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Eddie DeBartolo just a phone call away

San Francisco 49ers
12/20/2007 9:28 AM The Mercury News reports the 49ers need help. Serious help. And sitting in his office in Tampa, Fla., is a man who surely could help. If only he were asked. "I can't envision that happening in a million years," Eddie DeBartolo Jr. said Wednesday. "But if the phone call came, I'd be the first person on a plane to help. For one dollar - in a New York second - I'd be there to help my sister and her family." I was speaking with DeBartolo about the past - the glorious 49ers past - because it was recently announced that the former 49ers owner has been elected to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame and will be inducted in April. But our conversation inevitably turned to the 49ers' not-so-glorious present. The team is now owned by DeBartolo's sister, Denise DeBartolo York; her husband, John York; and their oldest son, Jed. In the decade since the Yorks assumed control, the golden legacy and winning aura constructed by DeBartolo and Bill Walsh have all but vanished. Read more

Young hints that retirement is imminent

San Francisco 49ers
12/20/2007 9:26 AM The Mercury News reports for the past 14 years, the 49ers have known one constant: Bryant Young. On Wednesday, the powerfully built and highly decorated defensive lineman served notice his career was nearing its end. "More than likely, this is my last home game," Young said while accepting his record eighth Len Eshmont Award, an honor from his fellow 49ers as the team's most inspirational and courageous player. Fans will get one last opportunity to cheer the only 49er left from the team's last Super Bowl-winning season during Sunday's matchup with Tampa Bay at Monster Park. Read more

Russell could make his 1st start Sunday

Oakland Raiders
12/20/2007 9:24 AM The San Francisco Chronicle reports Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell is going to be the starter or he is going to be the closer Sunday. What he will not be, for once, is the middle reliever. So indicated coach Lane Kiffin, who was vague as ever about his quarterback plans Wednesday as his team prepared for a weekend trip to Jacksonville, Fla. "Uh-huh," Kiffin said when asked if Russell, the reigning No. 1 overall draft pick, could make his first NFL start. "There's a possibility of it. We're still looking at it. There's a bunch of different ways to do it." Read more

Ex-Bengals fueling Browns

Cleveland Browns
12/20/2007 9:22 AM The Dayton Daily News reports he was $49 million well-spent. The surging Cleveland Browns will tell you this about left OG Eric Steinbach without hesitation. And so will Cincinnati Bengals QB Carson Palmer, whose team let Steinbach go in free agency and has tumbled to 5-9 this season. "We miss him a lot," Palmer said Wednesday on a conference call with Cleveland reporters. "He was probably the most productive offensive lineman we had. "From our standpoint, we definitely didn't want to see him go anywhere inside the division. You knew he was going to make another team better. It was tough to see him go, especially to our big, in-state rival." Read more