The Michigan Daily - SPORTSMonday - Monday, October 3, 1994 - 3 i i um ui mom + Elliott "4; I . 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 e OMMMOMMMMM7 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. k T [I 11:1 I & $1 Rolling Rock bottles $1.25 Well drinks Monday Night Football QBi competition- win prizes QBI p a Atprme Sarah LawrenceCollege 2 Semester Special Sarah .Lawrence College at Oxford Qualified undergraduates are invited to apply for a year of study at Oxford. Individual tutorials with Oxford faculty, Oxford University lectures, and full affiliation with an Oxford college immerse students in Oxford's rich education tradition. 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