Belichick Has Several Nice Words for Raiders

New England Coach Bill Belichick is seemingly mesmerized by the Oakland Raiders, the Patriots’ playoff opponent tonight.

“You can’t just look at one or two tapes and say, ‘This is what they’re going to do,’” he told Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe.

“They have so many different looks. [Raider Coach Jon] Gruden has such a wide array of not only plays, but shifts, motion and ways to disguise plays.

“They have plays specifically designed to attack you. ... Preparing to play them is kind of like trying to memorize the dictionary.”

Belichick did concede, though, that the Patriots will show up.

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Trivia time: Who holds the NFL playoff record for pass completions in a game?

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Lombardi clone? Dick Heller in the Washington Times: “‘It’s not true that I can walk across the Potomac. Not even when it’s frozen.’

“Those words were not spoken by Steve Spurrier at a news conference but by Vince Lombardi, the last ostensible coaching savior hired by the Redskins, at his official welcome Feb. 7, 1969.

“There are strong parallels between the two, hard-bitten, hard-driving football coaches. For one thing, their ages were virtually identical at hiring time: 56 years and eight months for Spurrier, 56 years and seven months for Lombardi....

“For another, both rode into town with the mission of restoring greatness to a franchise that had fallen on hard times.”

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He has a point: Gene Collier of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette awards his Trite Trophy of 2001 to NFL TV analyst Joe Theismann.

“[He] said, honest to God, ‘You gotta score to put points on the scoreboard in this league.’ Everyone who says this should be required to name another place where points might have been put.”

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Who has? Nick Canepa in the San Diego Union Tribune: “Have you heard of the Bossier City Battle Wings? Birmingham Steeldogs? Richmond Speed? New Haven Ninjas? Charleston Swampfoxes? Roanoke Steam? ...

“All arenafootball2 teams, with plenty more to come. I can’t wait for the Norfolk Folk.”

San Diego’s entry? Appropriately, the Riptide.

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Delusions of grandeur: Roy Wegerle, who played soccer for the U.S. in the 1994 and ’98 World Cups, is trying to make it as a pro golfer. In his first European tour event, the Dunhill Championship in South Africa, he shot 76-80, good for last place after two rounds.

He hopes to qualify for the U.S. PGA Tour.

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Knuckling down: The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Arctic Winter Games open March 17 in Nuuk, Greenland.

Events will include dog-mushing, badminton and the knuckle-hop, in which contestants, yes, hop on their knuckles. You have to be a knucklehead to do this.

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Trivia answer: Warren Moon, who in 1992 had 36 for Houston against Buffalo in overtime game.

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And finally: Tonya Harding’s landlord has filed a lawsuit to evict the former Olympic figure skater from her home. Said comedy writer Alex Kaseberg in the San Francisco Chronicle: “When asked if she would represent herself in court, Tonya said, ‘I might take a whack at it.’”

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Mal Florence