If Levy Has Another Chance, Their Talk Won’t Be Cheap

If the Buffalo Bills return to the Super Bowl next season, Coach Marv Levy won’t let his team make controversial comments to the media.

“I think some of them could use better judgment in their public statements,” Levy said after Sunday’s 37-24 Super Bowl loss to the Washington Redskins. “I think you’re better being totally bland in your comments.

“I don’t think they realize a comment they make is interpreted in greater depth than the depth of thought they gave before making the comment. They’re better off just talking football.”

Levy didn’t single anyone out, but his comments appeared to be meant for running back Thurman Thomas, the NFL’s most valuable player, and defensive end Bruce Smith, who complained that some fans sent him racist letters and said he was considering asking for a trade. Thomas missed a media interview session and said he wasn’t getting enough recognition.

Add bickering Bills: Thomas was on the sideline for the Bills’ first two plays because he couldn’t find his helmet. Levy said that in 40 years of coaching, he never heard of a player missing playing time because of a lost helmet.

“I recall a lot of players losing their heads, but never their helmets,” Levy said.

“You tell them, ‘Have your helmets with you at all times.’ But what am I going to do, run around and yell, ‘Where’s your helmet? Where’s your helmet?’ ”

Trivia time: Which Pacific 10 basketball coach holds the record for best winning percentage in conference games only?

Tough question: A reporter from USC’s student radio station put Trojan basketball Coach George Raveling on the spot with a question.

“Coach, a lot of people say UCLA’s primary weakness is (Coach) Jim Harrick,” said Jason Knowles of KSCR.

Raveling was dumbfounded.

“Am I supposed to respond to that?” Raveling said. “You think I’m answering that? I could see the headline tomorrow.”

Dated material: California’s media guide for its postseason game arrived in the mail Tuesday, almost four weeks after the Bears beat Clemson in the Florida Citrus Bowl.

Featured on the inside front cover was a large photo of Coach Bruce Snyder captioned, “Leading the Bears.”

Snyder, who resigned earlier this month, is now leading the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Bad teacher: Although Stanford forward Paul Garrett had a personal-best 19 points and 12 rebounds in an 83-77 loss to UCLA last weekend, he missed eight of 13 free throws.

Garrett, who has attended the camp of UCLA Coach Jim Harrick since the fifth grade, embraced Harrick after the game and said: “If you’d taught me to shoot free throws at your camp, we’d have won the game.”

Trivia answer: Gary Cunningham, who compiled a 29-3 record (.906) in two seasons at UCLA.

Quotebook: Two-time Olympic gold medalist Katarina Witt on today’s top women skaters: “It is going more in an athletic direction. They jump more. I did four triples. They do six or seven.”