Backup Quarterback

Cigars are usually handed out in celebration. New babies, a promotion. When Sonny Jurgensen went searching for Jeff Hostetler at Redskin Park on Monday, he didn't know the handful of cigars he was delivering to the backup quarterback would be viewed a few hours later as a celebratory gesture.But once Jurgensen found out that Hostetler would be finishing the season as Washington's starter in place of Gus Frerotte, who fractured his hip against the St. Louis Rams last week, the old quarterback grinned as if something good might be about to happen.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- How often have the San Francisco 49ers, the five-time Super Bowl-champion 49ers, torched teams by scores of 44 to something?"We got a taste of our own medicine here today," 49ers cornerback Marquez Pope said."

Second-string quarterbacks have been forewarned. When the Buffalo Bills cut Billy Joe Hobert last week for failing to prepare properly for a game, they put the rest of the NFL's backups on alert.Hobert was the Bills' backup quarterback who played miserably in a 33-6 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 7 after starter Todd Collins was injured. Later, Hobert admitted he really hadn't studied the game plan the way he should have.His unprofessionalism was grounds for dismissal, and the Bills dismissed post haste.

The first time Dan Marino passed this way, he was a mere rookie quarterback with the Miami Dolphins. Almost exactly 14 years ago -- on Oct. 23, 1983 -- he led the Dolphins to a 21-7 victory over the Baltimore Colts at Memorial Stadium. Threw for two touchdowns and 157 yards in a driving rainstorm.That was before he amassed any of his 23 NFL records, before his nine Pro Bowl selections, before his nine pro surgeries, before anyone knew how truly great a quarterback he was.Back then, he was a first-round draft choice and a curiosity -- as in how he fell to the 27th pick overall after five other quarterbacks, not all of them named John Elway or Jim Kelly, were selected.

Mistakes hurt Morgan State yesterday. But the overtime play selection may have ruined it.After roaring back from a 17-point deficit late in the third quarter -- to force overtime, the Bears switched from short passes and off-tackle runs to back-to-back halfback options in the extra period, which led to a 34-27 defeat to South Carolina State before 3,750 at Hughes Stadium.Morgan State (2-3) lost its 16th consecutive game to the Bulldogs. The Bears last won in the series in 1979. S.C. State (4-0)

Sometimes when a player reaches his highest level of success, there is tendency for a drop-off in production the next year. The Ravens' coaching staff hasn't seen that yet this summer with quarterback Vinny Testaverde.Testaverde, entering his 11th NFL season, had the best year of his career in 1996, completing 325 of 549 passes for 4,177 yards, second-best total in the league.His 33 touchdown passes also were second-best, and his 88.7 quarterback rating was second in the AFC and fifth overall in the NFL, as Testaverde earned his first Pro Bowl invitation.

Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Ken Mastrole will be considerably better prepared for his second taste of serious college action than he was for his first.Mastrole, a redshirt freshman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., entered August camp as Maryland's third-team quarterback. He moved up to No. 2 after an intrasquad scrimmage and got a handful of snaps in the first two games, but mostly he watched while Brian Cummings ran the first-team offense.When Cummings left a Sept. 14 game at Virginia with a slight shoulder separation, Mastrole was thrown to a savvy Virginia defense, and the result was a predictable 21-3 loss.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Another miracle of modern medicine: Steve Young could get some playing time as the backup quarterback in Miami tomorrow night, a week after the 1994 NFL MVP had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder."

LAS VEGAS -- What started in the arid, desert heat ended with a gulp of relief for the Baltimore CFLs.What started out as a test of manhood all too soon became a pop quiz on team depth.By the time the CFLs escaped the caldron that was Sam Boyd Stadium Saturday night, they had survived 112-degree heat, a handful of injuries and the combative tendencies of the Las Vegas Posse.There were a lot of vacant expressions in the CFLs' locker room after a 38-33 Canadian Football League victory witnessed by 10,122.

Capitalizing on homecoming spirit and Centennial miscues, host Atholton (2-3) --ed the Eagles' hopes with a 10-0 victory yesterday."The game's difference was who made the most mistakes and our defense hanging tough," Atholton head coach Don Van Deusen said, referring to the game's four critical turnovers and numerous drive-killing penalties.Centennial, which has not advanced to the state football playoffs since 1980, dropped to 3-2 with five difficult games remaining.Clinging to a 3-0 lead after three quarters, Atholton received a touchdown-saving play from junior defensive back Sam Corden to start the fourth quarter.