Viking Coach Views Himself as Capt. Burns

Jerry Burns, new coach of the Minnesota Vikings, was asked how he would describe his job.

“It’s like the guy who’s captain of a ship,” he said. “Your job is to get from point A to B. In doing so, you’ve got a navigator, an engineer, the ship’s company, the commissary, all people involved in getting the Queen Mary from New York to Liverpool.

“The captain doesn’t run to the boiler room to make sure the boiler is stoked up. He’s not in the commissary to see if there’s enough ice cream. He tries to get the whole thing going and get the ship in port. The final decision lies with the captain. If it runs aground, the captain is responsible.

“There’s just one thing,” he said.

Yes?

“I don’t like that bull about the captain going down with the ship.”

When somebody told Chicago Coach Mike Ditka that the Rams haven’t forgotten the 24-0 embarrassment they suffered in last season’sNFC championship game against the Bears, Ditka said: “Are they using that as a motivation to play us? I’m not worried about it if they do. Besides, I don’t think they are as good a club now as they were when they came in (to play) last season.”

Trivia Time: When the World Football League folded during the 1975 season, who was the league’s leading ground gainer? (Answer below.)

If Auburn’s Bo Jackson was the best college running back in 1985, who’s the best in 1986? According to Auburn Coach Pat Dye, it’s the man who backed up Jackson last year, Brent Fullwood.

Fullwood, 23, is a 5-foot 11-inch, 209-pound senior from St. Cloud, Fla., who is averaging 9.7 yards a carry for the 7-0 Tigers.

“I say he’s the best running back in America,” Dye said. “They can talk about Lorenzo White at Michigan State or anyone else they want. Don’t ask me, ask the people that play against him.”

Said Mississippi State Coach Rocky Felker, after Fullwood had gained 179 yards in 16 carries and scored 3 touchdowns in Auburn’s 35-6 win last Saturday night: “Play after play, he’s better than Bo.”

Joe Namath, on New York Jet quarterback Ken O’Brien: “Kenny’s got better technique than Johnny Unitas. I could get in trouble with Johnny for saying this, but when it comes to doing the physical job, Kenny takes a back seat to no one. In fact, he’s quicker getting back in the pocket than Dan Marino right now.

“I’ve seen Kenny improve a great deal. He’s an excellent quarterback, and he’s capable of being the best this year.”

Could Reggie Jackson still help some club next year? Other 41-year-olds have done it.

Ted Williams hit 29 homers at that age, and Stan Musial batted .330. Pete Rose scored 80 runs, and Honus Wagner stole 22 bases. Most remarkable was Cy Young, who had a 21-11 record while compiling the best earned-run average of his career, 1.26.

Trivia Answer: Anthony Davis of the Southern California Sun, with 1,200 yards.

Quotebook

Minnesota Viking cornerback Rufus Bess, on the 23-20 loss to the Cleveland Browns, although the Vikings had twice as much yardage in total offense: “They didn’t do anything special, except for the special teams. I guess that’s why they call them special teams.”