Joe Theismann is out as a "Monday Night Football" analyst after one season, a person familiar with the decision said yesterday.

Reached on his cell phone, Theismann declined comment "until I fully understand what has taken place," but he did not deny the news and hinted that it came as a shock.

Theismann is believed to have been informed Friday. An ESPN spokesman said only "we have nothing to announce."

The likely replacement alongside Mike Tirico and Tony Kornheiser will be Ron Jaworski. He worked one end of a Monday night doubleheader last year and is calling Arena League games.

Many critics noted a lack of chemistry between Kornheiser and Theismann in their first season together, but the two believed it improved as the season went on. When Kornheiser said in January he would return to the booth, it was assumed the trio would remain intact.

ESPN apparently believes Jaworski and his sense of humor will be a better fit with Kornheiser.

Theismann, 57, has been an analyst for ESPN since 1988, beginning on the network's Sunday night NFL package. An official announcement of his ouster could come today.

MEETINGS

GOODELL MAY ANNOUNCE NEW DISCIPLINE RULES

Roger Goodell's first full NFL meeting as commissioner is beginning with one item at the top of the agenda: a crackdown on players who get in trouble with the law.

The meetings formally begin today in Phoenix, Ariz., with Goodell's state of the NFL address to the owners. But everyone was on hand yesterday for committee meetings.

As did his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, Goodell is likely to say the state of the league is good. However, he is also expected to announce, most likely tomorrow, new and strengthened rules for discipline for what is perceived as an increasing number of players with legal issues.

The new discipline is likely to be harsher, with longer suspensions than the current two or four games, and punishment handed down more quickly. In the past, the league most often has waited until the legal process has been exhausted before suspending players for violations of the law. Now, with the concurrence of the NFL Players Association and many players, it may not.

BEARS

CHICAGO REACHES DEAL WITH BROWN, ADAMS

Chicago agreed to terms with Pro Bowl left guard Ruben Brown on a one-year deal yesterday.

The team also agreed to terms on a four-year contract with former San Francisco defensive tackle Anthony Adams.

Brown made his ninth Pro Bowl appearance and first as a member of the Bears last season. He was an eight-time selection with the Buffalo Bills between 1995 and 2003 before signing with Chicago in April 2004.

Adams was a second-round draft pick in 2003 and has started 34 games in four seasons with the 49ers, where he struggled last season to fit into a 3-4 scheme. The Penn State product had 155 tackles, including six sacks in 58 games.

ELSEWHERE

Law and order: Free-agent defensive back Dexter Reid was arrested on gun and drug charges yesterday after being pulled over on suspicion of drunken driving in Virginia Beach, Va. Reid, a Norfolk, Va., native, won his second Super Bowl ring last month and then was released by the Indianapolis Colts.

Lions: Detroit agreed to terms on contracts with veteran guards Edwin Mulitalo and Zach Piller yesterday. Lions spokesman Bill Keenist confirmed the deals, but wouldn't discuss the terms. The Detroit Free Press reported yesterday that the team agreed to a three-year deal with Mulitalo and a one-year deal with Piller.

Attendance: The NFL set a paid attendance record for the fifth straight season, surpassing 22 million for the first time. Total attendance was 22,199,712, up more than 400,000 fans from the 2005 season. That includes playoff games; the regular-season numbers for 2006 were 17,340,879, another record.