NBA NFL

In its never-ending quest for global domination and a few extra million bucks in merchandising and television revenue, the NFL is sending the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals to Mexico City to play a regular-season game Sunday night.

Are you ready for some (bad-awful) football? The 0-3 Cardinals vs. the 1-2 49ers. Josh McCown vs. Tim Rattay. The league's 29th-ranked offense (Niners) vs. the 22nd-ranked defense (Cardinals). Be still, my heart. Then again, I guess it beats watching another angry bull gore another step-too-slow matador.

"We think we have two exciting teams to showcase for our fans in Mexico," NFL chief operating officer Roger Goodell said with a straight face.

If you think the idea of playing a regular-season game in Mexico is stupid, just wait. The NFL has even dumber plans. It's also mulling over the possibility of doing the same soon in Europe and the Far East. Which begs the question: How many Eagles cheers would it take to turn a person homicidal on a 20-hour flight to Tokyo?

"We think it's clearly a doable project," Goodell said. "We obviously recognize the geographical challenges when you go to Japan or to someplace in the Far East. On the other hand, teams are becoming better at dealing with those issues. The travel from an East Coast site to London is not that much more significant from an East Coast site to Seattle, quite frankly."

The difference is, you're not giving up one of your eight home games when you fly to Seattle to play the Seahawks. The Cardinals had no problem with moving their home game against the 49ers to Mexico City because, well, because they're the Cardinals.

For starters, it gives them a chance to play a "home" game in front of a crowd larger than the Scottsdale Garden Club. They also owe the league for awarding the 2008 Super Bowl to Phoenix. And, last but not least, coach Dennis Green re-alized it probably was the only way he was going to get his mug on prime-time television.

"I didn't feel the NFL would put us on TV without it, and I was right," he said. "And us being 0-3, I'm not going to argue with them right now."

AROUND THE LEAGUE:

_Andy Reid isn't the only head coach who's a tad sensitive to suggestions he's throwing the ball too much. Ditto the Patriots' Bill Belichick, whose team's 123 pass attempts through three games is just 13 fewer than the Eagles' league-high 136. Asked to assess his team's run-pass imbalance, he said, "I don't know. I don't really care. What we're interested in doing is trying to win a game. So, if the best game plan is running, we're going to run it. If it's throwing, we're going to throw it."

_Which brings us to the Bucs' rookie running back, Cadillac Williams. Williams leads the NFL in rushing with 434 yards. He had 37 carries Sunday against Green Bay, bringing his season total to 88. That's a 469-carry pace for the season, or 59 more than the NFL-record of 410 set by the Falcons' Jamal Anderson in `98. Is Bucs coach Jon Gruden worried about Williams wearing down? Uh, no. "That's for weak minds, really," he said. "I'm tired of hearing about it, honestly. We're trying to win games. The last 3 weeks, we've had leads into the fourth quarter, the clock is our enemy and we're going to run the ball a little bit. I'm not going to apologize for giving him the ball, OK?"

_The Colts' opponents are copying the defensive game plan used by the Patriots last year in their 20-3 playoff win over Indy. They are dropping seven and eight men back in coverage and taking their chances against the run. Running back Edgerrin James already has 77 carries, which is the second most in the league. Said Colts coach Tony Dungy: "I think it's going to be good for us in the long run to have to win games like this."

_It's interesting that both the Ravens and Jets lost their starting quarterbacks last week and neither team called the Titans to inquire about their backup, Billy Volek. Wonder if the fact that Volek is represented by Drew Rosenhaus had anything to do with it. The Jets did contact the Redskins about the availability of deposed starter Patrick Ramsey. The `Skins said he wasn't for sale.

THIS AND THAT:

_Terrell Owens is scheduled to appear on "Late Night With David Letterman" on Tuesday. Owens was on the show last December. Wonder if it's still too warm to go with the sleeveless sweater again.

_Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil wishes the networks would cease and desist with the idea of miking players during games. Earlier this week, he chastised Broncos cornerback Champ Bailey, who was miked during Monday night's game, for suggesting the Chiefs weren't playing very hard. "They use it to enhance the broadcast, but sometimes it embarrasses the player," said Vermeil, who won't allow any of his players to be miked.

_The Eagles' Jevon Kearse isn't the only high-profile pass rusher without a sack this season. Carolina's Julius Peppers also is sackless. Said Peppers, of sacks: "They're not a stupid number. But people make too much of it sometimes. It's an indicator, but it doesn't tell the whole of what's really happening."

_Vikings coach Mike Tice put his foot in his mouth again this week. Asked if the reason he had the defense introduced before Sunday's 33-16 win over the Saints was because he was worried the crowd would boo quarterback Daunte Culpepper, who had committed 10 turnovers in the first two games, Tice said: "I don't think the quarterback would've heard it from the fans. Only the KFAN fans. And most of those people can't afford a ticket anyway." Lee Elia would have been proud.