July 22, 2006 in Sports

Surgery could spell end of Faulk’s career

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St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk will have major reconstructive knee surgery and miss the 2006 season, a blow that could spell the end of his career.

Though coach Scott Linehan said at a news conference Friday that the 33-year-old Faulk wasn’t ready to call it quits, retirement might be on the horizon.

“We were hoping for the best, but we’ve been planning for both scenarios,” said Linehan, the former Idaho quarterback and assistant coach who is in his first year with the Rams. “I think reality is setting in for sure that potentially his career is winding down.”

Faulk had been contemplating retirement during the off-season, before news of his latest surgery. He didn’t attend the news conference, and his agent, Rocky Arceneaux, didn’t return a phone call seeking comment.

The 2000 NFL MVP is expected to have the surgery on one of his knees next week. It was unclear which knee would be the focus of the operation. Faulk had lesser surgery on both knees earlier this year.

Faulk is ninth on the career rushing list with 12,279 yards, 34 yards behind Jim Brown. But he had a career-low 292 yards rushing last year and made only one start, in the season finale when Steven Jackson was out with a hip pointer.

McNabb criticizes Owens

Donovan McNabb does a better job avoiding tacklers than lingering questions about Terrell Owens.

Speaking to reporters after practice in Bethlehem, Pa., a cordial McNabb called Owens’ recently released autobiography a “children’s book,” mocked the star receiver for saying he was misquoted in his own book and disputed some of the written allegations.

McNabb and Owens helped lead the Philadelphia Eagles to the Super Bowl during the 2004 season, but their relationship quickly deteriorated in 2005. Owens eventually was kicked off the team and signed with the Dallas Cowboys in March.

In “T.O.,” which came out earlier this month, Owens mostly offers his side of his tumultuous second season in Philadelphia. McNabb joked that he should have been a co-author because Owens mentioned the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback at length in the book.

“It won’t sell unless he’s talking about me,” McNabb said, adding that he didn’t read the book and is waiting to play himself in the movie.

Bears at odds with agency

A clash between the Chicago Bears and the Chicago Park District over whether police should conduct pat-down searches of fans as they arrive for games at Soldier Field has ended up in federal court. The Park District said in a civil lawsuit that Chicago police believe pat-down searches at NFL games would violate the Constitution.

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