Hi Folks,
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As always, we check in right before game time with  our opinionated guru 
buddy Bob Harris from the TFL Report.? For more info  on subscribing check 
out: http://www.tflreport.com/flashupdate.cfm?? Enjoy!
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Joe
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lNO MISTAKING WHO IS IN CHARGE OF  REDSKINS...
[IMAGE].Written By TFL Report Editor Bob  Harris| Posted Thursday December 
7,  2000 @ 10:10 PT[IMAGE]
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[IMAGE]According to the Associated Press, out  of sheer habit, Terry Robiskie 
almost forgot he was  in charge during his first practice as interim coach of 
the  Washington Redskins. 

In fact, the man really in charge wasn't  there at all. 

Dan Snyder was  attending league meetings in New York and wasn't sitting in 
his  usual white chair on the sideline Wednesday. If he had been there,  the 
owner would have seen Robiskie do a double-take to keep from  following the 
same routine he had when he was in charge of receivers  under fired coach 
Norv Turner. 

"Today the whistle blew and I started  going out with my receivers," Robiskie 
said. "And I realized I  couldn't. I had to go out and stand in the middle of 
the field and  do whatever it is Norv's been out there doing." 

And what did Robiskie do in the middle of  the field? 

"I did what I usually do," Robiskie said  with a shrug. "Talking." 

Robiskie made some changes. He eliminated  the morning walk-through so 
players can rest their legs. He  simplified the offensive scheme. He spent 
more time on special  teams, in part because new special teams coach Pat  
Flaherty is also trying to nail down a new routine. 

Robiskie also said he'll have the last  word "once the whistle blows" and the 
game begins. Otherwise, he  made it clear that Snyder is the boss. 

"A lot of people want to separate us from  Mr. Snyder," Robiskie said. "Mr. 
Snyder owns the football team. I  know that. I promise you there's very few 
things in the building I'm  going to say I want to change without calling him 
to say I want to  change it." 

The subject arose when earlier in the day  when disgruntled quarterback Brad 
Johnson said  Snyder * not Robiskie * made the decision to start Jeff  George 
the rest of the season. 

"I think that decision's made from up  top. ... I think it's obvious," 
Johnson said. "I think Jeff's going  to be the starter the rest of the way 
out. In case something happens  with him, then I'll be ready to go. 
Otherwise, I'm just going to  finish strong up here and deal with my 
situation in the offseason."  

Robiskie said the decision to go with  George was a collective one made by 
the coaches and Snyder. Turner  had planned to go with George for this week's 
game against Dallas.  Turner was fired Monday, a day after a 9-7 loss to the 
New York  Giants. 

"If I wanted to change my desk, I'm going  to call him and say I want to 
change my desk," Robiskie said. "If I  want to change quarterbacks, I'm going 
to call him and say, `What do  you think of me changing quarterbacks?' It's 
his football team. To  try to separate it, we're wasting our time." 

Snyder was not available for comment. His  spokesman, Karl Swanson, said 
Robiskie "makes all  football decisions, just as Norv did. He doesn't need to 
ask  anybody's permission." 

Still, Robiskie's remarks might make it  even harder for the Redskins to lure 
a high-profile coach for next  season. One thing is for sure: The quarterback 
who led them to their  only playoff appearance since 1993 does not plan to 
return. 

Johnson's relationship with Snyder has  been frosty since the owner signed 
George to a huge contract in the  spring and refused to negotiate a new one 
for Johnson. While Turner  preferred Johnson, George was Snyder's chosen 
catch. 

Johnson's contract expires at the end of  the season, and he restated his 
intention to become a free agent.  

"I still stand by what I want to do,"  Johnson said. "We tried to work out 
stuff a long time ago, and it  didn't work out on both sides. And you've got 
to move on." 

The only way the Redskins can keep  Johnson from becoming a free agent would 
be to designate him as a  franchise player, but that would require an upfront 
commitment of  about $6.5 million from a team with almost no salary cap 
room.  

Johnson's career record as a starter is  31-18. George's is 46-74. Johnson 
said he would not mind working  with Turner again. 

"I wouldn't have a problem strapping it  up with him again at all under 
different circumstances," Johnson  said. "Norv's a tremendous coach. He's 
going to go one way, and I'm  going to go another way, and you never know 
where that road leads in  the end."

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lSAINTS PK BRIEN ON THIN  ICE...
[IMAGE].Written By TFL Report Editor  Bob Harris| Posted  Saturday December 
9, 2000 @ 17:45 PT[IMAGE]
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[IMAGE]According to Ted Lewis of the  New Orleans Times-Picayune, "this 
should be a  happy time for Saints kicker Doug Brien.  

"For the first time since he was a  rookie with the eventual Super Bowl 
champion 49ers in 1994,  he's on a team that is zeroing in on a playoff 
berth. 

"But as so often happens to those  playing the most precarious position on 
the team -- there's a  little dark cloud on the horizon. 

"Unhappy with Brien's misses of  field-goal attempts in three of his last 
four games, the  Saints brought in free-agent kickers Michael  Husted and 
Doug Pelfrey for workouts  Tuesday, although neither was signed. 

"'First of all, we wanted to see  who's out there,' special teams coach Al  
Everest said. 'And I would hope it makes Doug aware  that he has a 
responsibility to the team and to himself, and  that security in this 
business is success.' 

"It's the first time in Brien's six  seasons with the Saints that his job 
appeared anything less  than secure. But the working out of Husted and 
Pelfrey doesn't  have him looking over his shoulder any more than he has in 
the  past. 

"'I was plenty motivated before,'  said Brien, who was told about the 
workouts by Everest on  Monday. 'So it doesn't increase my motivation. 

"'And it doesn't affect my  concentration, either. There's always a long line 
of guys out  there, whether they're here working out or in camp. If you  
don't perform to a certain standard, that's what happens.'  

"By Brien standards, he is not  having a good year. The fifth most-accurate 
kicker in league  history coming into the season (80.3 percent) is 17-of-23,  
.739. The six misses are Brien's most since 1995 when he was  7-of-12 in six 
games with the 49ers and 12-of-17 in eight  games with the Saints. Since then 
the most he has missed has  been five. 

"Brien, the number-two kicker from  beyond 50 yards in league history before 
this season (.700),  has been allowed to try only two from that distance, and 
both  were blocked. 

"'I've been struggling a little  bit,' said Brien, who took extra kicks in 
practice Wednesday.  'I haven't been hitting the ball as well as I normally 
do.  

"'It's very frustrating, but at the  same time, the law of averages plays in. 
I've been pretty  consistent over the last five years here, and I wouldn't 
say  I'm doing horribly. I just expect to do better, and the Saints  expect 
me to be better.' 

"It's not so much how many kicks  Brien has missed but when he has missed 
them. 

"At St. Louis, he was wide right on  a 44-yarder with 2:21 left that would 
have given the Saints a  10-point lead. Instead, they had to sweat out two 
more  possessions by the Rams that could have tied the score.  

"And last week against Denver, he  was wide left on a 43-yarder in the first 
quarter that would  have given the Saints the early lead. Never mind that he 
made  three more after that. 

"That miss had Saints coach  Jim Haslett visibly unhappy on the sideline  
last Sunday and again on Monday 

"'It wasn't the hold,' Haslett said  then. 'It wasn't the snap. It wasn't 
protection. 

"'He just missed it, and it would  have been nice to have had those three 
points.' 

"But Wednesday, Haslett took the  unusual step of sitting with Brien at his 
locker for several  minutes after practice, engaging in what appeared to be  
lighthearted encouragement. 

"'I have confidence in Doug,'  Haslett said. 'I can't get inside kickers' 
heads, but Doug  will fight through this, and everything will be fine. 

"'Everybody goes through this in a  point in their career.' 

"Maybe so, but kickers and punters  are the only front-line players who can 
be replaced on a  moment's notice, even this late in the season. 

"'Right now, kicking field goals  and extra points is all Doug does since our 
kickoff guy is  Toby (Gowin),' Everest said. 'But we haven't seen anybody 
yet  we think is better than Doug.' 

"To be sure, the Saints will bring  in two more kickers next Tuesday, Jeff 
Hall  and Scott Blanton. 

"And to Brien, who likes to think  of each kick being of equal value, no 
matter the distance or  the situation, it is a time to strive to do better. 

"'I've been pressing a little too  much and trying to make things happen,' he 
said. 'I'm not way  far off, but it doesn't take too much. 

"'I don't think I've ever missed a  kick at the end of a game that's cost the 
team a game, and I  don't intend to start now. I'm doing what I can to get 
this  fixed and just keep plugging along.'" 

Also of interest... 

ESPN's John  Clayton reported that Terry Allen  will probably get the start 
at halfback for the Saints because  of the neck injury to Jerald Moore and 
the  sore shoulder of Chad Morton. Morton may play  on his shoulder, but 
Moore, who has had three recent neck  stingers, probably won't. 

However, neither man was included  on Friday's list of early inactives (Ricky 
 Williams and Jake Reed were the only  offensive skill players on that list). 

As stated in USA  Today, WR Joe Horn had 10 catches  for 180 yards against 
the Niners the last time the two teams  met, the third-best receiving yards 
game in club history. He  needs nine receptions to break the Saints 
single-season record  for catches in one year. Eric Martin holds  the team 
record of 85. Last week, Horn became only the fifth  receiver in club history 
to gain 1,000 receiving yards. Martin  did it three times. 

According to Pro Football  Weekly, the first person among a throng of  
well-wishers to meet Saints QB Aaron Brooks  when he got off the plane 
following the Saints, huge Week 13  win in St. Louis was an absolutely 
exuberant Jeff  Blake... While the Saints, injured starting QB didn,t  travel 
with the team to the Rams game, Blake continues to make  his presence felt in 
a very high-profile and positive  manner... 

And finally... PFW also advised  against becoming too excited Haslett,s 
announcement last week  that Williams, who underwent ankle surgery November 
15, is  ahead of schedule in his rehab and could return for the team,s  
regular-season finale vs. the Rams. 

Williams was expected to have the  cast on his ankle removed late last week. 
But Haslett has a  tendency to be overly optimistic in his estimations on 
his  players, projected returns following injuries this season and  it,s 
hardly a lock Williams will be ready to rumble before a  possible appearance 
in the playoffs --if even then. 

The report went on to say that,  while Williams has supposedly been 
diligently working out at  team headquarters, riding an exercise bike and 
lifting  weights, he has kept an extremely low profile, making it hard  for 
sources outside the organization to get a good read on his  actual progress...

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MCGINNIS NOT OPTIMISTIC ABOUT  PLUMMER...
[IMAGE].Written By TFL  Report Editor Bob Harris|  Posted Saturday December 
9, 2000 @ 12:20 PT[IMAGE]
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[IMAGE]Tim Tyers of the  Arizona Republic reported this  morning that 
Cardinals quarterback Jake  Plummer's injured ribs didn't allow him  to 
practice on Friday and whether he plays on  Sunday at Jacksonville will be 
determined by a  dreaded game-day decision, according to head coach  Dave 
McGinnis. 

"He hasn't been able to  practice for two days, and that's not a good  sign," 
McGinnis said. "If he's not ready to go,  there's no reason to play him. I'm 
not going to  risk him. It makes no sense." 

If Plummer can't go,  number-two quarterback Dave  Brown, who is still 
experiencing soreness  in the left shoulder he injured in his only start  two 
weeks ago against the New York Giants, will  start. But McGinnis also 
guaranteed that if Brown  does start, number-three man Chris  Greisen will 
see extensive action.  

"It's the first I've  heard of it," Greisen. "I have to be ready, either  
way. Dave will start, but he still has that  shoulder problem. It's not 
really a problem, it's  a nuisance, and I know it's hurting him a little  
bit, but he can still play quarterback at a high  level. I just have to be 
ready.." 

Also of interest...  

McGinnis said he will  take three running backs with the team to  
Jacksonville. Michael Pittman  (hyperextended big toe) saw limited duty on 
Friday  but will be available. Backup  Thomas Jones assumed a larger  
practice role this week, but Clarence  Williams is going for added 
insurance.  

"Thomas has been fine  the last two days. He seems to be getting a lot  
better," McGinnis said. 

And finally... The  Cardinals released tight end Derek  Brown on  Monday...



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lNINERS' OWENS  MISSES FRIDAY'S PRACTICE...
[IMAGE].Written By TFL  Report Editor Bob Harris|  Posted Saturday December 
9, 2000 @ 07:20 PT[IMAGE]
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ESPN NFL  insider John Clayton reports that San  Francisco wide receiver 
Terrell Owens didn't  practice Friday but that doesn't mean he won't play. He 
had a  better week on his turf toe and he may start Sunday against  the 
Saints. 

Running back Garrison  Hearst was the only player of interest included on  
yesterday's list of early inactives... 

Other items of interest... 

Quarterback Jeff  Garcia, who is ranked third in the latest results of  fan 
balloting for the Pro Bowl, would welcome a ticket to  Honolulu for the 
February 4 game. 

"If I'm able to be selected to  represent this team in the Pro Bowl, I'd 
definitely be honored  and I think it just shows people I've turned a long 
way," said  Garcia, who threw for 323 yards and two touchdowns Sunday.  

49ers offensive coordinator  Marty Mornhinweg endorsed Garcia's Pro Bowl  
candidacy. "Jeff threw the football in that game Sunday  against San Diego as 
well as I've seen him throw," Mornhinweg  said. "He was on time. He was 
accurate. His decision making  was terrific. That may be his best ballgame 
he's played here  to date." 

And finally... Placekicker  Wade Richey isn't afraid to talk about the  hot 
streak he's been on in the past two games. He just isn't  sure how to explain 
the way he's made all six of his  field-goal attempts, which have ranged 
between 22 and 38  yards. 

"They've been short kicks, but  they've felt good," said Richey who had 
missed four of five  attempts before this stretch. "So far, so good."[IMAGE]

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lWATTERS TO  START VS. DENVER...
[IMAGE].Written By TFL  Report Editor Bob Harris|  Posted Friday December 8, 
2000 @ 21:05 PT[IMAGE]
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[IMAGE]According to the Associated  Press, Seattle Seahawks running back  
Ricky Watters will start Sunday's  game at Denver, even though he has not 
practiced  all week. 

It would be his 111th  consecutive start in the regular season, the  
second-longest streak among NFL running backs and  the longest active streak. 
The late Walter Payton  played in 170 consecutive games from 1975-87.  

"I think he'll be able  to play,'' head coach Mike  Holmgren said. "I think 
he's going to be  OK.'' 

Watters missed Friday's  practice to have X-rays on a sprained toe that he  
originally injured in a game October 29 against  Kansas City. The X-rays were 
negative. 

Watters aggravated his  injury while playing on the Georgia Dome's  
artificial turf in Atlanta last weekend and was  held out of practice all 
week, although he was  never put on the team's injury report. 

Watters, 31, needs 50  yards in Seattle's final three games to reach the  
1,000-yard mark for the sixth consecutive season.  He is 240 yards behind 
Ottis Anderson for 12th  place on the all-time rushing list.  






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