European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 10, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Sunday january 10, 1988 the stars and stripes Page 23 winning super bowl to would Fly with Payton Chicago a Waller Payton would like to finish his playing career by scoring the winning touch Down in the final seconds of this year s super bowl then Fly off the Field. Fly off the Field that s whal the Chicago bears Rushing genl told reporters recently. Pay Ion the All time nil career Rushing Leader docs have a helicopter Pilot s License but he apparently meant Fly like some kind of comic strip hero. But despite his heroin Payumo still is Only a human pro football hero. He s incapable of flying. Just Don l Tell that la Bear opponents the last 13 years. They might Lell you he seemed to Fly Down the Field on the Way to rewriting the nil s record Book for Rushing. But to Paylon who wit see action today when the bears try to keep their super bowl Hope alive with a playoff Victory Over he Washington redskins ill those records were merely challenges to overcome. He stayed around so Long much longer than other run Ning backs because he liked he Competition. I think everybody like to be challenged for his skills and his talents to be pushed to the limit pay ton told a news conference last week. I m no different from anybody else. I like the Competition. I also like to  Payton leaves with 23 team records and 10 nil records including a career Rushing total of 16,664 Yards six consecutive seasons of 1,000 or More Yards Rushing and 27s Yards gained in a game but the bean will remember the Man they Call sweetness for other reasons As Well As a Man with a sense of humor a Man with a bruising running style and a Man who set an example. Cal Anderson being groomed As Payton s Succes Sor said Payton shorn everyone else that no matter How Good you get. You can always improve i you keep working running Back coach Johnny Roland knows the Wal Ter Paylon who sets off fireworks at training Camp and Clown around in the Lochter room. But he also knows the Payton who works hard to keen himself in shape by running up the steepest Hilt he can find and lilting weights. He s a source of inspiration to other running backs said Roland who also is a Friend of Payton s and it former nil running Back. The amazing thing is his  Payton began his career with the bears As the fourth player chosen in the 1979 nil draft after setting Mcaa scoring records at Jackson stale. Mis three year contract estimated at is  a year with a Bonus of More than $100,000, was the highest for a Rookie in Bear history. That first game for the bears he carried the Ball eight times for no gain. But he finished the season with 679 Yards and cd the nil with a 31.7-Yard average per Kickoff return. And things Only got belter from there. In 1977, Payton won the league Rushing title with 1,852 Yards and became the youngest player to win the most valuable Flayer award. His season included a record 275-Yard game against the Minnesota Vikings. In 1985, he rushed for 100 Yards in nine consecutive games As the bears won the super bowl though he was disappointed he did t score a touchdown m the finale. He has rushed for 100 or More Yards in 77 Garnet and u known As a great receiver and an even better Blocker who would get you before you got him. But this season at 33, Paylon was faced with a different Challenge the realization that Lime was catching up with him. He seemed to be Lew effective slower though not weaker. A lot of times i feel i Don l even belong Here a distraught Paylon told the Chicago Sun times last no vember. He went through mood swings Roland said "1 m us undo Nam Cwg bin ape Star Waller Peyton Beta redskins. Sure probably in the sense that he was coming to a realization that this was his last year. And now he s faced that fuel and now we re involved in the playoffs and it s another three game sea son and hopefully. We have a Chance to go Back to the big one. That would be the crowning glory of his career for Payton the Bottom line is winning not How much he s used. He s still running with reckless abandon. He s not shying away from Contact Roland said. That s not his style. I think he probably thinks he can still play physically but we be got some Young kids ready to assume a More important role and he just fell in his own mind that it was  but it will be a Long time before people Stop talking about Walter Payton. I think that when god chose the running backs Roland said he looked Down at Waller Paylon and said you re the Guy and Walter said All right  Hopes Gator mean puts be in bears Chicago a a restaurant owner who wants to put some bile Back into the Chicago bears is planning to feed them Alligator meat before sunday playoff game against the Washington redskins. I think Alligator meat is to the bears As spinach is to pop Cyc. It s super food Steve Locke said thursday night. You Are whal you eat said Locke 27, owner of the smokehouse express restaurant in Northwest suburban Crys Tal Lake. This should make them mean and Nasty like an Alligator Locke plans to serve coach Mike Oil a and the bears his appetizer redskins potatoes stuffed with Alligator during their stay at the Mccormick inn near Soldier Field on saturday eve Ning at the same Lime the Washington team will be served his Rcd skins stuffed with Alfalfa sprouts while they Are staying at the Marri ii hold in West suburban Oak Brook. Alfalfa sprouts is wimp food. That s whal Ditka said in his soup commercial on to said Locke in explaining the Washington treat two Yean ago Locke served the bears Gator meat before the pfc championship game with the los Angeles rams. The rams go quiche. Not Only did the bears beat the rams but they went on to win the super bowl. In 19b5, it put them Back into a win Ning spirit and i think they needed a shot in the Arm this season. I think this will work Locke said in a Telephone interview thursday night. The bears finished 11-4 this season after losing two of their last three games including a 41-0 drubbing by the san Francisco 49crs, with quarterback Jim Mcmahon on the sidelines some Alligator meal might have helped them then but they were without Mcmahon and 1 think that now that he s Back they Are going All the Way to the super bowl title again Locke said. It was before the bears last super bowl title that Locke brought an Alligator pizza u Ditka. The bears coach gave in his endorse ment and shortly thereafter opened a restaurant of his own in Chicago. Locke said it costs him about Al 50 to provide the appetizers for the bears and redskins. The Alligator is $12 a Pound and the potatoes and sprouts Cost me very Little said Locke who gets the rare meat from a Farmer in Louisiana. But lie warns that Alligator meal is not for everyone. It tastes like Tough Chicken 1 person ally like in. Some people hate the stuff. But others that try it think in s great and Start  Moon Elway have targets aplenty in acc clash  a Warren Moon and John Elway will Noi Lack for targets in sunday s acc semifinal game Between the Houston oilers and Denver Broncos. The oilers have two underrated receivers while the Broncos torment opponents with the three Amigos. Houston s receivers have the statistical Edge. Drew Hill and Ernest Givins although largely unheralded were the most productive wide out tandem in the nil this season combining for 1,922 combined for i.7jo of Denver s 3,874 passing Yards this season. Houston is very balanced in their passing attack Denver coach Dan Reeves said. Hill and Bivins have about the same number of catches and yardage so you can t really gang up on just one of  they be got Good Speed and a quarterback who can gel the Ball downfield with a Strong Arm Bronco cornerback Downs this season averaging 20.2 Yards per catch. Only James Lofton of ithe raiders and Saltiel bettered his average per catch. Givins in his second year had 53 receptions for 933 Yards averaging 17,6 Yards and six touchdowns. I would t Trade our two wide receivers for any others in the league said Moon the oilers quarterback. They re kind of Small but they re As dangerous As any two in the  season com oink our  Steve Wilson said they can gel deep. Is. They accounted for is percent of w you have to play them for the deep Drew has been Here longer so i m t the Bilert tos to Chivini yardage of balls and that s whal makes their Short More used to him and i lend to go 10 him than 3,534 two son. A Sec earful in key situations. I m becoming More Jerry Denver by contrast lends to spread its receptions around More involving tight end Clarence Kay a Back Orson Moulcy and the running backs. But the keys Are the Amigos Vance Johnson Mark Jackson and Rookie Ricky Nattiel who Are about the same size As tic Houston duo the 170-180-Pound Romes so  safety Tony Lilly said Hill and Givins arc similar to Miami s Mark Clayton and Mark duper but these Guys Are a bide bit quicker and can Stop on a dime. Win Little Guys like that naturally you want to get some Good hits on them to Lake their minds out of the  Hill an eight year Veteran had 49 to 17o- he porno run Kimii a five Range but slightly faster the Trio catches for 989 Yards and six touch i situations. I it. Comfortable with Ernest. He makes big plays out of Short  running Baek Mike Rozier was the Only other Oiler with More than 13 catches in 1987, so the Broncos figure to give Hill and Givins primary attention. Conversely the ask for the Houston defense is More diverse. Denver had 11 receivers in double figures this year. Johnson led the Way with 42 catches for 684 Yards and seven scores Nattiel caught 31 for 630 Yards and a 20.3 aver age. Kay. Enjoying his Best season As a receiver caught 3t for 440, and Jackson had 26 for 436. The Broncos will add versatile running Back Steve Sewell to the equation on sunday Sewell who runs and catches the Ball out of a multitude of positions missed the final five Barnes of the regular season with a broken jaw. Denver has More offensive weapons n they be Ever had Houston coach Rry Glanville said. Vance Johnson gets better every  Elway is the league s map and opponents lend to focus on him but Glanville said his team won t Overlook the sup porting cast he s not out there by himself the coach said. They be taken an excellent quarterback and surrounded him with Good