League Considering L.A. for Kickoff Party

The NFL might return to Los Angeles as soon as 2004, if only to throw a kickoff party.

Despite the fact L.A. hasn’t had an NFL team for eight years, it is among the cities the league is considering to play host to its annual season-opening celebration, which features a nationally televised rock concert and various football-related attractions leading up to a Thursday night game.

Even if the party were in L.A., the game would not be played there.

The league has opened the last two seasons with a Thursday game preceded by a free concert in the same city. Bon Jovi opened the 2002 season with a concert in Times Square; and before the Redskins played host to the league opener last week, Britney Spears was the headline act for a concert on The National Mall in Washington.

“Coming off of two East Coast kickoff celebrations, it may be time to move it around the country,” NFL vice president Joe Browne said. “Also, we don’t want to lock ourselves into necessarily having the concert and the game in the same town.”

Browne said the league also is looking at Chicago, San Francisco and other cities as potential kickoff party sites, and said a decision likely will be made around the Super Bowl.

Staging an exhibition game in L.A. is unlikely because of the stadium situation, Browne said, but the league recognizes the importance of maintaining a presence in the nation’s second-largest market.

“We already have a large number of youth football and community-related activities in greater Los Angeles,” Browne said. “Having our kickoff show in L.A. and playing the game in another city is something we have discussed.”

-- Sam Farmer

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Oakland Raider receiver Jerry Porter will undergo surgery today in Florida on what has been diagnosed as a hernia.

He traveled to Florida on his own to seek a second opinion on what was initially diagnosed by Raider doctors as a strained stomach muscle.

Also Thursday, the Raiders announced that safety Rod Woodson will sit out about a month after surgery on his left knee.

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Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker Joey Porter will sit out at least one more game because of his gunshot wounds. Porter has been ruled out of Sunday’s game in Kansas City by Coach Bill Cowher.

An All-Pro last season, Porter hasn’t taken part in contact drills since he was the victim of a drive-by shooting Aug. 31.

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The Houston Texans have agreed to a $4-million, four-year contract extension for tight end Billy Miller. The deal includes a $1-million signing bonus for Miller, who led the team in its first season last year with 51 catches for 613 yards.... Carolina linebacker Dan Morgan has a strained hamstring and is questionable for Sunday’s game against Tampa Bay.

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The NFL set an attendance record for a single weekend when 1,095,720 fans purchased tickets to the opening games this season. The previous record was 1,081,206, set Sept. 15-16 last year.