Ode to Billy Joe.

That's the tune that New Orleans Saints coach Mike Ditka is singing these days.

In an era when the quarterback shuffle is popular and teams are continually looking for new quarterbacks, Ditka is sticking with his two Billy Joes -- Hobert and Tolliver -- and Danny Wuerffel.

Although all three appear to be journeymen, they're Ditka's guys and he's going with them.

"You have to start somewhere with people and I think they're good people," he said. "I think they've got a good knowledge of the game and I think they've got good arms. I think they're capable of doing it. I want to be loyal to my guys. I want to give them a chance and see what happens. Shouldn't I give them a chance?

"I believe they can play. It's foolish to bring in quarterbacks year after year."

Ditka is so committed to his quarterbacks that he said he wouldn't take Tim Couch if he had the first pick in the draft. He would take running back Ricky Williams.

He'd even be willing to give up his entire draft to move up from his 12th spot to get the Heisman Trophy winner.

"If we're willing to give the whole draft away and somebody's willing to take it to get to where we get the guy we want [Williams], we would do it," he said. Ditka said he would even probably kick in something from next year's draft because he doesn't have a second-round pick this year.

"I think he can be awfully good," Ditka said of Williams. "I think he's a special player who comes out once in a while, like Earl Campbell was, like Walter Payton was. That's what I see. I just can't believe you can pass up this running back, I'm sorry.

"I think he's a big difference-maker right away. [Texas coach] Mack Brown told me he's Earl Campbell with speed. He said he's the best football player he's ever seen. Coming from Mack, that's a pretty good statement."

Coming from Ditka, his statements are pretty good, too.

Question marks on Mitchell

One of the many questions about Scott Mitchell -- the Ravens' trade for him got a thumbs-down from the national media at the owners' meeting last week -- is how he'll adapt to the less-than-stellar supporting cast he'll have with the Ravens, who don't have a Barry Sanders or a Herman Moore on their roster.

But Ravens coach Brian Billick has a theory that having Sanders in his backfield had a downside for Mitchell.

"Barry Sanders is, in my opinion, maybe the greatest back to ever play the game," Billick said. "Sometimes when you have a back like Barry in there, there's a tendency to say, 'How can you not have a Super Bowl team with Barry Sanders behind you? Whose fault is this?' Well, it's the quarterback's fault, whether that's justified or not."

Billick also said that it was "feast or famine" with Sanders because he might break a 40-yarder on one play and lose yardage on the next, leaving the quarterback in long-yardage situations.

"He had to make a lot of plays on a lot of second-and-real-longs, more so than probably any quarterback in the history of the game," Billick said of Mitchell. "There were a lot of second-and-10s, second-and-12s and second-and-14s.

"Would I like to have Barry Sanders and live with that? Sure, I would. But that's a dimension Scott has had to deal with."

If nothing else, that shows how much Billick likes Mitchell because it's not easy to come up with a theory about how it can be difficult with Sanders in the backfield.

Lions' Ford speaks out

Baltimore fans who remember how the city was treated in the expansion derby can understand the frustration of William Clay Ford Jr., the Detroit Lions president and chairman of the Ford Motor Co., in being a part of the NFL.

Ford, accustomed to running one of the world's industrial giants, is mystified by all the back-room dealing in the NFL.

"I'm having trouble with this league. It's a very mean-spirited league," he said at the owners' meetings. "I could look the chairman of General Motors or Toyota in the eye and if they shake your hand and give you their word, it's good.

"Here, it's not the case. There's always a hidden agenda. Everybody has their own agenda, nothing's ever done aboveboard, everybody's whispering in the corner and it's not the way you do business.

"The way you do business is you lay it all on the table and everybody has different opinions, you bang heads, count votes and that's it. I've never been a part of anything like this. The CIA has nothing on this place."

Ford was especially irritated that the issue of taking the Thanksgiving Day game away from Detroit made it to the agenda. It went nowhere, but Ford was annoyed that commissioner Paul Tagliabue said publicly in a visit to Detroit last year that the Thanksgiving Day game was a permanent fixture and then tried to back away from the statement.

No closure for Modell

Ravens owner Art Modell made it obvious at the owners' meetings that his bitter feelings for Cleveland haven't subsided much over the last three years.

Asked if he would go to Cleveland for the Browns-Ravens game, he said he hadn't made a final decision, but added, "I am somewhat doubtful I will ever set foot in Cleveland again. I just feel very deeply about how my family was treated in Cleveland. I choose not to go back there."

Modell also said, "I'm looked at as a monster in this whole thing. But I have no interest in talking about people in Cleveland except the fans who supported me for many years. I wish them good health and much enjoyment with the Browns. I choose not to say anything about the politicians or the business community at all."

Modell also declined to comment on new Browns owner Al Lerner. He was once his minority owner and good friend -- the deal to move to Baltimore was signed on his plane -- but the two since have had a falling out.

Facts and figures

The Green Bay Packers are in the NFL's smallest market but led the league in sale of merchandise for the second straight year.

Torry Holt, the North Carolina State receiver who could be targeted by the Ravens if they stay in the 10th spot in the draft April 17-18, will have his workout at school Wednesday. The Ravens also plan to bring him in for a visit and have his knee checked after he underwent knee surgery in the off-season.

Quotable

"I'm not sure lunches are the right way to renew this rivalry. Maybe we should have a food fight."

-- Steelers vice president Art Rooney, on the lunches planned in Cleveland and Pittsburgh this summer to promote the renewal of the teams' rivalry.