Peep Show

Cleveland Browns: WR Dennis Northcutt, whose contract expires at the end of this season, said he is interested in a contract extension with the team beyond 2003. Unfortunately for the Browns, they are in a salary-cap squeeze that may keep them from presenting a serious offer, which means should Northcutt have another season like last year, the Browns will have to spend more if they want to keep him after he becomes a free agent. In 2002, despite missing three games with a sprained knee, he caught 38 passes for 601 yards and five touchdowns, with a 15.8 per-catch average. Plus, Northcutt's 14.7 average on punt returns was second in the NFL to Santana Moss for players with at least 25 returns. And if he mirrors that year, he'll definitely be looking for the big bucks. "This is a business," Northcutt told the Canton Repository. "Let's not lie. It's all about the money. Anybody who says it's not is lying. When I go out there, I'm not worrying about the money. I love to play this game. But at the end of the day, I have to feed my family."

Philadelphia Eagles: The team took the field at its new stadium Thursday for the first time, and it seems everyone was pleased by their new surroundings. The biggest thumbs up was for the field's turf, long a problem at Veterans Stadium. "It's a great surface," coach Andy Reid told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "They have natural grass down and then they have a weave in it of artificial surface, and it held up well. The guys were kind of digging on it to see how it would hold up, and they were very impressed." The other thing the players liked was the proximity of the playing surface to the stands. Eagles players who score touchdowns can do their own version of the Lambeau Leap, popularized by Packers players. "The fans are going to be right on top of you, and I heard the players saying that," Reid said. "They realized that the fans were going to be close, but it's real close when you're out here. It should be very intimidating for the other team."

To continue reading this article you must be an Insider

• Recommend0
• Tweet0
• Email
• Subscribe