THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410300160
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Here's my AFC midseason Ducie's:
BEST PLAYER: Natrone Means, Chargers - The Naytron Bomb certainly has been explosive, doing his best John Riggins imitation while helping the Chargers erase their patty-cake image.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Joe Montana, Chiefs - I wanna see Matt Blundin or Steve Bono engineer that two-minute drill against the Broncos a couple weeks ago.
BEST COACH: Bobby Ross, Chargers - Ross rebuilt teams at Maryland and Georgia Tech in three seasons. He's worked that same magic in San Diego.
BEST ROOKIE: Marshall Faulk, Colts - What separates this guy from those who just run the football is his ability to run with it after he makes the catch. On that 85-yard TD grab against the Redskins last week, Washington linebacker Ken Harvey was closing in on Faulk when the ex-San Diego State star put it in another gear. Two steps later, he was so far ahead, Harvey gave up. Runner-up: Aaron Glenn, Jets.
BIGGEST SURPRISE: Drew Bledsoe, Patriots - No one expected him to be this good this fast. If Bill Parcells is able to put together even an average defense in the next year or two, Patriots could dominate AFC.
BEST TEAM: Tough call. If Stan Humphries somehow stays healthy in San Diego, the Chargers will contend for the AFC crown all the way to the end. But if the Bills win today against the Chiefs, then again Dec. 1 at Miami, the road to the Super Bowl most likely will intersect Buffalo.
Yikes.
WEEKEND AT BERNIE'S: The Bernie Parmalee story may be the best of the season in the NFL. The Dolphins running back, who's been spectacular in place of injured Terry Kirby, has concluded a long, arduous climb to the top of his profession. Snubbed by the NFL in 1990, Bernie worked two part-time jobs in Muncie, Ind. He made $8 an hour as a United Parcel Service truck driver, beginning work at 4 a.m. He made another $4.25 an hour at a midnight bowling alley, where he assigned lanes and handed out shoes.
Parmalee's car had a muffler held up by a shoestring. The Parmalee sofa had so many holes they kept it covered with a sheet. The Parmalee apartment had no carpeting. What little money he and wife Angela saved, Bernie hid in a can.
But Parmalee stayed true to his dream, the one he began molding as a high schooler in New Jersey. The 1986 yearbook from Lincoln High School included a Q&A in which Parmalee was asked where he'd be 10 years from now. His reply: Playing for the Dolphins.
``It's been a long road,'' he says. ``I had thoughts about just moving on and working in the insurance business. With a family, you don't want to hang on to something too long.''
Before going to work out for the Dolphins, Parmalee asked his UPS supervisor if it was OK for him to take a few days off.
``What am I going to say?'' supervisor Mike Cox recalls today. ``No, you can't go play for the Miami Dolphins? You have to stay here and unload boxes from a trailer? That was so Bernie. Always loyal, always on time, always working.''
Always popular. During a film session a couple of weeks ago, his teammates gave Parmalee a standing ovation. Coach Don Shula says he has never seen that before. When Parmalee came home from his 150-yard rushing game against the Raiders, his neighbors had wrapped his yard in balloons.
DID YOU KNOW: Marshall Faulk donates $2,000 for each touchdown he scores to the ``Marshall Plan,'' which is comprised of three charities - two in Indianapolis and one in New Orleans, his hometown.. . . The Bengals have the season's oldest rookie in 28-year-old long-snapper Gregg Truitt. They also have the youngest rookie in the league in linebacker Kevin Jefferson, 20. Jefferson is the youngest NFL player since Bears running back Andy Livingston, who was 19 in his 1964 rookie season. . . . The Bills have lost at least two home games for a third straight year. From 1988 through last year, the Bills were 49-7 at home. This season, they are 2-2. ``We know, as a team, we have to play better,'' running back Thurman Thomas said. ``But the bottom line is playing with the emotion and attitude we had against Miami. If we don't, this possibly could be the end of a dynasty.''
THEY WROTE IT
Ron Rapoport, LA Daily News: ``Lately, against all of my profound hopes in this matter, I have come to the conclusion that Art Shell may not be a very good football coach. He doesn't use the clock well. His play-calling is suspect. He often seems to be a beat behind while the game is going on.
``But a racist? A man who, in the heat of battle, would reach deep into his makeup and come out with profane and foul racial epithets?
``I don't think so. Through all his years in the league, after all the people he has come into contact with, Shell has never been associated with the slightest whiff of judging people by their color. This doesn't mean he might not have been hiding such feelings . . . but if so he certainly has done a good job of it.'' MEMO: Material in this column was obtained from Virginian-Pilot and
Ledger-Star wire services. by CNB