PRO FOOTBALL SPOTLIGHT

CHANNEL SURFING

The surest way to success in sports broadcasting? Forget the Columbia School of Journalism. Get a degree from the National League of Football.

Former NFL coaches and players are tripping over each other on the Sunday morning airways: Jimmy Johnson, Joe Gibbs, Mike Ditka, Howie Long, Terry Bradshaw, Phil Simms, James Lofton, Tom Jackson.

Of course, it would be cynical to suggest some of these “reporters” were often critical of the media before joining ranks.

Of Johnson, sportswriter Skip Bayless said on Sunday morning’s ESPN show, “The Sports Reporters”: “He used to suggest to writers and broadcasters that they get real jobs. Now I suggest he do the same.”

Why? Sunday, Johnson filed his Fox pregame report pool-side at home in south Florida.

Journalism sometimes gets tricky, though. Fox’s Long, a made-for-TV former jock, predicted doom for Cleveland quarterback Vinny Testaverde.

“Look for Testaverde to be replaced,” Long said.

Testaverde passed for two touchdowns and rushed for another in the Browns’ 32-0 victory over Arizona.

“Scoop” Ditka had better luck.

The former Chicago Bear coach was dead on in his pregame chide of Buddy Ryan’s knee-jerk decision to switch quarterbacks this week.

Ditka suggested Ryan, a former Bear defensive coordinator under Ditka, was to blame, not the quarterbacks.

“Sid Luckman couldn’t run this offense,” Ditka said.

BIG DUDDY?

He was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. An instant impact player out of Ohio State. A 6-foot-5, 300-pound can’t-miss behemoth. The Cincinnati Bengals paid defensive lineman Dan Wilkinson $14.4 million to wreak havoc and help return the hapless Bengals to respectability.

It’s still early, but so far the Bengals are winless and Wilkinson has pretty much been missing in action.

In the Bengals’ 31-28 loss to New England, Wilkinson recorded only one tackle, which came with 8:30 remaining and drew a bronx cheer from the home crowd.

Wilkinson has five tackles and one assist in three games.

MISTY WATER-COLORED MEMORIES

In celebration of the NFL’s 75th anniversary, teams wore replica uniforms from a significant period in the franchise’s history. The Miami Dolphins, for example, donned the uniforms they wore in 1972, when they were 17-0.

The reviews are in: William (Refrigerator) Perry of the Philadelphia Eagles looked just as heavy in his “throwback” uniform.

There was no discernible difference between the Browns’ uniforms of today and the ones they wore in 1964.

The best of the lot? San Diego, circa 1961, the Rams of 1951 and the New Orleans Saints’ inaugural uniforms of 1967.

The worst? A tie between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers, whose throwbacks looked like junior varsity high school hand-me-downs.

Those Chicago Bear 1926 uniforms--orange pinstripes on blue jersey with gold pants-- were also eyesores and didn’t even serve as a distraction in Minnesota’s 42-14 victory over Chicago.

“They’re ugly,” Minnesota guard Randall McDaniel said of the Bears’ uniforms. “I didn’t even like ours. My uniform was too tight. I ripped it up.”

New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe said he didn’t get caught up in the nostalgia.

“Once we got on the field, I really didn’t notice it,” Bledsoe said. “The only time I noticed was when I looked up to see a replay on the scoreboard and saw myself. That looked really weird.”

NOTEWORTHY

Buffalo’s Andre Reed caught a 10-yard pass in the first quarter for the 600th reception of his career. Reed became one of 13 players to reach the milestone. . . . New York Jet Art Monk extended to 167 his streak of consecutive games with at least one reception. . . . Miami’s Keith Byars has caught passes in 106 games in a row. . . . The Packers’ Chris Jacke still needs two field goals to become Green Bay’s all-time leader. Chester Marcol had 120 field goals from 1972-80. Sterling Sharpe caught six passes for 108 yards for the 25th 100-yard game of his career, moving him past Don Hutson (24) into second place on the Packers’ all-time list behind James Lofton (32). . . . The Colts are 0-8 in Three Rivers Stadium. . . . Neil O’Donnell’s interception in the third quarter was the Steelers’ first turnover this season. . . . Barry Foster’s 179 yards matched the second-best rushing game against the Colts. The Rams’ Dan Towler had 205 yards in 1953. The Lions’ Barry Sanders also had 179 yards in 1991. . . . Eric Green has 21 touchdowns in a little more than four seasons, breaking the Steeler record for a tight end held by Bennie Cunningham (20). . . . Eric Turner’s 93-yard interception return in the fourth quarter was the second-longest in Cleveland history, behind a 97-yarder by Najee Mustafaa against Miami last year. . . . Monte Coleman tied Dave Butz for second place on the Redskins’ list of games played at 203. Monk is the leader with 205. . . . This is the 10th time in their 70-year history the Giants have opened 3-0. . . . Stan Humphries (6,130) moved to third, past Jack Kemp (5,996), on San Diego’s all-time passing yardage list behind Dan Fouts (43,040) and John Hadl (26,938). . . . Seattle’s Chris Warren set a club record by rushing for a touchdown in his sixth consecutive game. The previous mark was five by Curt Warner in 1983. . . . Eugene Robinson had six tackles for Seattle, giving him 812 for his career, one shy of the team record held by Keith Butler (1978-87). . . . Denver quarterback John Elway has a 6-15 record as a starter against the Raiders.

COACHES ON HOT SEATS . . .

. . . and how they fared. Buddy Ryan, Arizona: Ryan was obviously confused. This “NFL Throwbacks Weekend” was supposed to involve uniforms, not players. Keeping with the theme, Ryan benched Steve Beuerlein and trotted out an old relic, 35-year-old quarterback Jim McMahon.

Final score: Cleveland 32, Buddyball zilch. Ryan yanked McMahon in the second half and replaced him with . . . Jay Schroeder? Beuerlein was not activated for the game.

Buddyball falls to 0-3. Coincidentally, that’s Ryan’s playoff record as a head coach.

Jim Mora, New Orleans: Like Ryan, Mora has never won a playoff game in the NFL. But Coach Creole lives to coach another game thanks to his kicker, Morten Andersen, whose three first-half field goals were enough to nip Tampa Bay, 9-7.

Jack Pardee, Houston: Maybe it’s Pardee’s turn to punch Kevin Gilbride, the offensive coordinator. The Oilers avoided a shutout with a late touchdown pass from plucky Bucky Richardson, but Houston is 0-3 for the first time since 1984.

Houston rallied from 1-4 last year to make the playoffs, but the Oilers don’t have Warren Moon anymore.

Wade Phillips, Denver: Son of Bum said on a Sunday morning pregame television confessional that he’d rather lose with dignity than win with the tactics used by the Raiders.

Phillips must be a mighty proud man today. John Elway’s passing statistics be damned, it’s mile-high time the Broncos give him the Denver boot.

Dave Shula, Cincinnati: Is General Manager Mike Brown the only person who still thinks Dave will one day coach like Don? The Bengals put up a fight against New England, but fell a few players short to drop to 0-3, three games under .500.

Ted Marchibroda, Indianapolis: Still needs only two victories to guarantee his contract for 1995, but learned in Sunday’s loss to Pittsburgh that Marshall Faulk (61 yards rushing) can’t do it all. The Colts have dropped two in a row after an opening-day victory. Remember, they passed twice on drafting quarterback Trent Dilfer.

Maybe General Manager Bill Tobin owes Mel Kiper Jr. an apology.

George Seifert, San Francisco: Despite a Super Bowl title and a 68-21 record entering play Sunday, some have actually suggested his job might be in jeopardy if he doesn’t win the Super Bowl.

Seifert got what he needed Sunday: the Rams.

INJURIES

New Orleans quarterback Jim Everett completed 10 of 19 passes for 108 yards in the first half before leaving because of a groin injury and hip pointer. . . . Seattle running back Chris Warren left the game against San Diego because of a bone chip in his elbow but returned. The Seahawks also finished without starting cornerbacks Patrick Hunter (left hamstring pull) and Carlton Gray (sprained left ankle). San Diego lost center Courtney Hall because of a biceps injury on its second series. . . . Cleveland linebacker Carl Banks left in the first half because of a pulled groin, and center Steve Everitt left in the third quarter because of a sore right shoulder. . . . Miami cornerback Muhammad Oliver, replacing the injured Troy Vincent, injured his right knee in the second half and sat out the remainder of the game. Dolphin safety Gene Atkins re-injured his hamstring in the second half and didn’t return.

QUOTEWORTHY

“I think we’re playing with our best people. We’ve just got to play better with them . “

--Arizona Coach Buddy Ryan, following his team’s 32-0 loss to Cleveland.

“I was tired of losing to the Jets. Tell all the New Yorkers that live down here that we kicked the Jets’ butt.”

--Miami defensive back J.B. Brown, whose interception helped the Dolphins defeat the New York Jets for only the second time in the last seven tries.

“He’s obviously going to be ... No, he IS one of the finest quarterbacks in the league right now.”

--Cincinnati Coach Dave Shula on New England quarterback Drew Bledsoe.

TONIGHT’S GAME

Detroit at Dallas

6 p.m., Channel 7

In one of this season’s finest matchups of great running backs, Emmitt Smith of Dallas will face Barry Sanders of Detroit.

Between the two, they have combined to win the last four NFL rushing titles and the last five NFC titles--Smith the last four and Sanders five years ago. This year, Smith is the NFL leader again with 261 yards and Sanders has 136 yards after he was held to 16 yards in 12 carries against the Vikings last week.

Certainly, the Cowboys have the better team, so Smith will continue to be a bit more productive. The Lions don’t have the luxury of offensive weapons like Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin.

Given that, other teams will try to zoom in on Sanders as Minnesota did. Still, if the Cowboy defense has a weakness, it’s against the rush. On passing downs, no team gets to the quarterback better than Charles Haley and the Cowboys.

Detroit quarterback Scott Mitchell was on the Miami sideline the last time the Cowboys lost--last Thanksgiving.

He was injured then, but his performance before that landed him a nifty contract with Detroit. After two weeks, his completion percentage (47.9) was 12th in the NFC and his 68.7 rating was 11th.

Receiver Herman Moore is the team’s leading receiver with 11 catches for 181 yards, but Detroit’s other top receiver, Anthony Carter, broke his collarbone last week and will miss at least six weeks.

HOW THEY STAND

AMERICAN CONFERENCE

WEST W L T Pct. PF PA San Diego Chargers 3 0 0 1.000 88 54 Kansas City Chiefs 3 0 0 1.000 84 44 Seattle Seahawks 2 1 0 .667 76 40 Raiders 1 2 0 .333 71 98 Denver Broncos 0 3 0 .000 72 110 CENTRAL W L T Pct. PF PA Cleveland Browns 2 1 0 .667 70 37 Pittsburgh Steelers 2 1 0 .667 57 57 Cincinnati Bengals 0 3 0 .000 58 86 Houston Oilers 0 3 0 .000 45 80 EAST W L T Pct. PF PA Miami Dolphins 3 0 0 1.000 91 63 Buffalo Bills 2 1 0 .667 56 65 New York Jets 2 1 0 .667 62 53 Indianapolis Colts 1 2 0 .333 76 76 New England Patriots 1 2 0 .333 101 105

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

WEST W L T Pct. PF PA San Francisco 49ers 2 1 0 .667 95 57 Atlanta Falcons 1 2 0 .333 69 74 Rams 1 2 0 .333 46 77 New Orleans Saints 1 2 0 .333 50 75 CENTRAL W L T Pct. PF PA Minnesota Vikings 2 1 0 .667 62 33 Detroit Lions 1 1 0 .500 34 38 Chicago Bears 1 2 0 .333 57 81 Green Bay Packers 1 2 0 .333 37 47 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 1 2 0 .333 40 40 EAST W L T Pct. PF PA New York Giants 3 0 0 1.000 95 57 Dallas Cowboys 2 0 0 1.000 46 26 Philadelphia Eagles 2 1 0 .667 66 57 Washington Redskins 1 2 0 .333 68 83 Arizona Cardinals 0 3 0 .000 29 66

SUNDAY’S RESULTS

* Raiders 48, Denver 16

* San Francisco 34, Rams 19

* Cleveland 32, Arizona 0

* Buffalo 15, Houston 7

* Philadelphia 13, Green Bay 7

* Pittsburgh 31, Indianapolis 21

* Minnesota 42, Chicago 14

* New England 31, Cincinnati 28

* New Orleans 9, Tampa Bay 7

* Miami 28, N.Y. Jets 14

* San Diego 24, Seattle 10

* N.Y. Giants 31, Washington 23

* Kansas City 30, Atlanta 10

TONIGHT’S GAME

* Detroit at Dallas, 6 p.m.

NEXT WEEK

SUNDAY’S GAMES

* San Diego at Raiders

* Rams at Kansas City

* Atlanta at Washington

* Miami at Minnesota

* Cleveland at Indianapolis

* Tampa Bay at Green Bay

* Cincinnati at Houston

* New England at Detroit

* New Orleans at San Francisco

* Pittsburgh at Seattle

* Chicago at N.Y. Jets

OPEN DATE: Arizona, Dallas, N.Y. Giants,

Philadelphia.

MONDAY’S GAME

* Denver at Buffalo, 6 p.m.

TOP PERFORMANCES

PASSING

Player, Team Att. Cmp. Yds. TD JOHN FRIESZ, Redskins 50 32 381 2 DREW BLEDSOE, Patriots 50 30 365 1 JOE MONTANA, Chiefs 39 28 361 2 STEVE YOUNG, 49ers 39 31 355 2 JEFF HOSTETLER, Raiders 33 21 338 4 JEFF GEORGE, Falcons 45 29 299 1 BOOMER ESIASON, Jets 37 22 293 2 DAN MARINO, Dolphins 31 23 289 2 BRETT FAVRE, Packers 45 24 280 1 DAVID KLINGLER, Bengals 29 21 266 2

RECEIVING

Player, Team Rec. Yds. TD HENRY ELLARD, Redskins 10 197 1 JERRY RICE, 49ers 11 147 1 TONY MARTIN, Chargers 6 152 1 TIM BROWN, Raiders 7 136 1 DERRICK ALEXANDER, Browns 6 136 1 MICHAEL TIMPSON, Patriots 10 125 1 TERANCE MATHIS, Falcons 13 123 0

RUSHING

Player, Team Car. Yds. TD BARRY FOSTER, Steelers 31 179 1 TERRY ALLEN, Vikings 22 159 2 THURMAN THOMAS, Bills 28 112 0 JEROME BETTIS, Rams 21 104 1 TERRY KIRBY, Dolphins 15 100 1 NATRONE MEANS, Chargers 24 86 1

Pro Football Spotlight compiled by Chris Dufresne, Bob Cuomo and Houston Mitchell.