Frontiere and Rams May Finally Be in Mood for a San Francisco Getaway

A review of Week 8 in the NFL, and after 16 consecutive losses to the 49ers, when it comes to talking realignment today at the owners’ meetings in Kansas City, Georgia Frontiere might ask to move again.

Frontiere, of course, does not attend owners’ meetings as a rule, because of her busy football schedule, but her advisors should be urging her to lobby for a shift to the NFC East to avoid San Francisco.

There are just so many better shopping opportunities in New York, Dallas and Washington.

Living Right

Denver’s referendum to provide more than $260 million in public money to the Broncos for a new stadium to replace Mile High is scheduled a week from today.

If you can’t sway public opinion with a Super Bowl win followed by a 7-0 start. . . . A year ago, before the Broncos went to the Super Bowl, polls indicated the referendum would fail 58-38; last week polls indicated a complete flip-flop.

The Broncos have 20 years remaining on their Mile High lease, but are looking for a new stadium, in part because owner Pat Bowlen sold the rights to new luxury boxes in Mile High to Denver for an immediate cash payout. NFL owners do not share revenues from luxury boxes among themselves--the richest owners having the best luxury boxes in their stadiums.

Denver vs. Minnesota

Final score--48-47, and who cares who wins?

The explosive Vikings, who have scored 241 points in seven games, are 5-0 in their own division, already giving them a decisive edge on Green Bay, which is 2-2, for the NFC Central title. Minnesota’s remaining opponents are a combined 31-33. The Packers’ opponents are 33-31, and one of them is the Vikings at the Metrodome.

The Broncos, who have piled up 240 points in seven games, have only two speed bumps remaining before a potential blockbuster date in Miami a week before the end of the regular season.

There still are nine regular-season games to play, but the Rocky Mountain News was already writing about the chances for a perfect season after Denver’s waltz past Jacksonville.

Denver must still play Kansas City twice, but how can anyone think the Chiefs can outscore the Broncos? The only other team remaining on their schedule with a quality defense is Miami, and if Denver plays the Dolphins at 14-0 with a chance to match Miami’s 1972 perfect season--that’s only part of the great theater.

It will also probably be the last time Dan Marino and John Elway play in the same game and, by an odd quirk of fate, only the second time in their careers that they gone against each other.

History note for Bronco fans: The 1985 Chicago Bears went into Miami with a chance to go undefeated, and lost.

Most Remarkable Records

* Tampa Bay’s 3-4 record after last year’s rise from nowhere indicates Lazarus has expired for good.

* Oakland’s 5-2 start with Donald Hollas, a quarterback once cut by an Arena League team.

* St. Louis’ 2-5 mark, a tribute to consistent ineptitude at the highest level.

Big Deal

* The Charger defense has limited its last four opponents to an average of 41 yards rushing. That keeps them from losing by more.

* The Jaguars added sack specialist Bryce Paup after tying for sixth in the league a year ago with 48 sacks. They may want to reconsider, now that they have 11 sacks in seven games.

* New England was 4-1 two weeks ago. New England is 4-3 now, 1-2 in the AFC East after two straight division losses, while the Jets, 3-0; Dolphins, 3-1, and Bills, 1-1, all have better tie-breaking division records.

It’s a Stretch, but . . .

Jet Coach Bill Parcells is looking smart again, a difficult task, considering his arrogance and stubbornness, but his team is winning because of his off-season deal for Patriot running back Curtis Martin. Martin has had four consecutive 100-yard games. He had nine of them for the Patriots in 1995, when Parcells was coaching New England and the Patriots went to the Super Bowl.

“I said at the beginning of the year, when you have a back rush for 100 yards, you’re going to win 70% of the time,” Parcells said.

Now why hasn’t Carolina’s Dom Capers figured that out?

He Had Only to Ask

“If someone told me we’d be 2-5 at this point of the season, I would have laughed,” Lion defensive tackle Luther Elliss said.

Look at the coaches who panicked early at the quarterback position: Detroit, Washington, Philadelphia and Baltimore. They are a collective 5-23.

Stats to Ponder

* The Jets end a losing streak at 11 games against NFC West teams. How do you lose 11 games in a row against the likes of the Saints, Falcons, Panthers and Rams?

* Baltimore quarterback Eric Zeier completed eight of 19 passes for 34 yards--an average of 1.78 yards--while also being sacked four times. And he beat out Jim Harbaugh to start for the Ravens.

* Cincinnati quarterback Neil O’Donnell did not throw an interception and completed 16 of 26 passes. Sounds great, but he threw for only 137 yards, and his team scored one touchdown.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not

Minnesota Coach Dennis Green insists he will start Brad Johnson as soon as he’s healthy, in place of red-hot Randall Cunningham. Look for Johnson to develop symptoms of bubonic plague.

Buffalo Coach Wade Phillips insists he will start Rob Johnson as soon as he’s healthy, in place of red-hot Doug Flutie. Look for Johnson to be roped tight into a barrel and sent over Niagara Falls.

St. Louis Coach Dick Vermeil insists that quarterback Tony Banks, criticized throughout his stay with the Rams for being lazy, and having ditched a team plane and meeting on his girlfriend’s birthday, will only get better if allowed to play. Look for Vermeil to get cut before Banks.

On a Roll

New Orleans Coach Mike Ditka wanted to work Kerry Collins into the game against Tampa Bay, and you would too if you had Billy Joe Tolliver as your starting quarterback. He wanted to get Collins some playing time, then start him this Sunday at Carolina, where Collins was labeled a quitter.

But the Saints won, and although New Orleans only scored three field goals, Tolliver threw for 216 yards and did not turn over the ball.

And how ‘bout those Saints, who have started Billy Joe Hobert, Danny Wuerffel and now Tolliver at quarterback, with the expectation that Collins will eventually play? The Saints have won four games--maybe the most staggering statistic of the season to date.