Lack Of Green Leaves Browns Blue

The Cleveland Browns’ payroll is so close to the NFL’s salary cap that team officials are asking players to accept pay cuts, an Ohio newspaper reported Saturday.

The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, quoting a player it did not identify, said player personnel director Mike Lombardi has called some players’ agents and told them the players might not play the rest of the season unless they accept a cut, so the team does not have to pay incentive bonuses.

“All the guys are mad about it,” the newspaper quoted the player as saying.

The player also said that backup quarterback Jim McMahon asked for his release because he was upset about not getting bonuses he had coming for remaining on the roster for a certain number of weeks, the newspaper said. The team released McMahon on Monday.

“Jim went up to ask Lombardi for his money and Lombardi said, ‘Sorry, we don’t have it,”’ the Chronicle-Telegram quoted the player as saying.

The Browns are 4-8 and have lost all four games since owner Art Modell announced his intention to move the team to Baltimore.

Those bleeping beepers

Coach Bill Cowher dropped the hammer on modern technology back in late October, and the Steelers haven’t lost since. Pittsburgh was 3-4 when Cowher banned cellular phones and pagers in the locker room and meeting rooms.

“Guys were more concerned about cellular phones and pagers and stuff like that,” Steelers’ linebacker Greg Lloyd said. “It was a distraction, especially when the coach is talking and beepers are going off.”

Since getting the undivided attention of his team, Cowher has seen the Steelers reel off five straight wins to sprint away in the AFC Central race with an 8-4 record. Pittsburgh can clinch the division today with a victory over Houston.

The road hits back

The Chicago Bears, who play at Detroit on Monday night, are 0-15 in December road games since 1987.

Irsay recovering

Robert Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, was resting comfortably in the intensive care unit at St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, three days after suffering a stroke. Irsay, 72, was responding to family members, said his son, Colts general manager Jim Irsay.

Big D, bigger plans

The conventional wisdom is that 104,000 seats is too big for a pro football stadium, because that size lets fans just buy tickets for the best games instead of buying season tickets. But Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones seems serious about his goal of getting there. His first step is a $35 million project to increase Texas Stadium capacity from 65,812 to 74,000, then install a retractable roof and a grass field.

“This will be done,” he said. “As easy as we can get to 74,000 seats, we can get to 104,000 and then we will have Super Bowls.”

49ers shuffle line again

San Francisco will start its seventh offensive line combination in 13 games today when the 49ers host the Buffalo Bills.

The new alignment moves left guard and former Montana lineman Kirk Scrafford to right guard, Jesse Sapolu from center to left guard and returns Pro Bowler Bart Oates to the lineup at center. The 49ers keep their $2 million bookends at tackle, Harris Barton on the right side and Steve Wallace on the left. “We think this is the best group we can get in there,” 49ers offensive line coach Bobb McKittrick said. “They’re the most experienced group we’ve got.”

Out in the shuffle is Rod Milstead, who had started nine games this season. The key was finding the right spot for Scrafford, who signed a five-year, $6.1 million contract.

Battered Ram

St. Louis Rams quarterback Chris Miller threw two interceptions in last week’s 41-13 loss to San Francisco and has thrown 14 in the last eight games after throwing none in the Rams’ 4-0 start.