Mood Too Bleak for Colorful Ads

The TV commercial begins with Tennessee running back Eddie George waking up and pulling on his jersey. It cuts to a Titan fan pulling on a George jersey of his own. The player slaps hands with teammates before a game; the fan slaps hands with his buddies at the front door. George cuts around defenders on his way to the end zone; the fan weaves his way to the couch. And so on. A slogan flashes on the screen: “This is what it’s all about.”

You might have seen the commercial during the NFL’s Week 1 games. Chances are you won’t see it again.

The league shelved the ad campaign in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks because, frankly, most people are not in the mood for humorous commercials and slogans such as “this is what it’s all about.”

No, it’s not. Not now.

Not with more than 5,000 people unaccounted for, including spouses of two league employees.

“We’re like the rest of America; we’ve certainly been touched by this tragedy,” said Brian McCarthy, director of corporate communications for the NFL, headquartered in midtown Manhattan. “There’s not one person in this building, this city, that doesn’t have a personal story [about the incident].”

Southwest Airlines has pulled its lighthearted NFL ads, as has United Way. Most people aren’t ready to see defensive lineman Sam Adams pushing so hard on a CPR dummy that it pops.

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In Chicago, at the urging of Mayor Richard Daley, the Bears have agreed to permanently forfeit their right to sell corporate naming rights to Soldier Field. That means $300 million less for a club that is footing the bill for one-third of a $606-million stadium renovation.

Team President Ted Phillips said that, while costly, the decision was the right one because it pays tribute to veterans. The stadium opened in 1924 and was named in honor of World War I soldiers.

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Cowboy running back Emmitt Smith passed Barry Sanders last Sunday to move into second place on the league’s career rushing charts with 15,291 yards. That leaves Smith 1,435 yards behind Walter Payton, meaning the Dallas star needs to average 102.6 yards a game for the remainder of the season to claim the record.

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That shiny new silver Ferrari rolling around the streets of Tampa, Fla., belongs to Buccaneer receiver Keyshawn Johnson. The plates are a giveaway, reading “7 Eleven.”

Explains Johnson: “Always open, 24 hours.”

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There’s no chance Atlanta will change its color scheme coming into Sunday’s game at Arizona, but the Falcons probably wish they could. They’ll be wearing black, after all, in a stadium where the kickoff temperature was 103 degrees a week earlier--and that was for a night game.

Kickoff for the Falcon-Cardinal game is 1 p.m. When the Cardinals left the practice field at Wednesday 1 p.m., it was 105.

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Think Dallas misses Troy Aikman? The Cowboys don’t have a quarterback on their roster who has won an NFL game. The choices are Quincy Carter or Anthony Wright. Carter made his starting debut in the opener against Tampa Bay, completing nine of 19 passes with two sacks and two interceptions. After he suffered a sprained thumb, he was replaced by Wright, a three-year veteran who went 0-2 at the end of last season--albeit against the New York Giants and Tennessee--and lost last Sunday to San Diego.

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Good news for the 2-0 Chargers: Their next three games are against Cincinnati, Cleveland and New England. Bad news for the 2-0 Chargers: The last time they started 2-0 was 1998, when they lost their next four and six of seven on their way to a 5-11 season.

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As if the Redskins don’t have enough problems, now they’re sleep-deprived. Defensive end Bruce Smith tried to get some rest last weekend but couldn’t because his roommate, fellow defensive lineman Dan “Big Daddy” Wilkinson, snores so loudly. Smith had to sleep in the hotel lobby.

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There’s a rumor making the rounds in NFL circles that Red McCombs is on the verge of selling the Minnesota Vikings. Should he decide to sell, one group of potential buyers includes former 49er quarterback Steve Young and tight end Brent Jones. They have teamed with a small group of unnamed Bay Area businessmen who would provide most of the money.

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Losing center Barret Robbins was a huge blow to the Raiders, who need to replace one of the key blockers who helped them lead the league in rushing last season. Robbins, snubbed by Pro Bowl voters the past two seasons, is now out for the season because of two torn knee ligaments. Until now, the Raiders had remained relatively injury free for a long stretch.

“You can’t account for what he’s done for us the last few years, you just can’t,” Coach Jon Gruden said. “He’s a physical finisher, a versatile athlete .... He was one of the key engines in our playoff run last year and we’re going to miss him.”

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Detroit’s Ty Detmer says he was pressing too hard to make things happen and got too greedy last Sunday when he threw seven interceptions in a loss to Cleveland. Maybe so, but he should keep his chin up. In a way, he made progress.

You see, he was the starting quarterback for Cleveland’s expansion franchise when it made its debut in 1999. In that game, he completed only six passes to Browns.