This Really Is the <i> No </i> Way to Play the Game

John Gagliardi, football coach at St. John’s of Collegeville, Minn., has an unorthodox style of coaching, a “Winning With No’s” philosophy. A sampling:

No play book--only a single page listing assignments.

No players cut.

No one considered too small.

No grading of game films.

No signs in the dressing rooms.

No laps.

No blocking sleds or tackling dummies.

No tackling in practice.

No use of the words hit, kill , etc.

Add coach: His teams are very successful. St. John’s has made it to the semifinals of the NCAA Division III playoffs twice in the last three years and was national champion in 1963, ’65 and ’76.

Trivia time: Who holds the NFL record for most touchdowns rushing in a game?

Time to panic?Denver Bronco Coach Wade Phillips on his team’s 0-4 record: “We’re out of it right now. But that doesn’t mean it’s the end of the season.”

Could be.

So there: Broderick Thompson, a Philadelphia Eagle offensive lineman, had to take a pay cut of $200,000 this year--and he isn’t happy.

Neither is his fiancee. She refuses to eat any of the concession food at Veterans Stadium because team owner Jeffrey Lurie reportedly gets a cut of the concession money.

Pass the hat: Michael Jordan is continuing his baseball education in the Arizona Fall League.

“I hope no one’s asking any strike questions,” Jordan said. “I’m not getting paid enough to worry about that. Come to think about it, I’m not getting paid, period.”

Poor Michael, he’ll have to get by on his meager endorsement checks.

Sequel?Russ Francis, former San Francisco 49er tight end, commenting on his television show in Eugene, Ore.:

“The hit movie of the summer was ‘Forrest Gump,’ the heartwarming tale of a simple-minded Southern boy who leads a fantasy sports life.

“I kind of wish they had stuck with the original title, though: ‘The Terry Bradshaw Story.’ ”

Brat attack: Jim Courier responding to criticism of today’s tennis players by Jimmy Connors in the October issue of Tennis magazine:

“God bless Jimmy and Ilie Nastase. They brought a lot of people out to the court. But if my child ever acted like them, that would be the last time he’d play tennis.”

Trivia answer: Ernie Nevers of the Chicago Cardinals with six against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 28, 1929.

Quotebook: U.S. Senior Open winner Simon Hobday: “The difference between now and when I played during my younger days is my drives are shorter and my short game is longer.”