Marveloso's contract, worth around $500,000 per, expired and Westwood One, which has undergone major financial restructuring, is in severe cost-cutting mode. The suits there are looking to whack Albert's salary in half, maybe more.

Industry spies say Albert's initial reaction was to nix the $250,000-plus trimming. "But you never know," our stoolie said. "When he looks at the deal, and the fact it is for 16 weeks, the playoffs and Super Bowl, maybe he decides to take what they're offering - especially in this economy."

Westwood One, pulling a financial rabbit out of its hat, recently was able to retain its NFL radio rights. Albert's contract expired in conjunction with the expiration of Westwood's last NFL contract.

Norman Julius (Boomer) Esiason definitely will be back as Westwood's "MNF" analyst. His last contract, worth about $600,000 per, according to a well-embedded Westwood mole, stipulated if Westwood One kept its NFL package Boomer would return to blab.

With Albert's departure from "MNF" a distinct possibility, Westwood spies already are speculating about his replacement. The inside track is occupied by Ian (The Bird) Eagle and Kevin (Screaming Skull) Harlan. Two others generating interest are Wayne Larrivee, the radio voice of the Packers, and Bob Papa, the Giants radiocaster.

In Westwood One's case, the rotten economy is rolling play-by-play salaries back to the days before Albert joined the "MNF" team. The voice he replaced, Howard David, was making $150,000 per before Marveloso copped the gig.