Notes on a Scorecard - Dec. 30, 1991

The complaint isn’t that Todd Marinovich played so much for the Raiders Saturday at Kansas City, but that he played so little previously. . . . If Marinovich had been allowed to take some snaps before the 16th game of his rookie season, he would have been better prepared to operate against the Chiefs’ switching defenses in the wild-card playoff game. . . .

In contrast to Marinovich’s four interceptions during the Raiders’ 10-6 defeat, a more experienced reserve-turned-starter, none other than Steve Beuerlein, didn’t commit a turnover during the Dallas Cowboys’ 17-13 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. . . .

Marinovich probably is going to be a better quarterback than Beuerlein in the long run, but during the weekend there was no comparison. . . .

The Raiders failed to score a touchdown in four games this season. . . .

What made this 10-6 game unusual is that there were only three punts. . . . After looking at the replay a dozen times, I still don’t think Kansas City wide receiver Fred Jones would have landed in the end zone for the only touchdown even if he hadn’t been pushed by Raider cornerback Terry McDaniel. . . .

That kind of play should be subject to instant replay review. . . .

In the pregame interview Sunday, Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman didn’t sound too happy about not starting. . . .

Marty Schottenheimer of Kansas City is a good coach, but, as will Jim Mora of New Orleans, he will lose some games because he is too conservative. . . .

From ABC’s Al Michaels: “Comparing Jim Mora to Jerry Glanville is like comparing Perry Como to Axl Rose.”. . . .

I always did want to see Nate (Kitchen) Newton of the Cowboys play against William (Refrigerator) Perry of the Bears. . . .

Deion Sanders has put some flair into a league that badly needs it. . . .

But do you think Vince Lombardi would have put up with those laterals by the Falcons and then the Oilers after their last-minute interceptions?

The Falcons are the only team in the NFL with two baseball players--Sanders of the Atlanta Braves and Brian Jordan of the St. Louis Cardinals’ organization. . . .

New Orleans missed Craig (Ironhead) Heyward. . . .

Best sideline shot: Bear linebacker Mike Singletary doing pushups late in the game. Worst sideline shot: Bear special team player Glen Kozlowski having his chin treated. . . .

The Bears’ play-calling near the goal line was atrocious. . . .

Dick Vermeil, who has become more assertive, is the most improved football analyst on television. . . .

Arkansas State sounds about right for Ray Perkins. . . .

I guess Hugh Culverhouse failed to meet Bill Parcells’ demand of free doughnuts every morning. . . .

Kids’ Day: On the same day, David Shula, 32, was hired to coach the Cincinnati Bengals and Sean McDonough, 29, was hired as a baseball play-by-play broadcaster for CBS. . . .

Freshman running back Marshall Faulk of San Diego State, who will play against Tulsa in the Freedom Bowl tonight at Anaheim Stadium, on his 386-yard, seven-touchdown performance against the University of the Pacific: “I didn’t think I was going to play. Coach sent me in and told me to hold onto the ball. After a couple of 10-yard runs, I figured I had ‘holding onto the ball’ down pretty good, so I let loose.”. . . .

Angel fans would feel worse about Kirk McCaskill leaving if he hadn’t gone 10-19 with a 4.26 ERA last season. . . .

You can see Earvin Johnson perform his magic one more time in the opening scenes of “Grand Canyon,” which were shot at a Laker-Orlando game at the Forum last season. . . .

The Clippers are 7-0 in games in which both Charles Smith and Doc Rivers have played. . . .

For all their talent, the Portland Trail Blazers turn the ball over too much. . . .

On the night he missed all 17 of his shots from the field against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Tim Hardaway of the Golden State Warriors was a perfect two for two from the free throw line. . . .

All-Oklahoma: Surprising New York Knick guard John Starks attended Northern Oklahoma, Rogers (Okla.) State, Oklahoma Junior College and Oklahoma State. . . .

The New Jersey Nets have won three consecutive games under Bill Fitch since it was reported that Jim Valvano had been hired. . . .

There is no truth to the report that George Raveling is George Foreman’s matchmaker. . . .

Fay Vincent should be more concerned about reinstating Pete Rose than he is about reinstating George Steinbrenner. . . .

Happy 56th birthday to Sandy Koufax.