The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, October 3, 1994 - 3
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Elliott
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BRETT FORREST
Forrest Fires
The All-American offensive lineman
discusses his NFL career
From 1984 to 1987 John "Jumbo"
Elliott was a mainstay on the Michigan
offensive line. He started 39 games at
right tacklefor the Wolverines and was
a two time AP, UPI and Kodak All-
rican.
The native of Lake Ronkonkamo,
N. Y. was selected in the second round
by the New York Giants in the 1988
NFL Draft. Elliott started in the 1991
SuperBowl and was named to the NFL
All-Pro team after the 1993 season.
Daily Sports Writer Paul Barger
recently spoke to Elliott about past and
present Giants, and the personal suc-
ss that he has enjoyed throughouthis
reer.
Daily: Many thought that the Gi-
ants would have a down year because
of all of the players they lost during
the early season. How do you explain
the early season success?
Elliott: We've had a good start,
but there is a long way to go. We lost
Phil Simms, Lawrence Taylor and
three defensive backs. It's easy to
*dersatnd why were expected to
s[ruggle. You never know how a team
will play until you see them on the
field. It doesn't matter what it says on
paper.
D: How noticeable has the loss of
Simms and Taylor been?
E: There are some people that are
leaders by example and Phil and
Lawrence were prime examples of
t. But we still have a lot of guys on
e team that are hard workers and
that do lead by example. Personally, I
miss them. When I came here they
were the cornerstones of the team. I
was so used to them being the Giants.
They would both be good players if
they were around. But Lawrence re-
tired and the team let Phil go. We
have a lot of guys still here and a lot of
good young players that can get the
done.
D: What is your opinion of Dave
Brown's perfromance at this point in
the season?
E:Very good. I miss Phil; I didn't
like what happened. It was obvi-
ously a very difficult situation. Dave
Brown is working hard and he is a
great guy. He knows what he is
doing out there. He is calm and cool
and he will continue to get better. It
is unfair to ask him to step right in
and be Phil Simms. He has done a
good job and should develop into an
excellent player.
D: How do you adapt your block-
ing schemes for the different run-
D: The Giants are noted for having
a great amount of Big Ten lineman. Is
there any special motivation or compe-
tition because you played against each
other in college?
E: When I first got here we already
had William Roberts from Ohio State
for us.
D: You mentioned that you all root
for your schools. Have you been fol-
lowing Michigan's football team?
E: Sure, I saw the catch. I just
hope that they can rebound after such
a tough loss. I don't see anybody
making it through the season un-
scathed. Even Florida should pick up
a loss. They have to play Florida
State, who has to play Miami. So we
still have a chance.
D: Obviously the team has played
very well so far. What particular things
do you think need to be improved?
E: Deep last-play prevent defense.
Honestly, it is easy to second-guess
that play, but it was just a fluke. It is
a play that will have to see on the
highlight films for a long time. It is
easy to say now that we should have
rushed more guys, but it really was
just luck. It was better than that Bos-
ton College-Doug Flutie play. the team
is very good this year. If they can get
past that loss they can go a long way.
D: Since lineman don't get that
much credit, what moments in par-
ticular give you personal gratification
on the field?
E: Long-sustained drives which
we finish by putting points on the
board. It is gratifying to be able to run
the ball and take time off the clock.
When we win we win as a team so that
is very gratifying as well. I have been
lucky to have been on teams that have
had a great amount of success.
D: What are the greatest personal
and team achievments that you have
had in your career?
E: Certainly making the All-Pro
team was a great honor. As for as the
team goes, winning a Super Bowl is
unexplainable. It was an incredible
feeling that I will never forget. That is
the greatest moment in a career. Play-
ing for Michigan was a great honor as
well.
D: Have you gotten back to Ann
Arbor at all in recent years?
E: I'd like to go back for a game,
but it is difficult because of my own
schedule. Moe is doing a great job over
there and I would love to stop by to see
him and the other coaches.
NIIL players recognize
chances slipping away
have anticipated few things with more enthusiasm.
The beginning of this NHL season.
Clutch performances and seven-game series made my hair stand on end
during last season's playoffs, and I was looking to more of the same
Saturday night.
Four games, one each on ESPN2 and Channel 50 and two on CBC, were
to kick off the campaign.
But instead of an optimistic beginning to a new season,.the NHL
offered nothing but further strife to fill the airwaves.
So as I stretched out on my ottoman, listening to NHL Commissioner Gary
Bettman talk about philosophical differences and getting his house in order, I
could only think of the opportunity the league was pulverizing under Zamboni
tires.
If there was ever a time for the NHL owners to bow to the wishes of
their players, this is it.
If there was ever a worse time for a lockout in the NHL, I can't think of
one.
The New York Rangers, a team playing in the league's largest and most
visible market, just won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years.
The surging Fox network bought into the league's television contract
last month. Now the NHL can be seen on four networks.
With cities such as Tampa Bay, Miami, Dallas, Anaheim and San Jose
joining the fold relatively recently, hockey has made a notch in the
sunshine belt.
Apparel bearing the Anaheim Might Ducks' logo sells better than any
other clothing from any other sport in the country.
Wayne Gretzky, the top player in hockey history, set the league's all-
time goal-scoring record and captured his 10th scoring title in his 15th
NHL season last year.
Young players such as Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure and Mike Madano are
poised to take the game to the next level.
And in the surprise of the century, Sports Illustrated, a notoriously
hockey unfriendly publication, proclaimed the NHL "hot" and the NBA
"not" on its June 20 cover this past summer. Hell most certainly froze over
that week in households all across Minnesota and Massachusetts.
With all the league has in its favor right now, you have to wonder why
this must happen.
It seems television sportscasters have finally suspended the practice of
running NHL fight highlights instead of clips from a four-goal game by
Mario Lemieux.
Surely these electronic clowns hoped to portray the NHL as a collection
of boneheads. This lockout does that better than any Bob Probert-Tie Dome
bout ever could.
Now you can turn on the tube and see Don Vito Corleone looking eerily
like Chris Chelios. Said the venerable Chicago defenseman: "If I was Gary
Bettman, I'd be worried about my family, about my well-being right now."
To be fair, Chelios did apologize for his remarks the following day. But
it is important to recognize that he did make them.
He spoke in a voice that every NHLer wants to use right now. In each
sound bite, the players use the same simple theme: Let us play. They even
agreed to compete in a second consecutive season without a collective
bargaining agreement.
These men crave their game. They are the ones from Lethbridge and
Acton, from Trois-Rivieres and Edina.
They know the cusp on which the NHL stands right now and just how
damaging the lockout will be.
These warriors come from all kinds of backgrounds and hold varying
degrees of intelligence. Yet they seem to understand the state of the game
better than the entire collection of millionaire, cosmopolitan owners who
possess the keys to the now-locked doors.
ning styles of Dave Megget and
Rodney Hampton?
E: We just call different types of
plays for them. They are both very
good backs. Hampton takes on guys
more and tries to run over them. Meggett
is aquicker guy with faster feet. We try
not to think about who is getting the
ball. We just block and do our job.
and I was drafted with Eric Moore from
Indiana. We got a few more, like Bob
Kratch (Iowa) and Brian Williams
(Minnesota). Its kind of fun. We root
for our schools. We all work very hard
as a unit. It really doesn't give us any
additional motivation, because play-
ing in the NFL is motivation enough.
They have all been very good blockers
Ikicaneers knock off Lions despite Sanders' effort
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RESTAURANT g* SFOIVS IAR
TAMPA, Fla.(AP)-TampaBay's
special teams erased a bit of the club's
negative history Sunday, providing the
spark in a 24-14 victory over Detroit.
Vernon Turner ran a punt back 80
yards for a touchdown -the first kick
any kind that Tampa Bay (2-3) has
returned for a score in the team's 18-
year history.
Errict Rhett's touchdown helped
the Buccaneers stretch their lead to
24-14. The Detroit threatened to erase
in the fourth quarter. ButJason Hanson
missed a 26-yard field goal attempt
with 6:28 minutes left and Brett
Perriman lost a fumble at the Tampa
Bay four-yard line just over two min-
utes later.
Craig Erickson completed 10-of-
22 passes for 122 yards, including a 35-
yard touchdown throw to Charles Wil-
son for a 17-0 second-quarter lead.
Detroit (2-3) unleashed Barry Sand-
ers and cut its deficit to 17-14 at the
half. But the Lions squandered two
second-half scoring opportunities and
lost for the second straight time since
upsetting Dallas.
Sanders set up Derrick Moore's 5-
yard touchdown run with an 85-yard
sprint up the right sideline. The NFL's
leading rusher had 166 yards on 20
carries.
Sanders recieved several key blocks
from wide receiver Herman Moore on
his way to the longest run of his career.
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