16, and last week they acquired 31yearold Carson Palmer, who had chosen to retire rather than play for the Bengals. Oakland sent Cincinnati a firstround pick in 2012 and a conditional secondrounder in '13, and will pay him a guaranteed $7.5 million over the next two years. Yet Russell still counts himself among Mobile's legion of unemployed.."When those books are written, they're written about championships. They're written about the great days at Notre Dame. Certainly this has been a great year, but there is more to accomplish," Irish coach Brian Kelly said.

The 49ers strutted into this game on the brink of NFL history, two wins from an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl title. Then came an epic tussle, a ferocious hit on Joe Montana and a rare, costly fumble by Roger Craig. The Giants and 49ers had the two best scoring defenses in the league, and it showed in a game with only one touchdown.And he's seen hundreds of others. 6. ANOTHER BAD DAY FOR PAULA D