SPORTS
December 5, 1999
Green Bay (6-5) at Chicago (5-7)Time: 1 p.m.Line: Packers by 3 1/2.Vs. spread: Packers 4-7; Bears 10-2.Last week: Packers beat 49ers, 20-3. Bears lost to Lions, 21-17.Series: Bears lead 82-69-6.Last meeting: Bears won, 14-13, on Nov. 7 at Green Bay.Outlook: Bears QB Jim Miller's dream season ended Wednesday when the NFL suspended him for four games for violating its drug policy. That's the last thing the Bears needed heading into a rematch against Green Bay with their playoff hopes on the line.
SPORTS
By KEN MURRAY | January 15, 1999
DENVER -- There isn't much that happens around the Denver Broncos that doesn't pass the scrutiny of coach Mike Shanahan.When he watched defensive end Neil Smith make a halfhearted charge at Miami quarterback Dan Marino in last week's AFC divisional playoff game, he brought it to the attention of the 11-year veteran on the sideline."
SPORTS
By Ken Murray | December 8, 1998
In the quest for kicking perfection, the Minnesota Vikings' ageless Gary Anderson is all alone this week.When Jason Elam of the Denver Broncos saw his 37-yard field-goal attempt blocked Sunday, it left Anderson as the NFL's only kicker who hasn't missed this season.The 39-year-old veteran has made all 23 field goals and 51 extra points he has attempted for the Vikings. Counting five field goals he made at the end of last season for the San Francisco 49ers, Anderson has hit 28 consecutive three-pointers and needs three to tie the NFL record.
SPORTS
By Gerald Strine | December 26, 1997
I've watched the Miami Dolphins play quite a few times this season and am more confused than ever before about what's going on.Why won't Jimmy Johnson let Dan Marino play like Dan Marino? I've been a great admirer of both the coach and the quarterback over the years. But why do these Dolphins run so frequently on first down?It can't be Marino's idea. I might understand Johnson's obsession with attempting to establish a running game if Miami had a strong, talented running back or an offensive line that blocks well for the run. The Dolphins have neither.
SPORTS
By Ken Murray | October 19, 1997
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.
SPORTS
By Vito Stellino | September 7, 1997
Coaching a football team obviously isn't challenging enough to keep Jimmy Johnson's fertile mind occupied.A psychology major in college, the Miami Dolphins coach likes to break up the monotony by playing mind games. In 1993, he guaranteed the Dallas Cowboys' NFC title victory over the San Francisco 49ers.He was up to his old tricks last week after Dan Marino's lackluster performance in the opener against the Indianapolis Colts when he said that the thought of benching Marino for Craig Erickson has "crossed my mind."
SPORTS
By Vito Stellino | October 30, 1996
The day after the "Commotion by the Ocean" turned into the "Knee by the Sea," Barry Switzer savored the spoils of victory.Switzer, the coach who was overlooked in all the hype over the Jerry Jones-Jimmy Johnson confrontation when Dallas went to Miami on Sunday, got the high-profile spotlight of an interview at halftime of the Monday night game.Switzer, who just 11 months ago was labeled "Bozo the Coach" '' by a New York tabloid after the fourth-and-one fiasco in Philadelphia, took the high road.
SPORTS
November 11, 1996
Top performances300-yard passersPlayer, Team, C-A, Yds., TDEsiason, Ariz., 35-59, 522, 3Brunell, Jac., 24-37, 354, 1Detmer, Phil., 26-44, 315, 2Favre, G.B., 27-49, 310, 2100-yard rushersPlayer, Team, No., Yds., TDMurrell, NYJ, 31, 128, 2Allen, Wash., 31, 124, 2Harris, Chi., 23, 112, 0Bettis, Pitt., 21, 111, 2Morris, Ravens, 26, 109, 0Phillips, StL, 14, 106, 1Green, StL, 13, 106, 2100-yard receiversPlayer, Team No. Yds. TDCarter, Minn. 7 142 0Emanuel, Atl. 4 109 0Harmon, Hou. 7 108 1McDuffie, Mia. 6 106 1Pickens, Cin. 12 103 0They said it"This is definitely the bottom for a bunch of our careers."
NEWS
By Gerald Strine | November 15, 1996
You probably should have taken the home team against the point spread when making NFL picks this season. The host club is 82-66-2, based on the midweek line employed in this column. Favorites, after a fast start, have backed up to 74-72-2, and the underdog at home has moved out to 24-18.I always feel much more comfortable when my selections are playing at home. There's no substitute for the extra enthusiasm provided by the home fans and, in many critical situations, the officials seem to get caught up in the crowd's roar and give the marginal calls to the home team.
NEWS
By Ken Murray | October 18, 1996
Booed, embarrassed and besieged, Jim Kelly was well past denial, running smack up against resignation, when he faced a large media contingent Sunday in the bowels of Buffalo's Rich Stadium.What the Buffalo Bills quarterback said shocked reporters more than the intentional grounding penalty he drew on the goal line in the game's final minutes, or the interception he threw shortly after that.What Kelly said was, if he doesn't get the job done, he should be replaced by Todd Collins."I'm man enough to realize if you can't get it done, no matter what the position, it's time to move on to something else," he said.