NFL Ahead of MLB on Steroids

As Major League Baseball and the players union attempt to bolster the game's steroid testing program, NFL Players Association chief Gene Upshaw says there is no need for his sport to adjust its steroid policy.

The NFL's leaders have long been proud of the league's program for randomly testing players for steroid use and punishing violators with suspensions without pay -- four games for a first offense, six games for a second offense and one year for a third offense.

"What's happening in baseball is what happened in football years ago," Upshaw said during an interview this week. "The players decided they wanted it out of the game. That's when you see actions taken."

Injured Miami Dolphins wide receiver David Boston just received a four-game suspension that reportedly began last weekend and will cost him about $700,000. Boston said in a written statement that he "did not take any anabolic steroids but it was decided that I tested for a related substance." The league denied his appeal.

The NFL was touched by the steroid scandal involving the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (BALCO) in 2003 when four Oakland Raiders players reportedly tested positive for the designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG). The league did not suspend the players retroactively but began testing for THG and said that any positive tests for the drug after testing began in October 2003 would result in suspensions.

The BALCO scandal underscores the fact that science usually will stay a step ahead of sports organizations' testing programs in developing new performance-enhancing drugs undetectable by the tests that are available at the time. But Upshaw said the NFL's policies are written in a way that allows for flexibility so that the program can keep up, as much as possible, with scientific developments.

"We have built-in mechanisms to allow us to try to stay ahead of it," Upshaw said. "That's why our policy says 'steroids or related substances.' It's why we keep specimens for a period of time, to allow for testing if the next thing comes along. We know there will be something else. We just don't know what it is yet."

The union this year began a program under which it gives its seal of approval to supplements that do not contain banned substances.

Bulger Return Is Possible

The St. Louis Rams' season is on the line, and quarterback Marc Bulger could be back for Sunday's game at Arizona.

It originally was thought that Bulger would be sidelined until next week by his ailing right shoulder. But he has begun a throwing program this week, and the Rams are desperate to have him back after veteran Chris Chandler threw six interceptions during last Sunday's loss at Carolina as the fill-in starter.

The Rams (6-7) have fallen a game behind the first-place Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West. They are tied with the resurgent Panthers for the final NFC wild-card playoff berth but would lose a tie-breaker to Carolina based on last weekend's head-to-head defeat.

Bulger threw at less than full speed during Wednesday's practice, and didn't participate in full team drills. It remains a long shot that he will play against the Cardinals. But his recovery has gone quicker than the Rams had expected to this point, and they're holding out some hope that he could play this weekend. They expect to have both of their top two tailbacks, veteran Marshall Faulk and rookie Steven Jackson, available Sunday. Each had been sidelined by a bruised knee . . . .

Rams safety Aeneas Williams met with the team's medical staff Wednesday to discuss his options for dealing with an arthritic condition in his neck. It appears unlikely that he will play again this season, and at his age -- he turns 37 in January -- there is doubt about whether he'll be able to resume his career next season. Williams has been selected to eight Pro Bowls, seven of them as a cornerback, in a 14-year NFL career with the Phoenix and Arizona Cardinals and the Rams.

While they were trying to make a decision earlier this week about whether to place Williams on the injured reserve list, the Rams lost rookie safety Jason Shivers when he was signed by Chicago off the St. Louis practice squad Monday. The Rams could have retained Shivers by promoting him to the 53-man roster, but still were wavering about what to do about Williams. A decision about whether Williams will be placed on IR could be made today . . . .

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer said during a news conference Wednesday that he's unlikely to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills because of the knee injury that knocked him out of last weekend's loss to the New England Patriots. Palmer indicated that he expects to be ready to play in the Bengals' final two games of the regular season. He suffered damage to the medial collateral ligament but not to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Bengals Coach Marvin Lewis hasn't ruled out the possibility of Palmer being ready to face the Bills, but it appears virtually certain that backup Jon Kitna will start against Buffalo after making his first appearance of the season in the New England game . . . .

Detroit Lions Coach Steve Mariucci indicated that he's sticking with Joey Harrington as his starting quarterback this week. Mariucci had been noncommittal earlier in the week on the possibility of a switch to Mike McMahon . . . .

The Lions placed linebacker Boss Bailey on the IR list, officially ending a season that never got started for the younger brother of Denver Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey. He hadn't played all season after undergoing knee surgery in August. The Lions kept him on the 53-man roster, hoping he'd be able to play at some point, but finally gave up . . . .

Broncos rookie tailback Tatum Bell might try to practice today. If he's able to work his way back from a separated shoulder, he could be in line to become Denver's third different featured runner this season. The Broncos' tailback job has gone from Quentin Griffin to Reuben Droughns, and Bell got his chance after Droughns's two early fumbles in last Sunday's win over the Dolphins. He responded by running for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and Coach Mike Shanahan appears to be losing confidence in Droughns . . . .

Bears middle linebacker Brian Urlacher didn't practice Wednesday and underwent an MRI exam on his injured left hamstring. It appears unlikely that he will play Sunday against the Houston Texans, and the remainder of his season could be in jeopardy as well. The Bears are winless in the four games that Urlacher has missed this season . . . .

Seahawks wide receiver Darrell Jackson left the team to be with his family this week in Tampa, Fla. His father, Joe, died Sunday after a lengthy fight with cancer. Jackson learned of his father's death about five hours before last Sunday's game at Minnesota. He had a career-best game, with 10 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown in Seattle's 27-23 triumph that moved them in front of the Rams in the NFC West. He was named the NFC offensive player of the week. . . .

The Seahawks are counting on Antonio Cochran as their fill-in starter at right defensive end, with Grant Wistrom sidelined again by a knee injury. Cochran has been a valuable utility player on the defensive line this season, contributing five sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception while splitting his playing time at end and tackle.

Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren has lobbied this week for Cochran to be credited with another sack for what he did on the final play of the Vikings game, pulling down Minnesota quarterback Daunte Culpepper before Culpepper got up and threw an incomplete pass on a ball that landed at the feet of tight end Jermaine Wiggins in the end zone, just missing what would have been a game-winning touchdown. The officials on the field apparently believed that Culpepper fell on top of Cochran and never touched the ground, but television replays showed that Culpepper's knee touched the turf and he should have been ruled down. There was no instant-replay review, though, because Culpepper's pass fell incomplete and the game ended with the Seahawks winning, and the league's statisticians have refused to credit Cochran with a sack since the play was ruled an incomplete pass . . . .

The Vikings placed linebacker Raonall Smith on the IR list because of the effects of a series of concussions earlier in the season. Smith was close to being cleared to play, but Minnesota needed a roster spot for a defensive back and promoted cornerback Rhett Nelson from the practice squad . . . .

Kicker Sebastian Janikowski's five-year contract extension with the Raiders, agreed to earlier in the week, officially was completed Wednesday. It is worth about $10.5 million, including approximately $2.8 million in bonus money. . . .

The Cardinals released wide receiver Reggie Newhouse and tight end Lorenzo Diamond and promoted three players -- wideout Lawrence Hamilton, defensive end Antonio Smith and linebacker Isaac Keys -- from their practice squad. They'd had one open spot on their 53-man roster after placing offensive tackle L.J. Shelton on IR Tuesday. . . .

The Green Bay Packers expect to find out Friday or Saturday whether linebacker Na'il Diggs will be available for Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Lambeau Field. Diggs sat out last Sunday's triumph over the Lions after spending two nights in a hospital because of a bruised kidney that he suffered during the Packers' lopsided defeat at Philadelphia 11 days ago. Paris Lenon would make a second straight start if Diggs is unable to play this weekend.

Wannstedt Withdraws From Pitt Search

Former Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt, a University of Pittsburgh alum, withdrew from the school's coaching search today. He had been one of at least three top candidates for the job left vacant by Walt Harris's departure for Stanford but told school officials he didn't feel the timing was right for him. Wannstedt recently has been doing TV work as an analyst for Fox.

The leading candidates for the Pittsburgh job now are University of Oklahoma co-defensive coordinator Bo Pelini and Texans secondary coach Jon Hoke, the former defensive coordinator at the University of Florida under Steve Spurrier. Hoke recently rejected an offer to reunite with Spurrier at South Carolina. . . .

Vikings owner Red McCombs continues to send mixed signals about the future of Coach Mike Tice. McCombs is quoted in today's Minneapolis Star Tribune as saying that he definitely will exercise the club's $1 million option for next season in Tice's contract. On Monday, McCombs said that no decision about whether to pick up the option would be made until after the season, and he has wavered between the two public postures for weeks. The Vikings reportedly are contemplating asking Tice to postpone the Jan. 1 deadline for the team to decide whether to exercise the option. The Vikings' regular season finale is Jan. 2. . . .

Now that Coach Dennis Erickson has rejected the University of Mississippi to remain in San Francisco, his future with the 49ers beyond this season will be determined by his deliberations with co-owner John York and General Manager Terry Donahue regarding possible changes to Erickson's coaching staff. The team's management apparently wants to see changes made. Erickson is loyal to his assistants, many of whom have been with him at previous coaching stops, and has said he doesn't want to make changes despite the club's 2-11 record. Erickson is to meet with York and Donahue after the season. The 49ers probably would be reluctant to fire him, since they'd owe him the approximately $7.5 million left on his contract under that scenario. Erickson probably wouldn't want to resign and walk away from that money. But if the two sides can't resolve the assistant-coaches issue, they perhaps could work out a financial settlement by which Erickson would depart. . . .

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden said he wouldn't apologize if his team, now 5-8, somehow could find a way to sneak into the NFC playoffs.

"That's the way it goes," Gruden said during his news briefing Wednesday. "I've been on teams where 9-7 isn't nearly good enough. Things go in cycles. Some of these guys who cut albums for a living go three, four, five years without having a good one, then all of a sudden they put something out that's really exciting. We haven't been heard from here in the last year and a half. Hopefully we can end with a bang and get a little good fortune." . . .

The Buccaneers signed tight end Billy Baber and released defensive end Corey Smith. Tampa Bay is Baber's third team this season, after stints with Kansas City and San Diego.

According to the Associated Press, Panthers Pro Bowl punter Todd Sauerbrun was arrested and charged with driving while impaired, speeding and driving with his license revoked. He was released early this morning on a $1,700 bond.