European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 05, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 30 the stars and stripes sports thursday August 5,1993 Mecklenburg will risk hearing loss.  -. A. To by the associated press an inner ear problem will keep one time All pro linebacker Karl Mecklenburg out of the Denver Bron cos four exhibition games and More damage could end his career. Mecklenburg however says he expects to be in the lineup for the sea son opener against the new York jets on sept. 5. He risks permanent hearing loss in his right ear if he continues to injure a membrane. He met on monday with an ear specialist. The doctor has said All along that it s my decision what to do he said. I was told if i was a High school player she d Tell me not to play football again. This is my career and it s Worth the risk to me. But if i plan on taking the risk of playing football i want to give myself All the chances i can. She said the closer you can get to six weeks without hitting the  Mecklenburg a five time pro bowl selection was Hurt two weeks ago when he hit in the helmet during drills. He complained of dizziness and nausea before the Broncos sent him to a specialist. Since then he has been cleared to run and lift weights. Bengals Cincinnati in line with its usual practice is having trouble reaching salary agreement with its no. 1 draft Choice. General manager Mike Brown said he could t predict when the team might sign defensive end John Cope land of Alabama. "1 can t read the mind of the other Side Brown said. We be put out what we consider to be an amazing amount of Money but we Don t have a  we talked but we did t get any place Joel Segal Copeland s agent said of monday s talks. Cowboys Troy Aikman has his name on a super bowl most valuable player Tro Phy and on the lips of fans who Revere him As the Star quarterback of the Dallas cowboys. Soon he May see his name on a sign next to interstate 35. The Troy City Council voted Mon Day to Call the City Troy Aikman Dur ing the season. Troy is a Central Texas town of 1,394 residents. Maybe this will help put us on the map a Little bit mayor Tom Vander veer said. Maybe we can get Troy to come Down and sign  Troy a Community boasting an antique shop a Barbershop a cafe nil preseason and a High school football team with a losing record is overlooked by most travellers because it s Between wac and Austin. You blink your eyes you missed it said City councilman . Ellis. Aikman says he s never stopped in the town but might now. I know exactly where it is. I pass the sign every time i go to training Camp he said. I d be extremely honoured to have them do something like that for  Falcons defensive end Rick Bryan will miss Contact work for two weeks because Ofa pinched nerve in his neck. Bryan who missed last season with a neck injury decided to return to the team this year when two specialists and team physicians gave him the of. Bryan who has five 100-tackle seasons among his eight full years in the nil missed practice for the second Day in a Row tuesday. Bryan said doctors called it a nerve Strain. They be pretty much said to avoid any Contact for awhile to give it time to rest up Bryan said. Browns Cleveland is counting on de King to handle the right tackle Job this year after playing guard his first two sea sons. The Way i see it now is that it s my Job to lose said King the Browns no. 2 pick in 1991. The Only Way i m out of there is if i just can t Cut it 8 i i King 23, has made significant Prog Ress at right tackle since Camp began july 18. One of the reasons for his Progress is that he has been working with left end Rob Burnett. Rob is having an outstanding Camp and it s making de better said coach Bill Belichick. De s got to be perfect on his sets and his reads. It s been a Good matchup out  packers Center James Campon underwent shoulder surgery tuesday leaving Frank Winters with a starting assign ment again. General manager Ron Wolf said Campen could be absent for six weeks and that backup Center Tom Neville could be out for the year. Neville Tore an Achilles Tendon during warm ups prior to last week end s exhibition opener at Canton Ohio. Campen s surgery was exploratory to determine the extent of damage to his left rotator cuff while lifting weights july 23. Winters started saturday s 19-3 loss to the los Angeles raiders. He also started three games a year ago after Campen strained knee ligaments. Chris Dudley will be allowed to opt out of a seven year Portland Deal next year. Dudley gets escape clause signs contract with blazers Portland Ore. A Portland is the latest Aba team to use a one year escape clause As an incentive to get a player to sign a Multi year contract. Free agent Chris Dudley signed a seven year contract with the Trail blazers on tuesday. The pact includes a provi Sion that allows the 6-foot-11 Center toot out of the Deal next year. But the agreement and similar con tracts signed with other teams by Tony Kukoc and Craig Ehlo face scrutiny by the Aba which plans a hearing later this month to determine whether the clause should be allowed. R at Issue is whether they permit teams to get around the Aba s salary Cap. Under his new contract Dudley would receive $800,000 for next season with the amount increasing each year to a total of $11 million for the life of the contract. But he could wind up getting much More. If he opts out of his contract after next season the blazers would be free to offer him a far More lucrative Deal because Aba rules allow a team to exceed the salary Cap to retain a player who becomes an unrestricted free agent. That s what Dudley who was an economics major at Yale expects to happen. Next summer if i choose to exercise the opt out i would readily expect to be staying Here he said. I plan on being in Portland for awhile let s put it that  Geoff Petrie Portland s senior vice president for operations sees no reason the contract should be blocked. He noted that escape clauses Are allowed after one year for a Short term contract and after two years for any contract. Besides he said Dudley could decide he wants to play somewhere else after next season no matter what Portland of fers him. We re at significant risk Petrie said. Chris Dudley controls his own  capitals grab free agent Poulin for 2 years Landover my. A when the we Felt through our evaluation at the Senseman Enrico Ciccone came in Trade Washington capitals sat Down to Eval end of the season that we were missing a uate their goals for the 1993-9-4 season few pieces said Washington general Topping the list of needed improvements manager David Poile. In Dave Poulin i was More aggressive play from the for think we got an entire package. He s Ward line and added leadership. Thought of As a defensive player but he the capitals filled both needs with one can score goals and he s been to the move tuesday afternoon by announcing Stanley cup finals three  the signing of 11-year nil Veteran free Poulin who has 195 career goals 16 agent Dave Poulin to a two year contract. Last season also played on six Stanley Poulin 34, played the last four years cup semifinal teams. He is the fourth with the Boston Bruins after spending player acquired by the capitals in the off parts of eight seasons with the Phila season Delphia flyers. In june Winger Craig Berube and de with the Calgary flames and Dallas stars respectively and last week Center Keith Acton signed As a free agent. Poulin Berube and Acton were All teammates at one time with the flyers. It s a very Good situation for me be a piece of that Core. There s Good leadership on this team with Kevin Hatcher Kelly Miller Mike Ridley and Dale  the signing of Poulin comes at an especially critical time for the capitals. Hunter was suspended for the first 21 , i think it could be a very Ames of the upcoming season after an Good fit Poulin said. Incident in last season s playoffs Veteran i know a lot has been talked about  Rod Langway asked for and leadership. As a Captain and As an Al a unc National release last. R. R Rel us Dai month and Center Bob Carpenter reject by the