– Another X-rated loss: Coach Jerry Burns didn`t know quite what to say to his team after it fell to 1-6 Sunday.
”They`re not in the mood to be receptive to what you`re saying and perhaps you`re not in a mood to say things that are entirely constructive,”
Burns said after the 24-10 loss to the Packers.
Where does Burns go from here?
”(Censored), where do you think I go, for (censored) sake?” Burns said. ”We`re 1-6. We`ll keep fighting the best we can. I don`t know where we go from here.”
– Herschel Walker`s woes (cont.): He fumbled on the Vikings` first play from scrimmage to set up a Green Bay field goal, he caught no passes and gained six yards on three carries. He returned four kickoffs for 130 yards.
– Showing up for work: Indianapolis Colts center Ray Donaldson, a Pro Bowl starter the past three years, set an unofficial team record Sunday for consecutive games played.
Donaldson played in his 156th consecutive non-strike game. That would have been a club record, but his streak was officially ended when he missed three strike games in 1987. The NFL ruled that all streaks for consecutive games were broken by players who sat out the strike.
Donaldson has started every game he has played for the Colts since 1981. The team record for consecutive games is 155 by defensive back Jerry Logan from 1963-72.
”I think it`s just that I`ve been lucky,” Donaldson said. ”God has blessed me and watched over me. That`s all I can say. All the weight training, running and conditioning in the world can`t stop you from getting hurt if your number is up.”
– Broken legs, broken dreams: San Francisco receiver Mike Sherrard, who has already broken his leg twice in his career, suffered a broken bone in his left ankle after catching a crucial 35-yard pass from Joe Montana on the winning drive against the Browns. He`ll miss the rest of the season.
– The official story: Referee Gordon McCarter and his crew had an interesting series late in the second quarter of the Giants-Redskins game.
With the Giants in possession at the Redskins 17, guard William Roberts was penalized for holding. The ball was marked at the Washington 28 after the penalty-11 yards-and Simms then threw an incompletion. After the play, the officials realized they had not marked the ball right and moved it up two yards to the 26-1 yard too far-and Simms then threw another incompletion.
After that play, the officials realized they had been wrong again and marked the ball at 27, finally getting it right.
McCarter had an interesting announcement after a penalty gave the Giants a first down.
”It`s very close, but the penalty makes it a first down,” he said.
– Extra points: At 1-6, the Patriots are off to their worst start since 1970. The last time Joe Montana failed to complete 50 percent of his passes was on Dec. 24, 1989, when he was 10 for 21 for 106 yards against the Bears. Montana was 17 of 38 Sunday for 186 yards.
The 49ers` Jerry Rice eclipsed the 7,000-yard plateau in reception yardage on a 14-yard, second-quarter catch. Rice has 7,036 yards.
Chris Spielman returned to action after more than a month on the Lions`
injured reserve list and led the team with 10 tackles, an interception and a pass batted down.
Jets wide receiver Al Toon caught seven passes for 119 yards and moved into third place on the Jets` all-time receiving list behind Don Maynard and Wesley Walker. He has 5,006 career receiving yards.
– They said it: Oilers QB Warren Moon on why Houston lost to the Jets 17-12:
”We made too many boo-boos.”
Forty-year-old Colts quarterback Joe Ferguson after watching the Dolphins` defense knock Jack Trudeau out for the season and Jeff George out for the game: ”It definitely wasn`t a good day to be a quarterback in Indianapolis.”
– Milestones: The Colts` Stanley Morgan`s ninth reception of the season moved him past Lance Alworth into 13th place on the NFL`s all-time list with 542 catches.
– Key injuries: Colts QBs Jack Trudeau (torn ligament in right knee), Jeff George (bruised left knee); Jets DE Jeff Lageman (concussion); 49ers WR Mike Sherrard (broken ankle).
