THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 2, 1994 TAG: 9410020166
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines
Bills owner Ralph Wilson calls Bruce Smith's effort in Houston a couple of weeks ago one of the greatest he has ever seen.
``I watched my first NFL game in Detroit in 1934 when I was a kid,'' said Wilson, ``and I think Bruce Smith is the best defensive lineman I have ever seen. I'm not saying that because he's a Buffalo Bill. I'm saying that because I have seen all the great ones and I don't think anyone was ever better.''
Smith, in Buffalo by way of Booker T. High School and Virginia Tech, had 10 tackles, four sacks and four quarterback pressures as the Bills beat Houston, 15-7. His plays accounted for 28 yards in Oiler losses.
``Bruce is the best-conditioned athlete I have ever been around,'' said Bills coach Marv Levy. ``The guy is amazing. I was with the Rams when they had Merlin Olsen and Deacon Jones, and Bruce is certainly in that class. His agility and quickness for a man his size is amazing.''
CHATTING WITH . . . JETS DT TONY CASILLAS:
Q - The Chiefs offered you a four-year, $6 million contract. You accepted, including a $1.2 million signing bonus. Then, on the eve of training camp, you told Chiefs' coach Marty Schottenheimer that you were suffering from hypertension and high blood pressure. The Chiefs gave you two weeks, then agreed to your request to be released and accepted the $1.2 million bonus back. Do you feel you owe anyone in Kansas City an apology?
CASILLAS - There are reasons things happen. When it's a medical problem, there's not much you can do about it. If a coach doesn't like you, there's not much you can do about it. Everything I did was justified. I took the proper procedures. I did the right thing.
People who know me and are close to me, that's all I've ever cared about. Not Joe Blow. They all see a good guy. That's the way it should be.
Q - What was it like playing for the Falcons?
CASILLAS - Guys would go into the locker room and couldn't wait until the season was over. There was nothing to look forward to, not like here or Dallas, where you expect to go to the playoffs. We lose our first three games of the season, fold up and that was it.
I asked myself: Is this what I want to continue doing? It was something I had to decide. It wasn't stress or anything like that. I wanted to know if that's the way you're supposed to approach the game, punching a clock. There wasn't much fun to it. It's a lot more fun when you win games and have success.
BUT CAN HE KISS LIKE OTTO? Otto Graham was selected to the NFL's 75th anniversary team at quarterback along with Sammy Baugh, Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas. In today's game, Graham likes Joe Montana. Actually, his wife Beverly likes Montana.
``My wife said when Montana came along, he was the first quarterback that reminded her of me,'' said Graham, now 72. ``I think she was saying that because both Montana and I didn't like to get hit so we ran like heck to get away from those guys. I ran a lot and threw a lot, and she thinks Montana was very much like I was.''
BAHR NONE: Patriots coach Bill Parcells has no problems picking his favorite players. There's Lawrence Taylor, the best defensive player he has coached. And there's Phil Simms, the best quarterback he has coached.
And there's Matt Bahr, the toughest kicker Parcells ever tried to rid himself of.
``He's like Dracula,'' Parcells said. ``Put a stake in his heart and you've got to look at him to make sure he's dead; he might not be.''
Bahr's career appeared finished last season after he was cut by the Giants, then waived by the Eagles late in the season. But Parcells brought Bahr to New England to replace rookie Scott Sisson, who had cost the Patriots several games with misses. Bahr won the job this season - his 16th - over Sisson.
Since he joined the Patriots, Bahr has hit all 21 extra points and all nine field goal attempts.
``Without question, he's the best kicker I've ever had,'' Parcells said. ``If this guy had kicked in the right place, you might be talking about one of the greatest kickers that ever kicked.''
Despite kicking in foul-weather areas such as Pittsburgh, Cleveland (nine years), New York (three years) and now New England, Bahr has made 254 of 352 field goal attempts for a .722 percentage, 14th all-time.
3RD AND SHORT: Chiefs' defensive end Neil Smith names the five best right tackles he's ever faced: 1. Erik Williams, Cowboys; 2. Chris Hinton, Vikings; 3. Howard Ballard, Seahawks; 4. Jackie Slater, Rams; 5. Willie Roaf, Saints. Funny, Smith hasn't ever played against Roaf. But ``I've seen him handle some of the best,'' Smith said. ``He handled Reggie (White) really well. He's going to be a great one. He's not too far off Williams.'' . . . It was Leroy Kelly Day in Cleveland a couple of weeks ago. Posters of Kelly were handed out at the gate. He received his Hall of Fame ring during a halftime ceremony that included Jim Brown. Kelly got a big laugh when he said: ``I want to thank the greatest running back in the history of the National Football League, Jim Brown, for retiring at an early age.'' . . . Bengals quarterback David Klingler had a 9-2 record at the Astrodome before facing the Oilers last week. Of course, he was playing for the University of Houston at the time.
QUOTING: Michael Dean Perry, Browns defensive tackle - ``If they really want to take this throwback thing the right way, they should make offensive linemen block the way they used to with their arms in and let the defensive linemen head slap. That's my suggestion.'' by CNB