Healthy Bettis Ready to Rumble

About this time last season, Jerome Bettis broke down--and, not surprisingly, so did the Pittsburgh Steeler offense.

Bettis had five 100-yard games in seven weeks until he injured his groin in a loss to San Francisco on Dec. 15.

Slowed to a crawl, Bettis gained only 155 yards the rest of the season, and the Steelers went on to win only once in their final four games.

But while Bettis admittedly was sore after carrying 24 times for 125 yards in Sunday’s 35-24 victory over Denver, he cannot remember going into the final month of a season feeling so energized.

The groin problem that lingered into training camp is only a memory, and a recent rib and back injury turned out to be only a minor nuisance.

“You’re sore for days just from carrying the ball,” Bettis said. “But there’s a big difference between being sore and being injured. The soreness goes away, but an injury does not.”

Bettis is listed at 245 pounds, but is closer to 270, the kind of size that a durable back can use to wear down a defense. Denver was ranked first defensively in the AFC but was only 19th in the NFL against the run.

“Jerome Bettis is such a great runner, you’ve got to have people gang-tackling him, that’s the only way you bring him down,” Bronco Coach Mike Shanahan said.

Bettis needs only 106 yards in Pittsburgh’s regular season-ending road games at New England and Tennessee to break Barry Foster’s team record of 1,690 yards in 1992.

The Steelers, who closed practice to the media last week for the first time in their 64-year history, made changes on both offense and defense. Carnell Lake moved from safety to cornerback for the second time this season, replacing Donnell Woolford. Rookie cornerback Chad Scott, who was benched the last time Lake moved, remained in the lineup. On offense, wide receiver Charles Johnson was used mostly as a blocker to neutralize safety Steve Atwater.

FINALLY, A SPEECH THAT WAKES PEOPLE UP

Many Chicago Bears credited an impassioned Saturday night talk by Coach Dave Wannstedt, who is fighting for his job, as the impetus for Sunday’s impressive 20-3 victory over Buffalo.

“It was one of the best speeches he’s ever given,” defensive tackle Jim Flanigan said. “He told us that we’ve got nothing to lose, that we should have fun and make plays.”

Erik Kramer, one of several potential free agents, said Wannstedt told numerous players that they were “auditioning” for 1998 jobs.

SOMEWHERE, JIM ZORN IS CRYING HIS EYES OUT

Seattle quarterback Warren Moon needed only 14 games to set the franchise record for completions in a season. Moon, who went 12 for 19, has completed 297 of 504 passes, breaking Dave Krieg’s 1989 record of 286 completions. Moon left in the fourth quarter with bruised ribs.

SEVEN WAS NOT HIS LUCKY NUMBER

Raymont Harris became the seventh Chicago player to rush for 1,000 yards, but his season ended when he broke his left leg in the third quarter. Bear trainer Tim Bream said rehabilitation time should be about four months. It’s the same injury suffered by Rashaan Salaam, who began the season as the Bears’ starting tailback.

Harris finished with 1,033 yards, joining Salaam, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Neal Anderson, Rick Casares and Beattie Feathers in the franchise’s 1,000-yard club.

Still, Harris’ durability has always been a question mark and this latest injury could keep him from scoring big in the free-agent market.

JUST LIKE THE OLD DAYS: FROM MONTANA TO RICE

San Francisco (12-2), which finishes the regular season against Denver (11-3) and Seattle (6-8), needs one win in its last two games or a Green Bay loss to clinch home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs. The 49ers have a tiebreaker advantage over Green Bay (11-3) by virtue of a better conference record.

The 49ers should get an emotional boost during next Monday night’s game against Denver when they pay tribute to four-time Super Bowl winner Joe Montana and retire his No. 16 jersey. Also, Jerry Rice, sidelined since suffering a serious knee injury Aug. 31, could make his return in that game.

SUSPECT IS JOLLY AND DRESSED IN A RED SUIT

Santa Claus got a break Sunday. An unidentified man dressed as Saint Nick was released without being charged after being detained by security guards who told him to get off a dugout during Philadelphia’s 31-21 loss to the New York Giants. He did--right onto the field, a clear case of trespassing.

Police decided he hadn’t been disruptive or malicious and possibly had misunderstood the guards.

If he had gone to trial, Santa probably would have been able to have it postponed until after Dec. 25.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

What a Rush

Cincinnati’s Corey Dillon rushed for 246 yards in Thursday’s 41-14 victory over Tennessee, the fifth-best performance in history. A look:

275--Walter Payton, Chicago, vs. Minnesota, Nov. 20, 1977.

273--O.J. Simpson, Buffalo, vs. Detroit, Nov. 25, 1976.

250--O.J. Simpson, Buffalo, vs. New England, Sept. 16, 1973.

247--Willie Ellison, Los Angeles Rams vs. New Orleans, Dec. 5, 1971.

246--Corey Dillon, Cincinnati, vs. Tennessee, Dec. 4, 1997.

243--Cookie Gilchrist, Buffalo, vs. New York Jets, Dec. 8, 1963.

--Compiled by Houston Mitchell