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Emanuel the QB gets the OK

By Compiled from Times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 8, 2000

DAVIE -- The Miami Dolphins will be allowed to use receiver Bert Emanuel at quarterback without having him check in with officials.

While saying officials correctly penalized the Dolphins for using Emanuel at quarterback during Sunday's 23-0 victory over Seattle, the NFL's Competition Committee is "clarifying" its rule on whether an eligible receiver can line up at quarterback without reporting to a referee.

The NFL announced Thursday that a player wearing the number of an eligible pass receiver (1-49 and 80-89) no longer has to report to the referee before lining up at quarterback. Emanuel wears No. 87.

"That was good news for us," Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedt said. "I don't know if we'll use it this week, but if the situation presents itself, we have the opportunity to use something we've worked on since minicamp."

Against Seattle, Emanuel was brought in when the Dolphins faced third and 1 at the Seahawks 7. He handed off to Lamar Smith, who ran for a first down, but referee Ron Winter flagged the Dolphins for illegal procedure.

Winter said the Dolphins violated two rules: Emanuel had not reported and he was not among the three players named on the team's list of eligible quarterbacks. The NFL determined that the second point should not have been an issue.

The Dolphins, who placed a call to the NFL during the game for a ruling, successfully argued that other NFL teams used the same procedure, notably Minnesota's David Palmer and Atlanta's Tim Dwight.

The Competition Committee agreed, deciding that Rule 7, Section 2, Article 3 -- which states, "an offensive player ... wearing an illegal number for the position he takes must report to the referee who in turn will report same to the defensive captain ... " no longer was realistic because of the widespread use of multiple formations with players lining up in different positions. Miami, meanwhile, will retire Dan Marino's No. 13 jersey and induct the NFL's all-time leading passer into the Dolphins Honor Roll on Sept. 17 during halftime of the Dolphins-Ravens game.

The extended 19-minute halftime ceremony will involve 800 onfield performers, a video highlighting Marino's 17-year career as well as music and fireworks, a team news release said.

Former Dolphins quarterback Bob Griese will emcee the event and former coach Don Shula will direct Marino's induction.

BENGALS: Safety and kick returner Tremain Mack signed a one-year contract extension. Terms of the contract, which will run through the 2001 season, were not disclosed.

BRONCOS: Denver won't decide until Sunday whether Terrell Davis will play against Atlanta. Davis, out with a sprained left ankle, did not practice.

CHIEFS: Lamar Hunt has always had big dreams, and the founder of the franchise and the American Football League has hatched another one. Hunt said the team would try to break the regular-season record for paid attendance for its Oct. 2 game at Arrowhead Stadium by selling about 12,300 tickets to watch a simulcast on the videoboard at neighboring Kauffman Stadium, where the Kansas City baseball team plays. Tickets for the Monday night game, in which the Chiefs play the Seattle Seahawks, will cost $10. All Arrowhead Stadium tickets for the game, about 78,600, are sold. If the Chiefs can sell the allotment at Kauffman, the combined on-site total would surpass the NFL's regular-season paid attendance of 90,833, set in 1958 when the Chicago Bears played the Rams at Los Angeles Coliseum.

COWBOYS: Owner Jerry Jones' wish list includes a new stadium that would seat 100,000, have a retractable roof and natural grass.

Jones told the Dallas Morning News he wants a 2-million-square-foot stadium, about twice the size of Texas Stadium, which seats 65,675 and cost $35-million to build in 1971.

But stadiums cost much more these days -- the Houston Texans, the newest NFL expansion team, will spend $365-million on a retractable roof stadium -- and Jones has no plans to build his big dream by himself.

"It's a partnership that's usually three-pronged: the team, the government and the fans," he said.

LIONS: Armed with a new $31-million contract extension and braced by an additional week of practice, quarterback Charlie Batch will get his first start of the season Sunday against Washington.

Coach Bobby Ross said he made the decision after conferring briefly with Batch at the end of practice.

"I'm going to make sure tomorrow when he comes in, nothing has changed as far as how he feels or anything," Ross said. "But based on what I've seen and the work we've gotten, we would start him."

Batch sat out the season opener at New Orleans, telling Ross he didn't feel sufficiently recovered from the broken bone below his right knee to run the offense efficiently.

SEASON OPENER FINES, SUSPENSION: Raiders defensive end Regan Upshaw was fined $7,500 by the NFL for his late hit on San Diego quarterback Ryan Leaf on Sunday . . . Vikings defensive end Talance Sawyer was fined $7,500 by the NFL for an illegal hit on Chicago quarterback Cade McNown. . . Redskins free safety Mark Carrier was suspended one game for his helmet-to-helmet hit on Carolina tight end Wesley Walls.

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