Mark Curnutte

Washington's Clinton Portis wasn't happy to get seven consecutive carries in a preseason game against Miami. Portis complained that it was a muggy night and a meaningless game.

But veteran Redskins watchers say coach Joe Gibbs' handling of Portis is reminiscent of how he used Hall of Famer John Riggins during Gibbs' glory days.

"Coach Gibbs thinks I'm a machine," Portis said. "The running game happened to be going, but seven carries in a row? You get pretty tired."

Portis had better get used to it. Asked how many carries he projected for Portis this season, Gibbs said: "His tongue's going to be hanging out. Let's put it that way."

In Buffalo, reports of an ongoing competition at running back are wrong. Travis Henry, though he's injured, will be back for the opener as the starter. Willis McGahee is the backup.

McGahee is not yet 100 percent healthy, no surprise given that he had not played in 19 months.

Observers say he looks good, though, and is hitting holes, showing shiftiness and power. But he hasn't flashed his breakaway speed.

The Bills have no plans to trade Henry or McGahee right now. Maybe at the end of the season, insiders say. And if McGahee can survive the season without major injury, Henry could be the one to go.

Here's how the Bills would like to see the season go: Henry gains 1,200 yards. McGahee rushes for 750. The team ranks in the top five in the NFL in rushing.

THE END IS NEAR: Kansas City kicker Morten Andersen could be released in the next week. The feeling in the front office is that Andersen, 44, could not make a field goal as long as his age.

Andersen has 502 career field goals, second to only Gary Anderson's 521. Andersen is second to Anderson in scoring with 2,259 points.

Andersen is accurate inside the 40 but was only 5-of-8 from the 40-49 range in 2003.

Word is the Chiefs could live with Anderson's reduction in field goal range, but his kickoffs fall short of the 10-yard line, and that will be the biggest consideration in cutting Andersen and going with unproven Lawrence Tynes, who has yet to kick in a regular-season NFL game.

Tynes, 26, went to training camp with the Chiefs in 2001 and 2002 but failed to beat out either Todd Peterson or Andersen.

AMERICA'S TV TEAM: Owner Jerry Jones and the Cowboys are set to launch their own round-the-clock cable TV channel. It will be similar in structure and design to the NFL Network.

About 500,000 households in Dallas-Fort Worth will receive the show on their cable. Jones also has his eye on the Los Angeles market, where Comcast also operates.

The Cowboys will return to Oxnard, Calif., about 60 minutes north of L.A., for a second consecutive training camp in 2005.

GO BUCKS: Former Ohio State defensive end Will Smith has played so well in New Orleans that coaches are inventing ways to get him on the field.

The latest wrinkle has the 6-foot-1, 270-pound Smith playing outside linebacker in a 3-4 alignment. Smith's pass-rushing talent intrigues coach Jim Haslett, who now has the talent to make a permanent switch to the four-linebacker defense.

FLYING HIGH: Though Monday marked the one-year anniversary of Chad Pennington's wrist injury - a fracture/dislocation that helped ruin the Jets' 2003 season - the fifth-year quarterback has recovered well, emotionally and physically. The former Marshall star is set to make the first opening-day start of his NFL career, Sept. 12, against the Bengals.

BROWNS: Coach Butch Davis is hauling out an all first-round pass rush personnel package. On obvious pass downs, the Browns have used Kenard Lang at left end, Gerard Warren at left tackle, Courtney Brown at right tackle and Ebenezer Ekuban at right end. Lang was a first-round pick in 1997 by Washington, Warren in 2001 by the Browns, Brown in 2000 by the Browns, and Ekuban in 1999 by the Cowboys.

RAVENS: Baltimore has lost two proven veterans to injuries, at least until the end of October.

Gone are center Mike Flynn to a fractured right collarbone and linebacker-pass rusher Peter Boulware. He hasn't practiced since undergoing surgery on his right knee after last season.

STEELERS: Coach Bill Cowher's goal to re-emphasize the run is paying off. In the first two preseason games, Pittsburgh has rushed for 377 yards and two touchdowns. A sidebar to the rising of the run game has been tailback Jerome Bettis' desire to win the job from free agent Duce Staley.

Bettis has shown fresh legs in the preseason and rushed for 45 yards and one touchdown against Houston.

The Steelers ranked No. 31 in rushing last season.

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Written from notes provided by other NFL beat writers.

E-mail mcurnutte@enquirer.com

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