HI, EVERYBODY . . . HI, DR. NICK

San Francisco quarterback Steve Young sustained a concussion on the third play against the Houston Oilers and the team announced J.J. Stokes will be out for the season. . . . Green Bay receiver Antonio Freeman broke his left forearm in the first quarter when he was hit by Tampa Bay safety Melvin Johnson on a slant near the goal line. Freeman will sit out up to six weeks. . . . Giant linebacker Corey Widmer left in the second half because of a bruised chest and did not return. . . . A pileup on an onside kick cost the Jacksonville Jaguars cornerback Dave Thomas (broken left leg) and safety Dana Hall (sprained lower back). Thomas will have surgery today in Cincinnati. . . . Philadelphia’s Rhett Hall sprained his right knee, wide receiver Chris T. Jones sprained his left ankle and offensive tackle Richard Cooper strained his groin. For the Panthers, tight end Wesley Walls sprained his right knee. . . . Baltimore linebackers Craig Powell (right shoulder) and Mike Croel (left knee) and defensive ends Anthony Pleasant (right ankle) and Mike Frederick (neck) will be examined today. Also, offensive tackle Orlando Brown sprained his right knee. Injuries for the Rams included linebacker Antonio Goss (Achilles’ tendon), tight end Ernie Conwell (bruised knee) and safety Keith Lyle (concussion). . . . Dallas tight end Eric Bjornson sprained his left ankle while scoring a third-quarter touchdown. Although X-rays proved negative, Bjornson sat out the rest of the game against Miami. . . . For the Chiefs, defensive tackle Dan Saleaumua suffered a sprained right ankle. Denver cornerback Lionel Washington suffered a sprained left knee.

THEM BOOTS ARE

MADE FOR WALKING

Arizona’s Seth Joyner and Michael Bankston stopped Jet running back Adrian Murrell after a two-yard gain in the first quarter, and then a routine play turned ugly.

Murrell, before returning to the huddle, stepped on Joyner’s chest as he was trying to get up.

“He had the opportunity to step over him and he chose to step on his chest,” Bankston said. “I mean, what man would let another man step on him like that? Would you?”

Joyner jumped to his feet and went after Murrell, drawing a flag and an ejection for unnecessary roughness. Then Joyner threw his helmet, drawing another 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct.

Murrell, despite not drawing a flag, did not get off completely.

“I think I was throwing more punches on him than Seth was,” Bankston said.

JUST TO BE DIFFERENT

. . . “GO FALCONS.”

Atlanta’s 20-17 loss to Pittsburgh appeared to please the crowd at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. It seems the local fans, perhaps still smarting from the Braves’ World Series flop, weren’t yet ready to root for the home team.

The crowd of 58,760--the Falcons’ largest of the season--cheered mostly for the Steelers. When the Pittsburgh players came out before the contest, “Terrible Towels,” were twirling, and chants of “defense, defense, defense,” filled the dome when Atlanta had the ball.

In contrast, the Falcons were booed when they finished pregame workouts.

“I have never been where the visiting team was cheered louder than the home team,” said Pittsburgh’s Andre Hastings.

Said Steeler Charles Johnson: “I couldn’t tell if I was in Atlanta or Pittsburgh. It’s nice to play an away game and still have the home-crowd advantage.”

WE STILL HAVE THOSE

GUTTY PIRANHAS

This just in from the teams moving/new stadiums department:

The Nashville-bound Oilers will play next season in Houston and the following year in Tennessee, owner Bud Adams said. Adams said he would not try to buy out the last year of his Astrodome lease because it would have to be approved by Mayor Bob Lanier, Harris County Judge Robert Eckels and Astrodome USA owner Drayton McLane Jr. Lanier has said he would veto the deal.

In Detroit, if Wayne County voters approve a proposed domed stadium for the Lions, the NFL will stage a Super Bowl there, Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said. It would be one or two years of the opening of the stadium in downtown Detroit.

“I’m confident when the time comes to pick a date and pick a year, this event will come,” Tagliabue said.

As for the Southland . . . Arena Football starts in May.

WE HAD A PRAYER

OF A DIFFERENT SORT

The action in the Miami-Dallas game started well before the opening kickoff. You could almost hear the local radio/television broadcasters giving the play-by-play of the meeting between Jimmy Johnson and Jerry Jones.

Johnson near the 40 . . . he picks his way through a few reporters and players. . . The crowd is getting think now as Johnson drifts toward midfield, he stays composed, slicks down the hair. He eyes Jones, Johnson leans, extends his hand . . . YES THERE IT IS.

Actually, the Jimmy-Jerry confrontation was not the most cheered act before the game. The biggest stir came with the invocation, by Pastor Dr. Lee Drake of Broward Community Chapel, who noted the return of Miami quarterback Dan Marino after he sat out four games because of a broken ankle.

“We thank you, Lord, for a healthy Dan Marino,” he said. “We hope when the final whistle blows, it will herald a Dolphins victory.”

And we are thankful that these teams are very unlikely to play again this season.

FOLKS AT BEST BUY

ARE SO HAPPY

Tony McCoy was back playing for the Indianapolis Colts against the Washington Redskins, only two weeks after the defensive lineman suffered tendon damage in an ankle.

The reason? A freezer.

McCoy, traditionally a fast healer, attributes his latest quick fix to a freezer that he bought to fill with ice.

“Everybody asks, ‘Buddha, what’s your secret?,’ ” said McCoy, who missed only one game in 1994 after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery.

“I go home and pray hard and do what I have to do to get myself well. A lot of people just get their treatment and when they go home they don’t take care of themselves.”

HE LIKES EXTRA

CHEESE ON THOSE

First Lady Hilary Rodham Clinton was a guest of Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell against Carolina. Clinton arrived at the start of the third quarter and was given an Eagle jacket and sweatsuit by team owner Jeffrey Lurie.

She left before the game ended, and there is no word on whether she picked up a Philly cheese-steak sandwich for Bill Clinton, who has been known to indulge in a greasy sandwich or two in his time.

--Compiled by GEORGE DOHRMANN