Notes on a Scorecard - Sept. 6, 1994

Judging by the score, that must have been a Super Bowl preview Monday night in San Francisco. . . .

What the Raiders ought to do now is switch Rocket Ismail to running back. . . .

They have more than enough capable wide receivers, but nary a dangerous rusher and that made it relatively simple for the 49ers to defend against them. . . .

Ismail gained 537 yards in 67 carries for an eight-yard average his final season at Notre Dame, and averaged 6.1 yards in 70 carries during two seasons with Toronto of the Canadian Football League. . . .

Were the 49ers guilty of pouring it on when Steve Young threw the touchdown pass to Jerry Rice late in the fourth quarter? Maybe, but the Raiders should be more upset at themselves for giving the 49ers the opportunity. . . .

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There used to be a racehorse named Montana to Clark. Pretty soon, there should be one named Young to Rice. . . .

The Raider loss prevented a clean sweep of opening games by the six NFL and major college teams in Southern California. . . .

The ABC pictures were fine and Al Michaels’ captions were crisp. But why did we have to be subjected to that drawn-out, promotional interview with Craig T. Nelson of “Coach” when the 49ers were being assessed a penalty during the Raider drive late in the first half? . . .

The new NFL rules favoring the offense are making a difference. Last year, 587 points were scored in 14 games the first week. This year, 652 were scored. . . .

I hate to go out on a limb, but Jay Schroeder might not be the answer to the Arizona Cardinals’ offensive problems. . . .

Of the top five passers in yardage Sunday, only Dan Marino’s team won. . . .

However, all of the top five rushers’ teams won. . . .

Teams with new coaches went 2-3, Dallas and the New York Jets winning and Arizona, Atlanta and Washington losing. . . .

Barry Switzer is off to a fast start with the Cowboys, but it is doubtful that he will be able to match his 29-0-1 start at Oklahoma. . . .

The Miami Dolphins secondary could use Deion Sanders. So could a lot of others. . . .

The way the Colorado Rockies played baseball and the Denver Broncos play football, it should be known as Mile High Scoring Stadium. . . .

Isn’t it reassuring to know that even John Elway messes up sometimes under pressure? . . . Don’t look for first-round draft choices Heath Shuler and Trent Dilfer to match the success of 1993 rookie quarterbacks Drew Bledsoe and Rick Mirer. Shuler was three for eight for 14 yards in Washington’s loss to Seattle and Dilfer didn’t play in Tampa Bay’s loss to Chicago. . . .

New York Jet wide receiver Rob Moore, who isn’t supposed to be a guy who can play with pain, breaks his left wrist and 22 days later, wearing a soft cast, catches five passes for 83 yards against the Buffalo Bills. . . .

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Fox TV could add Ed O’Neill to its lineup of football experts. O’Neill, who plays Al Bundy on “Married With Children” was a linebacker at Youngstown State and had a tryout with the Pittsburgh Steelers. . . .

I agree with the voters in the Associated Press poll who thought Nebraska’s bye was more impressive than Florida’s 70-21 victory over New Mexico State and moved the Cornhuskers to No. 1. . . .

Nobody can accuse Notre Dame of stupid scheduling. The Irish played Northwestern the week before Saturday’s game against Michigan, will have a bye before the Florida State game, and will play Air Force the week before the USC game. . . .

The addition of the triathlon to the 2000 Games in Sydney means that some of the greatest athletes in the world will be able to compete in the Olympics. . . .

Not to confuse golfers with triathletes, but there’s another sport that belongs in the Olympics. . . .

Tennis needs more matches like the one between Andre Agassi and Michael Chang, full of spectacular rallies instead of service aces. . . .

It can’t be long before Murphy and Luke Jensen appear on the David Letterman show. . . .

Tonight’s baseball menu: The Rancho Cucamonga Quakes and Riverside Pilots will open a best-of-five series for the California League Southern Division championship at Riverside at 7:15 p.m. . . .

I guess all those off-season problems lowered Jason Kidd’s Dallas Mavericks contract to $60 million. . . .

News item: Navy fires its offensive coordinator after losing to San Diego State, 56-14. Reaction: How safe is the defensive coordinator’s job?