Neil O Donnell

HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- First he turned all those heads and helmets in the game. Then the debate came.Should he become the starter, starting with the Ravens game Sunday? The fans were polled. The columnists weighed in. Everybody was talking about him, or wanted to talk to him.Glenn Foley never had a week quite like last week.The New York Jets' backup quarterback had come out throwing strikes in relief of Neil O'Donnell in the second half at home against the New England Patriots on Oct. 19. Foley didn't stop until he had rallied the Jets from a nine-point deficit to a 24-19 victory.

WHEN THEY POKE a microphone into the face of the most valuable player in Sunday's Super Bowl and ask him what he plans to do next, I expect to hear him say, "Man, I'll be hauling my [a-word] to [f-word] Disney World."As the Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers proved after winning their conference championship games, they lead the NFL in a new offensive category: undeleted expletives.Steelers quarterback Neil O'Donnell revealed on live television that he told running back "Bam" Morris in the huddle to haul his "big [a-word]"

Mike Tomczak's job as the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback is safe for at least two more days.When the Steelers (11-6) travel to Foxboro, Mass., on Sunday to play the New England Patriots (11-5) in an AFC semifinal playoff game, the much-maligned Tomczak will jog out as the team's starter.After that, Tomczak's role might diminish, because in the No. 2 slot is the quarterback of the future, second-year pro Kordell Stewart, who played almost 1 1/2 quarters in the AFC wild-card game last weekend against the Indianapolis Colts.

It's the ultimate nightmare for every NFL team -- two weeks before the regular season starts and a star is lying on the turf, holding his leg and writhing in pain.Fortunately for the New York Giants and Lawrence Taylor, the linebacker came away from a first-quarter tangle with New York Jets tackle Ron Mattes with nothing more than what the Giants said was a sprained ankle."Lawrence continues to be a medical marvel," Giants coach Ray Handley said. "He's doing things he could not do last night.

Ravens coach Brian Billick conceded yesterday that he would prefer an experienced backup quarterback. And even if the Ravens can't get Randall Cunningham, a former player of Billick's with Minnesota, they finally seem to grasp that a proven veteran makes more sense than Stoney Case. Vice president of player personnel Ozzie Newsome said that the Ravens have made an offer to Case, but the team almost certainly would have interest in Cunningham if he became available after June 1, and could pursue other veterans in the meantime.

It was a rough first half of the NFL season for coaching icons in Miami, new million-dollar quarterbacks in New York, and rookie running backs from Nebraska.Just ask Jimmy Johnson, Neil O'Donnell and Lawrence Phillips.Johnson made serious waves when he replaced Dolphins coach Don Shula last winter, but he found out he couldn't walk on water once he lost quarterback Dan Marino. Nor could he beat his old nemesis, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, in their celebrated reunion.O'Donnell was supposed to be the $25 million man who would finally get the New York Jets off the ground.

It was as if Neil O'Donnell was born for this purpose, to play quarterback, to lead a football team, to strike a pose of fearlessness in the face of a pass rush.Merril Hoge, his teammate on the Pittsburgh Steelers, recognized that the night O'Donnell got his NFL baptism on national television against the New York Giants."Neil grew up a Giants fan," Hoge said, "and he'd been preparing for that game since he was a little kid. I think he dreamed about playing on Monday night television against the Giants.

EastKeyshawn Johnson, who made three one-handed grabs last Sunday to help the Jets beat the Dolphins, is a first-rate receiver. If you have any doubt about it, just ask him. Johnson, who goes against Deion Sanders today, points out he needs 15 catches to surpass Andre Rison's record of 308 receptions in his first four years. "I don't know there's a better receiver in the league in his first four years than me," he said. I've played four years here. I've been consistent for four years. I've played with seven different quarterbacks and I've had fun with it."

BUFFALO (7-5) AT CINCINNATI (2-10)Time: 1: 01 p.m.Line: Bills by 5.Vs. spread: Bills 7-3; Bengals 3-8.Outlook: By the time the game rolls around, the Bills will have had a week to accept those two awful calls by the officials that led to their loss to New England. Having the opportunity to beat up on a team like Cincinnati should take some of the sting away. The Bengals got last week off to a rousing start, as DB Tremaine Mack was sentenced to 365 days in jail for driving under the influence of alcohol and is gone for the season.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Neil O'Donnell all but gift-wrapped the Super Bowl trophy for the Dallas Cowboys last night.The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback threw a pair of interceptions right into the arms of cornerback Larry Brown, who simply had to catch them to become the Super Bowl MVP.Brown's two interceptions set up a pair of Emmitt Smith touchdowns that gave the Cowboys a 27-17 victory over the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX before 76,347 fans at Sun Devil Stadium.The...