PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Cunningham Keeps His Starting Job

A day after he hinted he might bench Randall Cunningham, Philadelphia Eagle Coach Rich Kotite said no change would be made for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh.

Cunningham was stung by what the coach said.

“I basically told him I can’t play looking over my shoulder,” he said. “If I’ve got to look over my shoulder, he should just start another quarterback right now.”

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The NFL’s free agency system was given the blessing of a federal court in St. Louis.

The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected an appeal by 26 players and upheld a federal judge’s approval last year of a legal settlement that created the system.

U.S. District Judge David Doty in Minneapolis had ruled that the labor agreement announced in January 1993 was “fair, reasonable and adequate” to the players.

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Coach George Seifert admitted he made a mistake by going for the two-point conversion with the San Francisco 49ers leading the Atlanta Falcons, 40-14. The 49ers eventually won, 50-14, for their league-best eighth victory in a row.

Several Atlanta players complained the 49ers were rubbing it in and specifically cited the two-point conversion play, which failed.

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The Green Bay Packers placed defensive tackle Gilbert Brown on injured reserve after he hurt his knee against Detroit.

They also placed running back Darrell Thompson on waivers and signed linebacker Ruffin Hamilton and defensive end Tommy Fagan off the practice squad to fill the active roster spots.