THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 11, 1994 TAG: 9409110142
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines
The bottom line on the NFL's new rules, designed to pump up the scoring:
So far, they work.
Seventy touchdowns were scored last week, including four games in which there were eight or more touchdowns. Just 56 touchdowns were scored on opening day last season.
There were five games in which 50 or more points were scored. The last time that happened was in 1989, when the 50-point mark was topped in seven games.
The AFC's Western Division teams piled up the points, as Kansas City whipped New Orleans, 30-17, Seattle stopped Washington, 28-7, and San Diego stunned Denver, 37-34.
CHATTING WITH FOX'S TERRY BRADSHAW:
Q: Should the Cowboys be considered the greatest team of all time?
BRADSHAW: ``They don't even have a nickname. Don't you have to have a nickname to be a great team? When they get a nickname, then you can talk about it.''
Q: Should the Cowboys be considered the greatest team of all time if they win their third consecutive Super Bowl?
BRADSHAW: ``No way, simply because their defense isn't strong enough.''
Q: Will the Cowboys make it back to the Super Bowl?
BRADSHAW: ``They are the most talented team in the league. No matter how you cut it, the Cowboys will be back in the Super Bowl again. It's just not that complicated to figure out.''
Q: How much will the loss of Jimmy Johnson hurt the Cowboys?
BRADSHAW: ``If he hadn't been the coach of the Cowboys last season, they wouldn't have won it all. That team took on his personality, and he knew how to get them in gear. Jimmy is a strong man. He's tough, and he has his own opinions about things. They have the talent and don't need a lot of coaching. They just need somebody who knows how to push that button at the right time.''
Q: What is the effect of the salary cap?
BRADSHAW: ``It will be hard on the coaching staffs to develop quality depth. Look at the Cowboys. They lose seven players who say the hell with history, which would benefit them tremendously down the road. They have a head coach in Dallas who says the hell with the organization, give me $2 million for taking you this far, baby. I don't care about history. One more thing. The cap forced a lot of players to leave the game who probably had one or two more years left to play.''
STINGY BENGALS: The Bengals, who are a whopping $6 million under the cap, cut backup quarterback Jay Schroeder when he wouldn't take a 30 percent cut of his $850,000 salary. With Schroeder gone, Don Hollas, who earns just $250,000, now is the Bengals' No. 2 quarterback behind David Klingler.
SHORT AND SWEET: Marshall Faulk's 143 yards was the third-best rushing total in Colts' history and the fifth-best performance by a rookie in his first game in the league since 1970. The best rushing performance by a Colts rookie was by Alan Ameche, who ran for 194 yards against Detroit in 1955. ... The last time the Colts started 2-0 was 1977 - seven years before they moved from Baltimore to Indianapolis. ... Rick Mirer last season became the third rookie quarterback since the NFC-AFC merger in 1970 to start each of his team's games. The others were Jim Plunkett of the Patriots in 1971 and Joe Ferguson of the Bills in 1973. ... Of 122 kickoffs, only 11 were touchbacks, 9 percent. In last year's opening week, there were 48 touchbacks (35 percent). Pats' 39-35 loss to the Dolphins was the 10th time in their last 11 games that the margin was six points or fewer. New England is 3-7 in those games. ... Call your bookie with this trend, courtesy of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune: Teams with blue in their uniforms - Dallas, Detroit, Miami, Chicago, Indianapolis, Seattle, the Rams and the Giants - are in first place. ... The 49ers are only team Chiefs coach Marty Schottenheimer has not defeated.
RUMOR MILL: The first of many Jimmy Johnson rumors began after the Oilers were blown out by Indianapolis, 45-21. The airwaves in Houston was full of ``Jimmy-to-the-Oilers'' calls to replace Jack Pardee.
Johnson grew up in Port Arthur, closer to Houston than Dallas, and he probably would love to challenge Jerry Jones for the Texas bragging rights. by CNB