Mark Curnutte

Oakland, plagued by injury, posted a 4-12 record, its worst since going 4-12 in 1997. The Raiders tied with three other teams for fewest wins in the league in the biggest collapse by a team that reached the Super Bowl the previous year.

"The greatness of the Raiders will continue in (their) future," said 74-year-old owner Al Davis. "There are years of glory, there are a few years of defeat. And make no mistake about it, 2003 was a year of defeat, and we intend to go through that mountain, even though those rocks are coming down, and bring this wagon through again."

There are a wagon full of decisions to make, including on the status of four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Charles Woodson and 38-year-old quarterback Rich Gannon, who is coming off shoulder surgery and is due to make $7 million next season. Then there are receivers Jerry Rice, 41, and Tim Brown, 37, who is a 16-year Raider.

THE GIBBS EFFECT: The Redskins didn't raise their ticket prices for the third straight season, even though they added more than 6,000 names to their waiting list in the wake of coach Joe Gibbs' hiring.

GOOD DEAL: The Bears got new coach Lovie Smith for $1.4 million, which means fired coach Dick Jauron will be the highest-paid coach on their staff next year. Jauron signed as defensive coordinator of the Lions for $500,000, so the Bears will owe him the difference in his 2004 pay, estimated at $1.7 million.

FLY LIKE AN EAGLE: Right now, the guess is that either of Philadelphia's two free agent cornerbacks, Troy Vincent or Bobby Taylor, but not both, will be back for at least one more year.

Vincent, 32, made $4.4 million this season but understands he's not going to get that on a new deal. Taylor, who made $4.1 million this year, is ready to hit the market. One of the likely suitors is the Bengals.

AT LAST: Bills quarterback Drew Bledsoe likes what he has seen from a distance of new coach Mike Mularkey.

"I'm excited about playing for Mike," Bledsoe said from his home in Montana. "This will be the first time in my career where I've had an offensive head coach. Even going back to college, all my head coaches were defensive coaches."

Several Bills assistants are not sure of their futures under Mularkey.

PARTING GIFT: As a result of losing the AFC title game, Colts coach Tony Dungy and his staff will coach the conference's elite players at the Pro Bowl in Honolulu on Feb. 8. "I've enjoyed it the two times I've gone, because you get to be around a lot of great players and you get to talk a lot of football over there," Dungy said. "It's a second-place prize, but it's not all bad once you get there."

AFC NORTH: Star cornerback Chris McAlister, an unrestricted free agent, wants badly to return to the Ravens and is not against receiving the club's franchise tag. ... The Browns have yet to set their target number for the cut in pay they hope Tim Couch will agree to. He's set to make $7.6 million and $8 million on the final two years of his original seven-year contract. If Couch and agent Tom Condon don't cut that significantly - down to the $2.5 million-$3 million range - some observers think the Browns will cut Couch and look to free agency for a second-line quarterback to compete with Kelly Holcomb. ... The Steelers aren't going to surprise any opponent on defense next season with rehired coordinator Dick LeBeau back in charge. The creator of the zone-blitz defense, LeBeau said: "We will employ all 11 people to blitz. That is basic to the concept of zone pressure. You try to hold them by the nose and come around the back door. We are going to rush everybody." At the same time, Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward says he expects to see a lot of new faces in the locker room in training camp. "When you finish the year 6-10, there are going to be some changes," Ward said. "I think with the nucleus guys and the leadership we have, and a mixture of other guys, we can be right back there and get right back on top. Of course, there are going to be some players come and go. I can't worry about that."

---

Written from notes submitted by NFL beat writers.

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
UC rebounds from Louisville loss
Revenge was on Bearcats' minds
XU follows Chalmers' lead
Penn State transfer tremendous in practice
UK aims to stop Thomas again
RedHawks' plan: Get 'em down for good
Top 25: Duke cruises past Hoyas
Kelsey, Rupe rally Norse over Pumas

ONLINE READER SURVEY
Cyber Shootout: What are the best XU-UC games of all time?

REDS / BASEBALL
Reds insider: Stay tuned to job search
Reds e-mail Q&A
Cards losing ground in the NL Central
ChiSox turning to Japanese reliever

U.C. FOOTBALL
Daugherty: What makes Dantonio tick?

PRO FOOTBALL
Coach not only tough decision Raiders face
Club hopes Super Bowl erases sordid past
Hype is always supercharged
Senior Bowl: South 28, North 10

PREP SPORTS
Ray leads visiting Highlanders to win
Holy Cross wins All 'A' Ninth Region
Saturday's boys games
Saturday's girls games
Groeschen: Preps insider
Ernst: Kentucky preps insider
St. X beats Kentucky, Indiana champs
Prep sports results, schedules

AUSTRALIAN OPEN TENNIS
Agassi advances to quarterfinals
Kournikova credited with Russian women's surge

MORE SPORTS HEADLINES
Aiken grad juggles basketball, family
Triplett catches Lefty for Hope Chrysler lead
NBA: After a hot start, Wizards hang on to beat Indiana
Sports digest
Page Two power rankings
Sports on TV, radio

Return to Bengals front page...