average last season by 4 yards. Sanders had one punt return for a touchdown last season. Sanders averages 7.6 yards a punt return for the Redskins.

Quick slants

The team that remained unbeaten the longest over the past three seasons has been the team to go on and win the Super Bowl. Denver did it twice, in 1997 and 1998, and St. Louis did it last season. Now it's the Vikings' (7-0) turn.

The Rams are the first team since the 1986 Jets to score 50 points and yield 50 points in a game in the same season.

The Lions have won their first three games on the road; the last time they started 4-0 on the road was 1956.

The Packers, who have forced four fumbles, are the only team without a fumble recovery.

Randy Moss, on his 39-yard touchdown catch from Culpepper last Sunday: "It's called, 'Moss, go get it.' "