1.   A lackluster two periods would almost make it imperative that Gailey come back in the preseason finale and play the starters for a full half again.

2.   Against the Redskins, the Falcons are likely to play all starters much more than in the first two games, but there may be some exceptions.

3.   But he still has to play his starters enough to win each night.

4.   But rookie Keith Van Horn was upset the Lakers saw fit to play their starters with a huge fourth-quarter lead.

5.   But the starters played short minutes, the game was never in doubt and no one made any wild claims about the meaning of a lopsided victory.

6.   Cleveland Coach Bill Belichick will play his starters longer than Ryan, and plans to give starting quarterback Vinny Testaverde a considerable amount of playing time.

7.   Teams that have everything clinched early may not play their starters for the whole game.

8.   Throughout the league, coaches are wrestling over the choice between playing starters on special teams or reserving those roles for backups.

9.   With Tom Glavine sitting at home with a terribly timed case of the stomach flu, Maddux played emergency starter.

10.   Both teams played their starters into the second quarter, and the real competition for jobs began in the second half.