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So.Mn.Fan -> RE:NFL News (11/19/2007 7:50:01 PM)
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Reusse brings back some old Raiduh memories .... Dick Schaap had an ABC camera in tow and was working the interview rooms at the Super Bowl in January 1984. The Washington Redskins were available first to the media on this Wednesday, and then the Raiders. Schaap approached a table where Raiders linebacker Matt Millen was being interviewed by several sportswriters. The gentlemanly Schaap waited for a pause in the conversation, then put a microphone near Millen and said: "Washington's Russ Grimm said he would run over his mother to win this game. What would you do to win this game?" Immediately, Millen said, "I would run over Russ Grimm's mother, too." Schaap took away the microphone, nodded and said: "Thank you, Matt. That's exactly what I was hoping you would say." The '84 appearance was the second in four Super Bowls for the Raiders. They were the Oakland Raiders in defeating Philadelphia 27-10 in New Orleans on Jan. 25, 1981, and the Los Angeles Raiders in defeating Washington 38-9 in Tampa on Jan. 22, 1984. Long-standing fans remember those Raiders for dominant victories as underdogs to NFC opponents. Long-serving reporters remember those Raiders as the athletes who made writing the week of pregame stories more fun than Red Rooster Day in Dassel. On the day he gave Schaap that appreciated one-liner, Millen had several other notable comments, including this description of the Raiders defense: "We use the three P's -- punching, pushing and pointing." The 1983 Raiders had made the postseason trip to the Super Bowl by defeating Seattle in the AFC title game. Now, they were getting ready to face John Riggins running behind Washington's Hogs. They had a 37-35 loss to the Redskins during the regular season. "When you tackle [Seattle's] Curt Warner, he moans and groans and sounds like he's never going to get up," Millen said. "Riggins doesn't make a sound when you hit him. The one thing I hope is that this time he brushes his teeth before the game." Millen also went on to say how much he preferred his hometown of Hokendauqua, Pa., to the maze of homes and people in Los Angeles. "Back home, I can wake up in the morning, walk out the back door and relieve myself in the great outdoors, and nobody is going to notice," Millen said. "I know that to be true because I've done it quite often." Another superstar of the Raiders interview room in January 1984 was Lyle Alzado. He was a wacked-out defensive end who found late-career refuge with Al Davis' Raiders. "I grew up in the streets of Brooklyn and wound up in a lot of fights," Alzado said. "I didn't kill anybody, but I was in a gang. My gang used to be called the Paragons. Now it's the Raiders." Howie Long was the star defensive end on that team. Asked about his team's police escorts to practice in the Tampa area, he said: "It's nice. The police are usually chasing the Raiders." John Matuszak was the predecessor to Alzado with the '80 Raiders -- a gigantic, goofy defensive end at the end of his career. He also was known to hear police sirens. Matuszak allowed a New York Times reporter to follow him on his rounds of Oakland bars a week before the Raiders left for New Orleans. The Tooz had an attractive lady on his arm. In one establishment, a steady line of women approached him, offering phone numbers and memorable companionship. His date watched this for a while, then cursed and stormed out of the bar. Matuszak shrugged toward the Timesman and said, "Women have a tendency to get uptight and possessive when they go cruisin' with the Tooz." During Super Bowl week, Matuszak held court for large groups of reporters. In college, he was thrown out of Missouri (then coached by Dan Devine) and wound up playing at the University of Tampa. "I knew we were in trouble when Devine said he talked to God that morning and felt confident we could beat Notre Dame," Matuszak said. "Tell me: How can you expect God to help you beat Notre Dame? "He didn't. We lost by two touchdowns." Matuszak died June 17, 1989, of heart failure that was said to have a possible link to drug and steroid use. Alzado died May 14, 1992, of a brain tumor, which he publicly stated he believed stemmed from heavy steroid use. Sad ends, but Alzado, the Tooz and the Davis Raiders of yore were more than a hoot to cover at Super Bowls.
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