Rich Gannon's Oakland teammates have begun their own campaign to make the Raiders' quarterback the league MVP.

        They have been especially vocal in wake of Gannon's turnover-free, seven-touchdown performance against Kansas City.

        Gannon completed 20-of-31 passes for 242 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions and scrambled for 33 yards on five carries. Elvis Grbac, the man the Chiefs selected over him, threw for 504 yards (39-of-53) but was intercepted twice and never got his team closer than 11 points in the second half.

        With Gannon at the helm, the Raiders are 8-1 for their best start in a full season since 1977. They have a six-game winning streak for the first time since 1985. They are on their way to their first AFC West title since 1990. They're in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 1993.

        Gannon has thrown for more than 200 yards a game, 14 touchdowns and only five interceptions.

        “People crack me up when they ask if he is the MVP of our team,” receiver Andre Rison told writers who cover the team. “He's the MVP of the league.”

        Gannon deflects any personal attention toward the team.

        “I feel I'm part of an organization that's worked very hard to clean up some things that have hurt this team in the past,” Gannon said.

        GROUNDED: The Bengals, Steelers and Lions are the only three teams without a 100-yard receiving game from one of their players.

        THE MACHINE: Kurt Warner's out with a broken pinkie. Meanwhile, his stand-in, Trent Green, has acquired a better passer rating than Warner. Green's is 113.8. Warner's is 111.6.

        Green has thrown eight touchdown passes and two interceptions, and has completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 1,021 yards. Against Carolina last week, he had a passer rating of 118.3.

        He threw for a career-high 431 yards against the Panthers. Green would have broken 500 had offensive tackle Ryan Tucker not been tagged with a facemask penalty that nullified a 79-yard TD pass to wide receiver Isaac Bruce.

        WELCOME BACK: Bill Belichick, second most-hated man in Cleveland sports history, returns to Cleveland for the first time since his five-year reign as Browns coach. New England plays in Cleveland today.

        Belichick oversaw the darkest period of Browns history, which included four losing seasons, the release of Bernie Kosar in 1993 and the ultimate move of the franchise to Baltimore by Art Modell in 1995. Belichick was 37-45 in Cleveland. Adding his 2-7 record with the Patriots, he's a poor 39-52.

        “You know, a lot's happened in the last five years for me and for Cleveland,” he said this week on a conference call. “It's definitely interesting to be where we all are right now.”

        Belichick dodged two questions: Whether he knew about Modell's move before it became public, and why he cut Kosar with Vinny Testaverde's arm in a sling with a separated shoulder.

        “You know, that was a long time ago,” he said. “I really can't remember the events from yesterday.”

        HE'S DA MAN: Minnesota running back Robert Smith continues to play better — and tougher — than many Vikings fans ever thought.

        Smith, often injured in previous years, has seen his touches increase dramatically with Leroy Hoard gone. And he not only has stayed healthy, he has added a workhorse quality to a resume that always included big plays.

        Smith averaged 237 rushes over the last three seasons, all three of which ended with him gaining 1,000 yards. This year he is on pace for 309 carries.

        His 908 yards is third in the NFL and on pace for a career-high 1,614. He is fifth in the NFC in total yards (1,108), on pace for 1,969.

        HERO WORSHIP: After Sunday's game, Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith tracked down Jets wide receiver Wayne Chrebet near midfield to see if Chrebet could mail him an autographed jersey. Smith said he is a huge fan of Chrebet's because the Jets wide receiver plays the style of football that he does.

        REALIGNMENT BLUES: Because Indianapolis isn't exactly a natural regional fit for the AFC East, there has been talk of moving the Colts. One possibility has them in a division with Cleveland, Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Another has them with Tennessee, Houston and Jacksonville.

        But it's not certain they'll be forced to leave the AFC East, because there also has been discussion about moving Miami into a southern division and leaving the Colts with the Jets, Bills and Patriots.

        This wouldn't be the first time the Colts were forced to move. When the NFL and AFL merged for the 1970 season, they were one of the franchises (along with Cleveland and Pittsburgh) that took a $3 million payment to move from the older league into the newly formed AFC.

        SLOW STARTERS: The Jets have had 27 possessions in the first quarter. Of those, 16 have resulted in punts and six in turnovers.

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