Larry Stone: News And Notes From Around the League

We're just days away from Christmas and several teams are still trying to figure out if they will be home after the holidays. The hottest race remains the AFC East where the Miami Dolphins can win the division, get homefield advantage or be eliminated in the next two weeks.

Talk about pressure.

The Titans have their playoff life in their own hands, which is the most any team can ask this time of the year. Win out and the road to Tampa comes through Nashville. Win out and take New Year's Weekend off to rest and heal. Slip up against Cleveland or Dallas and all of that falls apart.

Tennessee showed a new ability to win Sunday against the Bengals. With two similarly less-talented teams the next two weeks, the Titans need to keep it up. As defensive coordinator Gregg Williams told me last week, 'good teams win in December, great teams dominate.'

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It seems incomprehensible Chris Palmer would be under the gun in Cleveland, but the talk keeps surfacing. According to several insiders, Personnel Man Dwight Clark believes a great coach must be in the face of his players at all times, Palmer doesn't lead that way, and Clark thinks he cannot get the job done.

Keep a couple of things in mind: first, Clark and Carmen Policy changed their building strategy midstream last season. They started down the 'Carolina Panthers' road, pulling together a group of veteran players to win more quickly. With the surprising decision to bench Ty Detmer after the first game of 1999, the Browns went more 'Jacksonville Jaguar' in approach, thrusting young players into action. This would make the current squad very young and give it little chance to succeed, but would help the franchise build more soundly.

Second, the Browns did not get the same perks the Panthers or Jaguars enjoyed as they built their expansion teams. The league's owners wanted Jacksonville and Carolina to be more successful more quickly than previous expansion teams. They did not, however, want them to be in the conference championships in their third seasons. When Cleveland entered the league, it received less help in terms of the draft, salary cap exemptions, and free agent allowances.

Add all this to the incredible injury problems Cleveland has suffered through this season and Chris Palmer doesn't seem to be getting a fair shake.

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Here's a note from Sports Business Journal that you will not believe: executives in Hamilton County, Ohio continue to work on a bid for the 2012 Olympics.

'Where's Hamilton County?' you may ask. Hamilton County is home to Cincinnati.

Advice for the Olympics movement: having the Olympics in the United States every ten years seems about as exciting as watching NBA players run and dunk at will against Peru, Germany and the Netherlands every four years. The Olympics are a world event and holding them in the United States so often cries of American egotism.

Besides, Cincinnati???????

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Lots of football to be played in 2000, but should the Titans finish first in the AFC Central, they would play a first-place schedule in 2001.

Based on the season ending today, the Titans would face their five AFC Central opponents plus games against Miami and Oakland.

The AFC Central plays the NFC Central next year for the last time before realignment. Based on the current standings, the Titans would face the Vikings, Bucs, Lions and Packers.

Looks tough, huh?