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Sunday, October 14, 2001

Compiled by Ed Bouchette

Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila likes to be known as KGB but he's no secret any more. The second-year Packers defensive end leads the NFL with nine sacks one year after he was waived as a rookie and went unclaimed by 30 teams. He spent last season on Green Bay's practice squad.

Gbaja-Biamila (pronounced Baja Bee-a-mill-a) averages only 18 plays a game, all in passing situations.

An unknown around the NFL, he already has been on the cover of Newsweek -- as a 17-year-old high school student in Los Angeles in 1995 for founding a student organic food company.

At this pace, he would shatter the NFL's sack record of 22, set by Mark Gastineau in 1984.

Gbaja-Biamila is the son of Nigerian-born parents.

Quiet Buccaneers

Defensive tackle Warren Sapp, who had a team-record 16 1/2 sacks last season, and quarterback Brad Johnson, who threw 24 touchdown passes in Washington, are 0 for 2001 with Tampa Bay.

"I guess I'm not all that surprised about either one," Coach Tony Dungy said. "You feel like they both will come. But both those guys are playing pretty well. Warren's sacks will come and the touchdown passes will come."

The Steelers play in Tampa Bay next Sunday.

No room to run

Emmitt Smith might be the No. 2 rusher all time but he's finding the going tough this season. He has 208 yards in four games for the Cowboys after gaining just 25 yards on 16 carries last week against Oakland.

Of his 62 carries, 16 have lost yards.

"We're not running any more," Smith said. "We're running into walls. We're going backward. We're moving, but we're taking itty-bitty steps."

The Cowboys rank last in the NFL in passing and teams are stacking against Smith.

"It's not Emmitt," Coach Dave Campo said. "Everybody is looking at Emmitt. Emmitt is doing the best he can."

Wretched Redskins

The Redskins might be off to the worst start of any team in NFL history after four games.

They have been outscored by 110 points. Even the 1976 Buccaneers, who went 0-11-1, were not beaten that badly in their first four games. The Brooklyn Dodgers of 1943 did not score at all in their first four games but yielded only 91 points.

Two years ago, Washington came within a missed field goal of the NFC title game, had three first-round picks for 2000 and all kinds of cap room.

Today, the Redskins are a Daniel Snyder-made ruin.

Fashion statement

Maybe wearing their 1950s uniforms will help the Detroit Lions when they play Green Bay on Thanksgiving Day.

That decade, after all, encompassed the glory years for the Lions. They will wear their old uniforms in that game, and the Packers will wear their 1939 uniforms. On the same day, the Dallas Cowboys hope a little luck will run off when they wear their 1994 uniforms against the Orange Crush version of the Denver Broncos.

Quick slants

The Carolina Panthers put down new thick sod two weeks ago to replace their unanchored grass. The NFL and the players union have approved.

Tommy Maddox isn't the only former XFL star to make it in the NFL. Joe Cortez has made all 10 of his field-goal attempts in San Francisco, including a 52-yarder. "He was an unkown quantity," said 49ers special teams coach Bruce DeHaven. "I had no idea how he was going to react."

Chicago can have its first three-game winning streak since 1995 if the Bears beat Arizona today.

Quarterback Charlie Batch gets the call again to turn around the 0-3 Lions. "We're at the bottom right now," he said.

Kerry Collins threw three touchdown passes in a season-opening loss to Denver. In the past three games, he has thrown just two to go with five interceptions, and the Giants won them all.