Odds of This Occurrence: Millennium to One

A review of Week 2 in the NFL, and league statisticians are still checking to see if it was a millennium first--Minnesota, Green Bay and Denver losing on the same day that Detroit, Oakland and San Diego won.

A spokesman for the NFL said it would take another day for the Elias Sports Bureau to research the oddity.

No matter. Congrats to the Lions for showing they can win without Barry Sanders.

And to the Chargers and Raiders for proving that on any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team.

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MENTIONING THE LIONS . . .

Sanders wanted to go to a winner, and since he has left, his team has become one. More than that, for the first time since 1975--and never while Sanders was running with the ball--the Lions sold out their home opener.

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AND THE RAIDERS . . .

During a golf outing with Raider Coach Jon Gruden in the off-season, Rich Gannon’s name came up. One person, who apparently isn’t always right, suggested that Gannon was as stiff as an unarmed cannon.

Gruden took exception, suggesting that Gannon would not only run the Raider offense effectively, but capture the fancy of his teammates.

Gruden was right. First known time, though, for a Raider coach.

In two of the toughest games imaginable for a team with no offense and no recent tradition of winning, and on the road for both, Gannon has kept his team in position to win. Add to that the effective leadership of Gruden, and the Raiders might be back. Relax Los Angeles, that’s back in the sense of being competitive.

A 1-1 start against Green Bay and Minnesota is heady stuff. And significant, considering the unimpressive starts for Denver and Seattle. And the Athletics’ inability to overtake the Red Sox in the American League wild-card race leaves the Raiders’ game with the Broncos at home Oct. 10.

Doesn’t matter, of course, if the Raiders go belly-up against the Bears on Sunday.

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AND THE CHARGERS . . .

Didn’t know so many people were computer literate in San Diego. But the e-mail and gloating were flowing moments after the last play in Sunday’s unbelievable, shocking, it had to be a fluke victory over the Bengals.

Mark it down: Looks like a preview of the Super Bowl come Oct. 10 when the Chargers play the Lions, and their former field general, Bobby Ross, in a battle of unbeatens at Detroit.

Then again, the balloons should have burst by then.

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TAKE YOUR PICK

You have one game to lose, who would you pick? Trent Dilfer or Scott Mitchell?

Dilfer’s team won, but his grasp on the starting job is no tighter after completing seven of 14 passes for 89 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Allowing Dilfer to even throw 14 passes was probably painful for Coach Tony Dungy.

Mitchell, a stirring 17 for 40 in the Ravens’ opener, came right back with a seven-for-16 performance for 48 yards with two interceptions before being jerked for Stoney Case.

That’s two years in succession now that Mitchell has been listed as a dead man after the second game of the season. Last year in Detroit, Ross went the rest of the way with Charlie Batch at the throttle.

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ANYONE REMEMBER HIS SONGS?

Fabien stole the show in Chicago, Fabien Bownes, catching a 49-yard touchdown pass to lift the Seahawks over the team that cut Bownes after the final exhibition game. Too bad Kansas City didn’t claim him. Elvis could have been throwing to Fabien.

P.S. Glenn Foley, who threw the Seattle “bomb,” had never completed a pass as deep as that in his NFL career--topping his career-best of 35 yards two years ago. Against the Bears.

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IT’S A 30-MINUTE GAME

Everywhere else, it’s a 60-minute game. Not in Seattle. Or Indianapolis.

The Seahawks ran 26 offensive plays and had 27 yards at halftime against the Bears. Then Coach Mike Holmgren must have said something pretty enlightening because Seattle went out and ran up 316 yards in offense to win.

Meanwhile, Coach Jim Mora’s pep talk lasted for only the first 30 minutes of the game as the Colts ran off to a 21-point lead with 265 yards. Then the offense died, picking up only 79 yards the second half of a 31-28 loss to New England.

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DILFER-IZED

The Giant defense, still giddy after holding Dilfer and his Tampa Bay offense to 13 points last week, was blasted by the Redskins for six touchdowns with 11 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

It had been 502 games since a Giant defense had been so roughed up, prompting New York Coach Jim Fassell to really let his kids have it.

“That was a disgrace,” he said. “Don’t let that ever, ever happen again.”

Yes, Dad.

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THEY SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS

1. Arizona quarterback Jake Plummer: “I made a few bonehead throws.”

Four of Plummer’s passes were intercepted. That’s a lot of bonehead throws.

2. Kansas City’s Gunther Cunningham, after winning his first game as a head coach: “I want the guy driving the truck to love us.”

What truck?

3. Who knows what former Carolina coach Dom Capers might have said after beating his old team. Capers, now defensive coordinator for Jacksonville, was not allowed to speak by Coach Tom Coughlin.

As a reward, he will get a hall pass today to get lunch.

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JUST THE FACTS

New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe threw 45 passes without one being intercepted. . . . Running back Lawrence Phillips has five carries for 10 yards in two games to bolster the 49er ground game. . . . The Chiefs ran for 111 yards in the fourth quarter against the Broncos, although everyone in the stadium knew Cunningham wasn’t going to risk Elvis Grbac throwing the game away.

Doug Flutie has a 12-1 record as a starter when playing at home. . . . Rookie running back Edgerrin James has gained 230 yards for the Colts, while Ricky Williams has 120 for the Saints, with a sore ankle and a sore elbow. James, however, fumbled, setting up the Patriots’ winning score. . . . The Bengals have opened the season 0-2 five times in the ‘90s, putting a damper on playoff talk before September is over.

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AND FINALLY

The Vikings, who averaged 34.7 points a game last season, have scored 34 in two games.

“It’s going to be a tough year for us,” quarterback Randall Cunningham said.

Losing to the Raiders will do that to a team.