Belichick's people skills may have let him down

Sporting News, The, Nov 22, 1993 by Chris Mortensen

Finally, the Cowboys went for deposed Patriots quarterback Hugh Millen. But Miler wasn't Jimmy Johnson's type of guy and Jason Garrett, who once was cut by the San Antonio Riders of the World League, was promoted to second string behind Aikman.

The Cowboys were feeling somewhat smug until they watched Aikman pull up with a hamstring injury in Week 10.

Suddenly, it reminded everyone that, hey, Aikman's had only one truly healthy season ('92). He underwent back surgery last spring. In addition to the hamstring problem, he has suffered from injured ribs and a partially separated shoulder this season. He is a tough guy, but that won't help the Cowboys if he goes down for the season.

Kosar offers the same insurance Beuerlein did for Dallas. Maybe even better. One thing that Johnson noted was Kosar's interception percentage is the best in NFL history.

Though maybe it would have made just as much sense for Kosar to sign with the Dolphins, there doesn't appear to be a downside with the Cowboys. Bernie has a chance to go to a Super Bowl. He has the game's hot offensive coordinator, Norv Turner, to teach him.

Come to think of it, there is one potential downside for Kosar. If he should play and flop with the Cowboys, then he'll make Belichick look even smarter.

That's pretty good incentive for Bernie to achieve. And his first achievement was last Sunday. Even though he had only four days of practice time. he completed 13 of 21 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys' 20-15 victory over Phoenix.

"I didn't want to let the coaches and the players on this great team down," Kosar said. "I'm just so happy we won. It was a tough week getting ready. I told some Cleveland friends it's amazing what a difference a week can make."

Long's suit

In a unique twist, former Steelers guard Terry Long charged in a lawsuit that steroid use is endorsed by NFL teams, rampant among players and arbitrarily policed by the league.

Long's charges could lead to a potentially interesting court case because of some non-publicized cases in which players have been flagged for a positive steroids test. However, after these players made strong challenges in league hearings, the league dismissed their tests as inconclusive, league sources say. A court hearing could make these cases public.

Long lost such a challenge and now is suing the NFL and the Steelers, claiming his career was shortened when he was suspended in '91 after he flunked a steroids test. He was suspended four games that year. The team did not re-sign him when his contract expired, and he did not get any firm offers as a free agent. He remains out of football.

Long swallowed rat poison (earlier, he considered the idea of shooting himself) in an attempted suicide on the same day that then-Steelers coach Chuck Noll informed him of his positive steroids test.

In the lawsuit, Long cites his trip to the hospital after the suicide attempt. He says that urine and blood tests that day bore no evidence of performance-enhancing drugs.Long's test that July showed high levels of testoterone, in violation of the league's steroids policy. In fact, his suspension was delayed until he could be tested again at a later date to determine whether that particular testosterone level was normal for Long.if the level had been the same, Long likely would have escaped penalties.