Midterm report:
Best team-49ers. Nobody better yet, and they now get to play four in a row at home.
Best running backs-Neal Anderson, Bears; Thurman Thomas, Bills. They catch, too. Nobody has more yards rushing and receiving combined.
Best receivers-Webster Slaughter, Browns; Henry Ellard, Rams. Slaughter is on track to break Paul Warfield`s team record. Ellard is trying to stay ahead of the 49ers` Jerry Rice, who really is in a class by himself and doesn`t have to take midterm tests.
Best defensive players-Keith Millard, Vikings; Lawrence Taylor, Giants. The Vikings have too many stars, not enough Millards. Taylor is still amazing. Best quarterback-Don Majkowski, Packers. The 49ers` Joe Montana has missed a couple of games. Majkowski has four 300-yard games. Nobody else has more than two. Bart Starr had five in 16 years.
Best backup-Frank Reich, Bills. He`s 3-0 subbing for Jim Kelly and managed to start a quarterback controversy in Buffalo, where fan poll showed 56 percent want Reich instead of Kelly.
”Read my lips: There is no quarterback controversy. When Jim Kelly is ready, he`ll start,” General Manager Bill Polian said.
Best coach-Gene Stallings, Cardinals. This guy lost half his team and still wins half his games, which is not as logical as it sounds.
Best Super Bowl bets-The 49ers and the Bills.
– New England owner Victor Kiam said the big loser in the National Football League commissioner sweepstakes is Jack Kemp, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
”I`m convinced he wanted the job,” Kiam said. ”He went out of his way to meet all the owners at the Super Bowl (last January). I think he wanted it for six years, make some money, then run for president.”
Kiam also said Kemp had no chance to break the deadlock between Paul Tagliabue and Jim Finks. When his name came up as a compromise, it was clear he didn`t have the votes, Kiam said.
Kiam was dining at Harry Caray`s, wondering why the NFL doesn`t market restaurants as well as razors and clothing. Kiam is a former salesman of girdles and bras who now owns Remington, so he thinks anything can be done.
– Jim McMahon blew his nose on a San Diego reporter when asked to speak up in an interview.
”There`s an answer for you,” McMahon said.
San Diego coach Dan Henning called it ”a gross act” but chastised reporters for ”badgering” McMahon.
”If you continually come after him, what is his alternative?” Henning asked.
– Sterling Sharpe didn`t major in Green Bay Packer history at South Carolina. On track to break Don Hutson`s season record of 74 catches, which Hutson did in 11 games in 1942, Sharpe is not impressed: ”I don`t care about breaking some Hutson guy`s record. If we win, that`s what`s important.”
– The Philadelphia Eagles have won four in a row since losing to the Bears. In the loss, Randall Cunningham passed 62 times. In the four wins, they have rushed 60 percent of the time.
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”Buddy (Ryan) says you don`t learn anything when you lose, but I think in that Chicago game we all grew up a little and realized what it took to win,” center Dan Alexander said.
– Detroit coach Wayne Fontes accused inactive Packers John Spagnola and Dave Croston of stealing the Lions` defensive signals on the sidelines and relaying them to Pack QB Majkowski.
”I`m trying to play it up, get a position with the CIA,” Spagnola said. ”Croston and I are talking about going to Panama and starting a coup attempt against Noriega.”
– One reason the Packers are second on offense: All 11 starters have started every game and no backup has missed any time.
– Pete Rozelle made his final farewell address Thursday.
”I don`t think the owners have any real idea of what a great commissioner they`re getting in Paul Tagliabue,” said Rozelle. ”There couldn`t be anyone better trained to be a commissioner in sports than Paul Tagliabue is coming in.”