Brown could make final home appearance for Patriots

Brown could make final home appearance for Patriots
Bill Belichick has�come up with classic finales for a number of New England Patriots —�Doug Flutie (the drop kick through the goal posts?) and Vinny Testaverde (giving him the chance to throw a touchdown pass in his record-setting 20th straight season in last year's finale at Tennessee). So, one had to wonder if Patriots coach Bill Belichick has a gadget play installed for veteran receiver Troy Brown, who, if activated, might be making his final Gillette Stadium appearance tomorrow against the Dolphins.

If there was anything in the works, Brown remained mum yesterday when reporters surrounded him at his locker to talk to the veteran who has played all 15 of his NFL seasons with the Patriots according to the Boston Globe. Brown came off the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list Nov. 27 and has been inactive since.

"As for him? Does he desire scoring a touchdown, perhaps? "A win would be great," he said. "That would make Christmas pretty good."

Detroit RB Jones tears knee ligament

For the second straight season, Detroit Lions tailback Kevin Jones is facing a long recovery and rehabilitation program because of a serious, season-ending injury according to the Detroit News.

Jones will miss the final game (at Green Bay) because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. The injury likely will require surgery, but no decision has been made, coach Rod Marinelli said Monday. Jones was hurt when hit after catching a pass for a 6-yard gain on the next-to-last play of the first half of Sunday's victory over the Chiefs.

"They (team doctors) want to wait until the swelling goes down," Marinelli said. "Then they'll make a determination from there, but there's a tear in it."

Kitna named starter in final two games and in 2008
There will be no quarterback controversy in Detroit. Not only did offensive coordinator Mike Martz tell the Detroit News that Jon Kitna will start the two final regular season games of 2007, he will be the starter in 2008.

Kitna has started every game since joining the team before the 2006 season. Already he has put up two of the best passing seasons in Lions history. But his record is just 9-21, and the Lions have missed the playoffs both seasons.

But Martz said the Lions won't use J.T. O'Sullivan or Dan Orlovsky. O'Sullivan has appeared in four games, including their 20-17 overtime victory over Minnesota on Sept. 16. Kitna missed time because of a concussion in that game but returned to lead the Lions to victory.

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Does Holt's on-camera rant signal end for Linehan?

In the closing moments of a 41-24�loss to the�Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Lous Rams Torry Holt blew his top and lost his cool , and the NFL Network cameras caught him unleashing a vulgar tirade against coach Scott Linehan.

"It's not a big deal to me," Linehan said. Linehan has to be the only one who doesn't see it that way.

St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell wrote: "For Holt to go off on an obscenity-laced rant on Linehan after a failed fourth-and-10 play resulted in a 51-yard interception return for Pittsburgh's final score must be considered one of the surest barometers that this two-year-old experiment with Linehan as an NFL head coach deserves a failing grade.''

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NFL roundup


Pats' historic game will be available to all
The New England Patriots' shot at history Saturday night will be available for every household in the country with a television after months of wrangling. The game against the New York Giants, in which the Patriots could become the first NFL team to go 16-0 in the regular season, was originally scheduled to be shown only on the NFL Network, which is available in fewer than 40 percent of the nation's homes with TVs.

Brown: Eagles played tight because coaches were tight

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Sheldon Brown said it wasn't until the most recent games against Dallas and New Orleans that the team just went out and played loose.

"We all played tight,�you know what I mean?" Brown said to reporters on Sunday, after the Eagles finished an impressive duo of road wins over the Cowboys and the Saints. "The last two weeks it was like: Let's just go play ball. We should have had that attitude from day one."

Asked why it didn't happen, Brown said: "It's a trickle-down effect. If the coaches feel tight, it trickles down to the players. They're like: Oh, I can't make a mistake. I can't make a mistake. Now the coaches are relaxed, the players are relaxed and we're having fun playing and that's how it's always been since I've been here. I don't know why it wasn't that way from the beginning."

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