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Show DAILY HERALD C4 September 14 2004 Tuesday, NATIOfJAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE some life left in old legs flFL STANDINGS AZS2XC1H rOOTBILL PJ2J22JC3 I EAST Dave Goldberg ASSOCIATED PRESS THE ftY.JHs In a week that running backs rushed for more than 100 yards, some of the most interesting stat lines belonged to five guys over 30 but not, apparently, over the hill: Curtis Martin, Marshall Faulk, Emmitt Smith, Priest Holmes and Jerome Bettis. MarThe best belonged to the tin, who had 196 yards for the Jets against the Bengals; the most curious to Bettis, 32, who had 1 net yard in five carries in Pittsburgh's 24-2-1 win oyer Oakland, but scored all three of the Steelers' touchdowns. Smith, seemingly done at 35 after averaging just 2.8 yards per carry for Arizona a year ago, looked like the old Emmitt for Arizona in St. Louis with 87 yards in 16 cartouchdown run. ries, including an Faulk, 31, had 128 yards on 22 carries in that game, a 0 win by the Rams, and his d eventual successor, draft pick Steven Jackson, chipped in with seven carries for 50 yards. Holmes, who will turn 31 in three weeks, had 151 yards on 26 carries in Kansas City's 4 loss in Denver. Things like that aren't supposed to happen in a game in which offensive linemen, kickers and quarterbacks sometimes last until 40 Vinny Testaverde threw for 355 but the wall for running yards Sunday back traditionally has been 30. In fact, Testaverde passed 50 times in part because Eddie George gained just 25 yards on eight carries, a stat that demonstrates why Tennessee let him go. Will it continue? Educated guess: Martin and Holmes will continue to produce because both are in excellent shape and Holmes has taken fewer hits because he spent three of his four years in Baltimore as a backup. Faulk has missed 11 games with injuries the past two seasons and may not hold up, but the Rams drafted Jackson for that reason. Smith's continued success is less likely given his recent mediocrity and the fact he plays for a team that is not only bad historically, but also unlucky. He also doesn't have another back to share the workload. Smith's last 1,000-yar- d season came in 2001 when he was 32. The next season, he broke Walter Payton's career rushing record, but was clearly slowing down, so the Cowboys let him go and he signed with Arizona as a gate attraction as much as a productive running back. But new coach Dennis Green gave him the starting job over last year's team rushing leader, Marcel Shipp, even before Shipp M 0 0 1.000 1 ijsnr 11 4 MM m 24 31 04 (MH 0 riTE23;i'ff,nfftliM 040 7 17 1 0 0 1.000 17 7 040 0 1 0 MO 24 27 044 21 144 24 31 044 . 0 1 .000 foil (MM) 040 040 040 040 044 040 040 040 044 SOUTH - TcnnesKC hdropafc 140 140 4 4 NORTH n PitlAupghl 0 0 Ondmati 1 0 fiOOO 0 i)00 24 040 .140 4 WEST 17-1- FA . Horn AFC ,WFC..reIH I first-roun- San Diego 1 0 0 1.000 27 20 040 Oakland 0 1 0 .000 24 040 21 140 140 Ann 1 040 040 040 044 34-2- XATIQ3AL rOOTXL&LL UUS!I'OZSC3 EAST .i Washraton N.Y. j y ' Giants Tv i M ff PAHoffitAwiv NFC 040 140 1 0 0 1.000 16 10 140 0 1 0 .000 17 31 040 L .T Pet ,PF PA Honw 1 0 .000 14 24 10 16 044 PF PA Hwn 14 044 i.n Carolina ikjW Tampa Bay KOSTROUNAssociated New York Jets running back Curtis Martin reaches out to get the ball inside touchdown in a 4 victory over Cincinnati on Sunday. 24-ya- rd 0 0 1 0 was lost for the season with an ankle injury. "Emmitt can pick holes, he can still do that," Green said after Sunday's game. Bettis is now a specialist with Duce Staley, the Steelers' prime ball carrier. "You are in a role and you have to do what they ask you to do," Bettis said. "If they want me to come in and stick it in, I have to come in and stick it in." But all these guys are defying history. Gale Sayers, Earl Campbell and Terrell short-yarda- . Press the pylon for a Davis had great careers end in their late 20s because of injuries. Some, like George, sim- ply wear down and others walk away, as Jim Brown did at 29 and Barry Sanders at 30. Even Payton had his last good year at age 32. Smith's career clearly demonstrates why: Going into Sunday's game, he had 4,142 carries and 504 receptions, a total of 4,646 touches and hits. And he missed six games last season with a broken shoulder. That's why Holmes has the best shot at having another stellar season his light . early workload. More than an hour after Sunday's game, the parking lots outside Cleveland Browns Stadium were still full of partying tailgaters, and the few cars that did leave pulled away with their horns blaring. For a change, the honking wasn't in anger. Cleveland won its first season opener since rejoining the league, a convincing 20-victory over the Baltimore Ravens, who were outplayed in every phase by a Browns BEREA, jOhio ' ASSOCIATED PRESS Seattle KIRKLAND, Wash. Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander has a bone bruise on his right knee, but could play NOTEBOOK in this week's game at Tampa Bay. "It might be a week or two," VETERAN MARK played perhaps its most complete game since Butch Davis took over as coach in 2001. "It was a double exclamation point at the end of a great weekend," Davis said. That's a big improvement on the usual question marks. day-to-d- ay coach Mike Holmgren said Monday. "There's a chance he can play this week. We'll just have to see how it goes." Said Alexander: "I'm a fast healer, m be all right." An MRI exam disclosed the injury, which was reported as a knee sprain during Seattle's 21-- 7 win Sunday at New Orleans. Alexander rushed for 135 yards on 28 carries, raYi for two touchdowns and caught a TD pass. Doctors told him he was fortunate no ligaments were torn 800-377-97- 20 Kovto End RS PrabiMM ForawT 877-451-91- 11 wwmUaxp0rt$xom it Harris ft Compuy Provo i (mOfncmWoimide) Press a pass intended for Baltimore's Kevin Johnson (85) in the fourth quarter Sunday. AGENTS & TAX PROFESSIONALS Ota New Me wMi t RS Stttt for Pmntoi on Data - WrttwGuwntw Fim Tax SattlMMnt Anafyste fr --htsktef" Report: in Our LocK Offlct DUNCANAssociated Gevelancfs Anthony Henry (37) intercepts EX-IR-S CanfirJMtW Mwvtt MFC Dhf , AFC 040 044 040 040 (IFC AFC Dfv 140 044 040 040 .000 ,kW',1-JGreen Bay 1 0 0 1.000 24 Chicago 0 1 WiiiAJW 0 .000 g ww 144 040 16 20 PF PA Home 21 7 040 19 21 040 4 WEST - W X T. JM Seattle 1 0 0 1.000 SanFrancisco 0 1 . 0 .000 , SATURDAY'S GAME Tennessee 17, Miami 7 Detroit 20, Chicago 16 N.Y. Jets 31, Cincinnati 24 Pittsburgh 24, Oakland 21 San Diego 27, Houston 20 St Louis 17, Arizona 10 Washington 16, Tampa Bay 10 Seattle 21, New Orleans 7 Jacksonville 13, Buffalo 10 Cleveland 20, Baltimore 3 Atlanta 21, San Francisco 19 Minnesota 35, Dallas 17 Philadelphia 31, N.Y. Giants 17 Denver 34, Kansas City 24 HFC AFC 140 140 040 044 040 040 044 4 THURSDAY'S GAME New England 27, Indianapolis 24 , Awm Dlv . SUNDAY, SEPT. 19 Houston at Detroit 11 a.m. St Louis at Atlanta, 11 a.m. Chicago at Green Bay, 11 a.m. . Giants, 1 1 a.m. Washington at Denver at Jacksonville, 1 1 a.m. Indianapolis at Tennessee, 11 Wttsburgh at Baltimore, 11 sum. Carolina at Kansas City, 1 1 a.m. San Francisco at New Orleans, 11 a.m. Seattle at Tampa Bay, 2:05 p.m. Cleveland at Dallas, 2:15 p.m. N.Y, Jets at San Diego, 2:15 p.m. Buffalo at Oakland, 2:15 p.m. New England at Arizona, 2:1 5 p.m. Miami at Cincinnati, 6:30 p.m. am MONDAY, SEPT. 20 Minnesota at Philadelphia, 7 p.m. MONDAY'S GAME Green Bay 24, Carolina 14 46-yar- Seahawks' Alexander THE Davis credited Cleveland's flawless special teams, the Browns' on Lewis and not turning the ball over against one of the NFL's toughest defenses as the keys to victory. the Browns are not starting a Finally season in a hole. "It's a better way to set the tone than the alternative," Davis said. "But it's just one game." There were plenty of positive signs, though. And Garcia's debut may have been the most optimistic. After a shaky start, the three-tim- e Pro Bowl quarterback threw a d touchdown pass to Quincy Morgan in the third quarter before calling his own number on a bootleg and going 3 yards for the clinching TD late in the fourth. Garcia's scoring toss came on a play that looked doomed from the start. He danced in the pocket looking for a receiver, and unable to find one, he pump-fake- d enough to get safety Ed Reed to bite and come up. Garcia then floated the ball to a wide-ope- n Morgan, who only had to haul it in and not trip over any blades of grass on his sprint to the end zone. "His scrambling, staying alive in the pocket, that was a vintage veteran quarterback play," Davis said. "He hung onto the ball, reloaded and found Quincy wide gang-tacklin- team seeking redemption and respect. Everything felt different on a afternoon along the shores of Lake Erie. Jeff Garcia, the Browns' new quarterback, scrambled, made big plays and even jumped into the Dawg Pound to celebrate a touchdown. Cleveland's defense swarmed "like bees to honey" on Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, and 73,068 fans stood, barked and screamed like they once did for Jim Brown and Bernie Kosar. It was one of the few times since their rebirth in 1999 it felt like the Browns were all the way back. back "It's a great feeling," said defensive tackle Orpheus Roye, one of the few players available in the locker room Monday. "Hopefully, we can keep this going." Getting Sorted had been Cleveland's problem the previous five seasons. The Browns had begun each year since '99 with a loss, all of them at home. But feeding off the positive vibes created tribute for the Browns' by a weekend-lon- g 1964 NFL championship team, Cleveland AW T'Jf "fl.i4r,&04i Tfl WuMI 31-2- Tom Withers PRESS 040 NORTH BILL Browns off to rare quick start with win ASSOCIATED 040 040 SOUTH SUNDAY'S GAMES THE Of AFC x . opea" Lewis, on the other hand, was never alone. The reigning league rushing champion, who ran for 500 yards in two games against Cleveland in 2003, was held to 57 on 20 carries. with bruised right knee "The knee bone and the leg bone, they smacked into each other and that's not normal," Alexander said. "Everyone said that I'm really blessed. Normally, you tear an ACL or an MCL when that happens. Mine didnt." If Alexander cant play next week, Maurice Morris or Kerry Carter will step in Holmgren said it wont change his team's preparation. "We hope he can play, but if he cant then well have to go to the next guy," Holmgren said. Td expect that man to play wen, and that goes for any position on the team.'' I Lions' Rogers out for season: A broken collarbone has ruined another season for Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers. The No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft was injured going for a pass Sunday in the first quarter of the 20-1-6 victory over the revealed Chicago Bears. a fracture near the one he got last year during a bye week practice. Rogers played only the first five games of his rook ie season because of the injury, catching 22 passes. Rogers wfll have surgery lat- er this week or early next week and will be placed on injured reserve, coach Steve Mariucd said Monday.' "I just spoke with Charles, and he's very disappointed," Mariuc-dsak- L "I told him that's he not to blame. He's 23 and he's got a lot of footbaD ahead of him. I Galloway wiR miss four to six weeks with groin injury. Tampa Bay's already thin receiving corps was further depleted Monday whan the team learned Joey Galloway wfll miss four to six weeks after aggravating a ' groin injury. ; Coach Jon Gruden said the lOth-yeobtained speedy pro, in an offseason trade from the Dallas Cowboys, has a tear in his teft groin that is more serious than the BiK3 anticipated.' Galloway missed most of the preseason with a sore groin and aggravated the injury in the ' first half of Sunday's 0 loss to the Washington Redskins. ar 16-1- RICK HA VNER Associated Green Bay! Ahman Green, front, dives in for a touchdown Carolina's Aftfee Minter defends in the second quarter. Packers Continued from Cl . Carolina was also done in by its own mistakes. Two turnovers ted to 14 of Green Bay's points. Brad Hoover fumbled at the start of the second hah , giving Green Bay the ball at the Carolina 31. Although Robert Ferguson's touchdown catch was negated by offensive pass interference, the Packers stffl converted the turnover into . seven points when Green ran nearly untouched into the end zone for a 17-- 7 lead. The Panthers then put together tJieir own drive, only to turn the ball over again iust as they got into scoring position.. uemomme tnrew a pass to Smith who bobbled it twice be fore it squirted up and into Nick Barnett's hands. Green Bay took possession of the ban and handed off to Green, who steadily pounded away at Carolina's defense. Running through gaping holes ' late in the third quarter, he gamed 43 yards in the quarter then scored his third touchdown of the game on a catch at the edge of the end zone to give the Packers a 24--7 lead. .' As rusty as the Panthers kxiked so did Green Bay quar terback Brett Favre, at least at the start. 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