Colts Holding on to Harrison

The Indianapolis Colts will remain a Super Bowl contender beyond this season, and quarterback Peyton Manning and wide receiver Marvin Harrison will continue to pursue a place in history as one of the top all-time passing combinations. The Colts ensured that when they signed Harrison to a seven-year, $66-million contract extension that will keep the five-time Pro Bowl selection off the unrestricted free agent market in the spring.

But did agent Tom Condon get the Colts to overpay for Harrison, the same way that many in the league believe he got them to overpay last offseason to keep Manning, and leave the club unable to pay for the defensive upgrades it might need to be a Super Bowl champion one day instead of just a contender? That remains to be seen.

Condon completed Harrison's deal with the Colts late Tuesday after months of quiet negotiations. According to an NFL source, the deal includes $22 million in bonus money.

Harrison, 32, receives a $6 million signing bonus and roster bonuses of $7 million next year and $10 million in 2006, for a deal that technically has $23 million in bonuses and a total value of $67 million. But he agreed to cut his salary for this season under the terms of his existing contract by $1 million to reduce his salary cap figure this year, the source said.

It appears to be the richest contract ever given to a wide receiver, surpassing the eight-year, $75-million deal that Randy Moss received from the Minnesota Vikings, including $18 million in guaranteed money.

Both of Harrison's roster bonuses can be converted into signing bonuses that can be prorated over the remainder of the contract for salary cap accounting purposes, reducing his impact against the cap in the early seasons of the deal. That gives the Colts some salary-cap flexibility to try to re-sign tailback Edgerrin James, their third offensive standout who remains eligible for unrestricted free agency in March. And now, with Harrison signed through the 2011 season and Manning through the 2010 season, the team has the option of using its franchise-player tag to retain James if it is unable to get him to agree to an extension.

Colts officials previously have said they could afford to re-sign both Harrison and James. And if James remains in the fold along with Manning and Harrison, the Colts probably will remain a winning team in the foreseeable future. As Manning closes in on Dan Marino's 20-year-old NFL single-season record of 48 touchdown passes, the Colts have been virtually unstoppable on offense this year. They have scored 182 points in their last four games and are on pace to score 575 points this season, which would top the league-record 556 points scored by the Vikings in 1998. The Colts have won five straight games to improve to 9-3 and open a three-game lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South. The Tennessee Titans resorted to attempting three onside kicks in the first quarter against the Colts last Sunday, and recovered two of them -- and still lost, 51-24.

Harrison ranks 10th in the NFL with his 67 receptions this season, and he's caught 12 of Manning's 44 touchdown passes. Manning and Harrison have teamed up for an NFL-record 687 completions and for 80 touchdowns, the second-best figure in league history to the 85 by Steve Young and Jerry Rice for the San Francisco 49ers between 1987 and '99. Harrison is the eighth-leading receiver in league history with 826 career catches, and he reached 800 receptions in fewer games than anyone else. He set an NFL single-season record with 143 catches in 2002. Over the previous five seasons, he averaged 113 catches for 1,519 yards and 12 touchdowns annually.

He is in great shape. He doesn't generate controversies and he is every bit as dedicated and as hard-working as Manning, not an easy feat. He often draws the double-teaming attention of opposing defenses that enables fellow Colts wideouts Reggie Wayne and Brandon Stokley to thrive against single coverage, and gives James room to run.

But the Colts don't generate revenues like the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, and now they've handed out two mammoth contracts this year worth $164 million, including $56.5 million in bonuses. Condon also negotiated the seven-year, $98 million contract extension that Manning signed with the Colts last offseason. That deal included an NFL-record signing bonus of $34.5 million and reduced Manning's impact against this season's salary cap after the Colts used their exclusive franchise-player tag to keep the quarterback off the free agent market last spring. The previous record for the largest signing bonus given to an NFL player was the $20 million that the Philadelphia Eagles gave to quarterback Donovan McNabb in 2002.

So now the Colts have given their quarterback who never has taken them to a Super Bowl a signing bonus 73 percent higher than the previous record, and have given their 32-year-old star wide receiver who never has taken them to a Super Bowl $22 million in bonuses. James's contract is still to come, and then it becomes a question of how much available cash the Colts will have as well as how much salary cap space they will have. How much money and cap room does that leave for future improvements to a defense that currently ranks 31st among the 32 NFL teams?

The Colts are better in the scoring-defense rankings, at 17th, and their shortcomings on that side of the ball aren't hindering them too much at this point. But to reach the Feb. 6 Super Bowl, they probably still will have to win a playoff game in cold, potentially snowy or icy January weather at Pittsburgh or at New England -- or perhaps both -- against a well-rounded team with a rugged defense. Manning hasn't yet managed to win a game of that significance, throwing four interceptions in last season's road loss to the Patriots in the AFC title game. And if he doesn't do so this time around, have the Colts left themselves with enough salary cap space and sufficient budgetary wiggle room to try a different approach next season and beyond?

Center Could Return To Colts' Lineup

Starting center Jeff Saturday practiced Wednesday and could return to the Colts' lineup Sunday at Houston after missing the Tennessee game because of a torn calf muscle. Guard Tupe Peko, who has missed three games because of a sprained ankle, also participated in Wednesday's practice and could play against the Texans. The Colts have had to juggle their offensive line regularly in recent weeks but haven't suffered. Manning has been sacked only seven times all season, and hasn't been sacked more than once in any game. . . .

Kicker Martin Gramatica struggled with his field-goal accuracy this season before being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week. But he remained effective on kickoffs, with six touchbacks, and that's why the Colts signed him Wednesday to serve as a kickoff specialist while Mike Vanderjagt continues to handle field goals and extra points.

"We wish him well,'' Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden said during his news briefing Wednesday. "Hopefully he does a great job for them. They are kicking off an awful lot, I do notice that. They might need to add two more of those guys.''

Gramatica, who worked out for the Colts on Tuesday, will become the fifth different player to handle kickoffs this season for the club. Vanderjagt didn't want to relinquish the duty but team officials were dissatisfied with his kickoffs.

Holmes Placed on IR

The Kansas City Chiefs placed tailback Priest Holmes on the injured reserve list today, ending his season. Holmes had missed the Chiefs' last four games because of a sprained right medial collateral ligament and was not close to returning to the lineup, Coach Dick Vermeil said earlier this week. The club originally had hoped for him to return in two to four weeks. Derrick Blaylock and Larry Johnson will continue to split the workload at tailback. Holmes rushed for 892 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games this season. . . .

Steelers rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat out Wednesday's practice because of a sore quadriceps but is slated to start Sunday against the New York Jets. . . .

Rookie quarterback Luke McCown is scheduled to make a second straight start for Cleveland, even though interim coach Terry Robiskie called Jeff Garcia's shoulder injury 90 percent healed. When Robiskie, during his initial speech to the club, asked players who thought they were team leaders to stand up, Garcia remained seated. McCown was among the 22 players who stood. This week, Garcia didn't show up at the team's training facility Tuesday to receive treatment on his shoulder. Kelly Holcomb remains sidelined by his three cracked ribs. McCown's second NFL start will come on the same day that his older brother Josh returns to the Arizona Cardinals' starting-quarterback role. . . .

San Francisco tailback Kevan Barlow will miss Sunday's game at Arizona because of a concussion. He'll join quarterback Tim Rattay, sidelined for at least two weeks by a torn fascia muscle in his right foot, on the shelf. . . .

The Eagles plan to start Darwin Walker at right defensive end in place of Derrick Burgess, who's sidelined by a chest injury. Hugh Douglas likely will split time with Walker, playing in pass-rushing situations. . . .

The NFL fined New Orleans special-teams captain Steve Gleason $5,000 for being ejected from Sunday's loss to Carolina. He punched the Panthers' Kemp Rasmussen in the groin at the end of a kickoff return.

Favre's Show of Support

Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre showed up to his weekly news briefing Wednesday sporting a short haircut. He'd cut his hair, he said, as a show of support to his wife Deanna, who has begun chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer. "She'll look a hell of a lot better than me without hair,'' Favre said. "But maybe that will make her feel better. She has to do it. There's no choice. . . . She's up and down. She's hanging in there probably much better than I would. She has her moments.'' . . .

Buffalo offensive coordinator Tom Clements perhaps has emerged as the front-runner for the Notre Dame head-coaching job. The former Notre Dame quarterback is to interview with school officials tonight or Friday morning. . . .

It's a "Grudge Match'' weekend league-wide. Patriots tailback Corey Dillon faces the team that traded him last offseason, the Cincinnati Bengals, after he expressed his dissatisfaction repeatedly. And San Diego wide receiver Keenan McCardell faces the Buccaneers, who traded him to the Chargers in October because he was holding out in a bitter contract dispute. The Chargers are 6-0 in the games in which McCardell has played. . . .

Seahawks Coach Mike Holmgren is a member of the NFL's powerful competition committee that has formulated the rules for the instant-replay system, and he can't figure out why the replay officials in the booth did not review Keyshawn Johnson's late touchdown catch for Dallas in the Cowboys' dramatic win at Seattle on Monday night. Johnson appeared to land out of bounds after making the grab but the call was not overturned, and it appeared that the play was not even reviewed because there was no stoppage in play.

"He didn't score,'' Holmgren said during his news briefing Wednesday. "That was not a touchdown."

Under the replay rules, Holmgren could not challenge the play because it occurred in the final two minutes, when reviews are at the discretion of the replay officials.

"The irony is that I am--and was--such an advocate of replay," Holmgren said. "It's discouraging when it doesn't appear the mechanics of it are done properly. . . . In the last two minutes of the game, they should be going, 'Okay, this is our time. Let's get ready.' Then if it's close, look at it."

A representative of the league office reportedly informed Holmgren later Wednesday that the play should have been reviewed. Last season, the Seahawks were victimized by a timekeeping mistake by the officiating crew during a loss at Baltimore. . . .

The Seahawks are elevating rookie safety Michael Boulware into the starting lineup, in part because of Terreal Bierria's ailing back and in part because of the play-making abilities that Boulware has demonstrated. Seattle will be without defensive tackle Marcus Tubbs this week because of a high ankle sprain. . . .

Denver defensive end Trevor Pryce participated in portions of the Broncos' practice Wednesday, but it remains unclear when or if he'll be able to play again this season. He hasn't played since the opening game and underwent back surgery in September to have a herniated disk repaired. . . .

St. Louis quarterback Marc Bulger likely will miss two games because of his ailing right shoulder and return for a Dec. 27 meeting with the Eagles in a Monday night game. In the meantime, Chris Chandler is the Rams' starter, with the just-signed Jamie Martin backing him up.