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© St. Petersburg Times, published August 30, 2002
LANDOVER, Md. -- The Patriots put an emphatic end to Steve Spurrier's high-scoring preseason run.
First-round draft pick Daniel Graham caught two touchdowns, and Mike Vrabel and rookie Jarvis Green had two sacks apiece as the Super Bowl champions beat the Redskins 28-14 Thursday night in the preseason finale.
Spurrier's Redskins (4-1) entered as the first team in NFL history to score 35 or more points in four straight preseason games. They went nowhere this time, trailing 21-0 at halftime after punting on all but one possession.
After the game, Spurrier announced that Shane Matthews had won the starting quarterback job over Danny Wuerffel.
DOLPHINS 24, BEARS 22: Jay Fiedler and Ray Lucas led host Miami (2-2) to three scores on their first four possessions. Many of Miami's offensive starters played just the first possession.
FALCONS 27, BENGALS 14: Michael Vick showed no lasting effects from a bruised elbow as he completed mostly short-range passes in leading visiting Atlanta to its second undefeated preseason.
The Falcons also were 4-0 in 1990, then went 5-11.
Vick, playing the first half, was 5-for-9 for 78 yards, led two touchdown drives and was sacked twice, popping up quickly each time he went down.
STEELERS 17, VIKINGS 14: Kordell Stewart's running and throwing set up two first-half touchdowns to pace host Pittsburgh. With the starters playing most of the first half -- unusual for coach Bill Cowher in the last preseason game -- the Steelers put together two long drives to open a 14-0 lead.
Randy Moss generated nearly all of the offense by Minnesota's starters, scoring on a 4-yard reception and finishing with six catches for 85 yards. Daunte Culpepper was 10-for-16 for 121 yards.
GIANTS 13, RAVENS 0: In a game highlighted more by mistakes than big plays, host New York (3-2) got field goals from its shaky placekicking duo of Owen Pochman and Matt Bryant and a late 75-yard scoring pass from Jason Garrett to Jonathan Carter to shut out Baltimore (2-2).
LIONS 20, BILLS 13: Mike McMahon and Joey Harrington threw touchdowns and host Detroit forced Sammy Morris to fumble near its goal line late in the fourth quarter as the Lions posted their first preseason victory. The Bills finished 0-4.
COWBOYS 28, JAGUARS 25: Quincy Carter led Dallas to 21 second-quarter points and the reserves held on. Dallas (3-1) led 21-2 at halftime. Jacksonville's Mark Brunell and his first-team offense closed out the preseason without a touchdown and a 1-3 mark.
RAIDERS 31, CARDINALS 3: Backup quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo played all but one series in the first half, completing 11 of 16 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown, but also throwing two interceptions, as host Oakland and Arizona wrapped up the preseason.
BRONCOS 31, SEAHAWKS 0: Jarious Jackson solidified his spot as Denver's third quarterback, throwing for a touchdown and rushing for another. Host Denver (3-1) rested all its starters; Seattle's starters played the first quarter.
JETS GIVE MARTIN BIG DEAL: Curtis Martin, who has done so much on the field for the Jets, helped them off it by agreeing to an eight-year contract extension worth $46-million.
The deal puts the Pro Bowl running back in the same salary category as Rams counterpart Marshall Faulk.
Martin, who has rushed for at least 1,100 yards in each of his seven pro seasons -- including three with New England -- helped the Jets create salary-cap room with the new deal.
He was due to make $9.5-million against the cap this season and count $10-million against it in 2003. A majority of Martin's $6.5-million base salary for this season will be turned into a signing bonus, freeing up cap money.
EX-PLAYER IN TAMPA COURT: Former NFL player and one-time Pro Bowl player Duval Love has been arrested on multiple drug charges.
Love, 39, of Coto de Caza, Calif., made his first appearance Thursday in federal court in Tampa. He pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute ecstasy and aiding another in an attempt to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and ecstasy.
Love, who turned himself in Thursday morning, was released on a $100,000 unsecured bond. If convicted, he faces up to life in prison.
Love, an offensive lineman, was drafted in the 10th round by the Los Angeles Rams in 1985 after a decorated college career at UCLA. He moved to the Steelers in 1992, where he was named to the Pro Bowl in 1994. That same year, Football Digest named him All-Pro.
In 1995, he signed a $3.3-million, three-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals. He retired after the 1996 season.