KITNA HAS DEEP EUROPEAN ROOTS: With the Barcelona Dragons taking part in World Bowl ’99 this Sunday (FOX-TV, 1:30 PM ET) against the Frankfurt Galaxy, Seattle Seahawks quarterback JON KITNA comes to mind. Two years ago, Kitna was dubbed "The Magic Dragon" as he passed for a World Bowl-record 402 yards and earned MVP honors for the Dragons in their 38-24 World Bowl ’97 victory. Kitna also threw for 22 touchdowns in nine regular-season games that year and set an NFL Europe record for rushing yards by a quarterback (334).

In the NFL the past two seasons, Kitna has posted a 4-2 record in six starts for the Seahawks. This summer, Kitna will enter training camp as the team’s starting quarterback for the first time. Recently, Barcelona head coach JACK BICKNELL recalled Kitna’s leadership skills and spirited play.

"He'd come off the field, and he'd just run right through you," Bicknell said. "I had to get a hook to grab him. This kid is intense, and he wants to play. The guy just doesn't want to lose. And he's not going to accept it from other people out there. I'm sure he wasn't hollering at too many people as a rookie in the NFL. But as he matures and they start to listen, they start to realize it's an honest emotion, not a phony emotion, and he just wants to win."

Kitna will let his role develop. "Nobody just tells you you're going to be a leader," he says. "You go out and prove yourself. You get in tough situations, and you come back from those tough situations. If you ask the guys again this year after the first game, I think a lot of them will say, ‘Yeah, he's pretty excited (in the huddle).’ That's what makes me me. I'm not going to take away from things that got me here."

Out of 37 NFL-allocated players taking part in World Bowl ’99 on Sunday, 18 are from the AFC, including five from the Super Bowl XXXIII-champion Denver Broncos and five from the New England Patriots. Among the players in action will be Kansas City Chiefs linebacker MIKE MASLOWSKI, who led Barcelona in tackles (105) and tied for second in the league with four interceptions, Seahawks linebacker DEREK STREY, who tied for second on Frankfurt with 38 tackles, and Broncos tackle MELVIN TUTEN, who started all 10 games for Barcelona. Also in NFL Europe this season, San Diego Chargers running back KENNY BYNUM (Rhein Fire) rushed for 960 yards, second-most in league history, and tied the league record with four 100-yard rushing games.

CONE DRILL: "When people doubt me, I turn it up even more," says Tennessee rookie defensive end JEVON KEARSE. At the Titans’ minicamp on June 15, Kearse proved that he thrives when challenged.

The exercise was a cone drill in which players hit a blocking sled and then – at a coach’s command – turn around and sprint for cones placed 15-, 20- and 25-yards away. With three cones to pick up, Kearse was pitted against four veteran defensive linemen. Thus, at least two players would come away without a cone – and be subject to teammates’ catcalls.

Before the drill, defensive line coach JIM WASHBURN joked that Kearse, the team’s first-round draft choice from Florida, would not get a cone.

Not only did Kearse prove his coach wrong, he collected all three cones, leaving his teammates empty handed! "I'm not sure I saw what I saw," Washburn said incredulously. "That might be the most shocking thing I ever saw, but I'm going to have to look at the film to make sure it really did happen."

Added defensive coordinator GREGG WILLIAMS: "He has such great speed and I'm so happy to have him because that's something you're blessed with. What he has to face now is the strength and technique of the players in the league. How well he can adapt to those things will indicate how fast he's going to be good."

Titans right tackle JON RUNYAN, who will face Kearse in intrasquad drills, is already a believer. "He has great size and unbelievable speed for somebody his size," Runyan said. "He’s going to be a factor. He can threaten a lot of plays just with his speed, and then when he develops some counter moves he’s going to be a real force."

LEARNING FROM THE BEST: First-year wide receiver DAMON DUNN was on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad last season. This year, he’s aiming to become the club’s third wide receiver, backing up KEENAN MC CARDELL and JIMMY SMITH. What has he done to improve?

"I work out with JERRY RICE in the offseason back home at Stanford," said Dunn, who also works with Rice's personal trainer. "We run hills part of the week and sprints on the other days. We run three 800-meter and eight 100-meter (sprints). I've been working out with Jerry for a while so I'm used to that kind of training. But the first time I ran the hill, it was tough."

BOOKSMART BRONCO: Denver rookie running back OLANDIS GARY is from the same college as Broncos star runner TERRELL DAVIS – Georgia – and has work habits he hopes will put him in the same class. Gary, a fourth-round draft choice, is approaching football as a student should.

"Everything is different, from the formations, to the quarterback’s cadence, to the snap count," he says. "I'm basically doing my homework when I go home every night. I take my playbook home, and I'm reading it and then I'm writing it out so that I can get that double-sensory impact. I think that has helped me out a lot. That way, when I get to training camp, I'll be just that much more ahead."