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.