Stewart Hasn’t Punctuated His Season Yet

Week 9 and the questions:

1. What should I do with my Slash T-shirt?

2. Are the Minnesota Vikings a serious contender, or a team with an old man at quarterback ready to collapse?

3. Why do teams fine players for holding out, and then give them all the money back when they return?

4. Everybody knows Brett Favre is the leading passer and Herman Moore the leading receiver in the NFC, but who’s tops in the AFC?

5. Could you clear up the confusion surrounding last week’s upset special?

And the answers:

1. His No. 10 jersey ranks among the most popular Steelers’ merchandise sold, and a year ago he was featured in two national TV ads.

But this year Kordell Stewart is just another wide receiver.

Stewart has caught 13 passes for 197 yards with two touchdowns, but the quarterback/running back/wide receiver has been ineffective in supporting roles. He has run 18 times for only 35 yards, a 1.9-yard average and no touchdowns. He has completed only one of four passes for three yards.

“Everybody thinks the guy’s Superman,” says Chan Gailey, Pittsburgh offensive coordinator. “But he has limits too. It’s certainly not anything he has done.”

Correct: He has done nothing to help the Steelers’ cause to date.

2. No. OK, so they go 6-2 Monday night after slipping past the last gasp from the Bears, but that means quarterback Warren Moon becomes one day older.

“I’ve always been a second-half quarterback,” Moon says, and that’s when he had the ability to turn on his talent as he pleased. This is a team that managed to lose and score 10 points against the lowly New York Giants and 13 against the lowlier Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Moon’s 40th birthday is fast approaching, and the end to his career in Minnesota might coincide with the team’s last loss. “If it’s good enough, I’ll be back, and if it’s not, I won’t,” Moon said of his performance. “I’ll move on. . . . But believe me, in the end, I will have the last laugh.”

3. Tampa Bay running back Errict Rhett is back, and while most everyone in the country has lost sleep wondering if he would ever play again, of course he was going to come back because what else was he going to do? Rhett had a contract calling for him to earn $336,000, and when he didn’t show up, the Buccaneers fined him daily until he owed them his entire salary.

Yeah, right. As soon as Rhett agreed to return, the Buccaneers said don’t worry about the $480,000 in fines you owe us, that was simply tough talk for the fans, who have been buying tickets to watch a subpar team. Not only that, but after Rhett ended his 94-day holdout, the Buccaneers spent $20,000 on a $2-million insurance policy for him and agreed to pay him a $156,000 bonus if he scores seven touchdowns in the final nine games of the season.

The Buccaneers get the last laugh: Imagine having to score seven touchdowns for Tampa Bay.

4. Baltimore quarterback Vinny Testaverde and Jacksonville wide receiver Keenan McCardell, and the AFC wonders why it never wins the Super Bowl.

5. Obviously there was an editing error in last week’s upset special: The choice here was New England over Indianapolis and not the Giants over the Redskins. There’s no way anyone would have suggested the Giants beating the Redskins.

This week’s iron-clad pick--Seattle over San Diego.

Seattle’s favored? Now there’s an upset.

THE TV GAMES

* JEFF BROHM ALERT

San Francisco (5-2) at Houston (5-2), 10 a.m., Channel 11: Just how far can Steve Young limp before the 49ers fall? Can Houston running back Eddie George run against the 49er line? Will the Oilers suffer a letdown after knocking off the Pittsburgh Steelers? Will the 49ers have to revert to playing Jeff Brohm for Young?

--Say what: San Francisco wide receiver Jerry Rice needs eight catches to reach 1,000.

--Player to watch: Tight end Ted Popson. The 49ers have been without Brent Jones, but get a load of this guy: eight catches for 45 yards and a touchdown last week.

--Finally: Oilers had one 100-yard game from a back in 1994, three a year ago, and seven games into this season they already have three from George.

* BONO VS. ELWAY: HA!

Kansas City (5-2) at Denver (6-1), 1 p.m., Channel 4: The Chiefs were threatening to go wire to wire as the AFC West leaders after slipping past Denver, 17-14, earlier this season, but then they opted to keep Steve Bono at quarterback. Bono hasn’t shown any ability to win the big games, and that’s John Elway’s forte--especially in Mile High Stadium.

--Say what: Elway is gunning for his fourth consecutive 300-yard performance.

--Player to watch: Marcus Allen. He needs two rushing touchdowns to become NFL’s all-time leader, passing Walter Payton.

--Finally: Seven of the last 11 games between these teams have been decided by four points or fewer.

* THE JIMMY BOWL

Dallas (4-3) at Miami (4-3), 1 p.m., Channel 11: Has there ever been as much anticipation for a game featuring 4-3 teams? The excitement begins with pregame warmups: Does Jerry Jones shake hands with former Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson? Does Dallas Coach Barry Switzer catch the team bus in time for the game? Who wins? Who cares? The fun starts when everyone begins popping off after the game.

--Say what: Miami will be without tight end Troy Drayton (knee), and will start six rookies against the defending Super Bowl champions.

--Player to watch: Miami quarterback Dan Marino is returning after breaking his ankle and having a screw placed in his foot. Marino had no mobility to begin with and now he’s a sitting target for Charles Haley and Co.

--Finally: Do the Cowboys carry Switzer off the field on their shoulders after they win?

* TWO SHIPS PASSING . . .

Buffalo (5-2) at New England (4-3), 5 p.m., TNT: The Bills appear to be dying, while the Patriots have been gaining steam. Buffalo knocked off New England in Week 2, 17-10, but since then the Patriots’ offense has exploded for 154 points in five games. Does Jim Kelly have anything left in the tank for Buffalo?

--Say what: The Bills have been 5-2 or better for eight of the last nine seasons.

--Player to watch: Kelly. The Patriots’ defense ranks last in stopping the pass, and if Kelly is off target, the move to Todd Collins at quarterback might be unavoidable.

--Finally: Marv Levy, who is now the longest-tenured coach in the league with resignation of New Orleans’ Jim Mora, is 62-30 against the AFC East--the teams he has to beat each year.

FOOTBALL FOLLIES

New York Jets (0-8) at Arizona (3-4): The Cardinals have the chance to go .500 halfway into the season, which means there are a whole lot of bad teams in the NFL and the Cardinals have played many of them.

--Say what: The Jets are looking forward to Neil O’Donnell’s return after the bye. But why?

--Player to watch: Cardinal quarterback Kent Graham has completed 65.4% of passes in last four games, and has thrown six touchdown passes and only one interception.

--Finally: History-making Jet Coach Rich Kotite is 3-21 since taking over last season and his 3-28 mark--including losing the last seven games of 1994 with Philadelphia--ties the worst modern coaching record for 31 games. John McKay lost his first 26 with the expansion Buccaneers and was 3-28 as well.

Tampa Bay (1-6) at Green Bay (6-1): Oh, this is fair.

--Say what: Favre needs 24 touchdown passes to move past Bart Starr for Packers’ all-time mark of 153--can he do it today?

--Player to watch: Buccaneer quarterback Trent Dilfer has not had a pass intercepted in last two games; Packers have 20 interceptions.

--Finally: Buccaneers came within 32 points of upsetting the Pack at Tampa earlier this season.

Pittsburgh (5-2) at Atlanta (0-7): Jerome Bettis against Morten Andersen.

--Say what: Pittsburgh quarterback Mike Tomczak is 10-3 as a starter in last 13 games.

--Player to watch: Bobby Hebert. When does he yell at June Jones for forcing him to replace Jeff George?

--Finally: The Steelers’ defense has permitted seven touchdowns in last six games, while scoring four.

St. Louis (2-5) at Baltimore (2-5): Two cities that are overjoyed to have football back.

--Say what: The Rams are consistent--they rank No. 30 passing the ball, No. 30 running the ball, and No. 30 overall on offense.

--Player to watch: St. Louis quarterback Tony Banks. Watch how many incomplete passes he throws.

--Finally: Lawrence Phillips or Jerome Bettis? Tough choice.

New York Giants (2-5) at Detroit (4-3): The Giants lost their best cornerback, Phillippi Sparks, and the Lions will come out throwing. Giants trailed, 28-0, at halftime a week ago and they had Sparks.

--Say what: Giants’ defense has not given up a passing touchdown in four consecutive games.

--Player to watch: Giant running back Rodney Hampton has 47 rushing touchdowns, one short of all-time leader Joe Morris.

--Finally: Detroit has won 15 of 16 in the Silverdome.

THE EQUALIZER

San Diego (4-3) at Seattle (2-5): Take away starting quarterback Stan Humphries (shoulder) and linebacker Junior Seau (knee) and the Chargers are the Seattle Seahawks.

--Say what: Sean Salisbury started in place of Warren Moon while in Minnesota against the Chargers, who started John Friesz. Now he starts for San Diego against John Friesz.

--Player to watch: San Diego wide receiver Tony Martin has four touchdowns in last five games with Seattle, but that was with Humphries throwing the ball.

--Finally: Seahawks play four of next five in Kingdome, and won’t the people of Seattle be happy.

Jacksonville (3-5) at Cincinnati (1-6): The Jaguars are loaded on offense and wide receiver Andre Rison guaranteed a win this week, but the Bengals now have Bruce Coslet as their coach, and he promises to go 2-6.

--Say what: Coslet was 26-39 as coach of the Jets.

--Player to watch: Jaguar quarterback Mark Brunell is coming off a five-interception game.

--Finally: Last four Bengal losses have come by total of 24 points.

POOR MAN’S SUPER BOWL

Indianapolis (5-2) at Washington (6-1): How would the TV networks like this matchup in the Super Bowl? By then a beaten-up Jim Harbaugh will be in the hospital and all the hype will have to surround Gus Frerotte.

--Say what: Harbaugh has a broken nose. He will wear a shield, and duck next time.

--Player to watch: Washington wide receiver Michael Westbrook, sidelined four of six games because of knee injury, is back and gives Redskins a deep threat.

--Finally: The Redskins have NFL-record 225 consecutive sellouts at RFK Stadium.

HANGING TOUGH

Carolina (5-2) at Philadelphia (5-2): The Panthers refuse to buckle, and the Eagles, despite losing quarterback Rodney Peete for the season, remain in contention.

--Say what: Eagle quarterback Ty Detmer had one touchdown pass in his first four years in league; he had four last week.

--Player to watch: Panthers’ defense ranks No. 13 against run, and Ricky Watters will be running for Philadelphia. Eagles are 8-0 when Watters runs for 100 yards or more.

--Finally: Detmer’s 38-yard touchdown pass to Irving Fryar last week was longest of his pro career.