Kellen Winslow

The 15 finalists for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame announced yesterday:Dan Dierdorf, OL, St. Louis; Tony Dorsett, RB, Dallas/Denver; Carl Eller, DL, Minnesota/Seattle; Bud Grant, head coach, Minnesota; Jimmy Johnson, DB, San Francisco; Charlie Joiner, WR, Houston/Cincinnati/San Diego.Leroy Kelly, RB, Cleveland; Paul Krause, DB, Washington/Minnesota; Tom Mack, OL, Minnesota; Mel Renfro, CB, Dallas; Jackie Smith, TE, St. Louis/Dallas; John Stallworth, WR, Pittsburgh; Lynn Swann, WR, Pittsburgh; Randy White, OL, Dallas; Kellen Winslow , TE, San Diego.

Miller leaving Xavier to coach at Arizona col. hoops Sean Miller of Xavier has accepted the head coaching job at Arizona, ending the Wildcats' search for a high-profile replacement for Hall of Famer Lute Olson. Miller, 40, had a 120-47 record in five seasons at Xavier. He guided the Musketeers to the NCAA tournament four times, including a trip to the Elite Eight last year and the Sweet 16 this year. The hiring came four days after Tim Floyd turned down Arizona's offer and decided to remain at Southern California.

THE KEY PLAY QUINCY MORGAN'S TOUCHDOWN CATCH Score: Tied 3-3 PLAYQuarter: Third Situation: Browns ball, second-and-nine at the Ravens' 46-yard line Play: Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia (5) drops back to pass, rolling to his left. Tight end Kellen Winslow (80) runs into the flat, drawing the attention of cornerback Gary Baxter (28), who lets Quincy Morgan (81) go. As Garcia looks to his left, linebacker Ray Lewis (52) and safety Ed Reed (20) bite on the play, and Reed goes for the interception, stepping in front of Morgan.

The Bengals' Odell Thurman and Chris Henry have company. Here are 10 other NFL players or coaches who also had rough weeks: One Al Wallace -- The Panthers defensive end was fingered by Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden as delivering the hit that ruptured quarterback Chris Simms' spleen last Sunday. Wallace learned of Simms' condition when the team returned to Charlotte that night. "It kind of made me feel sick to my stomach," Wallace told The Charlotte Observer. "People go out and play this game.

ASHBURN, Va. - Amid all the rumors surrounding the possibility of the Washington Redskins trading the No. 5 pick in today's NFL draft, one fact has not escaped Vinny Cerrato, vice president of football operations. "To be at five, we can't lose," Cerrato said Thursday at the team's media briefing at Redskins Park. "We're going to get an outstanding player. It's just which one?" The popular notion suggests that when Washington is put on the clock, the team's brain trust decide between a pair of Miami Hurricanes: tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. or safety Sean Taylor.

In the fourth year of coach Butch Davis' stewardship, the Cleveland Browns are working through an identity crisis. They want to go from finesse passing team to smash-mouth running team, from an H-back attack to the fullback lead, from sullen Tim Couch to fiery Jeff Garcia. This is a team in transition, a team that likely will rise or fall on the performance of two players - Garcia, the oldest player on the roster, and Kellen Winslow Jr., the youngest. Garcia, 34, is the new face of the offense, a six-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

ASHBURN, Va. - In the event the Washington Redskins' brain trust was conflicted over whether to draft Kellen Winslow II or Sean Taylor, running back Clinton Portis offered his unsolicited opinion. "I walked off the field with him the other day, and he gave me one of these: `Sean Taylor,' " Redskins coach Joe Gibbs recalled with a laugh. "Every time I wanted to talk about something, [it was] `Sean Taylor.' " Portis got his wish. Washington selected Taylor, a safety, over his Miami Hurricanes teammate Winslow, a tight end, with the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL draft yesterday.

The Bengals' Odell Thurman and Chris Henry have company. Here are 10 other NFL players or coaches who also had rough weeks: One Al Wallace -- The Panthers defensive end was fingered by Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden as delivering the hit that ruptured quarterback Chris Simms' spleen last Sunday. Wallace learned of Simms' condition when the team returned to Charlotte that night. "It kind of made me feel sick to my stomach," Wallace told The Charlotte Observer. "People go out and play this game.

The University of Miami and the 2004 class of wide receivers set records in the NFL draft yesterday. The Hurricanes had six first-round selections, breaking the record of five they had in 2002 and shared with Southern California (1968). There were seven wide receivers taken in the first round, topping the previous high of five set in 1988 and matched in 2001. Altogether there were 19 offensive picks in the first round, most in the past 15 years. 1. CHARGERS* Philip Rivers, QB, North Carolina State The Chargers wanted to trade back all along and take Rivers.

CLEVELAND - Ravens safety Ed Reed refuses to dwell on the past - even if the past happened about an hour ago. Reed developed a convenient case of amnesia when trying to explain how the Ravens could give up completions of 46 and 51 yards to quarterback Jeff Garcia and a Cleveland Browns offense that otherwise accomplished little. "I've got a bad memory," Reed said. "None of us are perfect. The Lord was the only perfect one to walk this earth. We're going to make mistakes, and they capitalized on the mistakes."

EVERY ONCE in a while, tired of being bludgeoned beyond recognition but mindful of not complaining too much about the pesky loss of blood, we wretched media types gather up enough strength to ask if, perhaps, we aren't being treated a touch unfairly. When you consistently rank behind attorneys, carcinogens, North Korea, tsunamis and liver-flavored Popsicles in public-opinion polls, you know it's in your best interest to tiptoe at all times. The other day, Kellen Winslow Sr. stopped long enough in front of reporters to defend his son, Kellen Jr., a wonderful football player when he's not losing control of his high-powered motorcycle and blowing out his knee in the process.

THE KEY PLAY QUINCY MORGAN'S TOUCHDOWN CATCH Score: Tied 3-3 PLAYQuarter: Third Situation: Browns ball, second-and-nine at the Ravens' 46-yard line Play: Browns quarterback Jeff Garcia (5) drops back to pass, rolling to his left. Tight end Kellen Winslow (80) runs into the flat, drawing the attention of cornerback Gary Baxter (28), who lets Quincy Morgan (81) go. As Garcia looks to his left, linebacker Ray Lewis (52) and safety Ed Reed (20) bite on the play, and Reed goes for the interception, stepping in front of Morgan.

CLEVELAND - Ravens safety Ed Reed refuses to dwell on the past - even if the past happened about an hour ago. Reed developed a convenient case of amnesia when trying to explain how the Ravens could give up completions of 46 and 51 yards to quarterback Jeff Garcia and a Cleveland Browns offense that otherwise accomplished little. "I've got a bad memory," Reed said. "None of us are perfect. The Lord was the only perfect one to walk this earth. We're going to make mistakes, and they capitalized on the mistakes."

In the fourth year of coach Butch Davis' stewardship, the Cleveland Browns are working through an identity crisis. They want to go from finesse passing team to smash-mouth running team, from an H-back attack to the fullback lead, from sullen Tim Couch to fiery Jeff Garcia. This is a team in transition, a team that likely will rise or fall on the performance of two players - Garcia, the oldest player on the roster, and Kellen Winslow Jr., the youngest. Garcia, 34, is the new face of the offense, a six-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowl quarterback.

The University of Miami and the 2004 class of wide receivers set records in the NFL draft yesterday. The Hurricanes had six first-round selections, breaking the record of five they had in 2002 and shared with Southern California (1968). There were seven wide receivers taken in the first round, topping the previous high of five set in 1988 and matched in 2001. Altogether there were 19 offensive picks in the first round, most in the past 15 years. 1. CHARGERS* Philip Rivers, QB, North Carolina State The Chargers wanted to trade back all along and take Rivers.

ASHBURN, Va. - In the event the Washington Redskins' brain trust was conflicted over whether to draft Kellen Winslow II or Sean Taylor, running back Clinton Portis offered his unsolicited opinion. "I walked off the field with him the other day, and he gave me one of these: `Sean Taylor,' " Redskins coach Joe Gibbs recalled with a laugh. "Every time I wanted to talk about something, [it was] `Sean Taylor.' " Portis got his wish. Washington selected Taylor, a safety, over his Miami Hurricanes teammate Winslow, a tight end, with the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL draft yesterday.

Miller leaving Xavier to coach at Arizona col. hoops Sean Miller of Xavier has accepted the head coaching job at Arizona, ending the Wildcats' search for a high-profile replacement for Hall of Famer Lute Olson. Miller, 40, had a 120-47 record in five seasons at Xavier. He guided the Musketeers to the NCAA tournament four times, including a trip to the Elite Eight last year and the Sweet 16 this year. The hiring came four days after Tim Floyd turned down Arizona's offer and decided to remain at Southern California.

EVERY ONCE in a while, tired of being bludgeoned beyond recognition but mindful of not complaining too much about the pesky loss of blood, we wretched media types gather up enough strength to ask if, perhaps, we aren't being treated a touch unfairly. When you consistently rank behind attorneys, carcinogens, North Korea, tsunamis and liver-flavored Popsicles in public-opinion polls, you know it's in your best interest to tiptoe at all times. The other day, Kellen Winslow Sr. stopped long enough in front of reporters to defend his son, Kellen Jr., a wonderful football player when he's not losing control of his high-powered motorcycle and blowing out his knee in the process.

ASHBURN, Va. - Amid all the rumors surrounding the possibility of the Washington Redskins trading the No. 5 pick in today's NFL draft, one fact has not escaped Vinny Cerrato, vice president of football operations. "To be at five, we can't lose," Cerrato said Thursday at the team's media briefing at Redskins Park. "We're going to get an outstanding player. It's just which one?" The popular notion suggests that when Washington is put on the clock, the team's brain trust decide between a pair of Miami Hurricanes: tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. or safety Sean Taylor.

Jarrett Payton's football career at the University of Miami has been filled with a lot more despair and disappointment than most, if not all, of those of his teammates. Despite the team's success during his five years in South Florida, including a national championship in 2001, the son of late NFL Hall of Famer Walter Payton had barely been more than a bit player for the Hurricanes. That has changed in the past month. Taking over at tailback after Frank Gore went down with a season-ending knee injury against West Virginia, Payton has put up the kinds of numbers that would make his late father proud.