THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9410020173
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
A hot topic at the owners' meeting in Dallas was how the 49ers have worked around the salary cap to sign free agents. Many team owners and general managers thought the 49ers weren't operating under the spirit of the collective bargaining agreement.
Dallas owner Jerry Jones is upset that San Francisco was able to rework the contracts of three free agents they signed this year, including ex-Cowboys' linebacker Ken Norton, to make room under the cap to sign cornerback Deion Sanders to a one-year, $1.335 million contract.
Now, it's come to light that the 49ers wrote a $5 million option into Sanders contract that will give San Francisco the right to sign him next season.
According to the New York Times, Sanders receives $3 million on Feb. 28 and $2 million on March 1. The 49ers might not exercise the option, but at least they have it.
San Francisco general manager Carmen Policy has found a loophole in the collective bargaining agreement.
There is no salary cap in 1999, and the 49ers have renegotiated contracts and deferred loads of money until then. And because most football contracts aren't guaranteed, the 49ers only have to worry about paying the prorated bonuses on those contracts.
CHATTING WITH VIKINGS COACH DENNIS GREEN:
Q: After seeing Barry Sanders play against the Cowboys a couple of weeks ago, it's interesting to note that the Vikings always shut Sanders down. Why?
GREEN: I think our defensive coordinator, Tony Dungy, and our other defensive coaches do a solid job game-planning against Barry. Two, we really make our players understand what we're trying to do and then believe in it. And then, the one thing we emphasize is, you have to run until the whistle blows - and, of course, I blow the whistle.
And the reason for that is that Barry Sanders is the master of when you think he's pinned in, he's really not. And guys have a tendency to hesitate and think he's down, hesitate and think somebody else is going to make the tackle, and then they don't.
Q: Are you surprised that Tony Dungy hasn't gotten a head coaching job yet in the NFL?
GREEN: I really am. Tony played for me when I was the special teams coach with the 49ers in 1979, and he went into coaching the next year. I always thought he would be a fantastic head coach. He's very thorough, sound, and excellent in public relations. Of course, you hate to lose your top assistant, but, having been an assistant coach myself who always wanted to run my own show, Tony has the same aspirations. Hopefully, the opportunity will come to him in the 1995 season.
Q: What do you think of Alcorn State quarterback Steve McNair?
GREEN: He's mobile and smart, has a strong arm and should be the leading contender for the Heisman Trophy. Who should the Heisman Trophy winner be? The best player in all of college football. It doesn't matter where you're playing, whether it's Boston College or Alcorn State. I think Steve McNair is showing he is that player. He can do it all. He should be a No. 1 pick (in the 1995 NFL draft).
SCHOTTENHEIMER BACKS: BETTIS: Marty Schottenheimer had one of the best big backs in the NFL in 1989 when Christian Okoye won the NFL rushing title for the Kansas City Chiefs with 1,480 yards. Okoye was a load for defenders at 6-foot-2, 260 pounds.
Schottenheimer saw another charging buffalo last week when his Chiefs played the Rams and Jerome Bettis. He stormed into the NFL with 1,429 yards as a rookie last season, finishing second to Emmitt Smith in the rushing race. At 5-11, 248 pounds, Bettis had 132 yards on 35 rushes against the Chiefs last Sunday.
``He's the best big back going in my opinion,'' Schottenheimer said. ``He's got tremendous running instincts and quickness that is unique for a man his size. He's a running back in a fullback's body. He's really a competitive guy with the ball in his hands. That's a perfect marriage between him and what (Rams coach) Chuck Knox is doing. It's a natural for both of them.''
NFC NUGGETS: Leigh Steinberg, agent for many big-name QBs, has a potentially hot client in the Giants' Dave Brown. He wants to run a nickname contest because the name ``Dave Brown doesn't have pizazz. We have to find a way to jazz up Dave's name,'' he said. ``Troy Aikman. Drew Bledsoe. Dave Brown?''. ... Sterling Sharpe, who nearly walked out on the Packers before the first game of the season, ended up agreeing to a pretty good deal for the rest of his contract, which runs through 2000. This season, he will be paid the average of the four highest-paid wide receivers in the league, which comes to $2.64 million. From 1995 to 2000, he will get $1 more than the highest-paid wideout in the league, which for cap purposes is calculated at $2.75 million for '95 but could change. ... Now that's hot - Saints defensive end Frank Warren, after a recent game in Tampa: ``It was so hot I saw a dog chasing a cat, and they were both walking.'' ... Barbra Streisand and Gloria Estefan are at the top of the NFL's list of most-wanted entertainers for Super Bowl XXIX at Joe Robbie Stadium. One would sing the national anthem, the other would appear in the halftime show. by CNB