Franchise

SUBWAY IS SUBPAR. That's at least according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by two New Jersey residents who say that the company's footlong sandwiches fail to measure up - literally. The New York Post reported Wednesday that the duo's attorney, Marlton-based Stephen DeNittis, tested 17 of the company's heralded hoagies and found that each one was less than a foot long. An earlier test conducted by Post reporters found that sandwiches purchased at Subway locations throughout New York City measured between 11 and 11 1/2inches.

Calling the shots isn't always all it's cracked up to be. But for people over 50, it's become more popular. Tony Uzzi knows all about that. After 30 years in traditional jobs, at age 52, he accepted a buyout from a pharmaceutical company and went into business for himself. Now, instead of having a fairly predictable schedule as a pharmaceutical salesman, work can interrupt just about anything - even dinners out. On one occasion, Uzzi was sitting in a restaurant with his wife and their bottle of wine was being uncorked.

ARTHUR RACKLEY said DePaul House helped him clean up his life. Now he's helping to return the favor to the support center for the city's homeless. "This place is all about giving guys like me a second chance," he said. "When they asked me to come back and work for them, how could I say no?" Rackley is one of seven members of Immaculate Cleaning, a janitorial franchise started by the DePaul House last week. The franchise operates out of DePaul's office in Germantown and employs homeless men who come to the center for shelter, counseling and career-placement services.

In the space of just eight games, the Eagles season has been transformed from the NFL equivalent of a documentary full of pathos and high drama to a low-budget science-fiction flick with a single plot point left to reveal: When exactly will the meteor strike earth? Oh, it's coming, and the shadow of the thing is blocking out all the light - at least it can block - and the franchise is bracing for the shattering reverberations when it hits. The impact will occur when Jeffrey Lurie finally thumps his fist on the conference table, bringing an end to the long and successful tenure of Andy Reid.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Zac MacMath made three saves in a shutout, but the Union could manage only a draw against the New England Revolution, 0-0, on Saturday night. MacMath did not face a shot on goal until the 61st minute, by New England's Stephen McCarthy. The Union (7-13-4) didn't do much with the few chances they were afforded, as their best chance came from Amobi Okugo's header in the 43d minute that bounced off the bar. Matt Reis had seven saves for the Revolution, whose winless streak reached a franchise-record 10 games.

The Eagles are going to franchise DeSean Jackson, count on it. They will not let their Pro Bowl receiver - whose contract is set to expire - walk without getting something in return, according to NFL sources. So that means the Eagles will do one of three things before March 5: They will franchise Jackson and keep him for the 2012 season. They will franchise and then trade him. Or they will agree to a contract extension with the 25-year-old, an unlikely proposition at this point.

The Eagles are going to franchise DeSean Jackson, count on it. They will not let their Pro Bowl receiver - whose contract is set to expire - walk without getting something in return, according to NFL sources. So that means the Eagles will do one of three things before March 5: They will franchise Jackson and keep him for the 2012 season. They will franchise and then trade him. Or they will agree to a contract extension with the 25-year-old, an unlikely proposition at this point.

ARLINGTON, Texas - Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, and the Detroit Lions are for real, all right. A week after turning a 20-point halftime deficit into an overtime win, the Lions provided further proof they're a legitimate contender by turning a 24-point deficit into a 34-30 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. The defense got it started with interceptions returned for touchdowns on consecutive drives midway through the third quarter, then Stafford and Johnson took over, hooking up for a pair of touchdowns in the final period, including a 2-yarder for the winning points with 1 minute, 39 seconds left.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Zach Randolph had 30 points and 13 rebounds, and the Memphis Grizzlies avoided elimination by beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 95-83, Friday night to push their Western Conference semifinal to Game 7. The Grizzlies had never won a game before when facing elimination, but that was back in 2004, 2005 and 2006, when they were swept out of the postseason each of those years. These Grizzlies are having not only the best playoff run in franchise history, but they now have won more games this postseason than any other No. 8 seed from the West.

Comcast-Spectacor almost sold the 76ers in 2006. In November of that year, Comcast-Spectacor chairman Ed Snider said the company could have received a price in excess of the NBA record of $401 million that Robert Sarver paid for the Phoenix Suns and other properties in 2004. As it turned out, the company pulled the Sixers off the market and retained control of the team. Eight parties were believed to have submitted bids initially at that time. The number sunk to four and then a final two, a source said at that time.