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Sunday, November 05, 2000

Compiled by Ed Bouchette

Goodbye Tennessee, goodbye Jacksonville. That's the word on what will happen in the AFC Central when the NFL realigns for 2002, a decision that might come by March.

Instead of three divisions in each conference, there will be four of four teams each in the 32-team league. Although nothing official will come until the owners vote on it, the AFC Central will include the Steelers, Cincinnati, Cleveland and either Baltimore or the new Houston franchise.

The one that does not go into the Central will join a South-Midwest conglomeration that includes Jacksonville, Indianapolis and Tennessee. The East will have Miami, Buffalo, the Jets and New England. The West will have Denver, Oakland, Kansas City and San Diego. Seattle will move to the NFC, where it began in 1976.

Growing pains

The Cleveland Browns haven't quite followed the success of the other most recent expansion teams.

In their second seasons of existence in 1996, Carolina and Jacksonville both reached their conference championship games.

The Browns have won two games in each of their first two seasons, and are 4-21 in two years.

The players are growing frustrated with all the losing.

"Young players want answers," cornerback Corey Fuller said. "And the only way you get answers is by winning. You can't figure it out by losing."

Premature celebration

The Steelers have won five in a row to go 5-3 and they still aren't talking about the playoffs. The Jaguars have won one in a row to go 3-6 and they can't seem to contain themselves.

"This is the way it should be," linebacker Kevin Hardy said about the renewed playoff talk in their locker room. "We don't consider ourselves out of it yet."

The Jaguars are off this weekend, then play Seattle at home, travel to Three Rivers Stadium for a game against the Steelers, then play at home against Tennessee. If they sweep all three, they'll be 6-6 and will still need to win three and maybe four more to get a playoff berth.

Isn't the object to score?

Indianapolis Coach Jim Mora wasn't happy when Edgerrin James ran for a 24-yard touchdown against Detroit to put the Colts up 30-18 with 1:42 left. He thought he should have gone down after getting the first down so the Colts could let the clock run out.

Mora feared the Lions could score quickly, get an onside kick and score again to win.

"He shouldn't have scored," Mora said. "If you make the first down and he goes down, the game's over. We just run out the clock."

Like most of the rest of America, James thought his coach was nuts.

"When I'm running the ball, my main objective is to score. That's what I'm trying to do every time I run the ball. As far as kneeling down, that's not my job."

Quick slants

San Diego's leading rusher, Jermaine Fazande, is 48th in the NFL with 176 yards. Seven backs have had more than that in a single game this season and seven quarterbacks have outrushed him.

Peyton Manning, fourth in the NFL with a 100.9 passer rating, is 29th in the NFL with a 65.1 rating in the fourth quarter.

The television blackout will be lifted for just the third time for a Raiders home game since Sept. 8, 1997, because today's game against the Chiefs has been sold out in time.

Terrell Davis and Drew Bledsoe each have 99 yards rushing.

Quarterback Jim Harbaugh of the 0-8 Chargers, preparing to play the 2-7 Seahawks: "We're not taking anybody lightly."