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Cleveland City Council wants to look further into the possibility of putting a retractable roof on Cleveland Browns Stadium.

Javon Walker is set to sign a five-year extension worth more than $40 million with the Denver Broncos, who acquired the wide receiver in a draft-day deal.

``We do have a deal in place,`` Walker`s agent, Kennard McGuire, wrote in an e-mail to The Associated Press.

``I can`t give you details,`` McGuire added, other than to confirm the extension was worth between $40 million and $42 million.

The Broncos, who are listed by Bet365.com at +1200 to win Super Bowl XLI, have a policy of not discussing financial terms of contracts.

Walker, who is still recovering from a major knee injury he sustained in last year`s season opener, is expected to sign the pact Wednesday. The extension will take him through 2011.

Walker, 27, is due to make $1.15 million next season and a $1 million roster bonus, part of the five-year, $7.485 million rookie contract that he signed in Green Bay after joining the Packers as a first-round draft pick out of Florida State in 2002.

Walker began seeking a bigger paycheck more than a year ago after he made the Pro Bowl following the 2004 season, when caught 89 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns. He hired agent Drew Rosenhaus, who said there was no way Walker could risk injury playing for slightly more than $500,000 in 2005.

Walker`s summer-long threats to hold out drew the ire of quarterback Brett Favre, who said Walker should live up to his contract, which at the time had two years remaining.

Surprisingly, Walker reversed course and reported to training camp without any assurances from the Packers that they would re-negotiate his contract. Then, in the season opener at Detroit he tore a ligament in his right knee that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.

Walker fired Rosenhaus and hired McGuire, then announced in the offseason that he`d rather retire than play again for the Packers. General manager Ted Thompson gave Walker permission to talk to other teams and the Broncos met with him on the eve of the draft, when they determined his recovery was going well and that they could meet his contract demands.

They agreed on the parameters of a five-year extension and sent the Packers a second-round pick on April 29.

If Walker can return to his pre-injury form, he would become the Broncos` best playmaker and give them a deep threat opposite Rod Smith to open up the offense.

Walker, who has been working out in Arizona, will continue his rehab in Denver, where he`ll take a crash course in the playbook but won`t likely do any field work until late July.

``The target is to have him ready once we go to camp,`` coach Mike Shanahan said during the draft. ``He is still recovering from his ACL, and I don`t want to push him along too quick. He went through all the physicals with our trainers and doctors and he should be ready to go full-speed by the time we start camp.``

In the National Football League, a team doesn't win a championship if it does not draft well, but the point of the whole system was to penalize the most successful teams. The NFL Draft was created in 1935 by Commissioner Bert Bell as a way for the weaker teams to have a chance to improve themselves, and that's why the picking always has been in inverse order of the standings.
Picking late in a draft certainly decreases the likelihood of success, and therefore it stands to reason that picking last is the toughest position of all. That's why the reigning league champion gets to pick last, but if NFL scouts are telling the truth when they say there are good players to be had in every round, then it's not impossible for a defending champion to put together a good draft.
The Steelers won Super Bowl XL, and so they'll be picking 32nd and last in the 2006 NFL Draft, to be held this weekend. Director of Football Operations Kevin Colbert has said the team wasn't affected by winning the Super Bowl in its preparation for this draft, and the Steelers have done well in this annual selection process during each of the years Colbert and Coach Bill Cowher have presided over it.
It will take a few years before a credible evaluation can be made of the Steelers' 2006 draft class, but it is possible to review the draft day performance of previous 10 Super Bowl champions.
1995: Dallas ended this season by defeating the Steelers in Super Bowl XXX, and it marked the Cowboys' third championship of the decade. While building a team that included Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Daryl Johnston, Russell Maryland, Leon Lett, Erik Williams, Larry Allen, Mark Stepnoski and the host of others who contributed to those titles, the Cowboys manipulated the draft masterfully. Often trading down to accumulate more picks, the Cowboys still managed to avoid sacrificing quality for the sake of quantity.
Three months after Super Bowl XXX, Jerry Jones continued the trend of trading down to accumulate more picks – and even if that once was a sound strategy, the players selected this time weren't very good. Dallas made nine picks in 1996, and seven of them were Clay Shiver, Stepfret Williams, Mike Ulufale, Kenneth McDaniel, Alan Campos, Wendell Davis and Ryan Wood. Dallas has made the playoffs four times since winning Super Bowl XXX.
1996: With Ron Wolf in charge, the Green Bay Packers traded for Brett Favre and built a dynamic offense around him, and they signed Reggie White and used him to anchor a  big-play defense that forced 39 turnovers during the run to the championship. Thirteen of the Packers' 22 starters in Super Bowl XXXI were draft picks, and that ratio shows that Wolf utilized every means available to acquire personnel.
Three months after winning the Super Bowl, the Packers went into the draft and made their one pick in each round. No trades. The best of what they got that year was safety Darren Sharper, a second-round pick. The only other player to make a real contribution to the organization was Ross Verba, the offensive tackle who was the No. 1 pick. Green Bay would return to the Super Bowl the following January, but the Packers lost to the Denver Broncos.
1997-1998: The Broncos became the sixth different NFL franchise to win back-to-back Super Bowls, and even though most of the warm-and-fuzzies were reserved for quarterback John Elway, the best player on those championship teams was a running back named Terrell Davis. A sixth-round pick from Georgia in 1995, Davis was the league's best player in each of these championship seasons, and even if Denver wasn't a team built exclusively through the draft, the draft definitely was what provided the Broncos with their difference-makers.
After the first Super Bowl win, the Broncos made an attempt to add a big-play receiver for Elway with a No. 1 pick, but the league where Marcus Nash ended up making an impact was the Arena League. Eric Brown, the No. 2 pick that year, started 52 games over four seasons before leaving as a free agent; No 3 pick Brian Griese originally was believed to be Elway's heir apparent. After their second Super Bowl, the Broncos added a Pro Bowl-caliber middle linebacker in Al Wilson in the first round, and they re-created their sixth-round magic by drafting another back who became a 1,000-yard rusher – Olandis Gary. But two good players from each of two draft classes wasn't enough, and Denver missed the playoffs three times in the seven seasons after that second Super Bowl.
1999: There seemed to be an abundance of luck associated with the St. Louis Rams' run to this Super Bowl championship, what with Kurt Warner going from a guy who stocked shelves in a supermarket to the NFL MVP, but the team also was able to capitalize on years spent picking in the top half of the draft. Lawrence Phillips was a disaster as the sixth overall pick in 1996, but Torry Holt and Grant Wistrom and Orlando Pace and Kevin Carter were definitely not. The Rams combined a potent offense with a magical job by Coach Dick Vermeil, and they won a championship.
But the team's performance in the ensuing draft was more like the 1996 version. Trung Candidate, Jacoby Shepherd and John St. Clair were the first three picks – and that was as good as it got.
2000: The Baltimore Ravens won Super Bowl XXXV with a dominating defense and a punishing running attack. Both of those aspects of the team were created through the draft. Rob Burnett, Jamal Lewis, Jonathan Ogden, Ray Lewis, Peter Boulware, Chris McAlister, Duane Starks, Jamie Sharper and Jermaine Lewis all came to the team via the draft, and they formed a nucleus that combined with guys like Michael McCrary and Sam Adams and Rod Woodson to give the Ravens a team that was dominating through the playoffs.
In the following draft, the Ravens did a decent job with their seven draft picks, by adding the likes of Todd Heap, Gary Baxter and Ed Hartwell over the first four rounds. But salary cap issues forced the team to purge its roster after the 2001 season, and the Ravens have made the playoffs just once in the four seasons since then.
2001, 2003-2004: When a team picks a player like Tom Brady on the sixth round of a draft, it represents the ultimate combination of diligence and luck. A number of the players who helped the Patriots to their first championship were on the team that lost to the Packers in Super Bowl XXXI. By the time the 2001 season rolled around, the Patriots had Bill Belichick as their coach instead of Bill Parcells, but their commitment to the draft had not wavered.
Once the Patriots won their first trophy, that didn't change. In the draft following the 2001 season, the Patriots went into it with 11 picks but made only six of them. They traded up in the first round for TE Daniel Graham, and they moved in the fourth round to get QB Rohan Davey. Future Super Bowl MVP Deion Branch was the No. 2 pick, DE Jarvis Green was a nice pick in the fourth round, and WR David Given was a steal in the seventh. After the 2003 season, the Patriots used the extra No. 1 pick they got from Baltimore in the trade that allowed the Ravens to pick Kyle Boller on DT Vince Wilfork.
The Patriots did a lot of moving around in the drafts after their championships, and in many cases they were able to add players who had a hand in helping them win more Super Bowls.
2002: Starting with the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, three franchises have had the first overall pick in back-to-back seasons. Cincinnati and Cleveland each did it once. Tampa Bay did it twice.
Starting with the 1993 draft, the Buccaneers added John Lynch, Warren Sapp, Derrick Brooks, Rhonde Barber, Anthony McFarland, Brian Kelly and Dexter Jackson, and that group was the foundation of the defense that dominated opponents on the way to the 2002 championship. Because the Buccaneers paid a price for Coach Jon Gruden that included their No. 1 pick in 2003, Tampa Bay was limited in the ensuing draft, a weekend that yielded DE Dewayne White, QB Chris Simms and little else.

Campbell Soup Co. beefed up its roster of NFL stars to be used in Chunky Soup's "Mama's Boys" commercials, it said Thursday.

Super Bowl quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger of the champion Pittsburgh Steelers and Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks will be featured in the commercials. They will be joined by their mothers, Brenda Roethlisberger and Betsy Hasselbeck.

Incumbent Donovan McNabb of the Philadelphia Eagles, along with his mother Wilma McNabb, will continue to be used by Campbell Soup (NYSE: CPB). McNabb is being featured for an unprecedented sixth season, the company said.

"Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger and Matt Hasselbeck represent the very best of the NFL and they resonate with our Chunky consumer -- a hard-working, approachable guy who is always looking out for others, especially his mom," said Doug Johns, senior brand manager for Campbell's Chunky soup.

Advertising featuring the stars will kick off Sept. 7.

The campaign is the creation of Young & Rubicam, a New York advertising agency. Since its introduction in 1997, the commercials have contributed to double-digit sales growth for the Chunky brand. In 2002, the commercials started using the players' real-life moms.

All NFL players participating in the Chunky soup campaign were secured by Players Inc., the licensing-and-marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association.

Campbell Soup is based in Camden, N.J. It makes food products under the names Campbell's, Pepperidge Farm, V8, Godiva and other labels.

 

The NFL stood behind the calls of referee Bill Leavy, who was working his first Super Bowl, and his all-star crew, but that is simply the politically correct thing to do.

But what can be done?

Are full-time officials needed?

Well, that argument has never made sense because too many experienced officials would never quit their Monday through Friday jobs to simply work 20 games a year. Plus, the majority of owners have never believed full-time officials made fiscal sense or would actually improve their game-day performances. Besides, what would you do with these guys between February and July?

Mike Pereira, who heads the league's officiating department, understands that he has a lot of work to do to simply combat public perception (and Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren's belief) that the officials impacted the game unfavorably against the Seahawks.

Seattle was penalized seven times for 70 yards, and three major calls in the game gave Pittsburgh a touchdown, took one away from Seattle and negated a major pass completion that would have given the Seahawsk a first down inside the Pittsburgh five-yard line. Technically, those calls added up to a potential 17-point swing in a 21-10 Pittsburgh win.

Pereira and his staff grade the officials weekly, and the ones who made the least mistakes in their view during the regular season are awarded with Super Bowl assignments. Consequently, back judge Bob Waggoner was considered the league's best; it was his view that Seattle receiver Darrell Jackson gained competitive advantage by using his right arm to contact Pittsburgh safety Chris Hope in the end zone. Waggoner called offensive pass interference on the play, one that negated a long touchdown reception by Jackson.

The league's competition committee will meet this week in Indianapolis to briefly discuss some ways to review officiating overall. But the league is limited in what they can really do. I mean, they're not about to fire all of these officials and start all over.

But here are some suggestions that they should consider:

 

Instead of using an All-Star crew, why not simply employ the league's highest-graded regular-season crew do the Super Bowl? Why should Leavy be working the sport's biggest game with unfamiliar faces, a crew he hasn't worked with all season?

During the course of a season, a referee builds a strong bond of communication with the men in his crew. He knows their strengths and weaknesses. It may make sense to rotate in a couple of veteran officials for some younger (or weaker) ones on a particular crew, but for a cohesive officiating day, it makes sense to keep the crews together. It's called teamwork. It generally succeeds with teams; why wouldn't it work for officiating crews, too?

 

Officials have never really liked instant replay, believing it only undermines their on-field credibility. But the owners want it, and the officials have to live with it. Personally, it does correct some horrible calls made on the field.

In the Super Bowl, Leavy viewed the instant replay of Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's dive to the goal line that was ruled a touchdown on the field. Leavy did the correct thing after viewing all the replay angles. There wasn't a conclusive angle to overturn the touchdown; so Leavy didn't. He simply followed the rules of how to use instant replay.

From the Seahawks' view, they believed the tip of the football, tucked in Roethlisberger's right arm, never grazed the white line of the end zone. Depending on your allegiance, you could accept both views: he scored, yet he didn't score. It was impossible to see the football, and the officials simply made a subjective call based on the probability that the ball touched the white line (it doesn't have to go over the line) because it looked like Roethlisberger's right arm did.

Because instant replay is such a big part of the game, and the fact that the networks tend to show a hundred replays of plays throughout a telecast, why not make the replay judge a member of the officiating crew? This would allow him to contact the referee about possibly overturning a poor call on the field?

Now, the crews wouldn't like this, but it may help the game by correcting obvious mistakes. For example, the illegal block below the waist called on Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, when he tackled Steelers defender Ike Taylor, was definitely wrong, giving Pittsburgh an additional 15 yards. A good replay judge could have corrected that call.

Probably the best way to have such a system would be to rotate every member of an officiating crew into the replay booth. Allow them all to take turns watching the game, which seems to be played at such a fast level that some officials simply can't seem to keep pace with the speed of the players.

Pereira may view this as ultimate second guessing, but why not fix obvious mistakes? Isn't making the correct call what everyone wants? There isn't a coach in the league who doesn't hate to receive a memo from Pereira during the week informing him that two or three incorrect calls were made in the previous weekend's games. Those memos happen all the time.

And by making the replay official also a member of the officiating crew, it might actually build some camaraderie. The argument against such a plan is that it will cause officials to become more tentative on blowing their whistles. Of course, I don't view that as a bad thing.

The playoffs had numerous questionable calls. New England coach Bill Belichick wasn't pleased with how his game against Denver was officiated. A questionable pass interference penalty in that game against Asante Samuel awarded the Broncos with the ball on the one-yard line that led directly to the game's first touchdown. The league may even want to copy the college rule of a 15-yard penalty for pass interference, especially if the play isn't a blatant tackle or pull down because a defender is beaten. Make the penalty similar to the incidental face-mask grab (five-yard penalty) instead of the intentional face-mask penalty that is a major personal foul worthy of 15 yards.

 

Finally, there is nothing I like more during a game than to watch the officials huddle and discuss the play amongst themselves. In baseball, that system tends to work and it would be good for football crews to talk about a penalty or a critical change of possession, too — just to make sure they are right. A good debate can often lead to a good result.

Matt Hasselbeck says he's still upset about a game he lost in high school. So it's way too soon for him to be over Seattle's Super Bowl setback to the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the Seahawks' quarterback made it clear that he didn't agree with several decisions made by the officiating crew last Sunday. "I certainly don't want to add fuel to that fire," Hasselbeck said after going through his first Pro Bowl workout Wednesday. "They're not trying to screw calls up. Sometimes, you get it right, sometimes, you don't. They're doing the best they can. "We've got to move on, say, 'Hey, we didn't get it done. We didn't do enough to win the game.'" Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren caused a stir Monday during a rally at Qwest Field when he said: "We knew it was going to be tough going up against the Pittsburgh Steelers. I didn't know we were going to have to play the guys in the striped shirts as well." Said Hasselbeck: "I think it was sort of a joke. I know Coach Holmgren has a lot of respect for the officials. I don't think he meant it to be mean." Hasselbeck and six teammates arrived in Hawaii late Tuesday for the Pro Bowl, to be played Sunday at Aloha Stadium. Three Seahawks -- rookie Lofa Tatupu and veterans Mack Strong and Robbie Tobeck -- are making their first Pro-Bowl appearance. "We're hazing rookies who are old guys," Hasselbeck said, referring to the 34-year-old Strong and 35-year-old Tobeck. "This game's a lot of fun. This is quite an honor to be here. To be here with a lot of my teammates is a special thing. "The Super Bowl was a great experience until the end of the game. This is a nice way to get your mind off it." Strong agreed, saying: "I'm glad I'm here and not at home stewing over it. I'm doing great. You couldn't ask for more -- I'm out here in Hawaii." Shaun Alexander, the NFL's Most Valuable Player, said he didn't know if he'd be able to play Sunday because he sprained his right foot in the Super Bowl. "I've just got to heal up a little bit," he said. "It's a little sore." Alexander called his feelings bittersweet. "You lose the Super Bowl, you are disgusted," he said. "You just have a constant numb feeling. You have to laugh to keep from crying." Alexander is one of several unrestricted free agents on the Seattle roster. Among the others are Strong, Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson, wide receiver Joe Jurevicius, defensive tackle Rocky Bernard and safety Marquand Manuel. "We're almost like dispersed," Alexander said. "That might have been like the last hurrah. There are four or five of us who need to be re-signed." Regarding his status, Alexander said: "I'm an optimistic person -- I always have been." Asked about the Super Bowl officiating, Alexander said: "I just think no one's perfect. You can't take anything back. Pittsburgh won. If you look at any game, there might be questionable calls. They didn't do it on purpose." When asked what he believed to be the most damaging call, Alexander laughed and replied: "All of them."

The Rolling Stones have said that the decision to censor two of their songs during the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday "ridiculous" and unnecessary. The band's spokesperson Fran Curtis was reacting to a comment by a National Football League spokesperson, who said that the band had agreed to being muzzled. Reuters reports that the the line "you make a dead man come" in the song 'Start Me Up' was cut short, as was a refernence to "cocks" in 'Rough Justice'. "The Rolling Stones were aware of our plan which was to simply lower the volume on his microphone at those two appropriate moments," NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Reuters on Monday. "We had agreed to that plan earlier in the week. The Stones were aware of it and they were fine with it." But the Stone's representative argued: "The Rolling Stones thought the censorship of their songs by the NFL/ABC was absolutely ridiculous and completely unnecessary," though they were aware of the plan before the show. "The band did the songs they were supposed to do and they sang all the words," Curtis said. "There were many many conversations back and forth and the band clearly was not happy about it." Reuters reported that ABC Sports said any alteration of the lyrics was done by the NFL and its production company.

Here is one definition of holding as it pertains to the National Football League: Hand(s) or arm(s) that encircle a defender — i.e., hook an opponent — are to be considered illegal and officials are to call a foul for holding. Blocker cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an opponent in a manner that restricts his movement as the play develops. — Digest of rules, 2005 NFL Record & Fact Book, Page 770 By the above definition of holding, Seattle Seahawks right tackle Sean Locklear committed holding on the controversial fifth play of the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XL. He hooked his right arm around the right shoulder of Pittsburgh linebacker Clark Haggans and restricted Haggans' movement. The call negated a pass that would have given Seattle first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. By the letter of the rules, it was the right call. But if something is a penalty on one play, it should be a penalty on every play. And during the rest of the game, the officials didn't enforce holding by the letter of the rules. To determine whether the holding call was justified, I studied the tape of Super Bowl XL, watching both offensive tackles on every passing play to see how often they committed the type of infraction for which Locklear was penalized. The results are bad news for the NFL: Using the standard that was applied to Locklear on the infamous play, the four offensive tackles committed 22 uncalled holding penalties on passing plays. By the letter of the rules, Locklear committed holding 10 times (he was flagged twice). Seattle left tackle Walter Jones should have been called six times. Pittsburgh tackles Marvel Smith and Max Starks should have been called four times each. Here we present each of the four tackles and the plays on which they should have been flagged for holding: Sean Locklear Third-and-9, 12:40, first quarter: As Haggans rushed to the inside, Locklear reached his left arm out and hooked Haggans' left shoulder. Locklear was called for holding, and Haggans sacked Hasselbeck anyway. Third-and-16, 5:53, first quarter: As Haggans rushed to the outside, Locklear used his arm to hang onto Haggans. Third-and-23, 0:35, first quarter: At first Locklear engaged Haggans and seemed to get the better of the matchup, but as Haggans broke free and tried to rush to the outside, Locklear hooked him. Third-and-5, 14:11, second quarter: Locklear got an arm around Haggans as Hasselbeck completed a pass to Joe Jurevicius. Third-and-3, 8:47, second quarter: Haggans rushed to the inside and Locklear stuck his left arm out to restrict his rush. Third-and-4, 13:45, third quarter: Locklear hooked defensive end Brett Keisel. Third-and-15, 4:30, third quarter: Locklear wrapped his right arm around Haggans. Third-and-5, 14:17, fourth quarter: Locklear hooked Haggans. First-and-10, 12:35, fourth quarter: The infamous penalty call. Locklear's hold was no more flagrant here than on any of the previous seven uncalled holds. After he was flagged a second time, Seattle adjusted its offense to keep Locklear from having to block Haggans' outside rush, giving him outside help from Mack Strong for the rest of the game. Second-and-10, 0:34, fourth quarter: One last time, Locklear hooked Haggans. Walter Jones Third-and-9, 12:40, first quarter: This was the first time Locklear was called for holding, and using the strict standard, Jones also should have been called. He hooked his left arm around Joey Porter. Third-and-16, 5:53, first quarter: Smith again tried to get past Jones to the outside, and Jones hooked him. First-and-10, 2:08, first quarter: This was the Darrell Jackson touchdown that was called back for offensive pass interference. If the officials had used the strict definition of holding all game, it also would have been called back for Jones getting his left arm around Porter as Porter rushed up field. Second-and-6, 1:13, second quarter: Porter tried to beat Jones to the inside, and Jones stuck his right arm around Porter's midsection. Third-and-4, 13:45, third quarter: Jones used his left arm around Porter on an outside rush. Third-and-15, 4:30, third quarter: Jones hooked Kimo von Oelhoffen with his left arm on an outside pass rush. Max Starks Third-and-19, 10:32, first quarter: Starks blatantly hooked Bryce Fisher -- a much more egregious hold than the one for which Locklear was flagged. First-and-10, 4:53, second quarter: Craig Terrill looped to the outside and Starks hooked him with his right arm. Second-and-10, 4:47, second quarter: Fisher rushed to the outside and Starks hooked him. Third-and-4, 10:27, third quarter: Starks encircled Fisher with his right arm. Marvel Smith Third-and-19, 10:32, first quarter: Smith held Grant Wistrom. First-and-10, 0:17, first quarter: Smith hooked Wistrom, and then encircled him with both arms. Second-and-20, 4:21, second quarter: Smith held Wistrom, Wistrom beat him for a sack anyway. Third-and-2, 2:58, third quarter: Smith hooked Wistrom. That's 16 uncalled holding penalties on Seattle and eight on Pittsburgh. Because Seattle passed more than twice as often as Pittsburgh did, Pittsburgh's tackles actually committed holding at a higher rate than Seattle's, although the Steelers were never flagged. If the officials had called holding on two inconsequential plays and ignored it the rest of the time, no one would much care. But Locklear's penalty negated an 18-yard Jerramy Stevens catch that would have given the Seahawks first-and-goal from the one-yard line, where they very likely would have scored and taken a 17-14 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining in the game. Instead they faced first-and-20 from the 29-yard line, Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception three plays later, and Pittsburgh's subsequent touchdown effectively ended the game. These are my opinions. Someone else watching the same plays might come to different conclusions, thinking there were more or fewer than 22 uncalled holds on the offensive tackles. But no fair observer can say that given the way the rest of the game was called, Locklear should have been assessed that game-changing penalty. Just as in boxing, two judges can watch the same fights and see different things, but when a judge goes beyond the pale, impartial analysts need to call him on it. And if the NFL doesn't like having its officials compared to boxing judges, a good way to start would be to improve the way it defines penalties. The NFL needs tighten the definition of holding. Change the rules so that the actions described above, which happen on every play, are legal. Then, whatever is contained within the new, narrower definition needs to be called consistently and always. As it stands, the definition of holding is a joke. Here's another part of the NFL's digest of rules: A runner may ward off opponents with his hands and arms but no other player on offense may use his hands or arms to obstruct an opponent by grasping with hands, pushing, or encircling any part of his body during a block. Pushing? PUSHING? If pushing is illegal, does anyone out there — fan, player, coach, referee — have a clue what is legal? Is there ever a play when an offensive lineman doesn't push a defensive lineman? The NFL has some explaining to do.