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Sunday, December 16, 2001

Compiled by Ed Bouchette

Here's breaking news: Bears officials complained to the league that reporters on the sidelines for radio and television actually have reported what was happening.

Pam Oliver of Fox and Mike Adamle of WBBM-AM (780) radio in Chicago, both sideline reporters, told their audiences that Chicago defensive players were criticizing offensive coordinator John Shoop for his play-calling during the Bears' 17-7 loss in Green Bay a week ago.

Imagine, the nerve of Oliver and Adamle. Sideline reporters supposedly are not to convey conversations overheard in the bench area. Maybe they just want them to read the coach's lips like everyone at home can do.

"The Bears have contacted us, and we're following through to ensure it doesn't happen again," is what NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said.

"The NFL has made us aware that this is a sensitive situation, and we will try to avoid a similar occurrence in the future," Fox spokesman Dan Bell said.

Here's a way to do that -- chase all the so-called sideline "reporters" up to the press box where all the others do their job. Either that, or the league should not accept all that TV money from the networks that, in part, allows them to put snoops on the sidelines. If everyone followed the rules on the sidelines the way Eric Dickerson does on "Monday Night Football," there would be no problem. Of course, there would be no information passed to the viewers either.

Maybe they're Cubs fans

Common-sense quarterback Jim Miller on all the complaining going on in Chicago after the Bears lost to Green Bay last week: "Pinch yourselves. We're 9-3. We were 3-9 last year. Let's wake up here."

Tundra time

More breaking news: Because kicker Ryan Longwell has been kicking off poorly and has made just 14 of 23 field goals, the Packers sent him to Lambeau Field to work on things rather than with the rest of the team in their cozy Don Hutson Center.

When did kickers practicing on the actual home field in which they will kick on Sundays suddenly become in vogue?

Boss on Moss

Vikings owner Red McCombs' reaction to statements by Randy Moss that he does not go hard on every play?

"We're very proud of Randy and glad that he's a Viking," McCombs said. "But statements like the ones he made are not in his best interest, and they're not in the best interests of the Vikings. We know him, and we know what he's about as a person. Whether he talks about whether he plays hard or not, we know that he is a very good person. That's what is important to us."

A very good person is the most important thing? Surely McCombs can find even better ones at lunchtime on Minneapolis streets.

Young knew the game's place

The late George Young, a former Giants general manager who died last week, hated comparisons between war and football. "When you run an end sweep," Young once said, "everybody gets up afterward."

Quick slants

•TheMinnesota-Detroit game is the only NFL contest this weekend that has no playoff implications.

•Brett Favre has the second-best home winning percentge of NFL quarterbacks since 1970 at .842 (64-12). The best? Terry Bradshaw at .848 (67-12).

•The relevancy of Moss: He had one touchdown catch in the first six games, when the Vikings were 3-3. He has had seven in the past six, when the Vikings were 2-4.

•Atlanta has allowed 32 sacks in the past six games, strengthening its claim as the most-sacked team since 1997 with 265.

•The Cowboys are 4-0 against the Redskins in Coach Dave Campo's two seasons, 5-19 against everyone else. "It's important to show that we can beat somebody other than the Redskins," safety George Teague said.

•Detroit Coach Marty Mornhinweg, whose team plays the Steelers next Sunday, on Tampa Bay: "This defense could be one of the best defenses, maybe the best defense in the league at this point."