Chiefs, Bears Bolt When Lightning Hits

This is the week every NFL player loves because the exhibition season is finally over.

This is the week every NFL coach hates because he’s scared to death a key player will go down with an injury in a meaningless game.

Both situations were amply demonstrated Thursday night. The game at Chicago between the Kansas City Chiefs and Bears was called off with 4:20 left in the third quarter when a thunderstorm sent lightning crackling across Soldier Field. The Chiefs were ahead 14-10 in the exhibition finale for the teams.

“The last thing I wanted to do was get lit up tonight,” Chicago quarterback Erik Kramer said. “I think clear heads prevailed tonight. We needed to get out of here.”

Just as most players need for these exhibition games to end. Any player even marginally bruised will sit out, from Rodney Peete to Emmitt Smith - who have knee injuries that could keep them out of the regular-season openers - to Bruce Smith, who’s being held out of the Bills-Ravens game because of a swollen knee.

A dozen games are being played tonight by NFL teams that must cut from 60 to 53 players by 4 p.m. EDT Sunday. For most coaches, it means getting starters final work, while trying to keep their health and deciding on the final few positions on the roster.

But most of that has been done already. When coach Dan Reeves of the New York Giants was asked this week if anybody could get cut based on tonight’s performance, he replied, “Yeah … me.”

Randall retires

Randall Cunningham finally decided to hang up his cleats. Giving up on an NFL return, Cunningham announced he will spend the 1996 season as a studio analyst for TNT’s “Pro Football Tonight.”

Cunningham spent 11 standout seasons at quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Around the league

In an effort to bolster their defensive backs corps, the Cowboys signed safety George Teague… . Brett Favre is seeking a contract extension on par with Troy Aikman’s $50 million deal. But a new pact would include a stipulation that the Green Bay Packers quarterback forfeit some of that money if he violates the NFL’s substance abuse policy, his agent said. Favre, in the third year of his five-year, $19 million contract, entered the NFL’s substance-abuse program in May to be treated for an addiction to painkillers… . Linebacker Andre Collins ended his holdout and reported to the Bengals. Cincinnati had tendered a one-year, $770,000 contract and had the right of first refusal. No team made a competing offer… . Philadelphia Eagles signed quarterback T.J. Rubley and guard Guy McIntyre and waived running back Vaughn Hebron.