MORT'S MAILBAG | Dec. 5, 2003

Q: Is it just me, or does Edgerrin James look tentative running the ball? I had an opportunity to see some of the Colts-Pats game this past weekend, and he appeared to avoid contact whenever possible, choosing to step out of bounds or go down without trying to get that extra yard or two. A few years ago, he would bowl over defenders, and now he almost seems afraid of them. Is he still worried about his knee? -- Eric Gold (Potomac, MD).

	James

Mort: Eric, it's not just you. I've noticed it. Opposing coaches and players have noticed it. Personnel people have noticed it. I don't know what it is, and maybe some of it is an overreaction to his inability to score Sunday against the Patriots. But even before that game, my colleague Tom Jackson and I had a conversation that Edgerrin did not look like the same back, even though he is somewhat productive. Is it the knee? It's stable. Or is it fear of another major injury, which isn't uncommon for players coming off a major injury? But he is a couple of years removed from it, so it is a curious development. Nevertheless, he is still a very good back.

Q: I was wondering, what is your opinion on the notion that there's a lack of morals corrupting today's sports? -- Kevin (Moreno Valley)

Mort: You mean the lack of morals that has corrupted today's society, from poltical leaders to business to our own neighborhoods and schools? Why do you think that sports wouldn't inherit that culture? Be careful about a blanket indictment. There are an awful lot of good folks in the game whose good character and good works are diluted by the attention that goes the other way.

Q: Please help settle an office debate: If a receiver leaps in the air to catch a ball, gets both feet on the ground in bounds, and loses the ball when his back hits the ground out of bounds, is that a legal catch? If not, please explain. -- Saurabh (NY, NY)

Mort: Saurabh, it is not a catch under the NFL rules, which have been recently modified. The receiver most maintain control throughout the catch, even to the ground, out of bounds, whatever ...which to me has some problems because under the fumble rule, the ground cannot cause a fumble.

Q: I hear a lot of talk about who should be voted Coach of the Year, but no-one is talking about the guy I think is the obvious choice: Andy Reid! I know he won last year, but that shouldn't preclude him from this year's award. With the laundry list of injured players, the horrific start at home, and let's face it, the offense is working without a go-to receiver. Analysts like Michael Irvin (I think he's still sore about the Eagles ending his career), love to point out the lack of "quality receivers" when picking against the Eagles (like he did this week), but low and behold, they just keep on winning.

In Philly, it's all about the team. There's no one in jail, being released with pay for the rest of the season, or complaining to ownership about the coaching. Someone needs to tell Irvin to quit hating and accept the Eagles for what they are -- the best team in the NFC. And please, let's look at the fabulous coaching job Andy Reid has done this year. -- Trek (Cheyenne, Wyoming)

Mort: Trek, yes, you are right about Andy Reid. He is a very unappreciated coach because he is a rather stoic presence in terms in media presentation. But he is a terrific coach with a terrific staff and he will merit Coach of the Year consideration if the Eagles run the table. All your points are valid, although I don't think Irvin is "hating." In fact, I get more mail from Philly fans year-round "hating" the team's receivers than almost any other subject.

Q. Mort, at the outset of a recent NFL Primetime, Chris Berman's first words into the camera were, "If they only knew." I've been watching PrimeTime for years, he does this every so often and always at the beginning of the show. My suspicion is that this happens after the 49ers lose a big game, particularly to the Packers? What's up with him and the 49ers thing? -- Scott Grimsmeyer (Rockford, IL)

Mort: You often will hear Boomer say "If they only knew," at the start of a show, especially PrimeTime. But it has nothing to do with the 49ers. It's just that as Sunday games end late, and Boomer has to make the trek across two or three buildings on our ESPN campus to get to the studio on time, there are just a lot of close calls as to whether he will be in his seat and miked up on time. We often joke that Tom Jackson will have to open the show one day with, "Welcome to NFL Primetime, I'm Tom Jackson, and Boomer will be right along...." That's some inside scoop for you. As for the "49ers thing," you do know that Berman founded the 49ers, don't you? And that he invented the West Coast offense. It'll all be in his book one day.