THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 20, 1994 TAG: 9411200171
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C11 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM DUCIBELLA
LENGTH: Medium: 89 lines
Here's what passes for logic in the NFL:
With the Buccaneers for sale and the Rams almost certainly headed out of Los Angeles for St. Louis, there are rumblings that the league wants to find someone who'll buy the team from the Hugh Culverhouse estate - and move it to Los Angeles.
That's right, Los Angeles.
The rationale? Obviously, no one among the league's hierarchy wants to leave La-La Land in the sole possession of Al Davis and the Raiders. Perhaps not so obviously, it would also serve to keep the NFL out of Baltimore, where Peter Angelos bid $200 million for the Bucs before Culverhouse died a couple months ago.
An aside: If that were to turn out to be the sale price of the team, the Culverhouse estate would make a profit of - ready for this? - $184 million.
Which, considering the consistently awful performance of the franchise since its inception, makes even less sense than this possible relocation plan.
CHATTING WITH . . . Vikings receivers coach Jerry Rhome.
Q: Most of your 18 seasons in the NFL have been spent with quarterbacks like Joe Theismann, Doug Williams and Troy Aikman. How long does it take for a college QB to become a solid pro QB?
RHOME: ``That discussion has been going on since the beginning of time in football. It comes up anytime a rookie quarterback breaks into the lineup. In the 1960s and '70s, it was an accepted fact a quarterback took three to five years to develop. Now maybe it takes three to five years to become as good as he's going to become, but certainly guys can step in in their first and second years and play well.
``I think it really depends on what kind of cast he has around him, how well coached they are, how good they are. I don't think there's any exact timetable. Certainly your chances of success increase the better the team around you. You don't have to carry the whole load. But the best teams usually have proven quarterbacks. So it's like a Catch-22.''
CLAIRVOYANT: Producers for Pat Haden confirm that while serving as analyst on TNT's Sunday and Thursday night games in the first half of the season, Haden correctly predicted seven plays that resulted in touchdowns.
Recently, he warned the Vikings to look for the quarterback draw from Green Bay Packers quarterback Mark Brunell, who had just entered the game. Seconds later, Brunell ran the play for a touchdown.
Haden, who has even correctly predicted a blocked punt, will spend the second half of the season on CBS radio.
DID YOU KNOW? A team seeking a bargain-basement star at receiver this offseason would be foolish not to take a long, hard at the Giants' Mike Sherrard. The former Cowboy, former 49er, has made it clear in recent weeks that he isn't fond of coach Dan Reeves' conservative style of play. Even though he leads the Giants with 29 catches for 388 yards and 3 touchdowns, those aren't the kind of numbers that would make him an expensive property. It's becoming more and more clear that Sherrard and Reeves have a philosophical difference - and Reeves isn't about to change. It would be a shock if Sherrard were with the team next season; ironic because Sherrard was signed to open up the offense and beat people deep. . . . The NFL doesn't publish such records for public consumption, but that 200 yards Lions back Barry Sanders had in the second half against the Bucs last Sunday night was an NFL record. Sanders is averaging 131.9 yards a game. . . . After driving Michael Irvin's Mercedes into the rear of another car recently, the Cowboys' Alvin Harper was stunned by the reaction of the other driver. He walked back to Harper, and said, ``How's your knee?'' . . . Emmitt Smith's average per carry is down to 4.0 from last year's 5.3. His average per reception is down to 5.6 from last season's 7.3. Smith's final nine carries last Sunday against the 49ers netted 10 yards. . . . You'll want to tape the ``NFL's All-Time'' Thanksgiving Day on ESPN at 10:30 a.m. The 90-minute special is produced by NFL Films. ``We've been doing highlight films for over 30 years,'' said executive producer Steve Sabol, ``but this is the ultimate highlight.'' . . . There is lots of talk that John Taylor has lost a step or two. In 10 games he has 23 catches for 339 yards and one touchdown, but aside from the Sept. 18 game with the Rams, he hasn't caught more than three passes in any start. ``He doesn't jump out at you as much,'' said one AFC personnel director. ``In the past, he'd make spectacular runs after the catch, but you don't see it this year. Maybe he hasn't had the opportunities but, before, he created the opportunities.''
THEY SAID IT
``I've always felt my job was in jeopardy. I've never felt my job wasn't in jeopardy.'' - 49ers coach George Seifert.
``We ought to send Houston a basket of roses, champagne or whatever. Everything centers around Warren.'' - Vikings receiver Cris Carter, on pace for an league-record 128 receptions, on quarterback Warren Moon. MEMO: Material in this column was obtained from Virginian-Pilot/Ledger-Star
wire services. by CNB