Unnecessary Roughness

When Bill Raftery played for La Salle in the early '60s, basketball was a bruising game. But now, like many observers, Raftery squirms when he sees over-the-line rough play in basketball today. Case in point: Boston College's Danya Abrams delivers a hockey-style body check to North Carolina's Derrick Phelps on a layup attempt during Sunday's NCAA second-round game. Phelps is out for the rest of the game, but Abrams is called only for an intentional foul. "I felt that play was a hard foul," Raftery, the CBS analyst for the Southeast Regional, said yesterday from Knoxville, Tenn.

According to construction worker Daniel Fritzinger of Coopersburg, Pa., ex- Philadelphia Eagle and football Hall of Famer Chuck Bednarik can still hit. Bednarik, 61, who earned the nickname "Concrete Charlie" during his 14 years with the Eagles, was charged yesterday with simple assault in connection with an alleged Oct. 6 confrontation with Fritzinger behind Bednarik's home just outside Allentown, Coopersburg police said. A hearing has been scheduled for Nov. 3. Police said Bednarik apparently became upset by the bulldozer that Fritzinger was using while working on a housing development under construction.

Lawyer Milloy looked like his first name: Three-piece gray suit, striped dress shirt, silk tie. Standing in front of his locker in the visitor's dressing room, Milloy made his case: He's a seasoned veteran. He knows the rules, both written and unwritten. And he's not a cheap-shot artist. "I didn't play 13 years in this league to get labeled as a dirty player," Milloy said. Milloy made perhaps the most memorable play of yesterday's NFC clash between the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons in Lincoln Financial Field.

Demetress Bell is expected to start at left tackle this week after King Dunlap was ruled out for the Eagles' game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Dunlap missed practice all week with a hamstring injury. "I'm trying to get back next week," Dunlap said. Bell was signed during the offseason to start at left tackle before losing his job to Dunlap during the preseason. He was inactive for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns in favor of rookie Dennis Kelly, a fifth-round pick.

After a 3-year run, Marshall Faulk has let another player win the Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year award. Kansas City running back Priest Holmes won the award over Indianapolis receiver Marvin Harrison, 20 1/2 votes to 14 1/2 in media balloting. Despite missing the final two games with a deep hip bruise, Holmes set 10 team records, including 1,615 yards rushing and 21 TDs. He also had three scores as a receiver, and the 24 TDs were two short of Marshall Faulk's league mark.

Eagles linebacker Ernie Sims was fined $50,000 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness against the Titans for a hit on wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins on a pass play in the second quarter of the Oct. 24 game. No penalty was called. "Specifically, on a pass play, he unnecessarily struck his opponent, a defenseless receiver, in the head and neck area with his forearm," spokesman Jon Zimmer said in an e-mail. Sims was deemed a repeat offender by the league, having been fined for unnecessary roughness violations on Dec. 28, 2008, and Sept.

Steve Young, sidelined the past three games by a groin strain, will be back in the lineup Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers play Cincinnati. "As far as the medical people, in visiting with them, they felt he was ready to go, he feels as though he's ready to go, so he's going," coach George Seifert said yesterday. Young last played Sept. 22, when he aggravated the groin injury during the 23-7 loss at Carolina. He originally was injured at the end of a scramble Sept. 8 against St. Louis.

Mike Holmgren looked for houses during his recent trip to Cleveland, which may soon be his new NFL home. Terming a chance to assume control of the struggling but tradition-rich Browns as "very, very appealing," Holmgren said yesterday that he's weighing owner Randy Lerner's job offer and intends to give Cleveland a decision on his future, "sooner than later. " Holmgren, who spent 2 days meeting with Lerner earlier this week, said during his radio show on Seattle's KJR that he liked everything he learned about the Browns during a "fact-finding" visit.

Eagles safety Kurt Coleman will not be fined for the hit that left Colts wide receiver Austin Collie unconscious, but the NFL said its referees did the right thing in penalizing Coleman for unnecessary roughness. The decision - right call but no further sanctions - demonstrates the balance at play between strictly enforcing rules meant to prevent life-altering injuries and allowing for football's unpredictable, physical nature. A key point in the decision not to fine or suspend Coleman was that Collie was also hit by Eagles safety Quintin Mikell with a legal shoulder-to-chest blow.

Despite a knee injury that ended his season, Priest Holmes says he is "definitely 100 percent" planning to be back next season. "In terms of next year, I'm excited because of the fact that it gives me an opportunity to heal up and start preparing for the 2005 season," Kansas City's star running back said yesterday, a day after the Chiefs put him on injured reserve. "There are a lot of things we need to do. We left a lot of things on the table this year," Holmes said. "We're still playing, we're still in it in terms of winning some games and making sure we end the season the right way. But the 2005 season is going to be exciting, because we know that there's a valuable lesson that we learned this year - and that is that when you start having guys go down, it makes it really difficult to win ballgames.

Demetress Bell is expected to start at left tackle this week after King Dunlap was ruled out for the Eagles' game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Dunlap missed practice all week with a hamstring injury. "I'm trying to get back next week," Dunlap said. Bell was signed during the offseason to start at left tackle before losing his job to Dunlap during the preseason. He was inactive for the season opener against the Cleveland Browns in favor of rookie Dennis Kelly, a fifth-round pick.

The NFL is not going to hell in a handbasket, Andy Reid contended yesterday. At his day-after news conference, the Eagles' coach interrupted a lengthy dissection of the unnecessary roughness penalty assessed when safeties Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman slammed into Colts receiver Austin Collie to deliver this bulletin: "I think it will all get worked out. I don't think it's going to change the game a lick, as far as ... the hard hitting," Reid...

Eagles safety Kurt Coleman will not be fined for the hit that left Colts wide receiver Austin Collie unconscious, but the NFL said its referees did the right thing in penalizing Coleman for unnecessary roughness. The decision - right call but no further sanctions - demonstrates the balance at play between strictly enforcing rules meant to prevent life-altering injuries and allowing for football's unpredictable, physical nature. A key point in the decision not to fine or suspend Coleman was that Collie was also hit by Eagles safety Quintin Mikell with a legal shoulder-to-chest blow.

The NFL office hustled up on Monday and reviewed the second-quarter collision from Sunday's game against the Colts in which Eagles safeties Quintin Mikell and Kurt Coleman sandwiched Austin Collie, the Indianapolis receiver finished the play with a concussion, and the Eagles were penalized for something or other. The referees weren't necessarily sure what they were calling, or on whom, but they were very sure that the league office would want them to call something. And right they were.

Eagles linebacker Ernie Sims was fined $50,000 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness against the Titans for a hit on wide receiver Lavelle Hawkins on a pass play in the second quarter of the Oct. 24 game. No penalty was called. "Specifically, on a pass play, he unnecessarily struck his opponent, a defenseless receiver, in the head and neck area with his forearm," spokesman Jon Zimmer said in an e-mail. Sims was deemed a repeat offender by the league, having been fined for unnecessary roughness violations on Dec. 28, 2008, and Sept.

Mike Holmgren looked for houses during his recent trip to Cleveland, which may soon be his new NFL home. Terming a chance to assume control of the struggling but tradition-rich Browns as "very, very appealing," Holmgren said yesterday that he's weighing owner Randy Lerner's job offer and intends to give Cleveland a decision on his future, "sooner than later. " Holmgren, who spent 2 days meeting with Lerner earlier this week, said during his radio show on Seattle's KJR that he liked everything he learned about the Browns during a "fact-finding" visit.

Twenty-four hours before kick-off, Bishop Eustace running back Sean Bell still didn't know whether he would be healthy enough to play last night against Willingboro. Bell said he felt fine just a couple of days after suffering a minor concussion in last week's loss to Paul VI. But right up until game time, there were still doubts about whether Bell could last a whole game. Thirty-two carries and 177 rushing yards later, all of those doubts were completely wiped away. "My head feels fine," Bell said after leading his team to a 19-14 win. "I haven't been at practice all week, so I'm a little sore.

GLENDALE, Ariz. - Quintin Demps wasn't in the mood for talking. "No, sir, I'm not saying a thing," the Eagles rookie safety said to one reporter asking for an interview. It's hard to fault Demps. Like the rest of the Eagles, he had just gone through the nightmare of losing the NFC Championship Game, 32-25, to the Arizona Cardinals. Demps also had a couple of lowlight reel plays he'd like to forget. With the Eagles trailing 7-3 in the second quarter, Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner lateraled to running back J.J. Arrington who then threw the ball backward to Warner.

Lawyer Milloy looked like his first name: Three-piece gray suit, striped dress shirt, silk tie. Standing in front of his locker in the visitor's dressing room, Milloy made his case: He's a seasoned veteran. He knows the rules, both written and unwritten. And he's not a cheap-shot artist. "I didn't play 13 years in this league to get labeled as a dirty player," Milloy said. Milloy made perhaps the most memorable play of yesterday's NFC clash between the Eagles and Atlanta Falcons in Lincoln Financial Field.

The NFL is a joke and not a very funny one either. Commissioner Roger Goodell needs to shake himself because things are happening on his watch that make no sense at all. He has become a fine commissioner and in this case the word fine means he is a man who ridiculously removes money from the pockets of the players. Our latest example came late last week when we learned that Eagles rookies DeSean Jackson and Quintin Demps were each fined $10,000 for celebrating Jackson's 68-yard punt return for a touchdown.