Barbs from Bernie: Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar, who turned 27 Sunday, was 17-of-37 for 191 yards with two interceptions in a losing effort against Miami, Cleveland`s sixth straight loss.
After the Browns (2-9) had clinched their first losing season since they were 5-11 in 1984, Kosar made a statement to the media criticizing, well, everybody:
”Hey, listen, I know you probably have a lot of questions, quite a few things that maybe you want to get in depth on, but really I just want to say a couple of things and leave it at that,” Kosar told reporters.
”I think, unfortunately, over the last year to year and a half, as players and coaches and maybe even front office, we`ve become a team that really lives and dies with what`s in the paper. With that in mind, knowing that, unfortunately, probably everybody on the team will be reading what I say tomorrow, I don`t really think it`s a very healthy situation for a team to get caught up in-living and dying with what`s in the press.
”But I really think that we, as players and coaches, really have to do a lot of soul-searching, each person within himself, to really see if they`re able to look themselves in the mirror and say they`ve given everything, 100 percent, and everything they have throughout the course of the week.
”I really question what type of work ethic and dedication that we have to this organization and for the pride that we should have playing for the Cleveland Browns and playing professional football,” Kosar said. He took no questions.
– Tuning up: A sign at County Stadium summed up the Green Bay Packers` chances of making the playoffs:
”The Packers are 5-5 (now 6-5) and still alive. It ain`t over till Milli Vanilli sings.”
– Taking the gloves off: Heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield visited with Falcons coach Jerry Glanville before the Saints game and Glanville made him an honorary special teams captain.
The long-standing Saints-Falcons rivalry was played before a sellout crowd that included a large contingent from Atlanta. A message on the Superdome scoreboard early in the game read: ”Uncle Dave, I`ve watched `Gone With The Wind` three times just to see Atlanta burn.”
– Extra points: James Brooks rushed for 69 yards on 11 carries against the Colts to become the Bengals` career rushing leader with 5,440 yards, surpassing Pete Johnson`s 5,421 yards. The Bengals traded Johnson to San Diego for Brooks before the 1984 season.
Had the Giants and 49ers both won it would have marked the first time in the 70 years of the NFL that two teams had started the season 11-0. The best previous double was the Bears and Lions at 10-0 in 1934.
Randall Cunningham`s 17 completions boosted his career total to 1,155 and moved him into second place on the Eagles` all-time career list behind Ron Jaworski with 2,088.
– Milestones: Dolphins QB Dan Marino passed for 245 yards against the Browns to reach 30,000 career passing yards faster than anyone in NFL history-114 games. Former Chargers quarterback Dan Fouts reached 30,000 in 131.
The 49ers` Roger Craig became the first running back in NFL history to catch 500 passes.
Colts running back Eric Dickerson`s first touchdown of the season was the 83rd rushing TD of his career, moving him into a tie with Jim Taylor for fifth on the NFL`s all-time list. Dickerson`s 143 yards nearly matched his season total; he went into the game with 183 yards in five games. It was his 59th career 100-yard game, moving him out of a tie with Jim Brown and all alone into second place in the NFL behind Walter Payton, who had 77 100-yard games. With two touchdown passes, Joe Montana moved into sixth place on the NFL`s all-time career list. He moved past former Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson, 240-239.
– They said it: Coach Ray Perkins after the Packers handed his Bucs their sixth straight loss: ”We are a very poor team. We didn`t play enough defense to beat the No. 1-rated high school team in Florida or Wisconsin.”
– Key injuries: Raiders QB Jay Schroeder (bruised knee); Jets` RB Johnny Hector (pinched nerve in neck), Joe Kelly (sprained knee); Patriots OT Stan Clayton (sprained left knee and ankle); Cardinals RB David Little (sprained right knee ligament), OT Tootie Robbins (right ankle sprain), OT Joe Wolf
(right knee sprain) and LB David Braxton (neck strain); Bengals OT Anthony Munoz (strained knee ligaments), G Bruce Reimers (back bruise).
