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Sunday, November 25, 2001

Compiled by Ed Bouchette

Let's party in Pittsburgh! The city's chamber of commerce should send a big basket of fruit to Browns rookie Gerard Warren. If the defensive tackle had not been arrested for lugging that unregistered but very loaded Glock into town Monday, the world might never have known about the bash thrown in the Strip by Plaxico Burress.

Thanks to Warren, the party has been the talk of the NFL. Imagine, players from around the league flying into Pittsburgh in the middle of the season to party down along the Allegheny River. Who knew the place could be so hot in the middle of November. You can't buy that kind of publicity.

Why would players such as Warren, teammate O.J. Santiago and Tennessee's Jevon Kearse come here to party in the middle of November? Why, Burress is their pal. So what if the Browns and Steelers are bitter rivals, or that Kearse might have to try to take Burress' head off -- or at least that of quarterback Kordell Stewart -- in today's game in Nashville.

As Cleveland Coach Butch Davis said, "Gerard went solely because Jevon Kearse from Tennessee was going to be there and they went to college and it was a chance for him to see him."

And what better way to do so than both of them meeting down by the Strip in Pittsburgh at 2:30 a.m.?

Bare in Bengal land

Before Kearse arrived here on Monday, he witnessed a little party atmosphere in Cincinnati when a streaker sprinted across the field at Paul Brown Stadium at the game's two-minute warning.

That kind of thing hasn't happened since the 1970s (it happened in Three Rivers Stadium during an AFC championship game against Houston).

The guy's pants were around his ankles and he danced on the field's logo before he was hauled in, but not before his cellphone fell out of his pocket. He pulled his pants back on and went back onto the field to retrieve it.

All the while, the Bengals played "Born to Run" over their speaker system.

Reviewing replay

Mike Holmgren is learning an old lesson: Watch what you wish for because you might get it. Seattle's coach and general manager pushed hard for the instant replay system used to overturn some officials' calls.

But Holmgren doesn't like how they're calling them, particularly two that went against his team this season, including one a week ago in Buffalo.

"We're getting killed," Holmgren said. "That's two games."

Holmgren will push for some changes.

"What will be discussed is the mechanics of doing it. The machinery, getting at it better, being more efficient, which is what's hurt us this year. I believe in the system. I think it helps the game. Then let's get it right when you go over there."

Chiefs face back attack

Today, the Chiefs face another of the NFL's best backs when they put their 30th-ranked defense against the run up against Seattle's Shaun Alexander. Kansas City has faced the best the NFL has to offer and has come up with a mixed bag: Stephen Davis (80 yards), Jerome Bettis (112), Edgerrin James (102), Curtis Martin (113) and LaDainian Tomlinson (31).

Quick slants

The Browns are favorites today for the first time since they returned to the NFL after 41 consecutive games as underdogs. They were 200-1 to win the Super Bowl before the season and 60-1 today.

The Bengals have the worst road record of any team since 1990, 20-72. They have not beaten a team on the road with a winning record since Dec. 2, 1990, when they beat the 6-5 Steelers here.

Doug Flutie's passer ratings in the past three games: 23.2, 27.7 and 38.8.

Tom Brady of the Patriots completed 65 percent of his passes in his first four starts.

Oakland's Rich Gannon has an interception percentage of .68. Joe Ferguson set the record low with Buffalo in 1976 at .66.

The Kansas City Star's Thanksgiving Day poll asked who was the biggest sports turkey and Chiefs quarterback Trent Green was a runaway winner.

The Raiders, who play the Giants today, are 12-2 against NFC teams since 1998.