King's Corner

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

In his 16 NFL starts Jets quarterback Chad Pennington has thrown
23 touchdowns and no interceptions on plays from inside the
opponent's 20-yard line.

STAR IN THE MAKING
Lions rookie strongside linebacker Boss Bailey

Too wiry. That was the criticism of the 6'3", 233-pound Bailey
coming out of Georgia, but the second-round draft pick has proved
himself strong enough to be a bright prospect while lining up
opposite the tight end. He's third on the club with 57 tackles
and had five in a 24-14 loss to the Vikings on Sunday. "I try to
be tough like Ray Lewis and make plays like Derrick Brooks," says
Bailey, whose older brother, Champ, is an All-Pro cornerback for
the Redskins.

MY TWO CENTS

1. The NFL could have stuck to its guns and tried to suspend the
four Raiders who reportedly tested positive for the designer
steroid THG, but that would have been dumb. The league knew this
wasn't the right fight to pick with the most cooperative union in
sports.

2. Bengals quarterback Jon Kitna has turned me into a believer.
He has 15 touchdown passes and one interception in Cincinnati's
six wins, and he has become a reliable quarterback with great
touch and excellent field vision. Barring an unlikely collapse by
Kitna, the Bengals will have to wait until 2004 to get rookie
Carson Palmer any significant playing time. --P.K.