Pro Football Spotlight

KEEP TALKING, BUDDY, IT’S WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT

It ain’t bragging if you can back it up, but after a week of pregame taunts Buddy Ryan’s Arizona Cardinals fell on their beaks again Sunday with the usual pratfall, a 17-7 beating in Philadelphia.

Ryan had cut up his old offensive coordinator, Rich Kotite, now the Eagle coach, saying if Kotite had done his job better, they might have won a playoff game in their time together in Philadelphia.

Ryan took credit for the success of Eagle defensive coordinator Bud Carson, who has kept the unit together despite losing most of Ryan’s stars: Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Clyde Simmons, Seth Joyner.

Said Ryan on a radio show to Eagle linebacker Byron Evans: “I tell ya, I look at those films--did you change any terminology? ‘Cause you’re doing everything we did when we were there five years ago.”

To give Ryan his due, his attack philosophy revolutionized NFL defenses in the ‘80s but he also has split every team he has coached in the last 20 years.

In Chicago, he challenged Coach Mike Ditka, sneering that all Ditka knew about the defense, he learned when Ryan put the game plan on his desk.

In Philadelphia, Ryan’s defenders, including Joyner, put the rap on the offense for whatever happened, even after Buddy had left.

“Seth tried to be a leader,” said Eagle center Dave Alexander. “What he wanted was for this team to win. He just did it in a way that rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. If we’d play a bad game, he’d criticize you in the paper.”

In one season at Houston, Ryan threw a punch at offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride.

Before Ryan was a month into the season with the Cardinals, he had humiliated quarterback Steve Beuerlein, who is now protesting Ryan’s Neanderthal offensive philosophy publicly.

Joyner and several other former Eagles have rallied around Ryan in Arizona but all they have managed to accomplish so far is a new standard in trash talking.

Said an unrepentant Joyner: “I’ve had a lot of people here tell me, ‘If this is the type of cancer they’re trying to cut out in Philadelphia, if they’ve got any more they want to cut out, tell them to ship it down here.’ ”

CAN YOU HOLD THAT PARADE UP MICHIGAN AVENUE A WEEK?

The story of the season in Chicago is the quarterback controversy involving Erik Kramer and Steve Walsh.

Kramer, the high-priced free agent, had a 1-3 record in four starts for the Bears.

Walsh, the humble backup, had gone 3-0 when Kramer was hurt.

Coach Dave Wannstedt tried to stand behind Kramer but on Sunday finally started Walsh, who ran his record to 4-0 with a 20-6 victory over Tampa Bay.

“I thought Steve played extremely well,” said Wannstedt. “He was in control out there the entire game. They did enough blitzing to where he had to make decisions at the line to put us in the right plays and he did it.”

Of course, the Bears were playing the Buccaneers.

Next week: the Miami Dolphins.

AND WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THAT FREROTTE FEVER?

Maybe he caught it.

Gus Frerotte, the Washington Redskins’ seventh-round draft choice, pronounced “the real thing” by countless TV analysts despite the scanty evidence--two games--played like a rookie in a 37-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, throwing two interceptions, including one that Tim McDonald returned 73 yards for a touchdown.

Frerotte was replaced by John Friesz with the Redskins behind, 24-3.

NOTEWORTHY

Miami’s Keith Byars caught a pass in his 112th consecutive game, the seventh-longest streak in history. . . . Dan Marino completed 12 of 16 passes for 123 yards in the fourth quarter, including one incompletion that occurred when he spiked the ball to stop the clock. That was more completions, attempts and yards than the two Colt quarterbacks combined for in the entire game. . . . Mel Gray’s 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for Detroit was the first against Green Bay since Nov. 24, 1985, when Ron Brown of the Rams scored on an 86-yarder. . . . Green Bay tight end Ed West caught four passes, moving him past Phillip Epps into 10th place on the Packers’ all-time list with 184 receptions. Epps caught 182 passes from 1982-88. . . . The Falcons wore decals on the backs of their helmets that read “WZ” in memory of Darwin (Whitey) Zimmerman, the only equipment manager in team history. Zimmerman died at his home Thursday night. . . . Atlanta’s Andre Rison failed to catch a pass in a game for the first time since Dec. 23, 1990. . . . San Francisco’s victory improved George Seifert’s record to 75-23 (.765) in his sixth season as a head coach, putting him at 75 victories faster than any coach in history. The previous fastest to 75 was former Brown and Bengal Coach Paul Brown, who reached that mark in 101 games. . . . Washington’s Henry Ellard leads the NFL with 965 receiving yards. . . . Warren Moon moved into sixth place on the all-time completion list. Moon was 33 of 57 for 420 yards, giving him 2,857 completions. He moved past Johnny Unitas into seventh place with a 10-yard pass to Cris Carter in the first quarter, and past Steve DeBerg into sixth with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Jake Reed in the third. Topping 400 yards for the first time since Nov. 10, 1991, against Dallas, Moon became the seventh player in NFL history to pass for more than 36,000 yards. He now has 36,161, along with 21,228 in the CFL.

TONIGHT’S GAME: N.Y. Giants at Dallas

6 p.m., Channel 7

Despite losing five consecutive games, Giant quarterback Dave Brown saved his job for one more week by playing decently against the Lions last week.

Brown completed 19 of 25 passes, but for only 159 yards as the Giants lost in overtime. Similar performances made him the toast of New York through the first three weeks of the season because the Giants were undefeated then, and running back Rodney Hampton was carrying the offense.

But Hampton was injured in the third week, and he only returned to form last week (138 yards in 30 carries). That was one reason Brown’s performance improved. If Hampton can maintain that level, the Giants (3-5) have a chance.

But both will have problems against the Dallas defense, which got a wake-up call from another unproven quarterback in the Bengals’ Jeff Blake. It’s hard to think that the Cowboy defense--No. 2 in the NFL--will be caught flat-footed for two consecutive weeks.

Perhaps Giant return specialist Dave Meggett, who returned a punt for a touchdown last week, can make a difference.

The Cowboys (7-1) think they haven’t played as well as they should have this season. The scary thing is that they might be right. But with Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith leading the offense, it hasn’t mattered yet.

OUR RAMBOS ARE POPULAR ALL OVER

The Rams, trying to choose between residences in Orange County, St. Louis and Baltimore, are still sorting through their offers. It’s an exciting time for the Chamber of Commerce types, though less so for football fans in all three areas.

The Baltimore Sun recently polled readers on their preference for presumably available teams, which also include the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There were 4,403 respondents. Their choices:

14.5% for the Buccaneers.

41.7% for the Rams.

43.8% for no team.

THE GAME OF THIS WEEK WON’T BE ‘TIL NEXT WEEK

The world is already all atwitter over next week’s Dallas Cowboy-San Francisco 49er game at Candlestick Park.

The Niners are 7-2, winners of four in a row.

The Cowboys are 7-1, winners of five in a row going into tonight’s game at Dallas against the New York Giants, who are two-touchdown underdogs.

The 49ers are considered to have the advantage of having just played against a Cowboy-style offense, that of Washington’s Norv Turner, former Cowboy offensive coordinator. Many of the 49ers’ personnel moves were made with the Cowboys in mind. For example, the 49ers reportedly wanted defensive back Deion Sanders because he would shut down wide receiver Michael Irvin.

The teams met three times in the previous two seasons--and the Cowboys won them all: 30-20 at Candlestick Park in the 1992 NFC title game; 26-17 at Dallas last season; and 38-21 in the 1993 NFC title game at Dallas.

The 49ers spent their week pinching themselves, trying to avoid looking ahead and getting upset by the Redskins.

“I watched the Eagles game (a replay of the game the 49ers lost, 40-8),” said center Bart Oates. That will keep us from looking ahead.”

The 49ers stayed awake long enough to win easily. The Cowboys are giving themselves the same pep talk.

“We can’t be fooled because the Giants lost five games in a row,” said tackle Russell Maryland. “We’re kidding ourselves if we look ahead to San Francisco. . . .”

INJURY UPDATE

Detroit Lion quarterback Scott Mitchell, a bust after signing an $11.1-million contract as a free agent, suffered a broken bone in his right hand when hit by Reggie White of the Green Bay Packers, and will be sidelined indefinitely. . . . Miami Dolphin fullback Keith Byars left the game against the Indianapolis Colts in the second quarter because of ligament damage in his right knee. He will have a magnetic resonance imaging test today. . . . Miami halfback Bernie Parmalee left in the third quarter because of injuries to his right knee and right shoulder. He also will have an MRI on his knee today.

QUOTEWORTHY

“That’s the reason we brought him here. He’s the kind of guy who can win these games. I remember a time when we might not have been able to do this.”

--Minnesota Viking safety Todd Scott after quarterback Warren Moon led a late touchdown drive in a 21-20 victory over the New Orleans Saints.

“They proved I have a brain in my head. That’s good news because that’s been questioned by some in the past.”

--Cleveland Brown quarterback Vinny Testaverde, on the tests he took after suffering a concussion last week.

“We’ve got to find a way. I don’t know what we need right now, but we need it, and we need it now.”

--Buffalo Bill quarterback Jim Kelly, after a 22-17 loss to the New York Jets.

“Charlie Ward is the best quarterback in New York.”

--New York Knick guard Doc Rivers, on the struggles of the Giants and Jets.

Air Marino

Dan Marino moved past Dan Fouts on Sunday to become second in career passing yardage. The top 10:

Player Yrs Yards Fran Tarkenton 18 47,003 *Dan Marino 12 43,151 Dan Fouts 15 43,040 Johnny Unitas 18 40,239 *Joe Montana 15 39,419 *John Elway 12 36,607 *Warren Moon 11 36,161 Jim Hart 19 34,665 Steve DeBerg 17 33,872 John Hadl 16 33,513

* active