NFL notebook: Kirkland’s third-down role still undefined

The Steelers didn't use inside linebacker Levon Kirkland in every passing situation, and the Seattle Seahawks may bring him to the sideline on third down, too.

Kirkland, who was released by the Steelers in March and subsequently signed by the Seahawks, has played some on third down in Seahawks training camp.

When asked if he plans to use Kirkland regularly in that situation, coach Mike Holmgren said, 'We'll see. He's a big man, and he kind of defies some of your thinking because you say, 'I'm not sure he can cover those things,' because he's so big. But he can. He gets his hands on balls, but we have other good people (Chad Brown and Anthony Simmons) who are third-down linebackers.'

SURF, CONTROVERSY UP
Buffalo Bills quarterback Rob Johnson lives in a $2.5 million home that overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Laguna Beach, Calif. Scantily clad women walk by the house every day. He has a Porsche and Lexus parked in the garage. Sports Illustrated did a story about him last week, complete with a photo of him sitting in a hot tub.

It's all a matter of perception, but some Bills fans in blue-collar Buffalo wonder if this so-called 'surfer dude' is tough enough to lead them back to the playoffs.

'I didn't like the article,' Johnson said. 'They painted me as someone I'm not, but the guy (writer Tim Layden) doesn't know who I am. I'm not the swinging bachelor that they made me out to be.'

Johnson is upset about the hot tub photo, but he gave SI permission to shoot it.

FLUTIE'S SHADOW
Former Bills Marcellus Wiley and John Holecek wonder if Buffalo fans will ever accept Johnson and forget quarterback Doug Flutie, who has joined them in San Diego. 'If the Bills have any kind of a rough start with Rob, there's going to be a serious flap,' Holecek said. 'Buffalo was a Flutie town; everybody identified with him. He was the small guy, and Buffalo likes the underdog. Flutie found a way to make things fit.

'Rob's got all the talent in the world, but he needs experience to play the way Flutie did. If you could put Flutie's head on Rob's body, then it would be all over.'

Said Wiley: 'Doug is the kind of guy who people want to fight for. He motivates you, makes you feel confident the offense is in good hands. Rob is like this science project from a quarterback laboratory. He looks like a model; he's got the big arm. He's the guy who can throw a ball through a tire from 30 yards away. But he needs experience and he needs better mental awareness, because in the game that tire is moving fast.'

Johnson responded by saying that Holecek used to criticize Flutie when they were in Buffalo. 'I guess he doesn't like anyone,' Johnson said.

ALL THE WAY BACK•
New York Jets coach Herman Edwards said 37-year-old quarterback Vinny Testaverde looks quicker and more confident two years removed from Achilles' tendon surgery. 'Vinny's had a great camp,' Edwards said. 'The guy hasn't lost anything. He's throwing the ball well. Players have a lot of confidence in him. If anyone deserves to have a great season, it's him. He's taken a lot of hits.

'A lot of things weren't in his control. But he stood there and he persevered. His whole career that's what he's done. I remember in Tampa people talking about him being colorblind. This guy has withstood the test of time. I'm pulling for him to have a great year, not just for us, but for him personally.'

NO MOSS
Jets rookie wide receiver and punt returner Santana Moss, who was drafted with the 16th pick in the first round that the Steelers traded to the Jets, will be out until midseason after hurting his knee the only time the team practiced on artificial turf.

HARD TO FORGET
Remember this name: Running back Ben Gay - that's right! - has been the hit of Cleveland Browns camp. Gay ran well in a scrimmage against the Bills, and before he was put on the field fans chanted, 'We want Ben.' He received a rousing ovation when he broke off a 14-yard run. After the scrimmage, Gay was interviewed by several reporters. When he was finished with the interview, he smiled and said: 'Thanks for coming.'

Gay is a high school legend in Texas who fumbled away chances at Baylor and the Canadian Football League in the past three years.

BIG TALK
Browns wide receiver Kevin Johnson said the Browns have 'the best wide receiver coach in the league. He's overqualified. Everything he says is gospel.'' He was talking about former Redskins coach Terry Robiskie.

Johnson also said he thinks he should be mentioned among the elite receivers in the league. Asked to name the others, he mentioned Randy Moss, Cris Carter, Isaac Bruce, Torry Holt and Marvin Harrison. 'In this offense, with our quarterback (Tim Couch), I think I can definitely be one of those guys.'

DAVIS: No. 3
It's possible that Terrell Davis is the third-best running back in Denver, behind Mike Anderson and Olandis Gary. For sure, he's the least healthy.

Davis, the Super Bowl XXXII Most Valuable Player, hurt his right knee when it was hit by a defender in a goal-line drill and tried to convince reporters that it was his hamstring. Later, Davis had an MRI that showed degeneration in the knee, which was surgically reconstructed in 1999 when he missed 12 games. 'You guys (reporters) are making it seem like I'm the first player in history to have a sore knee, a hamstring pull,' he said. 'Other guys out here have sore knees. I don't see you guys surrounding them.'

Davis might be feeling some heat. He has been continually plagued by injuries in recent seasons, and he lost his Campbell's Chunky Soup endorsement deal after he was named in the Atlanta Gold Club sex scandal.