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Injury Puts End to Owens’ Season

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Times Staff Writer

Terrell Owens’ turbulent career in San Francisco may be over.

Owens, who will become a free agent after the season, broke his left collarbone late in the first half of the 49ers’ 31-28 overtime victory in Philadelphia. He had one reception for 20 yards.

Owens, who did not speak with reporters, will visit doctors today to determine whether surgery is necessary. He will not play next weekend in the 49ers’ finale against Seattle.

In the same game, the Eagles lost Carlos Emmons, their best linebacker, to a broken left leg. He was hurt tackling Kevan Barlow midway through the second quarter.

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And in an injury that could hinder Seattle’s playoff aspirations, Seahawk quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tore cartilage in his left, non-throwing shoulder, and twisted his right ankle in the Seahawks’ 28-10 victory over Arizona.

“I think it’s something I can deal with, because it’s my non-throwing shoulder,” Hasselbeck said.

Hasselbeck returned from the shoulder injury, but twisted his right ankle, forcing him to miss the final 12 minutes. Neither injury was considered serious enough to prevent him from playing next week.

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When he was at the height of his career with the New York Jets in the 1960s, Joe Namath was reputed to be quite the ladies’ man, and he did nothing to dispel that notion.

Somebody had better tell the Hall of Fame quarterback that was 35 years and many knee surgeries ago.

Namath was at the Patriot-Jet game Saturday night as the Jets celebrated their 40th anniversary team. Asked by Suzy Kolber, ESPN’s sideline reporter, about what the team’s struggles this year meant to him, Namath replied:

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“I want to kiss you,” as he leaned toward her.

He added that he believed the team would come back next season with a healthy Chad Pennington at quarterback. But those at ESPN had heard enough.

“Based on Joe’s response to the second question, we concluded the interview expeditiously,” the network said in a statement Sunday. “While Joe made some relevant football points, had we known what was to come, of course, we would not have conducted the interview.”

Kolber responded to Namath’s comments by saying “Thanks, Joe. A huge compliment.”

Namath capped off the interview by repeating: “I want to kiss you.” Kolber then turned things back to the announcers in the booth.

Maybe Bear Bryant made Namath practice without a helmet one too many times in his college days at Alabama.

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David Carr, quarterback for the Texans, called the play in the huddle. Then he and center Steve McKinney cooked up a little something extra.

After Carr’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Corey Bradford in the third quarter of Houston’s 27-24 loss to Tennessee, he and McKinney ran to the goal-post padding. McKinney pretended to search the bottom of the post for a cell phone.

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The comedy bit was aimed at Saint receiver Joe Horn, who hid a cell phone underneath the goal post a week ago and made an end zone call to celebrate the second of his four touchdowns against the New York Giants. Horn was fined $30,000.

No one in the Texan locker room was laughing after the team lost on a late touchdown strike from Tennessee quarterback Steve McNair to Drew Bennett, formerly of UCLA.

“It would have been a lot funnier if we’d have won,” McKinney said.

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Arizona Cardinal receiver Anquan Boldin broke the NFL record for catches by a rookie. Boldin’s fifth catch, a 12-yard reception, came late in the third quarter against Seattle. It was his 91st catch, one more than Terry Glenn had for New England in 1996. He finished the game with 10 catches, giving him 96 for the season. Boldin, the former Florida State player drafted 54th overall, was selected to the NFC Pro Bowl roster last week.... The Cleveland Browns wore a black-and-white No. 14 decal on their helmets to honor late Hall of Fame quarterback Otto Graham, who died last week.

Associated Press contributed to this report.

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