Just four days after his right elbow was turned into what he called a "noodle," Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jim McMahon threw passes to get ready for a game.
Coach Rich Kotite said that McMahon, who suffered a hyper-extended elbow in the Eagles' 13-6 victory over the
Houston Oilers on Monday, participated in a seven-on-seven passing drill yesterday, and the upbeat Kotite said he "looked good."
The Eagles play the New York Giants tomorrow.
* GIANTS: Linebacker Pepper Johnson has accused unnamed defensive teammates of not going all-out on every play this season.
"It's hard in the locker room and in the Monday meetings to sit up there and maintain my self-composure watching people not competing," Johnson said. "We have a hell of a lot of good ballplayers on this squad. To see them play three plays hard out of 54, it's hard to bear it. You know the person is better than that."
Who are they? "The first thing you hear from coaches," he said, "is don't point fingers at anybody unless you can't point it at yourself. Nobody plays a perfect game."
* SAINTS: Assault and battery charges have been filed against running back Craig "Ironhead" Heyward in an incident stemming from an October pep rally at which he was accused of assaulting two women.
"He will definitely plead not guilty," said Wayne Walker, Heyward's lawyer. "When you aren't guilty, you plead not guilty."
The women said the fullback cursed them when they asked for his autograph, grabbed one of them by the crotch and breast, head-butted the other one and menaced them with an iron police barricade.
* Cancer-stricken Lyle Alzado was too sick to make a court appearance on an allegation that the former football great assaulted a deputy marshal, his attorney said.
Alzado, 42, has been "quite ill recently" and "is in no condition to come to court," said attorney Robert Shapiro, who obtained a postponement of the Municipal Court arraignment hearing to Jan. 21.
* Philadelphia defensive back Wes Hopkins was fined $7,500 and Detroit defensive back Melvin Jenkins was fined $5,000, both for rules violations.
Hopkins was fined for hitting Houston receiver Ernest Givins in the head with his right forearm Monday night.
Jenkins was fined for hitting Minnesota receiver Anthony Carter in the head area with the crown of his helmet Nov. 24.