If there is a statue of Michael Jordan in front of the United Center and a statue of Harry Caray in front of Wrigley Field, shouldn’t a statue of Walter Payton in front of Soldier Field be mandatory?
Easier said than done. After Payton retired, there was a private effort to solicit funds to build a statue of him, location unspecified. It never got off the ground. The Bears supported the idea but did not sponsor it.
The problem with building a statue at Soldier Field is it is public property, unlike the United Center and Wrigley Field. On private property there is no civic red tape.
If Payton is ever to get a monument, it would have to be a city initiative. He was such a popular public figure, however, that it seems like an obvious easy touchdown with the political football. It shouldn’t be difficult to start a groundswell of support for the NFL’s leading ground-gainer.
If a statue of Payton is not a part of artists’ renderings of future renovation plans at Soldier Field, somebody is missing an opportunity to bridge differences and make friends.
With a bang: There will be no more explosions after or before Vikings touchdowns in the Metrodome in the wake of Monday night’s premature blast.
Just before Cris Carter caught Jeff George’s 4-yard pass in the end zone to give the Vikings a 20-17 lead in the fourth quarter against Dallas, an explosion scared everybody in the place except Carter.
“Prophetic,” Carter called it. “I didn’t really think much about it. I had a feeling Jeff was going to come to me. All my focus was on the football.”
Chuck Mageske of RES Specialty Pyrotechnics was stationed atop a Metrodome tunnel in the north stands Monday night, near where Carter eventually scored. Believing Carter had caught the ball, Mageske activated a hand-held mechanism called a “pickle,” setting off both the fireworks and the boom just before Carter caught the ball.
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“The only thing I really want is to be able to tell Cris Carter and the Vikings that I’m sorry,” Mageske said. “I’m taking full blame.”
Sacking Illini: Former Illinois defensive teammates Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice were the second and third picks in the 1996 draft by Jacksonville and Arizona, respectively. They currently lead their respective conferences in sacks.
Rice has an NFL-high nine sacks in eight games. He had 10 all last season. His career best is 12 1/2 as a rookie.
Hardy has seven, a personal high. He collected only a sack and a half all last season and 9 1/2 in his career under former Jaguars defensive coordinator Dick Jauron.
That’s football: Cleveland Browns offensive tackle Orlando Brown was fined $5,000 for unnecessary roughness when Brown wrestled Saints defensive end Jared Tomich to the ground and then bashed his forearm and elbow into his back.
“I’ve been doing that since I’ve been in the league,” Brown said. “I’ve always been one of the top dirtiest players in the league. That was one of my moves there. I never knew it was wrong to do that. I thought if a guy falls down you could do what you want to him.”
Home, sour home: In the age of specialists, here is the next idea: home quarterbacks and away quarterbacks. Tampa Bay’s Trent Dilfer was near-perfect in New Orleans last week. At home, he’s barely welcome.
“I’m sure, somewhere subconsciously, the boos have had some type of effect,” Dilfer said. “I don’t lose sleep over them, but they’ve got to have an effect. That’s natural. But I look forward to playing at home, I really do.”
Eight of Dilfer’s nine touchdown passes have come on the road. Dilfer’s two worst performances were at home–a three-interception meltdown in the season-opening 17-13 loss to the Giants, and a poor effort in a 6-3 win over the Bears that got him benched.
In Pittsburgh, Kordell Stewart has a passer rating of 45.2 and a record of 1-2. On the road, his passer efficiency is 87.3 and his record 4-1.
“He always plays well on the road,” tackle Wayne Gandy said. “It seems like he’s more relaxed. On the road, everybody’s booing anyway, so he focuses in and just does what Kordell does. If we could ever get him to take that same approach to home games, we’d have something.”
Insult to injury: When Packers nose tackle Gilbert Brown rolled into Cade McNown’s knee last week, it was the closest Brown has come to a quarterback in ages. His last sack was in Week 8 of the 1997 season and he had only one quarterback knockdown in 17 games last season. Brown parlayed his only good season, 1996, into a big contact and has fed off it ever since. He has the second-highest cap salary ($3.452 million) on the roster and plays 54 percent of the snaps.
Rice sounds done: San Francisco receiver Jerry Rice is having the least productive year of his career: 32 catches, 296 yards, 9.3-yard average, two touchdowns. He caught two passes for 2 yards last Sunday, his fewest yards in a game since 1985.
After the 27-6 loss to the Steelers, played for the most part in a rainstorm and ending with only a few thousand hardy Pittsburgh fans in the stands, Rice said: “You know, when it starts raining out there so hard and things aren’t going well, yeah, you think about that, you really do. You start thinking, `Wow, what am I doing out here?’ “
Quarterback Steve Young isn’t expected to play anymore, and Rice could be following him into retirement.
“I’m not playing the game for the money anymore,” Rice said. “I think I’m just playing for the love of the game, and I’m trying to hold on to it. That’s probably the reason why Steve is trying to hold on to it, but eventually you’re going to have to just give in to it.”
The same league? Carolina linebacker Kevin Greene has moved into third place on the league’s career list of opponents’ fumbles recovered with 26. He passed Bears Hall of Famer Dick Butkus (25) and trails only former Minnesota defensive lineman Jim Marshall (29) and ex-New Orleans linebacker Rickey Jackson (28).
Greene said it was “kind of neat” to pass Butkus.
“Maybe one day after I retire, I’ll have a chance to look back and say, `Hey, I was able to do something other than get sacks,’ ” he said.
Greene ranks third on the career sacks list behind Reggie White and Bruce Smith with 153 1/2.
Not again Gogan: Most players would be honored to learn they were leading the balloting for the Pro Bowl at their positions after the first week of fan voting.
Not Dolphins guard Kevin Gogan.
Said Gogan, who tops all AFC guards in Pro Bowl votes: “That’s terrible. Absolutely terrible.”
A three-time Pro Bowler, Gogan isn’t even a full-time starter.
“My play has not really been there,” he said. “It’s nice to get the respect of the fans, but really it’s not justice . . . I’m sorry I can’t have a positive outlook on it, but I’m just being honest.”
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Fan votes count for one-third of the Pro Bowl selection process. Coaches and players also have an equal say.
Mirer sits: That highlight of Rick Mirer throwing the winning touchdown pass to Keyshawn Johnson last week evidently didn’t impress coach Bill Parcells, who is starting Ray Lucas at quarterback Monday night. It’s the 10th quarterback change Parcells has made in 41 games with the Jets.
“We have to make an effort to score more points,” Parcells said.
Mirer said: “I’m not very happy about it, but I’m not going to make it harder than it already is.”