Collier’s Remembrance Is Fitting

When Joe Collier, defensive coordinator of the Denver Broncos, was the head coach of the Buffalo Bills, one of his linebackers was Marty Schottenheimer, current coach of the Cleveland Browns.

Asked what he remembered about Schottenheimer, Collier said: “I remember we always had a tough time getting his name on the back of a jersey.”

San Diego Charger quarterback Dan Fouts, on Cleveland cornerbacks Frank Minnifield and Hanford Dixon: “I think they’re the two best in the game. And I felt that way last year.

“They don’t get the publicity of the guys up in L.A., Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes, but they’re better. We’ve known it for a number of years.”

Two of Cleveland’s defensive starters, linebacker Anthony Griggs and safety Ray Ellis, were picked up on waivers from Philadelphia after Buddy Ryan cut them adrift.

Asked about it, Ryan said: “Have they done good? Their defense is rated about 27th. It’s the quarterback who’s winning for them, not the defense.”

Actually, the defense was rated 18th, one notch above Philadelphia’s.

Trivia Time: Who is the only man who has scored in both the baseball All-Star game and the now-defunct College All-Star football game? (Answer below.)

John Jeansonne of Newsday points out that the winning quarterbacks in the last six Super Bowls all had first names beginning with J. They were Jim Plunkett, twice; Joe Montana, twice; Joe Theismann and Jim McMahon.

There are two J’s remaining this year, Jay Schroeder of Washington and John Elway of Denver.

New York Giant Coach Bill Parcells said he got a call after Sunday’s game from Indiana basketball Coach Bobby Knight, an old friend from their coaching days at West Point.

Knight told Parcells: “I’m glad you didn’t have to use that prevent defense.”

Add Giants: Says San Francisco guard Randy Cross: “If they get somebody on a roll, they will beat them just as badly as the Bears beat people last year and we beat people the year before. I have all the faith in the world if they beat Washington Sunday, they will take Pasadena.”

Denver guard Keith Bishop, who played against both New York and Washington, calls it a tossup but says: “We were more dominated at the end by Washington than the Giants. I would go with Washington, and the only reason is because that’s the team we played most recently. But I wouldn’t bet the game.”

When Seattle’s Clemon Johnson and Houston’s Akeem Olajuwon squared off in a recent game, Xavier McDaniel of the SuperSonics said he wanted no part of the action.

“I thought it was a heavyweight title fight,” McDaniel said. “I just wanted to get me some popcorn and a soft drink, and find me a good seat.”

Trivia Answer: Jackie Robinson. In six baseball All-Star games, he scored seven runs. In the 1941 College All-Star game, as a halfback from UCLA, he caught a 46-yard touchdown pass from Charlie O’Rourke of Boston College against the Chicago Bears. The Bears won, 37-13.

Quotebook

Patrick Ewing of the New York Knicks, asked about his relationship with deposed coach Hubie Brown: “We have no relationship.”