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NFL OUTSIDER: News and Views to Amuse
By Melvin Durai

The Rams and Jaguars are favored to win Sunday, setting up an exciting Super Bowl that could challenge not just the beer-vendors, but also the bookmakers. It's anybody's guess who would win, especially since the game will be in Atlanta, where nothing is certain, not even Ted Turner's drinking. It would definitely be more interesting than last year's Super Bowl, when Falcons safety Eugene Robinson tried to score -- the night before the big game. By the end of the game, Robinson didn't even have enough energy to ask for John Elway's autograph.

But the Rams and Jags aren't locks to win, unlike last year's red-hot team, the Vikings, who, incidentally, were stunned by the Falcons in the NFC championship game. The Vikes were so sure of winning that owner Red McCombs posed before the game with his championship T-shirt, which was roomy enough for the entire defensive line. With the Vikings fiasco so fresh in everyone' s mind, Dick Vermeil and Tom Coughlin have surely warned their troops against overconfidence. The Buccaneers and Titans are no pushovers, though both have less-than-stellar offenses. If the Rams and Jags score half as many points as they did last week, they'll probably win. For the Bucs to pull an upset, they need to pressure Kurt Warner. It wouldn't hurt for Warren Sapp to fall on Warner a few times. Actually, it WOULD hurt! Even to watch. For the Titans to win, Steve McNair must throw the ball and not just to Eddie George and that spectator near the end zone.

MISERABLE IN MIAMI: 62-7? How could it have happened? Even Hurricane Floyd didn't cause so much distress in Miami. The Dolphins defense looked strong against the Seahawks, but couldn't even stop the Jaguars' third-string quarterback, what's-his-name? It was almost as if the Dolphins, on their flight back from Seattle, somehow traded identities with the Browns. At least twice during the game, Dolphin players stood around watching while the Jags recovered fumbles. Who was coaching them? Elian Gonzalez? Hopefully, it wasn't Dan Marino's last game, otherwise he'll definitely have nightmares in his old age. I'm sure he'd rather stay awake and count sheep than fall asleep and count turnovers.

HOLMGREN'S BOYS: Mike Holmgren should open a school for NFL head coaches. He 's an expert at grooming assistants for the top job and could make a lot of money in tuition. Former Seahawks offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, who replaced Ray Rhodes at Green Bay this week, is the latest coach to benefit from Holmgren's tutelage. The others are Rhodes, Jon Gruden, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron and Andy Reid. Of course, none of them produced winning seasons this year -- unlike Holmgren. Still, they got a chance to show their stuff, which is more than many assistants can say.

BITS AND PIECES: Upset that a pass interference penalty wasn't called, Vikings wide receiver Randy Moss squirted an official with his water bottle during Sunday's loss to the Rams, earning a 15-yard penalty and $40,000 fine. Moss, who apparently didn't graduate from elementary school, will spend part of his off-season writing "I should never squirt an official" a thousand times in his notebook. . Eddie George's 162 yards rushing, including a 68-yard burst that stunned the Colts, proved that he's one of the elite backs in the NFL and can dominate a game. Though he lacks the breakaway speed of Fred Taylor or Terrell Davis, George has enough muscle to make Fabio look nerdy. . Former Redskins general manager Charley Casserly, who was hired to manage Houston's expansion franchise, must be breathing a lot easier, now that he's out of Dan Snyder's grasp. Why do you think he was eager to move that far south?