Section B · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
社会
Wednesday, February 14, 2001
LINEBACKER REMEMBERED
Thomas to be honored in Chiefs' Hall of Fame
The Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Former Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas will be inducted into the team's Hall of Fame next month.
Thomas, who died on Feb. 8.
2000, from a blood clot resulting from injuries suffered in an auto accident, will be inducted at the annual 101 Banquet on March 3.
Thomas, whose name and No. 58 will be displayed along the ring of honor at Arrowhead Stadium, will become the second Chiefs player to be inducted posthumously. Running back Mack Lee Hill, who died while undergoing knee surgery in 1965, was honored in 1970.
Traditionally, Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt reveals the annual inductee as the highlight to the 101 Banquet. But Hunt said he wanted to announce this year's selection in advance so Thomas' former teammates could be sure to attend the annual dinner.
Hunt said the selection com mittee also waived the custom
ary three years a player must be retired before induction.
"We thought it would be a little more meaningful while there are still a lot of guys on the team who played with Derrick," Hunt said. "This way, his mother can enjoy it, and if we wait three years, two thirds of the team would be players who never played with Derrick."
Thomas, the Chiefs' No. 1 pick in the 1989 draft — the team's first draft conducted by club president Carl Peterson and then-coach Marty Schottenheimer — finished his 11-year career with 126.5 sacks, the most in Chiefs history and the ninth-most in NFL history. He set the NFL single-game sack record with seven against Seattle in 1990 and had Dave Krieg in his grasp for an eighth, only to see the Seahawks quarterback escape and throw a game-winning pass.
Thomas helped lead the Chiefs to the playoffs seven times in eight years and to winning seasons in 10 of his 11 years. Before Thomas joined the Chiefs, the club had posted just two winning seasons in 15 years and qualified for the playoff once in 17 seasons.
"I don't think there's any question that in five years' time, he'll be strongly considered for the Pro Football Hall of Fame." Hunt said.
Thomas, 33 at the time of his death, was a nine-time Pro Bowl performer and was selected the Chiefs' Most Valuable Player after the 1991 and 1994 seasons. Last March, the club re-named that honor the Derrick Thomas Award.
Thomas was voted NFL Man of the Year in 1993, which recognizes community service and on-field performance. Thomas' Third and Long Foundation encouraged inner-city children to read, and as part of the program, Thomas often read to children at local libraries on Saturdays before home games.
Saturday Night Live producer miffed about show's delay
XFL promises speedier games
The Associated Press
NEW VORK — If ratings for the XFL keep sinking, its operators might consider pitting angry NBC executives against one another — no pads allowed.
The XFL promised yesterday to speed up its games after Saturday's double-overtime contest caused a 45-minute delay starting Saturday Night Live, reportedly infuriating the show's founding producer, Lorne Michaels.
The unpleasant irony for NBC, co-owner of the XFL with the World Wrestling Federation, is that NBC Sports President Dick Ebersol used to produce Saturday Night Live.
The resurgent SNL was hoping for one of its biggest shows of the year with movie and singing star Jennifer Lopez as host. Instead, the ratings were deflated by the late start.
"Dick Ebersol totally understands and empatizes probably better than anybody with the importance of SNL getting on at 11:30," said NBC Entertainment President Jeff Zucker. "To the degree that he can assure us and Lorne that he'll be off on time, he's done that."
Ebersol wasn't talking yesterday, but his representative, Cameron
Blanchard, said the XFL would cut its pregame introductions by at least five minutes, shorten the halftime breaks and try to keep the clock moving.
For example, the time clock will start when the ball is placed on the line of scrimimage following incomplete passes and changes of possession, instead of waiting until the ball is snapped.
The first Saturday night XFL telecast ran 23 minutes long. Because there was a repeat Saturday Night Live on that week, nobody seemed to mind.
But this past week's game between the Los Angeles Xtreme and Chicago Enforcers was delayed because of a power outage and a serious injury that caused a 14-minute stoppage of play. In addition, the game went into double overtime.
Zucker stopped short of saying NBC will cut away from XFL games in the future if they run past their allotted time.
"This was a string of unbelievable things that I don't think can be repeated ever again," he said. "We're not going to pull the plug on an overtime situation, but I don't
think we'll be in that situation again."
Michaelis was not available for comment yesterday. There were reports he was so angry on Saturday he briefly considered ordering a repeat SNL episode aired. The actors actually began the show on time, and it was aired via tape delay across the country.
The XFL audience dropped from 13.9 million its first week to 6.5 million last week, according to Nielsen Media Research.
NBC sports and entertainment representatives were even arguing about what caused an upsurge in NBC ratings around 11:30 on Saturday night. The entertainment side believes that's when viewers tuned in expecting *SNL*, while sports says the competitive game had something to do with it.
Preliminary ratings for the Lopez show were lower than they were for a rerun the week before. That's a bitter disappointment at SNL, which has been on a hot streak with its political humor and expected a surge of interest because of two Thursday night prime-time specials.
"It's not a matter of placating Lorne," he said. "It's just a matter of working together to make sure it never happens. And nobody understands that more than Dick Ebersol."
The Los Angeles-based Zucker was in New York on Monday to deal with the fallout.
NFL salary cap figures prove money doesn't always buy championships
The Associated Press
Success in the NFL isn't always the result of big spending. Just
look at the New York Glants and the Washington Redskins.
The Giants went to the Super Bowl last season with the third lowest
payroll in the league — $57.3 million, more than 40 percent less than the Redskins spent to finish third in the NFC East.
The figures, released yesterday by the NFL Players Association, show the Redskins, not unexpectedly, led the NFL in spending last season with $92.4 million in salaries and bonuses. Owner Daniel Snyder loaded up on big-name veterans such as Bruce Smith, Deion Sanders and Jeff George.
can be
Baltimore, which beat the Giants 34-7 in the Super Bowl, was second, spending $90.7 million.
The figures also showed how confusing the NFL's salary cap
Of the 31 NFL teams, 18 exceeded last season's cap of $62 million, including the Cincinnati Bengals, considered to be one of the league's cheapest teams. The Bengals' payroll was $68.6 million, or $6 million above the cap.
Of the 12 playoff teams, eight were in the top half in payroll. The Giants, Denver, Minnesota and New Orleans were the only ones in the bottom half.
The free-agent period begins March 2, and teams are supposed to be at or below the salary cap.
which will be around $67 million this season. The salary figures do not represent the cap figures, but a team that spent a lot is liable to have more cap problems.
“It's an ever-changing scenario,” says Ernie Accorsi, general manager of the Giants, who is planning to spend major money to re-sign cornerback Jason Sehorn and running back Tiki Barber, by far the two most important of New York's free agents. Sehorn, whose salary last year was $5.6 million, is already the NFL's best-paid cornerback.
Last year, the Giants went cheap in free agency and scored big, getting three starters on the offensive line — Lomas Brown, Glenn Parker and Dusty Ziegler.
+ plus linebacker Barry Barrow and cornerback Dave Thomas. All but Ziegler had been cut by their previous teams for cap reasons.
They also are interested in Ronde Barber, Tiki's brother, who fits their need for a quick cornerback who can cover man-to-man. The Bucs, who were sixth in salaries last year at $76.8 million, may not be able to pay Ronde
as much.
Baltimore, meanwhile, seems reconciled to losing outside linebacker Jamie Sharper, whose skills are sometimes overlooked because he plays alongside Ray Lewis.
And Washington, with its huge payroll, may have to release some players before the start of free agency, perhaps defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield, a former Kansas Jayhawk who is at the end of a long-term contract and earned $3.7 million last year, all of it charged against the cap.