Randy Moss

THE INDIANAPOLIS Colts-New England Patriots playoff game Sunday is a rematch of not only last season's AFC championship, but also of the game that ushered in a season of receivers running wild, running free through NFL secondaries. (Too bad Lance "Bambi" Alworth is long retired.) In reaction to the perceived mugging of the Colts' high-powered offense, the league cracked down on contact by defensive backs before passes are thrown. CBS analyst Phil Simms said it has changed the league. "It's really about throwing the ball," Simms, who will work the game with Jim Nantz, said on a conference call this week.

It's more than a feeling Nick Fierro, The Morning Call When deciding on Hall of Fame qualifications, sometimes you go on instant feel, sometimes on sheer statistics and sometimes both. In Terrell Owens' case, it's both. From a performance standpoint, the numbers don't lie - 1,002 catches, 14,886 yards and a staggering 143 touchdowns. The TD total is more than recent electees Art Monk and Michael Irvin combined. From a feel standpoint, it's also overwhelming.

TWO WEEKS from now, the grand pooh-bahs of college football will be counting on you, the consumer, to step up. While they're busy lighting their cigars with $50 bills and gargling with champagne, they're hopeful you'll be planted in front of your television for four hours, captivated by a football game that, in truth, everyone knows is both a sham and a lie. It's called the FedEx Orange Bowl, and when it's over, there will be pressure to declare the...

This game pits the Chargers' outstanding pass offense against the Jets' smothering pass defense. A matchup to watch is Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis on 6-foot-5 Vincent Jackson, who is six inches taller. The Jets still are upset about what they consider a snub: The Packers' Charles Woodson winning defensive player of the year over Revis. The size difference shouldn't make a big difference for Revis, considering the job he did on big men such as Andre Johnson, Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.

After failing to sign Malcom Floyd in free agency, the Ravens presumably will turn their focus at wide receiver to  Derrick Mason. The team's all-time leader in catches told The Baltimore Sun that he will make a decision on which team he plays for within the next 48 hours. Mason, 37, is weighing offers from the Ravens, Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. The Ravens cut Mason last week to create $4.5 million in salary cap room. He visited the Jets on Thursday but left without signing.

Vick-Burress combo? Joseph Moskowitz The Morning Call The criminal record and locker room issues attached to Plaxico Burress are no reason not to sign him. In a league practically built on second chances, Burress deserves another shot (figuratively speaking). And remember, the only thing seriously hurt in his shooting incident two years ago was his ego. Other second-chance NFL players have committed or been charged with far more destructive crimes. Burress' age is a concern — he will be 34 in August — but he still has plenty left to give.

Every Monday, the day after my favorite day of the week but still hours before that week's slate of games officially wraps up with “Monday Night Football,” I will bring you my weekly premature NFL power rankings. Why Monday? Because who wants to wait until Tuesday or Wednesday for power rankings? Why 11 teams? I don't really have a good answer for that one. I've always liked odd numbers. What am I basing them on? Who my gut tells me are the toughest teams to beat that week.

The day the Ravens drafted Jermaine Lewis, former coach Ted Marchibroda said, "He could possibly be our fifth receiver, but we got him for his return skills."Fifth receiver? Lewis is now the Ravens' top receiver -- partly because he turned out far better than everyone expected, and partly because the Ravens don't have anyone else.Not many NFL teams feature a go-to guy at 5 feet 7 and 172 pounds. The Ravens' current state almost makes one long for Michael Jackson, a taller, talented option, if something of a head case.

In a division owned by the Green Bay Packers the last three years, the Minnesota Vikings have found the great equalizer. Now everyone knows what coach Dennis Green knew last April when he took wide receiver Randy Moss with the 21st pick.This wasn't the steal of the draft, it was the steal of the decade.There is no minimizing Moss' impact on the Vikings in the NFC Central race. In two games against Green Bay this season, Moss turned the Packers into wild cards and the Vikings into front-runners.

12 players to watchRandy Moss arrived in the NFL with a bounty of big plays as a flamboyant wide receiver for the Minnesota Vikings a year ago. Peyton Manning checked in with a hail of pinpoint passes as a poised quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts.From the Class of 1998, they are among the top stars who figure to be marquee names through the next decade.In the countdown to the new millennium, here are 12 players who should play leading roles in the NFL's next generation.1. Randy Moss, Vikings, wide receiver, 22Few rookies have ever had the kind of impact Moss achieved last season.