Warren Moon

Backup quarterback Eric Zeier, traded by the Ravens to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, said he leaves the club with "no hard feelings.""There's always going to be a part of me that cares for the Ravens and the Modells and the opportunity they gave me," Zeier, who started seven games during his three-year tenure in Baltimore, said yesterday. "But I'm excited to be going to Tampa."Coach [Brian] Billick was very upfront and honest about what they were looking for [at quarterback]. If they could get Warren Moon or Tony Banks [as a backup]

Considering what you have endured, how have you resisted the temptation to become frustrated with what has happened? I don't think about it like that. I don't think about football in a frustrating way at all. I just don't. I won't allow myself to let anything take away from what we've got going on here. Do you believe that contracting tonsillitis was part of a bigger plan? Everything definitely happens for a reason. Obviously, my plan will come somewhere later on down the line. The things that I have gone through and go through now are definitely part of what I have to do to become the quarterback that I want to become.

Football NFL -- Named Houston Oilers QB Warren Moon (66-for-97 for 965 yards and 8 TDs) and Philadelphia Eagles QB Randall Cunningham (59-for-102 for 815 yards and 10 TDs; 249 yards rushing) Offensive Players of the Month. Named Kansas City Chiefs LB Derrick Thomas (8 sacks, 22 tackles, 4 forced fumbles) and Minnesota Vikings SS Joey Browner (4 INTs, 27 tackles, 1 sack) Defensive Players of the Month.HockeyAHL -- Named Springfield Indians LW Michel Picard (6 goals, 3 assists in four games)

Fan support The Browns, with 73,358 fans, had the biggest crowd in the four-year history of their stadium. Second-half struggles The Falcons are 24-9 since the start of the 1997 season when leading at halftime, but 0-2 this season. Century man Ricky Williams became the first Dolphin with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Bernie Parmalee in 1994. He's also the first Dolphin to open the season with two 100-yard games since Mark Higgs in 1991. Indy 100 The Colts' Edgerrin James broke Eric Dickerson's club record with his 25th career 100-yard rushing game.

Veteran free agent Warren Moon said Ravens officials yesterday described three scenarios in which he might be with the team next season, two of which involved him as the starting quarterback. But neither Moon nor Ravens coach Brian Billick has imposed a deadline, even though both parties would like to make a decision by March 18, the last day of the league meetings next week in Phoenix.Also yesterday, Billick said the Ravens were close to signing former New York Giants tight end Aaron Pierce and that Pierce's previous alcohol problems were not of major concern to the team.

The Ravens' most important strategy for winning today's game against the Seattle Seahawks at Memorial Stadium is pretty cut and dried: Slow, harass or stop quarterback Warren Moon.The Seahawks (6-7) bring the NFL's top-rated passing attack and one of the league's best-ever pure passers into Baltimore today to face a Ravens secondary that has been hit hard by injuries and could include as many as three rookie starters.The Ravens (4-8-1) will start rookies Kim Herring and Ralph Staten at safety and second-year player DeRon Jenkins at right cornerback.

Numbers* Best day passing: Steve Young, San Francisco, 18-28-1, 399 yards, 3 TDs* Best day rushing: Rod Bernstine, Indianapolis, 23 carries, 150 yards, 2 TDs* Best day receiving: Jerry Rice, San Francisco, 7 catches, 183 yards, 2 TDs* Longest TD passing: Jim Harbaugh, Chicago, 83 yards to Anthony Morgan* Longest TD rushing: Gaston Green, Denver, 67 yards* Longest field goal: Jeff Jaeger, L.A. Raiders, 53 yards* Most field goals: 3, Chip Lohmiller, Washington,...

Fan support The Browns, with 73,358 fans, had the biggest crowd in the four-year history of their stadium. Second-half struggles The Falcons are 24-9 since the start of the 1997 season when leading at halftime, but 0-2 this season. Century man Ricky Williams became the first Dolphin with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games since Bernie Parmalee in 1994. He's also the first Dolphin to open the season with two 100-yard games since Mark Higgs in 1991. Indy 100 The Colts' Edgerrin James broke Eric Dickerson's club record with his 25th career 100-yard rushing game.

Division predictionPencil in Chicago and Tampa Bay for fourth and fifth. Then it gets difficult. You could virtually pick Minnesota, Detroit and Green Bay out of a hat because they're so close. Warren Moon's quarterbacking gives Minnesota a slight edge, and the Scott Mitchell-Barry Sanders duo should get Detroit the runner-up spot, which leaves Green Bay in third fighting for a playoff spot.1. Minnesota Vikings1993 record: 9-7, tied for second in division; lost to Giants in wild-card playoff.

Considering what you have endured, how have you resisted the temptation to become frustrated with what has happened? I don't think about it like that. I don't think about football in a frustrating way at all. I just don't. I won't allow myself to let anything take away from what we've got going on here. Do you believe that contracting tonsillitis was part of a bigger plan? Everything definitely happens for a reason. Obviously, my plan will come somewhere later on down the line. The things that I have gone through and go through now are definitely part of what I have to do to become the quarterback that I want to become.

Backup quarterback Eric Zeier, traded by the Ravens to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday, said he leaves the club with "no hard feelings.""There's always going to be a part of me that cares for the Ravens and the Modells and the opportunity they gave me," Zeier, who started seven games during his three-year tenure in Baltimore, said yesterday. "But I'm excited to be going to Tampa."Coach [Brian] Billick was very upfront and honest about what they were looking for [at quarterback]. If they could get Warren Moon or Tony Banks [as a backup]

St. Louis Rams quarterback Tony Banks, who has been shopped around the league as trade bait to almost every team during the off-season, visited the Ravens' Owings Mills training complex yesterday and underwent a physical examination by the team.Banks, 6 feet 4, 215 pounds, is considered the second option to Warren Moon, 42, as a backup to starter Scott Mitchell next season. Banks, a four-year veteran, started all but two games for the Rams last season and was 12th in the NFC in passing, completing 241 of 408 passes for 2,535 yards with seven touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

The Ravens have circulated a number of possible quarterback scenarios since the 1998 season ended, but the team's current No. 1 plan is to acquire the Detroit Lions' Scott Mitchell and sign veteran free agent Warren Moon for the 1999 season, according to owner Art Modell, who said the team will still explore trading up for a franchise quarterback in the draft in April.Moon, who visited the Ravens' complex Monday, said coach Brian Billick may want him as a backup to Mitchell, and that was one of three options he would consider.

Veteran free agent Warren Moon said Ravens officials yesterday described three scenarios in which he might be with the team next season, two of which involved him as the starting quarterback. But neither Moon nor Ravens coach Brian Billick has imposed a deadline, even though both parties would like to make a decision by March 18, the last day of the league meetings next week in Phoenix.Also yesterday, Billick said the Ravens were close to signing former New York Giants tight end Aaron Pierce and that Pierce's previous alcohol problems were not of major concern to the team.

The Ravens' most important strategy for winning today's game against the Seattle Seahawks at Memorial Stadium is pretty cut and dried: Slow, harass or stop quarterback Warren Moon.The Seahawks (6-7) bring the NFL's top-rated passing attack and one of the league's best-ever pure passers into Baltimore today to face a Ravens secondary that has been hit hard by injuries and could include as many as three rookie starters.The Ravens (4-8-1) will start rookies Kim Herring and Ralph Staten at safety and second-year player DeRon Jenkins at right cornerback.

Everything was proceeding nicely Sunday until the final minute of the Bills-Patriots catastrophe. Washington, Houston and Denver all had covered. New England, the week's fourth major pick, didn't appear likely to do so until a miracle happened with less than a minute left.The Patriots, favored by four points, had just scored to regain the lead at 21-18, only to see Adam Vinatieri miss the extra point by a mile to the left. Wonderful!But Jim Kelly wasn't through. The Buffalo quarterback put up a pass in the right flat that defensive end Willie McGinest intercepted and returned 46 yards for a touchdown, at which point referee Dick Hantak became the most confused person in the stadium.

St. Louis Rams quarterback Tony Banks, who has been shopped around the league as trade bait to almost every team during the off-season, visited the Ravens' Owings Mills training complex yesterday and underwent a physical examination by the team.Banks, 6 feet 4, 215 pounds, is considered the second option to Warren Moon, 42, as a backup to starter Scott Mitchell next season. Banks, a four-year veteran, started all but two games for the Rams last season and was 12th in the NFC in passing, completing 241 of 408 passes for 2,535 yards with seven touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

I'M STARTING an athletic shoe company. All I need is to line up some endorsements, and I'm all set. My shoes will be all about attitude. You know, just do it. It's your planet.T-shirts, too, I want to do T-shirts. With some pithy phrases: No fear; Second place is the first loser; I'm the bus driver - I take everyone to school.I know this won't be easy. All of those phrases are taken. Most of the best attitude-endowed athletes are taken. But there are athletes out there, I know it.You think I could get the University of Nebraska football team?

I'M STARTING an athletic shoe company. All I need is to line up some endorsements, and I'm all set. My shoes will be all about attitude. You know, just do it. It's your planet.T-shirts, too, I want to do T-shirts. With some pithy phrases: No fear; Second place is the first loser; I'm the bus driver - I take everyone to school.I know this won't be easy. All of those phrases are taken. Most of the best attitude-endowed athletes are taken. But there are athletes out there, I know it.You think I could get the University of Nebraska football team?

Maybe it's a question they should start asking on the late news: Do you know where your NFL team is tonight?For the second straight week, an NFL team announced it was moving last week when Bud Adams, owner of the Houston Oilers, signed a new deal with Nashville, Tenn.The move isn't as final as the one Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell announced in Baltimore the previous week, because Nashville fans have to buy almost 45,000 permanent seat licenses to make it official.There's another big difference: While the proposed Browns move has caused a firestorm in Cleveland and around the country, the Oilers' move was greeted almost with a yawn.