Quick Kicks
Ditka lets fingers do talkin’
New Orleans coach Mike Ditka made an obscene gesture to taunting fans when he left the field at halftime Sunday. Ditka was booed loudly and taunted Sunday after a botched play ended the first half, although the Saints were leading Tennessee 10-0. The Titans came back to win 24-21.
With 12 seconds left and no timeouts, the Saints had first-and-goal from the 1. They ran Ricky Williams up the middle for no gain and then watched the clock run out.
The fans booed as the team left the field and Ditka made a finger gesture to them.
“I don’t appreciate that,” Ditka said of the boos, then added, “the fans have a right to do anything they want.”
The small crowd remaining in the Superdome at the end of the game again jeered Ditka and the players as they left the field.
As the coach walked past. Ditka stopped, turned toward them and grabbed his crotch, then went to the locker room.
Vikings gathering Moss
Minnesota All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss had a hard time reconciling his offense’s conservative play-calling near the end of a 25-23 loss to the Lions.
Trailing 22-20 with less than 2 minutes left, the Vikings ran three times for seven yards and settled for Gary Anderson’s 26-yard kick and a one-point lead.
Afterward, Moss’ voice was the loudest on a team embittered by a loss in the waning seconds and embarrassed at its 2-4 record.
“You hit Jake Reed down the sideline. Crucial one. Get the first down. Why stop?” Moss said. “I mean, if it’s working… .
“It’s not my call. If I had a choice, I probably would have took the shot. I mean, you got two All-Pros with a Jake Reed healthy. Something was bound to happen good. The field goal put us up, but I’m not big on the field goals. If you can get a touchdown, get a touchdown.”
Parcells disses Mirer
Rick Mirer arrived at Giants Stadium on Sunday fully expecting to start at quarterback against the Colts.
It wasn’t until he walked into the locker room that he learned he was being scratched for Ray Lucas. It was the first time coach Bill Parcells had spoken to the QB all week.
“It was about 10:30, I guess. It was probably the last thing I expected to hear,” Mirer said. “He just said he wanted to give Ray a chance and hoped it would give us a spark. That’s about it, really.
“I never saw this coming,” Mirer said. “I don’t think anyone did.”
If Parcells was hoping for a spark from Lucas, it was snuffed out with a late interception, compounded by an ankle injury that could put Mirer back in the saddle next week in Oakland.
The question is, can Mirer respond with a shattered psyche and with any trust in the head coach?
“We’ll cross that bridge if and when we get there,” the QB said about a potential start next week. “There’s still a lot of games to be played and once you make a change you’ve got to now wonder from then on out where do you stand?”
The last word …
“It’s frustrating. You go out there, you got 53 guys battle all day, you make two bad throws that determine the outcome of the game. Every game in this league comes down to two or three plays, and those were the two plays.”
- Saints QB Billy Joe Tolliver