16
University Daily Kansan
Sports
Thursday, Jan. 23, 1986
Former backs inspire Payton
United Press International
NEW ORLEANS — What football may forget, Walter Payton chooses to remember.
Football is a sport fueled by its numbers — the greater an athlete's statistics, the longer his memory lives. History may forget the sight of Jim Brown slashing off tackle or John Unitas throwing a tight 40-yard spiral, but the sport will long remember the statistics of those two players.
History also will remember Payton with great fondness. His statistics over an 11-year career with the Chicago Bears qualify him as the greatest running back ever to play the game. Football will remember Walter Payton long after he is gone.
But players without the extravagant numbers of a Payton or a Unitas tend to slip from the pages of football's history book. The sport forgets about them and their modest achievements. A few of those players weigh heavily on the mind of Payton this week as he prepares to make his Super Bowl debut.
Payton won't be playing Sunday for himself — he'll be playing for three running backs who never reached the Super Bowl in their own brief careers: Brian Piccolo of the Bears, Joe Delaney of the Kansas City Chiefs and David Overt street of the Miami Dolphins.
All three of those athletes died in their mid-20s — Piccolo of cancer in 1970. Delaney by drowned in 1983
and Overstreet in an automobile accident in 1984.
"They've been a big influence because they played the position that I do and they gave the ultimate, their lives," Payton said. "Their lives were cut down before they had an opportunity to visualize or ever get close to what this game is all about. They are the three guys I'm playing for, along with my father."
His tribute is already breathtaking. Payton has rushed for a National Football League record 14,860 yards and his productivity has shown no sign of tapering off with age. Payton, who is 31, rushed for 1,551 yards this season to finish second in the National Conference and earn his eighth Pro Bowl berth.
Payton has nine 1,000-yard seasons and an NFL record 73 100-yard games, including another record nine in a row during 1985. But for all his individual glory and achievement, Payton has always considered himself a team player first and foremost. Yet team honors always seemed to elude him.
The Bears did not win a playoff game until the 10th year of the Payton era and managed only one divisional title during that stretch. But Payton finally reached the top in his 11th season when Chicago posted the best record in the NFL at 15-1, then stormed through the NFC playoffs to its first championship game since 1963.
For years Payton wanted simply to reach the Super Bowl. But merely
playing Sunday against the New England Patriots will no longer be good enough.
"It's kind of like the rushing record — it doesn't mean that much." Payton said. "Just thinking about it and trying to do it meant a lot more. The challenge was the thing. But after you actually accomplish it, it tends to lose some of its shine and glimmer.
Payton is due for a gridiron explosion. The New York Jets ended his string of nine consecutive 100-yard games on the 15th week of the regular season and he hasn't been over 100 yards or scored a touchdown since.
The Bears led the NFL in rushing this season and Payton was the reason. But the Patriots finished sixth in the league in rushing defense in 1985, yielding 100-yard games to only three running backs, and have held Payton in check in the past.
New England has kept Payton under 100 yards in all three previous meetings with Chicago.
But his teammates figure to give Payton every opportunity to shine on Super Sunday, regardless of the opponent. They all sense the frustration of Payton's 10-year wait.
"All the guys say, 'We want to win this for you,'" Payton said. "It makes me feel like an old man. I'm not — you're only as old as you think. Right now I think I'm about 18 or 19 years old."
Pats look to contain Bears' rush
united Press International
NEW ORLEANS — For New England quarterback Tony Eason, Sunday's task can be reduced to a simple, irrefutable equation: second- and 10-equals R.I.P.
The sack-happy Chicago defense will enter the Superdome a confident, dynamic unit that has already punished Phil Simms of the New York Giants and Dieter Brock of the Rams. Simms went down six times and Brock three occasions, holding the pair to a combined 36 percent completion rate and 193 yards.
Eason knows all about the fury of the Chicago pass rush — he was sacked six times in a 20-7 loss to the Bears Sept. 15 — and New England head coach Raymond Berry is hoping Eason can throw sparingly but effectively.
Eason has been superb in the postseason, hitting on 29-of-42 passes, and has thrown five touchdown passes without suffering an interception.
"The Bears' defense is the best," Eason said, "because they combine great talent with a rare scheme. The secondary is rarely isolated on anyone . . . there is always help available. Watching the films, I can count one hand the times I've seen someone isolated."
Right end Richard Dent, who lines up far out on the flank, is one of the league's best pass rushers and linebackers Otis Wilson and Wilber Marshall are very quick on the blitz. The defensive scheme devised by Buddy Ryan emphasizes man-to-man coverage, with cornerbacks Leslie Frazier and Mike Richardson benefiting from the intense pressure up front.
"If the Bears had good corner-
balls, no one would score any points
off them," said Raiders' star defensive end Howie Long.
The Bears come off consecutive playoff shutouts and Eason's most dangerous deep threat, wide receiver Irving Fryar, may not play because of a hand injury. Veteran Stanley Morgan knows how to stretch a secondary, but he will draw special attention if Fryar doesn't play.
Tight ends Lin Dawson and Derrick Ramsey will often find themselves covered by Marshall or Wilson rather than by strong safety Dave Duerson, and Eason will look for them over the middle. Another play that could open up for the Patriots is the screen to either Tony Collins or Craig James out of the backfield.
If Eason falters, 11-year veteran Steve Growe will be waiting to test the Chicago defense with his quick feet and rollout ability.
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CREATIVE APPROACHES TO DEALING WITH ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Friday, January 24, 1986 9:00-10:30 am
Jayhawk Room, Kansas Union
Guest speaker: Dr. Lyle A. Gohn, Vice Chancellor for Student Services University of Arkansas - Fayetteville
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