This Weekend: How the West Will Be Won, Chapter One

The 49ers have skated through the early part of the season, beating the Rams, Saints and Falcons. So how good are they? They couldn’t beat the expansion Panthers a year ago, but now Carolina looks vulnerable, unimpressive on offense and old and slow on defense.

Carolina will have the benefit of a pumped-up Monday night audience, but can Kerry Collins find a way to score against the 49ers’ outstanding defensive unit? Maybe on a freak play, and anyone who has watched Monday night games recently knows that is more than likely. Edge to Carolina.

5 THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. The first guy to score a touchdown for the Chargers gets cut. It’s the only logical explanation for the team’s move this week to release running back Erric Pegram, who had scored the Chargers’ only rushing touchdown this season.

“I do think it’s a mistake,” Pegram said. “[Coach Kevin Gilbride has] been a little hasty in his decisions. It’s four games into the season and he hasn’t left me in a game long enough to know whether he should cut me. And you can quote me on that.”

That glow in the San Diego sky is Pegram’s burning bridges.

2. Given the start of Denver’s Terrell Davis, what are his chances of becoming the third back in NFL history, along with O.J. Simpson and Eric Dickerson, to run for 2,000 yards in a season? Davis has to average 123 yards a game the rest of the season--so far he’s averaging 131.5 yards.

“He’s going to end up in the Hall of Fame,” former Denver runner Otis Armstrong said. “I really think that will happen.”

3. If Rick Mirer struggles against Dallas--and it gets cold in Alaska during the winter, doesn’t it?--will we see Erik Kramer come on for the Bears?

“I expect [Mirer] to make improvement starting this week,” Coach Dave Wannstedt said. “He needs to come out and play better. He knows it.”

Against Dallas--right.

4. Detroit’s Barry Sanders should run well against the Packers. Sanders has averaged 103.4 yards in 17 games against Green Bay, including going over the 160-yard mark four times.

5. Look for the Giants to lose to whomever they are playing. Since winning their final six games of the 1994 season, the Giants have lost 24 of 36.

Scratch all that--they’re playing the Saints.

AROUND THE NFC

WEST

After losing to San Francisco, Atlanta running back Jamal Anderson said it best: “Right now, we are El Stinko.” The Falcons have no chance to win because quarterback Chris Chandler can’t avoid injury and Billy Joe Tolliver is not going to scare any defense. . . . The Panthers were 9-0 at home last season but are now 0-2, in part because they refused to pay linebacker Kevin Greene, who returns Sunday with his new team, the 49ers. Greene, a pro wrestler in the off-season, said he will “absolutely” love being hated by the fans upon his return. . . . New Orleans Coach Mike Ditka did not wear a headset during his team’s win over Detroit, so he will continue to remain out of touch with his coaches in the press box. “I wore headsets in Chicago in the old days, in the beginning,” Ditka said. “Then I remembered why I took them off. Because I couldn’t call plays because the guys upstairs were telling me what to do.” Come on, no one tells Ditka what to do. . . . Steve Young has five touchdowns and one interception in his last two games against Pop Warner foes Atlanta and New Orleans. Against those two wretches he was sacked seven times. . . . Rookie Orlando Pace makes his first start for the Rams in place of Wayne Gandy, who had made 36 consecutive starts there. Wow, stop the presses.

Did you know: When New Orleans’ Heath Shuler and Mario Bates each ran and passed for touchdowns, it was only the second time in NFL history that feat has been accomplished. Green Bay’s Zeke Bratkowski and Donny Anderson pulled it off in a loss to the Lions on Oct. 10, 1971. More important, did you care?

Sidelights: Hard to believe, but Ram fans were booing Sunday when the Rams beat the Giants at home. “Hey, this place is a pussy cat compared to Vet Stadium,” said Coach Dick Vermeil, who coached in Philadelphia previously.

CENTRAL

There is a lot of speculation that Bear owner Michael McCaskey might fire Coach Dave Wannstedt at season’s end. If so, he would owe him more than $3 million, so forget it. Keeping in mind that McCaskey is cheap and Wannstedt is beginning his fifth year in the league, only 13 coaches in NFL history have survived losing records after five years. Wannstedt is 33-37 including playoffs (1-1), and has no shot to hit the .500 mark this year. . . . Detroit quarterback Scott Mitchell, who has thrown away the Lions’ season so far with erratic performances, is not pleased with the criticism. “I don’t really care,” he said. “It just gets old, it really does.” . . . After Green Bay kick returner Bill Schroeder lost a fumble last week, Coach Mike Holmgren said, “You cannot fumble and play for me. That’s just the way it is.” . . . Folks in Tampa have been trying to come up with a nickname for the backfield of Warrick Dunn and Mike Alstott. One demands imagination: WD-40. WD stands for Warrick Dunn and 40 is Alstott’s jersey number. . . . The Vikings have been unable to stop the opposition’s running game, ranking No. 27, so they signed the fattest player available--300-pound plus nose tackle Jerry Ball to plug the middle.

Did you know: Former Bear coach Abe Gibron died this week. Gibron’s philosophy made him an instant hit in Chicago. “Football is a hitting game. It’s a violent game. That’s why people like it.”

Sidelights: After Tampa Bay scores, team owner Malcolm Glazer stands and gives a thumbs up to fans in Houlihan’s Stadium. Tampa Mayor Dick Greco said, “As I remember, it wasn’t that long ago that some fans were using another finger on occasions out here.”

EAST

Dallas kicker Richie Cunningham has made 13 of 14 field-goal attempts, which puts him on pace to obliterate the single-season record of 37, set in 1996 by Carolina’s John Kasay. At his current rate, Cunningham would finish with 69 field goals. . . . Jim Fassel, who replaced Dan Reeves in New York, is beginning to see why it was so tough for Reeves to win. “I guess the reality of how far we have to go sets in after a game like that,” Fassel said after the Giants scored three points against the Rams. . . . The Eagles have been working on their dreadful special teams and signed kicker Lonny Calicchio to their practice squad for one reason--kick the ball into the end zone and prevent the other team from returning it.

Did you know: It doesn’t pay to have Giant kicker Brad Daluiso attempt a field goal beyond 40 yards. Before he made a 47-yarder late in the St. Louis game, Daluiso had missed his last five attempts from beyond 40 yards this year.

Sidelights: Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, the Redskins’ new stadium, seats 80,116, and while most of the 15,000 club seats and many of the luxury boxes remain unsold, the Redskins will announce their 231st consecutive sellout this week.

Around the AFC

WEST

What do you do when you lose your whole offense? Charger kicker John Carney, who had five field goals last week, will sit out the next two weeks because of a knee injury, meaning San Diego might get shut out. Carney has 26 of the team’s 56 points. . . . Terrell Davis has become the Broncos’ fourth all-time rusher, passing quarterback John Elway. “Dang,” said Elway. “Fifteen years of hard work down the drain.” . . . Kansas City is slowly bringing Marcus Allen back into the lineup in place of Greg Hill, who remains the Chiefs’ starting tailback. Why? . . . Napoleon Kaufman continues to carry the load for the Raiders with no sign of breaking down. Last week he had 27 carries and caught five passes. “I feel great,” Kaufman said. “I think it was something people had questions about, and maybe, just maybe, they’ll leave me alone for a little while.” Too bad he can’t play defense too. . . . The Seahawks have lost 14 of their last 15 games in Kansas City and might be without their best defensive player in Cortez Kennedy. Kennedy has started 100 consecutive games, and if unable to play because of an injured knee, will be replaced by former Chief Dan Saleaumua.

Did you know: The Broncos are the first team in NFL history not to have a rookie play in the first four games of the season.

Sidelights: Charger cornerback Dwayne Harper posed for Playgirl, and when a TV reporter brought the magazine into the team’s locker room to show the players, a team official ordered him to remove it. The Chargers apparently have not only closed practices, but instituted censorship rules.

CENTRAL

Jaguar defensive end Clyde Simmons, who blocked Norm Johnson’s attempt at a game-winning kick Monday night, now has a dozen blocked kicks to his credit. Did you ever think it’s got to hurt getting drilled by a kicked ball? . . . The Ravens are 3-1 a year after finishing 4-12, and that’s nothing new for Coach Ted Marchibroda, who took a Colt team in 1975 that had finished 2-12 a year earlier and had them go 10-4. He did the same thing in Indianapolis in 1992, leading a team that went 1-15 a year earlier to a 9-7 mark. . . . Cincinnati running back Ki-Jana Carter is going to require shoulder surgery for a torn rotator cuff, but when? Carter will need three months to recover once he undergoes surgery. . . . Pittsburgh took advantage of a soft Jaguar run defense, and now Jacksonville will be without defensive tackle John Jurkovic for the rest of the season because of a broken shinbone. The Jaguars will be going up against Terry Allen, Ricky Watters, Emmitt Smith, Jerome Bettis and Eddie George in the coming weeks--goodbye undefeated season. . . . The Steelers have lost their last five games on the road against division foes. Their last road win against an AFC Central foe was Nov. 26, 1995, at Cleveland. Guess that means they won’t win again until the NFL awards a team to Cleveland. . . . If you are going to play the Oilers, throw the ball. Tennessee is giving up only 62.7 yards a game on the ground but the opposition is averaging 298.7 yards throwing the ball against the Oilers.

Did you know: Last year 10 teams started 3-1 and seven made the playoffs. The Ravens were 2-2 at the four-game mark last year and went 2-10 the rest of the way.

Sidelights: Bam Morris, fresh off a drug suspension, has rejoined the Ravens and reports he has attention deficit disorder.

“The doctor explained it as a part of your brain that didn’t develop--you don’t think clearly,” Morris said.

Maybe that explains why he’s been suspended twice for drug violations.

EAST

It took four games, about as long as expected, for rookie Antowain Smith to replace aging Thurman Thomas as the Bills’ workhorse running back. . . . Miami quarterback Dan Marino completed 23 of his last 28 passes against Tampa Bay. Big deal, he couldn’t keep up on the scoreboard. After the loss to Tampa Bay, Coach Jimmy Johnson gave his players the day off. “I told them to get with their families,” Johnson said. “To go hug their wives, to find somebody that loves them. That might be hard these days.” . . . Jet tight end Kyle Brady continues to fall short of expectations. The Jets’ No. 1 pick in 1995 has four catches in four games. . . . New England gets the week off to study Denver and prepare for a showdown next week in Mile High Stadium.

Did you know: That everybody picks on cornerback Otis Smith. A year ago, Smith was the weak link on the Patriots’ roster, and yet Bill Parcells brought him to New York, where he got torched for three touchdowns last week. Sidelights: Bruce Coslet was fired by the Jets after the 1993 season and quarterback Jeff Blake was released during training camp the next year, and now they get their shot at revenge.

ON TV

* Jacksonville (3-0) at Washington (2-1), 10 a.m., Channel 4: A good one with Mark Brunell playing on one leg for Jacksonville, and Terry Allen carrying the ball with a broken thumb for Washington. Jaguars look as though they can be had with a strong running game, and that’s Washington’s whole plan of attack.

* Green Bay (3-1) at Detroit (2-2), 10 a.m., Channel 11: What do you make of the Lions, who have lost to Tampa Bay and New Orleans? Someone yell “boo” at Detroit quarterback Scott Mitchell and this one may be over. Watch out, though, because the Packers could be looking past the Lions to next week’s showdown with the Buccaneers.

* Chicago (0-4) at Dallas (2-1), 1 p.m., Channel 11: Time to take an afternoon nap unless you’re into watching quarterbacks like Rick Mirer get pounded into oblivion.

* Philadelphia (1-2) at Minnesota (2-2), 5 p.m., TNT: Could be interesting. Two teams who have just missed looking better. The Eagles will try to run Ricky Watters through a giving Minnesota defense, while the Vikings counter with a dynamic passing game.

SUNDAY’S OTHER GAMES

* Tennessee at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m.

Line: Pittsburgh by 6 1/2

* Denver at Atlanta, 10 a.m.

Line: Denver by 13

* New Orleans at N.Y. Giants, 10 a.m.

Line: N.Y. Giants by 5

* Arizona at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m.

Line: Tampa Bay by 7 1/2

* Seattle at Kansas City, 1 p.m.

Line: Kansas City by 5

* Baltimore at San Diego, 1 p.m.

Line: San Diego by 1 1/2

* N.Y. Jets at Cincinnati, 1 p.m.

Line: Cincinnati by 4

* St. Louis at Oakland, 1 p.m.

Line: Oakland by 7