Phil Simms

HERNDON, Va. -- Matt Millen is going to be introduced to the Washington Redskins-New York Giants rivalry Sunday night, but he needs no introduction to the Giants.Millen, a veteran middle linebacker who played the past two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers before signing with the Redskins as a Plan B free agent last March, played twice against the Giants last year in the last seven games.In the NFL's most ballyhooed regular-season game of the past five years, the 49ers edged the Giants, 7-3, in December before losing, 15-13, in the NFC title game.

NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, acting without the advice or consent of the NFL Players Association, is stiffening league policy against players who abuse alcohol or drugs.Tagliabue said yesterday that he has the authority to suspend for a period of four games, without pay, any player found guilty of a first violation -- either drunken driving or breaking a drug law.Representatives of the players immediately lauded the commissioner for his zeal, but protested any action that is taken without consulting with the players.

Coach Bill Parcells of the New York Giants said early this season that quarterback Phil Simms might not be really appreciated by the critical Giants fans until after he retires.He said it was likely that the fans would say of the team's next quarterback, "He's good, but he's no Phil Simms."Parcells was right about that.The Giants have a new starting quarterback, Jeff Hostetler. He's no Simms, but he seems to have brought a new dimension to the Giants' offense since Simms was sidelined with a sprained foot while playing against the Buffalo Bills last month.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The first major move the New York Giants coach made in his rookie year was to bench Phil Simms.The coach then got off to a rocky start by winning just 10 of his first 28 games.That's how -- surprise -- Bill Parcells, not Ray Handley, started his career as the Giants' head coach.They both benched Simms in their first season, but Handley actually has had a better start (13-15) than Parcells (10-17-1).The difference was that Parcells wasn't following Parcells. When he replaced Ray Perkins, the team hadn't won a championship since 1956.

WASHINGTON -- Could it be the critics were right all along?Coach "Ray Must Go" Handley stepped up to the microphone yesterday and took "full responsibility" for the Giants' fall from grace, which was really more like a leap. Actually, it was just like bungee jumping when the line snaps.But, no. It can't all be Ray Must Go's fault.This is much too big for one man. For once, the conspiracy theory works. Everybody was in on this one."It's time for the players to start owning up to some of the mistakes and problems we have," said quarterback Phil Simms, the one that Ray Must Go refused to play for much of the season.

You are Joe Gibbs. You haven't won your division in four years. You haven't beaten the New York Giants in four years, either, which is no coincidence. You have characterized this past preseason as the worst of your 11 in Washington.If you are Joe Gibbs, though, and you coach the Redskins, things are suddenly looking good. Very good.This is why:* Your three top challengers for NFC supremacy are all going with different quarterbacks this season. Joe Montana is sidelined by a torn elbow tendon in San Francisco.

East Rutherford, N.J. -- Listening to the Washington Redskins talk last week, it'd be easy to think that Jeff Hostetler is a cross between John Unitas and Joe Montana."

Dan Reeves made it official yesterday: Dave Brown is the new starting quarterback of the New York Giants.Reeves, the Giants' coach, made the announcement yesterday in Berlin after a joint practice with the San Diego Chargers that Brown has beaten out Kent Graham for the job.It became obvious after Graham struggled Saturday night in a 24-15 loss to the Cleveland Browns that Brown was going to get the job.Reeves said before the team left for Germany that...

It's a new year of sports media notes but, sorry, the same old writer: Ravens fans wouldn't mind if this were a preview as much as a replay: At 8 a.m. today, the NFL Network is running the CBS telecast of the Ravens' victory in Miami in October. * And maybe there is more good karma in ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown (11 a.m.). ESPN has scheduled interviews with Joe Flacco and members of the Ravens' defense - conducted by Trent Dilfer. So the Ravens' Super Bowl-winning quarterback will interview their current quarterback.

TV call 'nice 'n' easy' What a pleasure to listen to Jim Nantz and Phil Simms telecasting a Ravens game after the past two weeks of Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts, and Brian Billick and Thom Brennaman. As Frank Sinatra put it in a 1960 LP, "Nice 'n' easy does it every time." Of course, Nantz and Simms only make it sound easy. After listening to all the misinformation and flat-out confusion at times from Enberg last week, you realize how much preparation goes into supplying the kind of smooth and steady stream of background information and context that Simms and Nantz offered throughout Sunday's victory over the Oakland Raiders.