NFL NOTEBOOK: L.A. MISSES OUT ON SUPER BOWL.

Byline: Daily News Staff and Wire Services

Los Angeles' faint hopes of hosting the 2009 Super Bowl were dashed Thursday when NFL owners whittled their choices for the game to Atlanta, Houston, Miami and Tampa, Fla.

The host city will be chosen at the owners' meeting in May, when they also are expected to choose a site for a new or renovated stadium in Los Angeles.

Los Angeles' next chance to land a Super Bowl will be the 2010 game, which will be chosen in either October 2005 or March 2006. The next four Super Bowls will be held in Jacksonville, Detroit, Miami and Phoenix.

The NFL has a policy requiring new stadiums to be in operation for at least two seasons before they host a Super Bowl, according to a league spokesman. That would mean a new stadium must be ready for the 2008 season in order to host the 2010 game.

- Billy Witz

--Vikes might limit Moss: Minnesota coach Mike Tice said he wants to use Randy Moss on fewer than 50 plays Sunday against Seattle in hopes that the wide receiver will have ``more juice when we call upon him.''

Moss has just eight receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown in two games since returning after being out with a partial tear in his right hamstring.

--Cards' Smith upgraded: Arizona's Emmitt Smith was upgraded from doubtful to questionable for Sunday's game against San Francisco, but the running back was not making any promises he would play.

``The bottom line is what the word is on Sunday. Doubtful and questionable are for the people playing fantasy football and who are making the bets,'' said Smith, who sat out last week with a sprained left big toe.

--Chiefs lose Holmes: Kansas City running back Priest Holmes will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. Holmes, who will not need surgery, was injured on what appeared to be a routine tackle at Tampa Bay on Nov. 7.

--Burress out again: Pittsburgh's Plaxico Burress was ruled out of Sunday's game against the New York Jets after missing practice with a sore hamstring. He will miss his third consecutive game.

--Broncos waive punter: Denver waived punter Micah Knorr and signed Jason Baker, who was released by Indianapolis on Wednesday. Knorr's 41.5-yard average is 12th in the AFC, and his net of 34.2 is tied for 14th. He leads the league in touchbacks on kickoffs with 15.

--Also: Former Miami coach Dave Wannstedt was hired by Fox as an NFL game analyst and will team with play-by-play announcer Dan Miller to call the San Francisco-Arizona game Sunday. ... Former Pro Bowl wide receiver Andre Rison was jailed in DeKalb County (Ga.) for failure to pay child support. Rison, 37, will remain in jail until he pays $127,000 to a woman with whom he has two sons.