ATLANTA -- He is known as "Big Play Ray," a bow to the league-high 27 interceptions Ray Buchanan has recorded over the past five seasons, but the Atlanta Falcons star cornerback might heretofore have another appellation.

Big Mistake Ray.

Suspended by the NFL on Wednesday after testing positive in training camp for steroids, Buchanan will spend the next four games on the sideline, where he will have plenty of time to ponder his gaffe. Buchanan became yet the latest player suspended for using a supplement that contained a substance banned by the league. Given the lack of control by the FDA, which has not enacted a labeling standard for the ilk of over-the-counter supplements many weekend warriors use, NFL players should know better.

But they don't.

Chicago quarterback Jim Miller -- who ironically now gets to face an Atlanta secondary that will not include Buchanan this Sunday at the Georgia Dome -- should have been a poster boy for greater player diligence three years ago when he was dealt a suspension similar to the Buchanan sanctions. If you've ever looked at Miller, you know he is anything but a steroid junkie, but the league does not differentiate when the test comes back positive.

	Buchanan

There is no parsing of punishment between sticking a syringe into your hip, the kind of "juicing" you won't see on those late-night infomercials, or just swallowing a tablet spiked with a banned substance. When the spectrometer hits a certain level, you're gone for four games, once the appeals fail.

"The bottom line is that, while we wish there was more standard labeling, a player is ultimately responsible for what goes into his body, allowed Gene Upshaw, executive director of the NFL Players Assocation. "We've told them that a thousand times. There aren't any excuses any more."

Anyone who has watched Buchanan play knows that the majority of his 43 career interceptions came when he gambled on a play. Just like on the field, though, you don't win every gamble. And in this instance, Buchanan lost a big gamble, and on Wednesday acknowledged as much.

Buchanan would not say whether he used a supplement to lose weight, but he did report to camp about 15 pounds lighter this summer, since the new scheme implemented by defensive coordinator Wade Phillips excused him and cornerback partner Ashley Ambrose from most run support duties.

In a moment of candor that would be rare for some, but is common to the manner in which Buchanan deals with all matters, he allowed he "really (screwed) up and am paying for it." During the suspension, Buchanan will not be permitted to work out at the team's complex and is prohibited from having contact with Atlanta officials.

He'll pay for his mistake to the tune of $779,411, in fact, the prorated portion of his $2.65 million base salary for 2002. Unfortunately, the Falcons will suffer as well. For a franchise that outplayed the Packers in Green Bay last Sunday, finally has generated a ripple of public support under rookie owner Arthur Blank, and might yet contend for a wild card spot the loss of Buchanan is a pretty big blow.

"A tough guy to replace," agreed Ambrose. "He brings a lot excitement to the table. He's key for us."

Already undermanned in the front seven because of injuries, the Falcons now must scramble to replace their highest-profile secondary member. The likely replacement, Juran Bolden, is nursing a hamstring injury. A terrific special teams player, who is back for a second incarnation in Atlanta after playing in the CFL the last two years, Bolden has just one career start.

If he can't play, the job falls to fifth-year pro Fred Weary, whose resume includes 25 starts but who is more effective as a "nickel" defender. No matter what the resolution, the Atlanta secondary will be forced to regroup and to reshuffle.

On a team working overtime to improve its record and, just as significant, its image in this community, Wednesday was a bad day on both fronts.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.