Not a real good-looking tie

Eagles' McNabb didn't know rule

Thanks to Donovan McNabb, players around the NFL now must know there doesn't have to be a winner or loser in every regular-season game. Yes, there are ties in the NFL. They just don't happen too often.

A day after the Eagles and Bengals played a 13-13 tie - the league's first since 2002 - the focus wasn't on how poorly the teams performed on the field. Instead, everyone wanted to know how it's possible some pro football players, especially a 10-year veteran such as McNabb, don't know simple rules about overtime games.

"I'm sure there are plenty of rules that guys don't understand, but I don't think that has any factor whatsoever to do with the outcome of this game and how they played in the overtime," Eagles coach Andy Reid said yesterday. "I think that's absurd. You play to win in that time, whether you think you have another overtime period or you don't. And you play your heart out to win it in that time, and that's how we approached it and that's how the players approached it."

The Eagles now have played 12 OT games, including one in the playoffs, since McNabb joined the team in 1999. Yet, the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback didn't know ties were possible until his desperation pass fell incomplete at the end of the fifth quarter.

"I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book," McNabb said after the game. "It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But unfortunately, with the rules, we settled with a tie."

The overtime rule isn't an obscure one. It was adopted fully by the NFL in 1974 and 17 games since have ended tied. The Eagles have been involved in four of those games.

"I guess we're aware of it now," McNabb said. "In college, there are multiple overtimes, and in high school and Pop Warner. I never knew in the pro ranks it would end that way. I hate to see what would happen in the Super Bowl and in the playoffs."

They keep playing if it's tied in the playoffs or Super Bowl. But McNabb didn't know that, either.

Bucs' Graham hurting

Tampa Bay's Earnest Graham injured his right ankle during a victory over the Vikings, and Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden said the running back's season "could be in jeopardy." Graham was hurt on his only carry in Sunday's 19-13 win, limping off after landing awkwardly when he was tackled after a 3-yard gain. "His status for the rest of the season is very much in question right now," Gruden said yesterday. "I don't have the exact medical terms, but I will say right now, it doesn't look like he'll play any time soon." Warrick Dunn took over when Graham left, finishing with 53 yards on 20 carries to move ahead of Ricky Watters for 19th place on the NFL's career rushing list with 10,657 yards. He also had four receptions for 65 yards. Graham's injury also figures to accelerate Carnell "Cadillac" Williams's comeback from an injury that kept him from playing since tearing the patellar tendon in his right knee in September 2007. The fourth-year pro was moved from the physically unable to perform list to the 53-man roster last week, but he was inactive Sunday . . . Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is apologizing to the Cardinals for saying they should be fined for hard hits against him Sunday. Hasselbeck said he regrets saying an hour after Seattle's 26-20 loss in which he threw three interceptions that he was looking forward to the league fining some Cardinals.

Lynch retires

Hard-hitting nine-time Pro Bowl safety John Lynch retired. The 37-year-old, who was in training camp this season with the Patriots, played 11 seasons with the Buccaneers and four more with the Broncos and is going into the Fox broadcast booth . . . Offensive tackle Orlando Pace will be sidelined 2-4 weeks with a knee injury sustained in Sunday's loss at San Francisco. Coach Jim Haslett also counted out running back Steven Jackson, who will miss his fourth game in five weeks with a persistent thigh injury . . . Cornerback Eric King of the undefeated Titans broke his forearm Sunday and likely will need surgery, but it doesn't mean his season is over just yet. Coach Jeff Fisher said for now King only will miss Sunday's game with the Jets . . . Giants running back Brandon Jacobs was having a precautionary MRI on his knee, although coach Tom Coughlin said he didn't think Jacobs had a serious injury. Jacobs gained 73 yards on 11 carries in the 30-10 win over Baltimore that improved New York's record to 9-1 . . . Texans quarterback Matt Schaub's recovery from a left knee injury will take longer than the 2-4 weeks initially projected. Schaub has been out two weeks with an injured medial collateral ligament and coach Gary Kubiak yesterday said it could be another four weeks . . . Packers linebacker Nick Barnett will have surgery to repair his torn right knee ligament Thursday. Barnett is expected to need 6-8 months of recovery time.

Players to state cases

Vikings defensive linemen Kevin and Pat Williams will meet in New York with NFL officials to appeal their suspensions after testing positive for a weight-loss diuretic considered a masking agent for steroids. The NFL will hear the appeals later this week. Additional appeals will be heard today for three Saints: running back Deuce McAllister and defensive ends Charles Grant and Will Smith. All are subject to four-game suspensions. There is no indication when the NFL's decision will be announced. The league estimates that 6-8 players have been identified as testing positive for the banned substance Bumetanide. It is contained in an over-the-counter weight-loss pill called StarCaps the players apparently took. The makers of StarCaps have suspended shipments of the product after allegations it contains the banned substance, which the manufacturers do not list as an ingredient. The Vikings' Jared Allen also will travel to New York to talk about a hit on Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers two weeks ago that could leave him vulnerable to a suspension because it came two days after he was fined $50,000 for hits on Houston's Schaub . . . Suspended Cowboys cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones must keep waiting to find out whether he can resume his NFL career. When commissioner Roger Goodell punished Jones last month, he said the suspension would be reviewed after four games - and the fourth was Sunday. So now the wait is on for Goodell to make a ruling. "Nothing to report on it," league spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an e-mail yesterday.