Around the NFL | A healthy perspective

BY JASON COLE

jcole@...


Give Cleveland coach Romeo Crennel credit for
having a healthy perspective on quarterback Trent
Dilfer. Over his career, Dilfer has completed
only 55.2 percent of his passes. Since 1999,
Dilfer has thrown 36 touchdown passes and 36
interceptions.

For all his faults, the teams Dilfer has played
for have won 26 of the past 34 games he started,
including the Ravens' run to the Super Bowl in
the 2000 season.

''If you want me to sit here and say that Trent
has lit it up, he hasn't,'' Crennel said. ``Trent
has provided the kind of leadership that we
expected when we got him. I think Trent will run
the offense the way we expect him to. Is it going
to be perfect? Probably not. If he would have
been perfect, then we wouldn't have got him. He
would have been somewhere else.''

CAN SIMON BE SAPP?

The similarities between Indianapolis free agent
defensive tackle Corey Simon and Warren Sapp are
hard to miss. Simon, who has played most of his
career at about 290 pounds, relies mostly on
quickness and shoots the gaps the way Sapp did in
Tampa Bay (and John Randle before him in
Minnesota when Colts coach Tony Dungy was there).

If Simon shakes off his rust quickly, he should
provide an explosive inside pass rush that will
prevent opposing teams from being able to slide a
guard toward defensive end Dwight Freeney.

''We're going to roll and see what happens,''
Simon said this week. ``. . . I feel like
Superman. I feel like I can go all day, but it's
not my deal.''

PARCELLS THE SOFTY

Dallas free safety Keith Davis is an impressive
story for the Cowboys. In 2003, Davis was with
the Cowboys but struggled and then was shot
outside of a topless bar in Dallas. He was
subsequently released. But he went to NFL Europe
in 2004 and has worked his way back to the
Cowboys.

He has even endeared himself to hard-edged coach
Bill Parcells.

''You do kind of root for kids like this,''
Parcells said. ``Last year, he started
demonstrating to me he would do any job, and he
was going to try to do it the best he could. He's
enthusiastic, and he tries very hard every day. .
. . He's got everyone's respect, and he's
certainly earned mine.''

PINK-FACED

Chatty Cincinnati wide receiver Chad Johnson has
decided to play it closer to the vest this season
going into the Bengals' game today against
cross-state rival Cleveland. Last year, before
the Oct. 17 game, Johnson shipped bottles of
Pepto-Bismol to members of the Browns secondary.

The prank backfired miserably. Not only was
Johnson held to three catches for 37 yards, the
Bengals lost 34-17 in a complete embarrassment.
Put it down as a lesson learned.

''I've studied the Browns, and they're a
completely different team,'' Johnson said.
``Defensively, they're like a swarm of bees
that's orange. They're flying all over the place.
They look really good.''

BRADY BY THE NUMBERS

The impressive numbers for New England
quarterback Tom Brady continue to pile up. Among
quarterbacks with 40 or more starts since the
first Super Bowl season of 1966, Brady is 48-14
and owns the best winning percentage at .774.
Second is Hall of Famer Roger Staubach at 85-29
(.746). Brady is 7-0 in career overtime games,
including playoffs. No other quarterback in NFL
history has a career overtime record of better
than 5-0. Brady is also 19-2 (.905) in games
decided by six points or less, including
playoffs.

LOSMAN ERA BEGINS

Buffalo opens this season with quarterback J.P.
Losman, a 2004 first-round pick who has thrown
all of five passes in the regular season, at the
helm. The Bills hope they can finally find a
replacement for Jim Kelly, who retired after the
1996 season with a 101-59 record. Since Kelly,
the Bills have had five starting quarterbacks.
Only Doug Flutie (21-9) has a winning record. The
others are Rob Johnson (9-17), Drew Bledsoe
(23-25), Todd Collins (7-10) and Alex Van Pelt
(3-8).


"Tail-end Charlie in a Purple Heart Box"

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