SPOTLIGHT / A GLANCE AT THIS WEEK IN THE NFL

WEEKLY DAVID SHULA UPDATE

His father just broke the record for most career victories. Will Cincinnati Coach David Shula break the record for most career losses?

Shula’s Bengals lost again Sunday, and are 0-9 for the first time in the franchise’s 26-year history. Add that to the 11 games he lost last year, and David Shula has 20 career losses in 25 games, a nice jump on Tom Landry’s record for career losses: 178. At the pace he’s at, David Shula would take a little more than 12 years to break the record.

By the way, in 31 seasons, Don Shula has 153 losses (ranking him second all-time) to go with his 325 victories.

“Well, I know that we’re the worst team in Bengal history, and we certainly deserve it at this time,” David Shula said.

“This was the worst performance that we’ve had. They let themselves down, everybody down.”

Some Bengal players, though, weren’t taking to his comments kindly.

Shula benched Harold Green, the club’s leading rusher last season, after the running back missed an audible and caused a fumble in the first quarter. Green was angry about the benching and criticized Shula.

“I guess Dave was quoted after the game about this being the worst team in Bengals history,” Green said. “That may be touching closer to home to him being the worst coach in Bengals history. What goes around comes around.”

PASSING FANCY

Memo to the Washington Redskins: Dave Meggett can pass the ball.

It’s a little late, though, since Meggett threw a touchdown on a halfback-option against the Redskins Sunday for the second time this season--both in easy Giant victories.

“I’ve been in the league five years doing the same thing and it sort of gets boring,” said Meggett, who came into the game with a 158.3 rating based on his one passing attempt this season.

“Dan Reeves gives me opportunities to make plays, fun type of plays like that. We don’t get a chance to do that every day.”

On the play Sunday, which put New York ahead, 7-0, Meggett lined up in the slot to the left, went in motion and took a handoff from the Washington 21 and found Chris Calloway in the right corner of the end zone.

PREGAME SHIVERS

Aikman’s streak of 27 consecutive starts for the Cowboys was halted when Garrett got the nod against the Phoenix Cardinals with Aikman still suffering hamstring problems.

But he started a new one streak: Games receiving a kiss from the singer of the national anthem.

Aikman was in street clothes, but drew cheers from the sellout crowd when he and friend Lorrie Morgan kissed after the country music star sang the national anthem.

BITS AND PIECES

Gary Brown’s 166 yards rushing against the Bengals were the most by an Oiler runner since Earl Campbell had 186 against Seattle in 1981. Brown, subbing for the injured Lorenzo White, entered the game with 282 yards rushing in his career.

Tampa Bay Buccaneer Owner Hugh Culverhouse, 74, was resting at home Sunday after experiencing difficulty in passing a kidney stone before the Bucs-San Francisco 49ers game. Culverhouse, who also is battling cancer, was treated by team physician Joe Diaco at Tampa Stadium.

Their victory over the Indianapolis Colts was the New York Jets’ third in a row, the team’s longest winning streak since 1988 and longest under Coach Bruce Coslet.

Buccaneer offensive tackle Paul Gruber missed his first game due to injury in six seasons with a groin injury when he sat out the team’s game gainst the 49ers. Scott Dill moved into Gruber’s left tackle spot and Rob Taylor, celebrating his 33rd birthday, made the 90th start of his career for Tampa Bay in Dill’s right tackle spot.

Houston quarterback Warren Moon bruised his left (non-passing) arm in the third quarter, but the team said he could have finished the Oilers’ 38-3 victory over Cincinnati if needed.

Ominous news for Bugel and the Cardinal front office: With their record at 3-7 after Sunday’s loss, the Cardinals must win their final six games in order to meet owner Bill Bidwill’s stipulation that the team have a winning season in order to avoid major changes.

FUTURE TALK

We don’t mean to be rude or premature, but let’s face reality: the Rams’ post-T.J. Rubley era has arrived, and it is time to move on.

Rubley got his shot a few weeks ago, and it was a performance shaky enough to cause the return this Sunday of the quarterback of the past, Jim Everett.

And does anybody--Coach Chuck Knox, those 30,000-plus fans at Anaheim Stadium Sunday, his teammates--really think a beaten, bedraggled, 30-year-old Everett is the man to lead the Rams into the mid-1990s?

So, we think it’s time to take stock and move beyond their quarterbacking status woe. Here’s what the Rams’ future at quarterback could be . . .

Guys they could sign right now:

Todd Marinovich--He’s tanned, rested, and, well, we think he knows how to get to Anaheim Stadium.

Doug Flutie--How many Canadian Football League championships has Everett ever won?

Hugh Millen--Former backup Ram heartthrob was beaten out by Jason Garrett in Dallas. He’d probably start for the Rams.

Guys they could have had if they were paying attention:

Bernie Kosar (Dallas)--Days after Troy Aikman gets hurt, Dallas signs Kosar, who throws a touchdown pass on his first drive. Everett’s been shaky for years. Get the point?

Wade Wilson (New Orleans), Bobby Hebert (Atlanta), Jeff Hostetler (Raiders)--All three were free agents in the off-season. OK, so their teams all lost Sunday, but at least they scored points.

Guys they could get at the end of the season:

Chris Miller (Atlanta)--Will be a free agent at the end of the year, and after blowing out his knee twice on Atlanta’s artificial surface, wants to play for a West Coast team that has a grass surface and whose nickname rhymes with slams . Actually, just kidding on that last one.

Scott Mitchell (Miami)--He’s a free agent at the end of the year, too.

Dave Krieg (Kansas City)--Knox had him for years in Seattle, though we aren’t sure if that’s a plus or a minus.

Jeff George (Indianapolis)--The Colts are tired of him, he has Big Ten credentials, was acquired in a post-draft trade, has a big arm but questionable leadership abilities . . . is this guy the next Everett, or what?

NEW ORLEANS, OLD STORY

The New Orleans Saints, as is their recent custom, bolted off to a 5-0 start this year, drawing raves and making plans for a Super Bowl trip.

In 1992, the Saints jumped to a 7-2 record, slowed down in the second half, finished 12-4 and lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the playoffs.

In 1991, they were 7-0 before they started going backward. They finished 11-5 and lost in the first round to the Falcons. Back in 1988, they were 7-1, then came in at 10-6 and did not make the playoffs.

With Sunday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, New Orleans has lost three of four, and have given up their early two-game division lead to the 49ers, who won and are also 6-3.

The Saints lost this one when their defense couldn’t protect a one-point lead late in the game.

“That’s the kind of game I love,” Saints linebacker Rickey Jackson said. “It was up to the defense to win it. We knew it and we just didn’t get it done.”

DIMINISHING RETURNS

So far, so bad.

If Cleveland fans called for his firing--and worse--a few days ago, what will happen to Cleveland Coach Bill Belichick now that Bernie Kosar is 1-0 and the Browns 0-1 since the bitter breakup?

Belichick released Kosar last week, saying that, among other things, the nine-year veteran’s skills were “diminishing,” and turned the starting job over to Todd Philcox, who had one career NFL start under his belt.

With only four days of practice after his release by the Cleveland Browns and acquisition by the Dallas Cowboys, Kosar completed 13 of 21 passes for 199 yards to lead Dallas to a 21-15 victory over the Cardinals.

Included in Kosar’s day was an 86-yard completion to Emmitt Smith, the fifth-longest in Cowboy history.

“I think Bernie Kosar is one heckuva player,” Phoenix Coach Joe Bugel said. “He’s a tremendous quarterback with a great supporting cast.”

Meanwhile, Philcox, threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles in the first half as the mistake-prone Browns failed to score a touchdown in a 22-5 loss to Seattle.

Philcox is 1-1 as an NFL starter. He was a winner in last season when he started against the Raiders, winning, 28-16. Philcox was 10-for-20 for 200 yards in the game and threw three touchdowns.