AROUND THE NFL : Modell May Sell Part of Ravens

Baltimore Raven owner Art Modell plans to sell up to a third of the debt-ridden team by early next year, according to the Baltimore Sun. Speculation on the price has ranged from $100 million to $150 million, but Modell said the price could be even higher.

“We’re still putting together the package,” said Modell, who plans to attract investors by February or early March. Potential buyers may be asked to make bids.

Modell plans to retain control of the franchise formerly known as the Cleveland Browns, which he acquired in 1961.

Two years ago, the Ravens completed what was then a record restructuring that required league approval. The team took on $185 million in loans and other forms of credit.

Earlier this year, the team defaulted on $55 million in loans, prompting the NFL to bail out the team. The league arranged for $85 million in credit.

Repayment is due in August 2000, but the NFL wants Modell to have investors lined up by early next year in the event he is unable to restructure his finances and the league is forced to sell the team, according to the Sun.

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Minnesota’s Randy Moss said that the Vikings don’t have that special feeling they did last year and that evidence is everywhere, from the mood in the locker room to the play on the field.

“I think it’s probably something we probably could recapture,” Moss said. “But last year, it was something special. It was something inside that knew the ’98 Minnesota Vikings were something special.

“And this year, we lost a lot of guys on defense. We have our whole offense back, [but] we lost our offensive coordinator. . . So, there’s a lot of things that we have to get used to.”

Moss’s worries stem from a lackluster exhibition season in which the Vikings looked nothing like the team that went 15-1 last season.

“It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be a struggle this year,” he said. “You know there’s a lot of high expectations this year for us to go out here and try to duplicate last season and I don’t think there’s any way possible--well, I wouldn’t say any way possible that we can do that again--but it’s going to be very hard to do.”

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Holdout Seattle receiver Joey Galloway might sit out the entire season if he is waiting for a trade, according to Coach Mike Holmgren.

“We’re not going to trade him,” Holmgren said. “I want him here. I want him to be a part of this and he knows that.”

Galloway, the team’s leading receiver in each of the last three seasons, missed all of the Seahawks’ training camp and their four exhibition games. The Seahawks open their season Sunday in the Kingdome against Detroit.

Galloway has one season left on a five-year contract for $1.6 million. He signed the contract after Seattle made him the eighth overall pick in the 1995 NFL draft.

Even if Galloway sat out this season, he would remain the property of the Seahawks.

Galloway has turned down a seven-year contract offer for $35 million, including a $7-million signing bonus. He is seeking a five-year deal worth about $25 million with a $10-million signing bonus.

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Quarterback Jake Plummer said that his sore right thumb is improving daily and he expects to start Sunday in the Arizona Cardinals’ season opener at Philadelphia.

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Kansas City Chief cornerback James Hasty, a former Pro Bowl player, was absent from practice Wednesday.

“He has some personal issues he is addressing,” said Kansas City Coach Gunther Cunningham, who also admitted that he doesn’t know when Hasty would return to the team.

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Veteran wide receiver Chris Penn signed a one-year contract with the San Diego Chargers after he was released during training camp by the Chicago Bears.