Despite his initial disappointment, Doug Flutie concedes he will enter next season as Rob Johnson's backup. However, the 37-year-old quarterback still wants to fulfill the last two years of his contract with the Buffalo Bills.

	Doug Flutie wants to stay in Buffalo -- even if he's not the starting quarterback.

Johnson and Flutie aren't close off the field, but the Bills love having their one-two punch at quarterback on the field, even at the cost of $10.5 million, about one-sixth of their total 2000 salary cap.

Trace of dominance: Trace Armstrong, who overpowered the Seahawks for three sacks Sunday, has had his playing time increase at left end in the past month because of his strong pass rush. At 34, the senior citizen of the Dolphins defensive line is second on the team with 7½ sacks. He credits spending two-and-a-half hours each week doing Olympic style weight-lifting during the season as the reason he's finishing strong.

Not Dunn yet: Bucs halfback Warrick Dunn, suffering through his toughest season with a 3.2-yard rushing average, dug out old Florida State tapes to remind himself of how good he can be as a player. He finished with a 5-yard average in the regular-season finale against Chicago and hopes to remind everyone in the playoffs that he isn't just a pass-receiving back.

Seeing both sides: The irony of former Redskins general manager Charlie Casserly possibly becoming GM of the New Orleans Saints is that he has to fix the damage he caused when he got Mike Ditka to give Washington eight Saints' draft choices in the Ricky Williams deal.

Hunting for Lions: The Redskins, loaded with three first-round choices including the second pick in the draft, wouldn't mind acquiring another pick in the top three to take both Penn State defensive stars--Lavar Arrington and Courtney Brown. The 49ers might be a willing participant because Bill Walsh is seriously considering trading down from the third pick to acquire more draft choices.

Seattle not standing pat: Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren plans to move quickly in hiring a defensive coordinator for next season, and it appears Steve Sidwell, the Patriots defensive coordinator the last three seasons, has a better chance of getting the job than his former boss with the Patriots, Pete Carroll. Holmgren still plans to place a franchise tag on receiver Joey Galloway with thoughts of trading him.

Just your common Manning: Despite having a $48 million contract, humble Colts quarterback Peyton Manning stunned those returning from the Sugar Bowl by taking a flight on Southwest Airlines, waiting for the last seat and politely asking flight attendants to help with his travel bag.