Sporting News, The: To know list: 8 is enough … to get into the NFC playoffs

[1] CHARGED UP

Golden Gates

If the Chargers have been the NFL's surprise team this season, tight end Antonio Gates has been the surprise Charger. With 73 receptions in 13 games, the former undrafted rookie free agent could challenge Ben Coates' single-season record for catches by a tight end (96, set in 1994). With 11 touchdown receptions, Gates needs two more to break the tight end record shared by Mike Ditka (1961) and Todd Christensen (1983). And Gates has an outside chance of becoming the third tight end to lead the league in receptions, a feat previously achieved by Kellen Winslow (1980 and '81) and Christensen ('83 and '86). At the very least, Gates seems a sure bet to make the Pro Bowl for the first time, something Winslow and Christensen did five times apiece during their careers.

With three games still to play this season, Gates' receiving numbers in his first two seasons hold up well compared with those of other prominent tight ends in their first two seasons (minimum five career Pro Bowl appearances). --Dave Sloan

Tight end, team (first two seasons)   Games   Rec.   Yards

Keith Jackson, Eagles (1988-89)        30      144   1,517
Mike Ditka, Bears (1961-62)            28      114   1,980
Kellen Winslow, Chargers (1979-80)     23      114   1,545
Antonio Gates, Chargers (2003-04 *)    28       97   1,232
Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs (1997-98)        32       92      89
Charlie Sanders, Lions (1968-69)       28       82   1,189
Jackie Smith, Cardinals (1963-64)      28       75   1,102
John Mackey, Colts (1963-64)           28       57   1,132
Ben Coates, Patriots (1991-92)         32       30     266
Shannon Sharpe, Broncos (1990-91)      32       29     421

Tight end, team (first two seasons)   Avg.   TDs   Pro Bowls

Keith Jackson, Eagles (1988-89)       10.5     9       5
Mike Ditka, Bears (1961-62)           17.4    17       5
Kellen Winslow, Chargers (1979-80)    13.6    11       5
Antonio Gates, Chargers (2003-04 *)   12.7    13       0
Tony Gonzalez, Chiefs (1997-98)       10.8     4       5
Charlie Sanders, Lions (1968-69)      14.5     4       7
Jackie Smith, Cardinals (1963-64)     14.7     6       5
John Mackey, Colts (1963-64)          19.9     9       5
Ben Coates, Patriots (1991-92)         8.9     4       5
Shannon Sharpe, Broncos (1990-91)     14.5     2       8

* Through 13 games.

[2] READING BETWEEN THE LINES

Lies, dang lies and statistics

You won't find it on The New York Times Best-Seller List, but the NFL weekly rankings provide some of the best fiction this side of Tom Wolfe.

Exhibit 1: The Falcons are ranked first in the NFL in rushing offense. This hardly is a great running team in the traditional sense. Take away quarterback Michael Vick's 821 rushing yards, and the Falcons would be ranked near the bottom the NFL in rushing offense.

Exhibit 2: The Colts are ranked 29th in the NFL in total defense. The defense has been effective in complementing an unstoppable offense. Even though the Colts have given up a lot of yards, they lead the NFL with 33 takeaways. What's more, they've tightened up inside the 20, allowing opponents to score touchdowns from the red zone only 38.9 percent of the time--one of the best percentages in the NFL.

Exhibit 3: The Dolphins are ranked second in the NFL in pass defense. The only reason they haven't given up a lot of passing yards is opponents haven't been forced to throw on the Dolphins when they know they can run on them. Miami ranks 28th in run defense.--Dan Pompei

[3] NFL'S MOST OVERRATED PLAYER

You made the call

Telling Brian Urlacher he's the most overrated player in football (page 12) is a courageous thing. It's right up there with yanking out one of Ron Artest's eyelashes, inviting Rick Majerus to dinner and admitting you mistook your steroids for lip balm. But we're not delivering the boom on a menacing NFL star by our lonesome. We've dragged you into it, too.

Given five names to choose from, visitors to TSN's online partner, msn.foxsports.com, gave Urlacher a break. Only about one in 20 of the first 94,269 to weigh in voted Urlacher the most overrated of the five.--Steve Greenberg

35.7% Warren Sapp. Raiders

33.8% Keyshawn Johnson, Cowboys

15.9% Aaron Brooks, Saints

9.2% Joey Harrington, Lions

5.4% Brian Urlacher, Bears

[4] NASCAR KNOWS JACK

A number of good ideas

The 07 car will run with Dave Blaney as its driver and Jack Daniels as its sponsor in the 2005 season. The car used to be the No. 30, but it changed to 07 because the drink is called Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey. Get ready for more car numbers hoping to tap into a similar synergistic vein:

* The 50 Cent car will be the first with vanity plates, a booming sound system and hydraulic lifts.

* The 73 car will be cream colored and sponsored by a steroid manufa ... um, an arthritis ointment.

* The 23 car will have a built-in humidor and a gambling problem.

* The Mac OS 9.2 car will crash--and never restart--five minutes before the end of the race.

* The 91 car will drive into the stands if you throw beer at it.--Matt Crossman

[5] PLAYOFF JOKES

When even good is bad

The woeful NFC could produce the first sub.500 team to make the NFL postseason. Since the

NFL-AFL merger in 1970, five teams--the 1985 Browns, '90 Saints, '91 Jets and '99 Cowboys and Lions--have gotten in at 8-8. The playoff teams with the worst records from the other BigThree pro leagues:

Team                          Record     Win pct.

NBA

1952-53 Baltimore Bullets      16-54       .229
1959-60 Minneapolis Lakers     25-50       .333

NHL

1987-88 Toronto Maple Leafs   21-49-10     .325
1985-86 Toronto Maple Leafs   25-48-7      .356

MLB

1973 New York Mets             82-79       .509
1984 Kansas City Royals        84-78       .519
1997 Houston Astros            84-78       .519

[6] WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN?

Numerical soup

How the NHLPA's proposed 24 percent across-the-board salary cut would shake down if it were accepted by the NHL:

NHLPA's projected savings to the NHL: $528 million over three years.

Biggest salary loser: $2.64 million, Jaromir Jagr, Rangers (from $11 million to $8.36 million).

Smallest salary loser: $84,000, Chris Taylor, Sabres (from $350,000 to $266,000).

Glad he signed in the summer: The Devils' Scott Niedermayer won a record-tying $7 million arbitration award, an increase of $3 million. He would get paid $5.32 million after the rollback, still a 33 percent increase.

Worst summer signing: Sergei Samsonov, Bruins, re-signed for the same $3.65 million he was paid last season; after the reduction, he would make $2.77 million.

Team that would save the most: Flyers, $16 million (from $66.5 million to $50.5 million).

Team that would save the lead: Penguins, $5.3 million (from a projected $22 million to $16.7 million).--Paul Grant

[7] SITE LINES

Fiery support for Meyer

Say this for Florida fans--they don't waste any time. Within a week of the university's announcement that Urban Meyer would be its new head football coach, FireUrbanMeyer.com was up and running. But the site's owner, Andy Judah, swears his motives are pure. He says on the home page, "They tried to run (Ron Zook) out of town before he coached a single practice! I have bought this site to block someone else from doing the very same thing to Coach Meyer."

As for FireRonZook.com, it's having a going-out-of-business sale. Quick, the "Fire Ron Zook" thong is just $9.99!--Tricia Garner

[8] YOU HEARD IT HERE

'Auburn has earned a shot. That's when you know you need some change, when people are denied the opportunity they've worked for.'

--Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, a football fan who knows a thing or two about the positives of a championship playoff