Renaissance man Jones has photo exhibit

Oct 8, 2009 - 6:07 PM Bengals linebacker Dhani Jones has a photography exhibit on display for the next two weeks, another reminder that he's one of the NFL's most eclectic players.

The 31-year-old linebacker took photographs when he visited foreign countries and played their sports for the Travel Channel's "Dhani Tackles The Globe" show. Among his adventures: Jones played rugby in England, learned about the martial art Muay Thai in Thailand, did some hurling in Ireland, sailed in New Zealand and participated in a surf lifeguard competition in Australia.

Jones, who took photography classes in high school and at Michigan, wrote his thoughts in a diary and took pictures along the way to remember his experiences. His collection of 24 favorite photos went on display at a gallery over the weekend in Cincinnati.

"Art's always been my first love and always will be a part of me," he said.

The television series was shot during the last two offseasons. He got the idea to take photos as the filming went along.

"In the beginning, I didn't take that many," he said. "I started looking and thought that if I took them with better concentration and applied the techniques and style I had when I was younger, these could come out a lot better. So that's how I expanded myself with that."

The 24-photo collection includes silhouettes, portraits, landscapes and, of course, a sporting shot: two martial arts competitors going at it in the ring. Jones was careful about choosing his subject matter.

"You have to be mindful and respectful of the culture," he said. "In some cultures, they don't want their picture taken because they believe it takes part of their soul. It's important to be mindful of that."

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BRETT WHO?: Had he not decided to leave the Minnesota Vikings during the offseason, veteran center Matt Birk would be snapping the ball to Brett Favre.

A reporter this week asked Birk if he lamented not being the one to give the ball to Favre. Without hesitation, Birk shot back: "Brett who?"

Then, after no one in the group reacted, Birk said, "Gee, I thought that would be more laughs."

Truth is, Birk has no regrets about signing on with another team in purple, the Ravens.

"I'm a big believer that everything happens for a reason," Birk said. "When my wife and I made the decision to come here, we knew that this is where we were supposed to be and really don't look back. I'm happy and feel very blessed to be here with this team and with these guys. You can believe it or not, but that's the truth."

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ODDS FOR PERFECTION, AND IMPERFECTION: Five teams reached the quarter mark of the season undefeated, the third time it's happened (1968, 2003). Of those five, the Saints have been given the best odds to replicate New England's 16-0 record of two years ago. They are 35 to 1 according to BetUS.com.

Next on the list are the Giants at 50 to 1, followed by the Colts (75 to 1), the Vikings (80 to 1) and the Broncos (125 to 1).

As for the mess at the other end of the standings, where six teams are winless, the Rams have the best odds of duplicating Detroit's historic 0-16 of last season at 18 to 1. Tampa Bay is 20 to 1, followed by Cleveland at 35 to 1 and Kansas City at 40 to 1.

As for which of this losing brigade will be the last team to get a W, the Rams are at 3 to 2. Then come Tampa Bay (2 to 1), Cleveland (5 to 2), Kansas City (11 to 4), Tennessee (8 to 1) and Carolina (10 to 1).

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TARKENTON-TO-MANNING: Peyton Manning has a tradition of sending letters to quarterbacks when they retire.

This week, the three-time MVP was on the receiving end. After tying Fran Tarkenton for third on the NFL's career list with 342 touchdown passes in Sunday's victory over Seattle, Tarkenton, a friend of Manning's father, Archie, sent Peyton a letter.

"Boy, that meant as much to me as anything, just the fact that he would take time to share a few thoughts with me," Manning said. "He just said he was congratulating me on tying his touchdowns and how he took a lot of pride in throwing that many touchdowns. That was very generous of him and thoughtful of him to do that."

Manning was less than 2 years old when Tarkenton retired after the 1978 season, so he doesn't remember watching the Hall of Fame quarterback. But as a student of the game, Manning understands how Tarkenton changed the game.

"My dad's told me a lot of stories about Fran Tarkenton and just what kind of player he was," Manning said. "How tough he was and called his own plays, truly kind of one of the ultimate field generals out there."

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BREAKING OFF RUNS: Titans running back Chris Johnson isn't just the NFL's leading rusher. He's also had more 50-yard runs than anyone else in the league since being drafted last year.

Johnson has had five such runs, one more than Adrian Peterson of Minnesota and two more than DeAngelo Williams of Carolina. Johnson had a 66-yard touchdown at Kansas City last season and had TD runs of 57 and 91 yards against Houston on Sept. 20.

Credit Johnson's speed: He clocked a 4.24 second 40-yard dash at the 2008 NFL combine. He's also more patient now, following the blocks of linemen and receivers to get downfield.

Colts coach Jim Caldwell, who gets to defend Johnson on Sunday night, calls him "maybe the most electrifying back in all of the league."

Peterson has the edge in runs 20 yards or longer with 24 since the start of the 2008 season. Steve Slaton of Houston and Williams each have 15, just ahead of Johnson's 14.

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AP Football Writer Barry Wilner and Sports Writers Dave Ginsburg in Baltimore, Joe Kay in Cincinnati, Michael Marot in Indianapolis, and Teresa M. Walker in Nashville contributed to this story.