It’s Bottoms Up Heading Into Week 15

A review of Week 14 in the NFL, and from New Orleans and Atlanta, stirring advice for the children of America: All things are possible even when you have no talent and everyone calls you a crumb-dumb.

The Saints and Falcons not only have 10 wins between them, but each team is favored to win again this weekend.

Creative Incentive

In Kansas City, defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham noticed that the program for Sunday’s game with the 49ers featured San Francisco’s defensive line on the cover. So Cunningham took boxes and boxes of the programs and threw them in front of the lockers occupied by the Chief offensive line, which reacted in anger, tearing up the programs and then shredding the 49er defensive line.

In New York, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers sat as a group, watching a glowing TV feature on the Giant defense before their game, and got upset, contributing significantly, as Coach Tony Dungy said later, to their win.

“Kind of amps you up, seeing that,” Tampa Bay defender Warren Sapp said. “It’s like they’re the best defense since sliced bread. What are we? Scraps?”

Here It Is

This just in from New Orleans Coach Mike Ditka: “Last week was last week. This week is this week.”

With that understanding and insight, we can now dismiss last week’s threat to quit, and evaluate the impact it had on the Saints this week.

“I know what effect it had one me,” Saint quarterback Billy Joe Hobert said. “I knew he was full [of it]. A guy with his attitude about football and life wouldn’t quit anything.”

Ditka’s off-and-on love affair with his team, however, is beginning to wear thin with the troops. He has had four confrontations with players that required intervention, including a run-in with offensive tackle Clarence Jones that reportedly turned so ugly it had Jones’ teammates challenging Ditka’s sanity.

Asked if Ditka might be thinking about not coming back, defensive end Joe Johnson said, “I don’t know what he’s thinking. Maybe it won’t be so, but maybe he has to move on.”

Norv Turnoff

It’s unclear what blackmail material Norv Turner has on Redskin management, but Turner, who won a contract extension before the season despite an 18-30 record, continues to flop.

A year ago, the Redskins raced to a 7-1 mark, then missed the playoffs.

This season, Washington has had the opportunity to run off with the NFC East Division title, only to falter down the stretch. The Redskins lost three weeks ago in Dallas, after having the Cowboys beaten; tied the punchless Giants at home, then tumbled to the bumbling Rams at home.

Now comes word that quarterback Gus Frerotte is out for the rest of the season because of a broken hip. That’s the good news for Washington’s offense, which will be turned over to Jeff Hostetler. But Washington also will be without running back Terry Allen, who has an ankle injury, for the rest of the regular season.

Blundernapolis

How does a team lose 12 of its first 13 games?

The Indianapolis Colts had the ball at the Patriot 19-yard line with 1:04 left in the first half, and quarterback Jim Harbaugh tried to pull New England offside with a long snap count.

New England held its ground and the Colts were penalized five yards for delaying the game. That forced Chris Gardocki to kick from 42 yards on a field-goal try. He missed, New England took possession and went down the field for a field goal of its own, then went on to win by three points.

You say those things can happen? The Colts had a timeout and didn’t need to be penalized. And not only could they have gone for a first down, they could have run down the clock to keep New England from getting the ball back.

“I just forgot about [the timeout],” said an embarrassed Harbaugh.

Peyton Manning won’t make that mistake next season.

Big Foot

The Baltimore Ravens had moved to within two points of the Jacksonville Jaguars with 1:10 remaining, and Eric Zeier, in for the injured Vinny Testaverde, called for a quarterback draw in an attempt to tie the score.

The left side of the Raven line cleared a path for Zeier, who cut that way, only to trip over the leg of teammate Jonathan Ogden and fall a yard shy of the end zone.

NFL officials said Ogden does not get credit for a tackle.

Three Teams To Watch

1. New England--Tied for first with games against Jacksonville, Pittsburgh and Miami remaining. That’s some tiebreaker.

2. Dallas--The Cowboys are dead, they just don’t know it.

3. Philadelphia--Coach Ray Rhodes went back and forth between Ty Detmer and Rodney Peete, although he told everyone privately that he thought Bobby Hoying was the team’s best quarterback. Too bad he didn’t go with what he thought earlier. Hoying has started three games, won two, tied the other and the Eagles are still in the hunt for the playoffs.

If the Planets Are Aligned

It has been a foregone conclusion that the Denver Broncos will win the AFC West title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, but not so fast.

If Pittsburgh beats Denver on Sunday and the Chiefs defeat the Raiders, Kansas City is in first place by virtue of a better division record.

Statistics To Ponder

After playing for the Raiders and Bills, it took a trip to New Orleans for Hobert to record the first victory of his six-year NFL career as a starting quarterback. . . . Atlanta did not gain a first down in the second half against Seattle and rolled up a total of 29 yards. And won. . . . Dave Brown anyone? The Danny Kanell Giants have scored three touchdowns in the last four games. . . . Time for San Diego Coach Kevin Gilbride to open practices and ask the media for advice. The Chargers have lost five in a row, for the first time since 1991, and word around the league is that many of the players now ridicule Gilbride for appearing lost and disorganized.

No Kidding

And now, this enlightenment from Raider safety Lorenzo Lynch: “I can see nobody fears us anymore. They figure they can come in here and punch us in the mouth and we’re not going to punch back.”