Take a Pass on Strategy With Gannon at Helm

WEST The Chiefs had the lead on the Broncos, and veteran Marty Schottenheimer watchers would have expected him to run the ball. But Schottenheimer had Rich Gannon throwing.

“Our intention is to try and throw the football,” Schottenheimer said. “We have changed. My philosophy has changed. We’ve all seen that having the best defense, winning the giveaway-takeaway [differential] can produce a lot of victories in the regular season, but you don’t get it done in the [playoffs] because you don’t score enough points.”

Schottenheimer lost, of course, but as supporting evidence, it should be noted that the NFL’s top seven passing teams--the 49ers, Vikings, Packers, Jets, Patriots, Broncos and Cowboys--are division leaders or playoff contenders.

“If you look at the teams that win and score a lot of points, what do they do?” Schottenheimer asked. “They throw it. Denver’s averaging over 6.5 yards a first-down play. They’re throwing the ball and getting the yards in chunks. The Minnesota Vikings are throwing the ball. That’s how you score points in this league.”

You don’t throw it, though, with Gannon at quarterback.

Lots of yuks around the Raiders these days. After Wade Wilson, 39, took all the snaps in practice as the team’s projected quarterback starter, Coach Jon Gruden said, “The players had a good time with Wade today. They were calling him George Blanda.”

A good time was had by all.

CENTRAL / Marching Orders Could Await Marchibroda Before the season began, Baltimore owner Art Modell promised an “elite” team that would demonstrate “considerable progress.” But now, the Ravens’ only hope is to finish .500, while awaiting official word that Coach Ted Marchibroda has been fired.

“We should have been better this year and it comes down to winning games,” Raven kicker Matt Stover said. “That shows progress. It’s all about performance. We have the talent on this team to win games, but for some reason or another, we just haven’t gotten it done as a team. . . . You put up or shut up. That’s just my opinion, but it’s up to the owner and management to decide whether Ted returns or not.”

Raven defensive end Michael McCrary said, “There has been progress made, but not according to our record and that’s the only thing that counts. . . . Whether Ted returns or not, I don’t even think about that stuff.”

Not exactly a vote of confidence.

The Bengals fired punter Lee Johnson because of his poor performance, they said, adding it had nothing to do with his outburst a day earlier criticizing team management. Then they fined him his final paycheck--$20,588.24--for conduct detrimental to the team.

“[The fine] just gives more evidence for what I thought all along,” Johnson said. “I got fired for what I said.”

EAST / Slow Start Didn’t Leave the Bills Shortchanged The comeback Bills, 0-3 to start the season, can clinch a playoff position this week if they beat the Raiders (that should be easy), Tennessee loses at Jacksonville (it figures) and Pittsburgh loses at Tampa Bay (wouldn’t be a surprise).

If successful, it will mark only the third time in NFL history, not including strike seasons, that a team has started 0-3 and gone on to make the playoffs. Detroit did it in 1995, going on to a 10-6 finish; the Jets did so in 1981, ending up with a 10-5-1 record, and San Diego opened 1992 at 0-4, but wound up winning the AFC West title with an 11-5 finish.

Since becoming Boston College’s No. 1 quarterback five games into his freshman season, Buffalo’s Doug Flutie has started 197 regular-season games. He has an overall record of 149-47-1 in those games and is 86-13 when he starts at home. In the last 18 years, Flutie has lost on his home field 13 times and only three times in the last seven seasons.