Benson a no-show for Saints game in Baton Rouge
Associated Press

BATON ROUGE, La. -- Tom Benson was a no-show for New Orleans' game against Chicago on Sunday in Baton Rouge, staying true to his earlier promise never to return to the city where last week he swatted at a TV news camera and argued with a heckling fan.--football gambling--

However, Benson's granddaughter, Rita Benson LeBlanc, did come to the game. LeBlanc, who has the title of owner/executive, is Benson's heir apparent.--football gambling--

After the Saints' loss to Miami a week ago, Benson fired off an e-mail to NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue saying his trip to Baton Rouge was a "total disaster," adding that he and his family members could have been injured or killed and that he would no longer attend games in Baton Rouge either this season or if any Saints games are scheduled here in 2006.--football gambling--

Saints spokesman Greg Bensel later said Benson wrote the e-mail out of frustration and still may attend one of the remaining games scheduled for Baton Rouge. Bensel did not immediately issue a statement on Benson's behalf during the Chicago game. --football gambling--

Fans booed when a public address announcement mentioned Benson while soliciting donations to the Saints' Hurricane Katrina relief fund.The Saints, based temporarily in San Antonio, play twice more in Baton Rouge, on Dec. 4 against Tampa Bay and Dec. 18 against Carolina. Their final home game will be in San Antonio on Dec. 24 against Detroit. --football gambling--

Fantasy Football '05: The perfect draft - midseason review

Tuesday, November 01, 2005

By Ladd K. Biro

Today's column takes you back to a simpler time. A time full of promise, full of hope, full of sleepless nights laying awake crafting draft strategy while visions of running backs and wide receivers danced in a thought bubble above your head. -NFL Football-

Yes, it's time once again to torture ourselves by taking a look at the team we could have assembled two months ago, with crystal-clear hindsight. -NFL Football-

Plenty of fantasy columnists will be declaring their midseason MVPs, their top picks at each position, their busts. Pardon me while I yawn. You could rattle those off just as easily. -NFL Football-

I'd rather torment you by showing what might have been. -NFL Football-

As with our preseason Perfect Draft, we start with a few key assumptions. First, we're in a 10-team league using a standard scoring system that starts 1 quarterback, 2 running backs, 3 wide receivers, 1 tight end, 1 kicker and 1 defense. Second, we are drafting from the fifth position in a zig-zag format, which means neither LaDainian Tomlinson nor Shaun Alexander were available for our first pick. Last, our goal is nothing short of total league domination and the humiliation of our opponents. -NFL Football-

Now, with the fifth pick of the 2005 Fantasy Draft, we should have selected... -NFL Football-

Round 1 -- Edgerrin James, RB, Colts: While everyone else jumps on Peyton Manning, we'll just snicker and grab the real MVP of the Colts' offense. Runner-up: Willis McGahee, RB, Bills. -NFL Football-

Round 2 -- Terrell Owens, WR, Eagles: He's so good, he's running out of funny end zone celebrations. Runner-up: Tiki Barber, RB, Giants. -NFL Football-

Round 3 -- LaMont Jordan, RB, Raiders: After getting off to a slow start with his new team, Jordan has been money as a dual-threat runner and receiver. Runner-up: Steven Jackson, RB, Rams. -NFL Football-

Round 4: Antonio Gates, TE, Chargers: Spot him the extra bye in Week 1 while he serves his team-imposed detention, then plug him in as the most dominant player at his position. Runner-up: Marc Bulger, QB, Rams. -NFL Football-

Round 5 -- Steve Smith, WR, Panthers: Considered a risky pick coming back from a serious leg injury, Smith has more touchdown receptions (eight) and receiving yards (797) than any receiver in the league. Runner-up: Tatum Bell, RB, Broncos. -NFL Football-

Round 6 -- Thomas Jones, RB, Bears: We could probably wait another round, but if we miss him, we'll be thin at the running back position. And we can't have that now, can we? Runner-up: Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Cardinals. -NFL Football-

Round 7 -- Carson Palmer, QB, Bengals: He's everything we could have hoped for, and more. His 2,037 yards and 16 passing touchdowns lead the league. Runner-up: Jeremy Shockey, TE, Giants. -NFL Football-

Round 8 -- Rod Smith, WR, Broncos: Pretty slim pickings in this round, with Smith getting a slight edge over Deion Branch and Chris Chambers. Runner-up: Branch, WR, Patriots. -NFL Football-

Round 9 -- Drew Brees, QB, Chargers: You don't need him with Palmer in your line-up, but he's the best value in this round. Runner-up: Jimmy Smith, WR, Jaguars. -NFL Football-

Round 10 -- Plaxico Burress, WR, Giants: Now here's an inspired pick. Burress backed up his preseason braggadocio by stepping into the No. 1 receiver role and teaming with Eli Manning as the NFL's most dynamic new duo. Runner-up: L.J. Smith, TE, Eagles. -NFL Football-

Round 11 -- Santana Moss, WR, Redskins: Making a strong bid for comeback player of the year, Moss has found new life as Mark Brunell's elusive go-to receiver. Runner-up: Stephen Davis, RB, Panthers. -NFL Football-

Round 12 -- Willie Parker, RB, Steelers: Fast Willie was a demon early in the season, and gives us excellent depth going forward. Runner-up: Kevin Curtis, WR, Rams. -NFL Football-

Round 13 -- Bears defense: Our patience in waiting to draft a defense was rewarded. We just scored the second-best unit in the league. Runner-up: Eli Manning, QB, Giants. -NFL Football-

Round 14 -- Colts defense: Ravens shmavens. Pats schmats. Steelers squealers. The best defense in the league is now played in Indy. Yeah, we saw that coming. Runner-up: Keenan McCardell, WR, Chargers. -NFL Football-

Round 15 -- Joey Galloway, WR, Buccaneers: Another late, great value pick, Galloway is having a career year, and didn't miss a step with Chris Simms at quarterback. Runner-up: Terry Glenn, WR, Cowboys. -NFL Football-

Round 16 -- Neil Rackers, K, Cardinals: The can't-miss kid has put those kickers taken several rounds ahead of him to shame. Twenty-two field goals and counting, we're still waiting for him to botch one. Runner-up: The Burger King. Have you noticed? All he does is catch touchdowns. -NFL Football-

Look a lot like your draft? Sure it does...

FREE AGENT PICKS AND PANS

To win a fantasy championship, you need to start with a good draft. But filling in your roster throughout the season with the right free agents is equally important. Here's a look at a few players worth grabbing, and others who would look better in someone else's line-up. -NFL Football-

Catch 'em while you can

Jake Delhomme, QB, Panthers: Like clockwork, Delhomme heads into the second half of the season on a roll. Expect him, and his team, to be among the league's best heading toward the playoffs. -NFL Football-

Bryant Johnson, WR, Cardinals: With Anquan Boldin nursing the same knee that kept him out of six games in '04, Johnson, a former first-round pick, should have no problem picking up the slack opposite Larry Fitzgerald. -NFL Football-

Eddie Kennison, WR, Chiefs: Tony Gonzalez won't be the only receiver to benefit from Trent Green's resurgence. Kennison should have several more games like Sunday's, with 100-plus yards and a score. -NFL Football-

Erron Kinney, TE, Titans: A high ankle injury to Ben Troupe should enable Kinney to prosper with less competition for Steve McNair's passes. -NFL Football-

Don't be fooled

Brad Johnson, QB, Vikings: Daunte Culpepper's injury may have spared him the ignominy of being named fantasy bust of the year. Johnson, though, is not equipped to carry the Vikings, or your fantasy team, to success. -NFL Football-

Aaron Stecker, RB, Saints: He may be sharing carries with Antowain Smith, but he's not doing much with his allotment. With the Bears and a bye up next, free up the roster space for someone with real potential. -NFL Football-

Ernest Wilford, WR, Jaguars: It will be tempting to pick him up after his career game against the Rams, particularly with Houston up next. But he's still the Jags' No. 3 receiver, and there aren't enough passes to go around. -NFL Football-

McManus replaces Heyward as CBS News head

By DAVID BAUDER
AP TELEVISION WRITER

NEW YORK -- CBS on Wednesday appointed its top sports executive, Sean McManus, to replace Andrew Heyward as head of a news division still searching for Dan Rather's replacement and seeking to rebound from last year's discredited report on President Bush's military service. -NFL Football-

McManus, 50, follows in the path of the late Roone Arledge at ABC as an executive who took over a network news division while still running sports. -NFL Football-

Heyward will leave two months shy of his 10th anniversary running the legendary news division, a distant third in the ratings in both the morning and evening yet still the home of TV's top newsmagazine, "60 Minutes." -NFL Football-

"There was a general feeling that we needed a new vision, just a new way of looking at the news division," said CBS chief Leslie Moonves. -NFL Football-

Moonves has expressed discontent this fall about the ideas he's been given for revamping the "CBS Evening News." Rather stepped down in March as its anchorman, and had made his intentions known publicly nearly a year ago. -NFL Football-

Many in the news industry were surprised that Heyward had survived in January when an independent report faulted CBS News for rushing a story about Bush's military service onto the air without ever proving that documents upon which it was based were real. Three executives were forced to resign and the report's producer, Mary Mapes, was fired; Moonves concluded that Heyward had been let down by his staff. -NFL Football-

McManus will take over as news chief on Nov. 7, one day before Mapes' book on the episode will be published. -NFL Football-

Heyward, who described his departure as amicable, said he believed his exit had nothing to do with that incident. His contract was expiring at the end of the year. -NFL Football-

"This is Leslie wanting a change and so do I," said Heyward, 55, who expects to remain active in the media business. -NFL Football-

Heyward presided over the network's recent aggressive moves to improve its Internet news delivery and orchestrated a delicate transfer of power at "60 Minutes" from founder Don Hewitt to Jeff Fager. He also established the spinoff "60 Minutes II," which Moonves canceled last spring because of poor ratings. -NFL Football-

The appointment of a sports executive to take over news seemed a lot stranger a generation ago, before Arledge led ABC News to the top of the ratings in the 1980s. -NFL Football-

McManus, son of the Emmy and Peabody Award-winning sports broadcaster Jim McKay, began at ABC Sports in 1977 and has been head of CBS Sports since 1996, negotiating the return of NFL football and a long-term deal to keep CBS Sports the home of the NCAA basketball tournament. -NFL Football-

"I know that covering a Super Bowl is not the same as covering a convention or an election, but I think there are probably more similarities than there are differences," he said. -NFL Football-

With much of CBS Sports' talent and the rights to cover certain events tied up in long-term deals, McManus will be able to concentrate primarily on the news division while his top deputy, Tony Petitti, runs sports day-to-day, Moonves said. -NFL Football-

Bob Schieffer, "Face the Nation" host and Rather's fill-in on the evening news, praised the choice. -NFL Football-

"He's got a great track record," Schieffer said. "He's innovative. He's a guy with ideas. He's made CBS Sports something we can all be proud of and he sets very high standards. I think all of that will translate very well." -NFL Football-

The appointment will likely mean further delay in finding Rather's replacement so McManus can put his stamp on the decision. McManus said he's tried to attract top talent like Greg Gumbel and Phil Simms to CBS Sports and he hopes to do the same for the news division. -NFL Football-

Despite the success of the CBS entertainment division, the evening news has lagged far behind NBC and ABC in the ratings. It's the same story in the morning - it has been for decades - although "The Early Show" has shown improvements. -NFL Football-

"Maybe it's partially because of my sports background, but I am unbelievably competitive, and so is my boss Leslie Moonves," McManus said. "Being in third place, whether it's sports, entertainment or news, is not acceptable." -NFL Football-

Only hours after his appointment, a politically oriented Web log reported that McManus had made a $250 contribution to the Bush-Cheney campaign in 2004. A year earlier, he contributed $1,000 to Vermont Democratic Sen. Patrick Leahy. A CBS spokesman confirmed the donations but would not comment about them. -NFL Football-

Bruschi to practice eight months after stroke
By HOWARD ULMAN, AP Sports Writer-- NFL --
-- NFL --
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) -- Tedy Bruschi's vision was cloudy, his step shaky and his mind spinning. The co-captain of the three-time Super Bowl champions wondered if his career was over. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
``There were times, in my mind, I thought I was done,'' he said of those discouraging days following his mild stroke suffered three days after he played in his first Pro Bowl. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
On Wednesday, the strapping linebacker had a gleam in his eye and spring in his stride as he announced plans to return to practice with the New England Patriots. Eight months after being stricken last February, he had a warning Monday for teammates who might go easy on him.-- NFL --
-- NFL --
``If they do,'' Bruschi said with a smile, ``they're just going to have to watch themselves in practice.'' -- NFL --
-- NFL --
Coach Bill Belichick will be watching Bruschi, who has received medical clearance to play.-- NFL --
-- NFL --
Belichick will decide when the emotional leader and expert on the team's complicated defense will play in a game. Bruschi said he has no doubt it will be this season. It might even be in the Patriots' next game Oct. 30 at home against Buffalo, Belichick said Monday. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
``If I could express to you what this means to me I would, but I don't know if I really can,'' Bruschi said of resuming practice.-- NFL --
-- NFL --
The sturdy 32-year-old who was knocked down in his athletic prime is excited to return from what he called a ``traumatic experience'' and have a chance to knock down other players.-- NFL --
-- NFL --
``I don't have any reservations,'' he said Monday. ``Football is a contact sport.'' -- NFL --
He attended team meetings, worked out in the weight room and saw several doctors. He stood on the sidelines at home games, watching the team that lost two games in each of the past two seasons go 3-3 entering its bye week.
-- NFL --
-- NFL --
``It was frustrating that I couldn't get out there,'' he said in his first news conference since the
stroke, ``but I think I knew in the back of my mind the whole time that there was going to be a time for me, and the time is now.''-- NFL --

Last February was a series of highs and one big low crammed into 10 days -- a Super Bowl victory, the Pro Bowl appearance and his stroke. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
He was treated at Massachusetts General Hospital, underwent physical rehabilitation, regained his normal vision and still said last month he wouldn't play this year. But he kept making progress and saw doctors who all agreed he could play this season.
-- NFL --
``I came to the point where they tell me I can play. I feel like I can play. Shoot, I know I can play,'' Bruschi said. ``So let's just play.''
Belichick said Bruschi's playing time will be determined like that of his other players, by what's best for the team. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
``Tedy's come a long way,'' Belichick said on his regular Monday appearance on WEEI radio. ``He looks pretty normal to me. So it's great to see him just acting and carrying himself that way.
-- NFL --
That's the Tedy Bruschi we all know and love.''
Bruschi remains on the physically unable to perform list, where he has been all season. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
The Patriots have 21 days from the day he starts practice to activate him or put him on injured reserve, ending his season
In the early days after the stroke, one of Bruschi's biggest concerns was, ``Would I ever see again?'' -- NFL --

So the father of three young sons didn't make the decision to return lightly.
``We've made sure,'' a relaxed Bruschi said. ``We've checked and checked and checked and, OK, let's check another time because we wanted to be sure.
-- NFL --
``I'm not just doing this just because I just want to play,'' he added. ``I mean, come on. I lost my sight. One morning, one day you wake up and you can't see your sons very clearly anymore because you've had a stroke. You can't walk, you can't walk right.'' -- NFL --

Gradually, he and his wife Heidi -- ``what husband would just do this on his own?'' he said -- realized that he was ready to practice. -- NFL --
On Feb. 16, Bruschi was hospitalized after complaining of numbness in his left arm and left leg. In March, he had surgery to repair a small hole in his heart.
-- NFL --
``Physically, Tedy is completely back to normal, and is completely healthy,'' Dr. David Greer, a specialist from Massachusetts General who has monitored Bruschi since his stroke, said in a statement Sunday. -- NFL --
-- NFL --
``It's a long road back,'' Bruschi said, ``so I'm not going to jump back in unless I'm absolutely 100 percent positive I'm ready. And I am.''-- NFL --

Broncos hang on, 21-19, against Redskins

DENVER (Oct. 9, 2005) -- The offense wasn't moving. Denver was facing overtime in the icy, bitter rain. Linebacker Ian Gold stuck his hand out, knocked down a pass, and with that, the Broncos showed that Washington isn't the only team that can find odd and ugly ways to win the close ones. - NFL Football -

Gold knocked away Mark Brunell 's 2-point conversion pass with 1:09 left to help Denver hang on to a 21-19 victory and keep the Redskins from adding yet another fantastic finish to their charmed season.

"Later in the season, you don't remember how they came, you only remember it's a win," said Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, held to 92 yards passing in the driving rain.

The problems that plagued Plummer, however, didn't bother Brunell. - NFL Football -

He went 30 for 53 for 322 yards and drove the Redskins 94 yards for the touchdown -- an 11-yard pass to Chris Cooley -- that pulled Washington (3-1) within two.

On the conversion try, Brunell spotted David Patten open in the back of the end zone for a moment, but Gold came over and batted down the pass to prevent a possible overtime.

"You saw what his speed and athleticism will do," Broncos linebacker Al Wilson said. "It was a hell of a play."

The Redskins won their first three games by a total of six points, including a grinding 20-17 overtime win last week that came only after Seattle kicker Josh Brown hit the upright on the last play of regulation. This time, though -- no great finish.

"This one is going to hurt, it's supposed to hurt," Brunell said. - NFL Football -

While Gold's big play saved the game, Tatum Bell made the difference for Denver (4-1) the rest of the time, rushing for 127 yards and two long scores to help the Broncos to a 21-10 lead.

In the first quarter, Bell took a toss on fourth-and-1 and faked out Phillip Daniels en route to a 34-yard score. That stood as Bell's longest career run until the third quarter, when he burst through the Washington defense on a sweep for a 55-yard touchdown to put the Broncos ahead by 11.

"I just have to keep working," said Bell, demoted behind Mike Anderson in training camp this year. "I don't want to just be a 'one-game wonder.' I want to be the starter."

The Broncos won their fourth straight despite missing Champ Bailey, who sat out his second straight game with a sore hamstring. It put a damper on what was supposed to be the first meeting between him and Clinton Portis since the Redskins and Broncos pulled off a blockbuster trade and swapped the two stars before last season. - NFL Football -

Portis, a flamboyant and temperamental playmaker during his two years in Denver, ran for 103 yards on 20 carries for the Redskins and was booed pretty much every time he touched the ball.

"My fans don't boo me in Washington and that's the only fans I look for to cheer for me," he said.

Cheers or boos, there was no denying Portis wasn't nearly as big a factor as Bell.

The Broncos acquired Bell last year with a second-round pick Washington threw in to complete the Bailey-Portis trade, and Bell finally cashed in on the potential he showed signs of during his injury-plagued rookie season.

His big plays were needed. - NFL Football -

Denver gained only 257 yards and managed 11 first downs. Plummer went 10 for 25, a sloppy showing that wasn't nearly as efficient as he'd been in Denver's last two wins.

He was as happy as anyone that the defense held at the end.

"We'd been standing there a long time," Plummer said. "It would have been hard to get back out there as an offense and get back ready for overtime."

Brunell, meanwhile, looked at home in the rain. In the end, though, the Redskins had a number of missed opportunities to bemoan in such a close game.

A false-start penalty nullified what would have been a 54-yard field goal by Nick Novak -- a good kick given the conditions -- at the end of the first half. In the third quarter, Washington moved into field goal range again, but Trevor Pryce got a hand on Novak's kick. - NFL Football -

Washington also had a safety taken away courtesy of the famous "tuck rule." Plummer lost the ball near his goal line and recovered in the end zone where he was tackled, but officials overruled the play, saying Plummer's arm had been moving forward when the ball slipped from his grasp, making it an incomplete pass.

"We had enough mistakes to actually go out and lose this game," Portis said. "We hurt ourselves." - NFL Football -

Notes: Denver improved to 4-1 or better for the seventh time in Mike Shanahan's 11 seasons with the Broncos. ... Washington's lost fumble was the only turnover of the game and the Redskins' turnover ratio fell to minus-5.

© 2005, NFL Enterprises LLC.

Ex-NFL Player, Local Women Caught In Sex/Drug Bust

Eight suspects -- including a former pro football player -- are being arrested Thursday in connection with what Attorney General Tom Corbett called a $1 million prostitution and drug operation in Allegheny County. - NFL Football -

A grand jury investigation alleges that two of the suspects -- Amy Schifano, 29, of Plum, and Bob Buczkowski, 41, of Monroeville -- ran an escort service called Buckwild Entertainment, also known as B.A.G. Enterprises.

Schifano was the madam and recruited prostitutes for the operation, while Buczkowski accompanied the women to their appointments at Monroeville hotels and served as muscle, Corbett said. - NFL Football -

Also, Schifano and Buczkowski were involved in cocaine sales, and people connected to the escort service delivered the drugs, Corbett said.

Buczkowski was a standout on the defensive line at Gateway High School and the University of Pittsburgh. In 1986, he was a No. 1 draft pick of the Los Angeles Raiders.

Schifano and Buczkowski are each charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance; promoting prostitution; criminal conspiracy; and participating in a corrupt organization. - NFL Football -

They were arraigned before District Justice Susan Evashavik in Forest Hills and declined to comment outside the courtroom.

Other suspects are:

John Wendel Bogovich, 33, of Chalfont -- charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance; criminal use of a communications facility; and criminal conspiracy.

Leonard Robert Rini, 29, of Plum -- charged with participating in a corrupt organization; promoting prostitution; possession and delivery of a controlled substance; criminal use of a communications facility; and criminal conspiracy. - NFL Football -

Melanie McKinley, 33, of North Braddock -- charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance.

Michelle Roney, 38, of North Versailles -- charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance. - NFL Football -

Laura M. Dick, 32, of Turtle Creek -- charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy.

Debra Prosser, 46, of Turtle Creek -- charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance. - NFL Football -

Suzanne Juhascik, 24, of Ross Township -- charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance; criminal conspiracy; and criminal use of communication facility.

Heather Page, 28, of Shadyside, Pittsburgh -- charged with possession and delivery of a controlled substance and criminal conspiracy. - NFL Football -

Copyright © 2005 WTAE ThePittsburghChannel.com.

Broncos Part of 'MNF' Memorable Moments

By EDDIE PELLS, AP Sports Writer

DENVER - The night was Oct. 22, 1973. The music played. The camera focused in on Don Meredith and he introduced viewers to Denver on "Monday Night Football" for the first time.

"Welcome to the Mile High City," Meredith said, "and I really am."Thanks to Jim Turner's field goal in the waning seconds, the first Monday night game in Denver ended in a 23-23 tie between the Broncos and Oakland Raiders. But the tie felt more like a win to Denver football fans in a day before the city was considered big-league or the Broncos were considered good. Turner called the game a turning point in franchise history.

Although "Monday Night Football" isn't going anywhere, Monday's game against the Chiefs marks the final time ABC air a Monday nighter in Denver. The network's contract is up after this, the 36th year of what was once one of the most popular series on TV. Cable partner ESPN will pick up the series next year, and many are wondering if it will ever be the same.

While that debate lingers, one question is already settled. Denver has easily been one of the most exciting venues for ABC under the lights.

A look at some of the memorable Monday night moments in the Mile High City:

_The snow game: The defining Monday night game in Denver came Oct. 15, 1984 when an autumn blizzard hit town before kickoff against the Green Bay Packers. Steve Foley and Louis Wright each scooped up fumbles and returned them for touchdowns to give the Broncos a 14-0 lead after Green Bay's first two plays on offense. The grounds crew kept busy all night shoveling snow off the sidelines and yard markers. Denver won 17-14.

_The snowball game: With Ray Wersching lining up for a 19-yard field goal at the end of the first half on Nov. 11, 1985, a snowball was thrown onto the field, disrupting holder Matt Cavanaugh's timing and forcing him to pick up the ball and throw it incomplete. Those three points mattered. Denver won that game 17-16. The next day, the San Francisco Examiner offered a $500 reward for anyone who could find the person who threw the snowball.

_Da Bears: With the Bears threatening to go up by two touchdowns early, Mike Ditka called for a handoff to Refrigerator Perry, who was making his first appearance of the season at tailback, just for "Monday Night Football." Perry fumbled the ball at the goal line, allowing Denver to stay in the game. Denver still needed 10 points in the fourth quarter for a thrilling 31-29 win that dropped the defending champions to 7-2. The difference in the game was a pair of missed Bears extra points, both after Mike Tomczak had trouble with the holds.

_Shanny's comeback: Mike Shanahan's best Monday night moment may have come, believe it or not, in his first year as coach of the Raiders. Down 24-0 at halftime on Sept. 26, 1988, Shanahan and the Raiders came back for a 30-27 overtime win that remains tied as the biggest comeback in Raiders history. Al Davis fired Shanahan early the next season and he came back to Denver as offensive coordinator.

_The hit: One of the hardest hits in NFL history was Steve Atwater's crushing of huge Chiefs running back Christian Okoye on Sept. 17, 1990. Making it better was that Broncos public-relations man Jim Saccomano had persuaded Atwater to wear a microphone that night, preserving the sound for the hit from Denver's 24-23 win and turning into an instant classic for NFL films. By the way, John Elway hit Vance Johnson for 49 yards on fourth down with time running out to set up the winning field goal.

_The comeback(s): Montana vs. Elway was great. Montana vs. Elway doing what they did on Oct. 17, 1994 was even better. In one of his many late-game comebacks, Elway took the Broncos 39 yards for a touchdown and a 28-24 lead with 1:29 left. But Montana answered by driving the Chiefs 75 yards in 1:21 and connecting with Willie Davis for the 31-28 win.

_Who cares: Ed McCaffrey suffered a gruesome broken leg in a 31-20 victory over the Giants in the first game played at the new Invesco Field. It was the talk of the town that night. But that night was Sept. 10, 2001. The next day, the McCaffrey injury seemed inconsequential.

_The safety: In possibly one of the most brilliant coaching moves in the history of Monday night, Patriots coach Bill Belichick opted to take an intentional safety with 3:06 left and New England trailing 24-23 to keep the Pats from having to punt from the back of their end zone. After the free kick, Denver started behind its own 20. The New England defense held and after a Denver punt, Tom Brady drove the Pats to a touchdown and a 30-26 win on Nov. 3, 2003. That game turned out to be the second-to-last Monday night game ABC televised in Denver.

Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press.