One Thing He Had to Rewrite

San Francisco’s Terrell Owens invented a way to celebrate a touchdown, and now it’s a hot issue all over the NFL. A sampling of the pen-demonium:

New York Jet Coach Herman Edwards walked into a receivers’ meeting this week and, without saying a word, handed out Sharpies. Everyone laughed.

Keyshawn Johnson, the Tampa Bay receiver who has one touchdown catch in 22 games, said he might do what Owens did -- stuffing a couple of Sharpies in his sock for just such an occasion -- but the pens would probably dry out before he got a chance to use them.

Dallas running back Emmitt Smith, about to break Walter Payton’s rushing record, wishes he were the first to think of autographing a ball when he crossed the goal line. And this is a guy who has been low-key and classy his entire career.

Sure, there were lots of people who rolled their eyes at Owens. But just as many considered his showboating humorous and refreshing.

“I thought it was funny,” Smith said. “Give the man some style points.”

The NFL had a different reaction. It sent a memo to all 32 teams that carrying a foreign object, such as a pen, may result in a 15-yard penalty and ejection.

“If the referee deems the object to be a safety hazard, the player will be ejected from the game,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. “An object such as a pen will be considered a safety hazard.”

Give Owens a mute switch too, for suggesting in Friday’s edition of the San Francisco Examiner that any negative reaction has to do with his being black. Once he was informed of how moronic that sounded, he recanted in a statement issued Friday afternoon through the 49ers.

“This is not a racial issue, it’s about perception,” he said. “I’m a target because of who I am and what I’ve done in the past. It seems like everything I do is taken to another level.”

By contending that race was a factor, it was Owens who took it to another level: the basement.

Sanford Superstar

The football world has mixed opinions about the celebration, but there’s nothing ambiguous about the feelings at Sanford Corp., which makes Sharpies. There, he’s a superstar.

“It’s created quite a buzz among our customers,” said Bob Daenen, brand manager for Sharpie. “There’s no question this is great news for us.”

Daenen, who goes by “Sharpie Bob,” carries at least three of the markers on him at all times -- black, blue and red. He was watching the game Monday night and wasn’t sure what type of pen Owens was using, although he had an inkling.

“We’ve heard stories about lots of celebrities using Sharpies, even George Bush,” he said.

Asked if Owens’ celebration might become a trend among, say, high school football players, Sharpie Bob was hopeful but guarded. “Certainly high school children have been known to imitate pro athletes,” he said. “We can’t endorse anybody carrying them in their sock.”

An Old Softy

Detroit quarterback Joey Harrington has taken a serious ribbing from teammates this week over his photo and quotes in the latest issue of Cosmopolitan magazine.

Harrington later offered this Cosmo cop-out:

“What I was trying to do was reach out to a demographic that wouldn’t usually watch football on Sunday afternoons,” he told reporters with a laugh. “If you check the stats, last week we had about 750,000 hits on our Web site. I’m not saying there’s a direct correlation, but this week there’s been about 800,000. I think we’ve created some fans for the Detroit Lions that wouldn’t be there before.”

His teammates aren’t buying it.

In a category called, “Getting Cheeky,” Harrington’s quote is: “Touching a woman’s face and putting my face against hers excites me. Soft cheeks are so appealing.”

Soft cheeks are appealing? I guess Lion center Dominic Raiola can do away with that “Buns of Steel” video.

Around the League

AFC EAST -- It’s amazing that New England would trade Drew Bledsoe within the division, especially now that it’s clear Bledsoe has a lot of good football left in him. “This off-season, when they made that move with New England, I was like, ‘Go to Cincinnati, man. Do not stay in the division,’ ” Miami linebacker Zach Thomas told reporters. “But hopefully it comes back and bites New England.” Bledsoe, who has a passer rating of 101.3, leads the league in yards passing with 2,016.... Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison has had four consecutive 100-yard games and is on pace for 140 catches for 1,866 yards. He reminds a lot of people of Jerry Rice in his prime. Wait, isn’t Rice still in his prime?

AFC NORTH -- The Ravens continue to honor Johnny Unitas. At halftime Sunday, the club will unveil a statue of the legendary quarterback, who died of a heart attack last month. His name will be added to the team’s ring of honor too, and the main entrance of the stadium will be named “Unitas Plaza.” ... When they played Cleveland last Sunday, the Buccaneers briefly used Warren Sapp as a tight end. Sapp took the opportunity to get into the head of right defensive end Courtney Brown, telling Brown, “You’re soft as ... “ Brown declined to comment on the remark -- he hasn’t talked to reporters since the summer -- but, predictably, Sapp expounded on his critique. “I don’t know if they’re asking him to do something that’s physically impossible, but he’s a specimen,” Sapp said. “You’ve got to expect something out of your right end.” ... Steeler Coach Bill Cowher on Andy Rooney’s rant on female sideline reporters: “I have a household with my wife having played professional basketball, my three daughters that play basketball. They are all females, so do you think I’m going to agree with Andy Rooney?”

AFC SOUTH -- As rookies go, David Carr is awfully poised. Yes, he has been sacked 31 times, but he has thrown only six interceptions in five games. A lot of quarterbacks are more likely to throw a risky pass than take a big hit.... Tennessee’s Samari Rolle on his hit that knocked Jacksonville quarterback Mark Brunell out of Sunday’s game: “As far as I know, it was a clean hit. I don’t think they can say I tried to hurt him. I weigh 170 pounds. How can I try and hurt a quarterback? Especially Mark Brunell -- as much as he throws the ball to me.” Rolle has seven interceptions against the Jaguars.

AFC WEST -- Denver has the league’s best rushing defense, and it’s easy to see why. Only Baltimore’s Jamal Lewis gained more than 50 yards on the ground against the Broncos. They put the clamps on Garrison Hearst, Marshall Faulk, LaDainian Tomlinson and Ricky Williams. Actually, Tomlinson gained 48 yards two weeks ago, and Williams gained 49 last Sunday, so, yard by yard, things are heading in the right direction for Kansas City’s Priest Holmes, who plays them Sunday.... Denver’s Shannon Sharpe has yet to catch a touchdown pass.... He’s new to the team, but already Rod Woodson buys into the Raiders’ longtime conspiracy theory that all the referees are against them. “One thing I’ve learned in my short time being here is that if the call’s close, it’s going the opposite way,” Woodson said. OK, so the Raiders were robbed on the snow job, but the nonstop we’re-getting-jobbed stuff is really tired.... Entering last Sunday’s game at San Diego, the Chiefs had scored a league-high 85 points in the fourth quarter. Through six games, the Kansas City defense has given up 85 points in the fourth, an average of two touchdowns in that quarter.

NFC EAST -- Cowboy receiver Antonio Bryant was a great find in the draft, but some teammates think he made a rookie mistake in telling reporters that Darren Woodson ripped into teammates after a loss to Philadelphia. “To bring nosy people into your house and let them know all your dirt, that’s a big mistake to make,” Emmitt Smith said. “But if he knew then what he knows now, he would have never said it.” ... Smith’s yards just became a heck of a lot longer. Larry Allen, one of the best guards in the business, is hobbling on a sprained left ankle.... Buccaneer Coach Jon Gruden has fond memories of his days as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator. Well, sort of fond. “It’s different” in Florida, he told the Philadelphia Daily News. “It’s a lot different than going over the Walt Whitman [Bridge] every morning and hearing, ‘Hey, there’s that Gruden guy. You dipstick.’ ”

NFC NORTH -- Bear receiver David Terrell on teammate Anthony Thomas, who Sunday rescued a man from a smoldering car: “We have a superhero on the team now. He’s really A-Train right now. He saved the guy’s life, and I thought you all should know about that. It’s the truth. Cool thing for him to do.” ... A big reason the Lions have the 30th-ranked pass defense is they put next to no pressure on quarterbacks. Six sacks in five games.... In his first 40 games, Packer Coach Mike Sherman’s record is 27-13, identical to that of Vince Lombardi. But Lombardi’s 40th game was the 1961 NFL championship.

NFC SOUTH -- Tampa Bay safety John Lynch has not missed a start since Nov. 8, 1998, a string of 65 games. The Buccaneers are 40-25 over that span.... Carolina has never had a defensive lineman with double-figure sack numbers. That could change this season, considering the Panthers lead the league with 25 sacks -- one fewer than they collected last season -- and the defensive line has 21 of those.... DeShaun Foster, coming off a knee injury, is aiming to return for the Oct. 27 game against Tampa Bay.... Red alert: The Falcons could be switching back to the red uniforms they wore from 1968 through 1989.... New Orleans linebacker Bryan Cox, in his 12th NFL season, could get his most extensive playing time of the season against the 49ers, in place of injured starter Charlie Clemons. During the last four games, Cox has worn a headset on the sidelines, doubling as an unofficial assistant coach.

NFC WEST -- More than 50,000 tickets have been sold for Arizona’s game against Dallas on Sunday. That’s big news for the Cardinals, whose first two home games drew crowds of 30,000 each, but 73,014-seat Sun Devil Stadium will still have a half-filled feel.... Touchdown catches by Seattle receivers this season: 0. Mike Holmgren, who could be out the door if his team doesn’t improve, is seething about the 1-4 start. “Enough of the excuses,” he said. “We are what we are.... I’m angry. I’m really angry about this. And I’m not putting myself outside over here and the team in there. I’m mad at everybody. I’m mad at myself. We’re a better team than this, and underachieving as a team, as a coach, as players, it bothers me a lot.”