Southern California assistant Norm Chow was hired as offensive coordinator of the Titans yesterday after helping the Trojans win two straight national championships.
"The timing's right, and the excitement's there," Chow said.
Chow replaces Mike Heimerdinger, who was hired as the Jets' offensive coordinator last month. This is Chow's first job in pro football after 32 seasons at Brigham Young, North Carolina State and USC. Chow, 58, was USC's offensive coordinator, tutoring Heisman Trophy winners Carson Palmer and Matt Leinart.
• MCNABB: I WASN'T ILL: Donovan McNabb has no apologies for his Super Bowl performance. After his first practice for the Pro Bowl, the Eagles quarterback said he wasn't ill during the fourth quarter of their loss to the Patriots, as had been claimed.
"No, I wasn't sick and no, I didn't throw up," McNabb said. "If people want to use that as an excuse for why we lost, that's not the way it was, but I'll put it on my shoulders."
• OWENS, SEYMOUR TO SIT OUT: Eagles WR Terrell Owens (ankle) and Patriots DE Richard Seymour (knee) will sit out the Pro Bowl because of injuries. Owens was replaced by Rams WR Torry Holt, and Seymour was replaced by the Jaguars' John Henderson.
• TALKS ON GIANTS, JETS: Acting New Jersey Gov. Richard J. Codey met for the first time with the Jets and asked them to stay in East Rutherford, while his chief counsel met with the Giants in an attempt to reach a deal on a new stadium. The Jets have been planning to move to a proposed stadium in Manhattan.
-- From News Services
