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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 23, 1997)
Past follows player to Super Bowl ■ PATRIOTS: History of great plays highlights the career of Dave Meggett The Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — One by one the games went by, and Dave Meggett still hadn’t returned a punt or kickoff all the way to the end zone. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 1989 and scored at least one touchdown on a kick return in each of his first six seasons, all with the Giants. Then he followed coach Bill Parcells to New Eng land, and suddenly the end zone became foreign turf. Meggett never got there in his 16 games in 1995 or in his first 15 games and the first three quarters of his 16th in 1996. But he said it didn’t bother him. “Oh, no. Oh, goodness gracious no,” he insisted Wednesday. “My job is to put the offense in the best field position possible.” He’s done an excellent job of that this season. And, when he fi nally took a kick back all the way, it was a turning point in the Patri ots’ march to Sunday’s Super Bowl against the Green Bay Pack ers. The Patriots went back to Gi ants Stadium for the final regular season game. A victory would give them a playoff bye, but that seemed highly unlikely when the Giants took a 22-3 lead into the fi nal quarter. New England cut that to 22-10, then forced the Giants to punt. Meggett waited. He knew how badly the Patriots needed a big play. The ball settled into his hands at the 40-yard line. “He’s fearless,” Patriots punter Tom Tupa said. “He’ll catch the ball, really, when he shouldn’t. He doesn’t fair catch too many balls, and he doesn’t fumble ei ther.” Meggett eluded the first rush of defenders, weaved through others and outraced punter Mike Horan down the left side. “It was a big play. That’s the history of our team: coming up with big plays when plays are needed,” Meggett said. “I think the guys on that team have done a very good job all year.” Meggett made the AFC Pro Bowl team as a kick returner but will have a tougher time making big plays against the Packers. In the NFC title game against Caroli na, they held Pro Bowl returner Michael Bates to a 12.3-yard aver age — 18 yards below his league leading average. Green Bay’s Desmond Howard led the NFL with a 15.1-yard punt return average and scored on three of the 58 punts he handled in the regular season. He also re turned a punt for a touchdown in the Packers’ opening playoff game against San Francisco. “I wouldn’t say he’s a young Dave Meggett,” said 30-year-old Meggett. “He’s faster than I was.” Howard, the former Heisman Trophy winner who is flourishing at age 26, returned the compli ment. “Meggett is an explosive re turner,” he said. “We have our hands full.” Meggett was fourth in the AFC with an 11.3-yard punt return av erage and eighth with a 23-yard kickoff return average. “I’m not playing against Desmond Howard. We have a scheme that I will have to stay within,” he said. "I can’t jeopar dize our game plan just because I have a one-on-one match-up with Desmond Howard.” Meggett hasn’t had an excep tional postseason. His longest re turns are 14 yards on punts and 18 on kickoffs. Chances are he’ll have to do better than that against a team whose returner has made a habit of crossing the goal line, some thing Meggett has done just once in his 34 games with New Eng land. “Every time I’m on the field, I’m always trying my best to get into the end zone,” Meggett said. “Me not returning one all last year really didn’t phase me. I really don’t set personal goals. My only goal is to be competitive week to week.” 49ers owner charged with battery ■ FIGHT: The altercation between Edward DeBartolo and fans occurred after San Francisco lost to Green Bay in a playoff game The Associated Press GREEN BAY, Wis. — San Francisco 49ers owner Edward DeBartolo Jr. and a friend were charged with battery Wednesday for a post-game scuffle in which a Green Bay Packers fan was punched and another head-butted. The fans were charged with disorderly conduct, Police Chief James Lewis said. The charges for all four are issued as city citations, which can be paid through the mail, Lewis said. The incident outside a Lambeau Field gate oc curred after Green Bay’s 35-14 victory over the 49ers in a Jan. 4 playoff game. Guy Courchaine, assistant city attorney, said the citations carry a $500 fine, plus about $140 in court costs. “The opinion of the city attorney is that both charges (battery and disorderly conduct) should go forward so we’re going to do that,” Police Comman der Jerry Williams said. “We’ve interviewed approx imately 12 people in connection with this incident.” Witnesses, including an off-duty sheriffs deputy, told police DeBartolo punched a Packers fan, who then fell backward over a garbage can. The deputy said another man head-butted another fan. Edward Muransky, 37, of Atherton, Calif., also was charged with battery, while the fans, Dale Nault and William Scharlas, both of Waukesha, were cited for disorderly conduct, Lewis said. Outagamie County Sheriffs Sgt. Michael Heenan witnessed the exchange as he was leaving the stadi um near the 49ers buses. He said DeBartolo punched the fan and DeBartolo’s companion head-butted an other. DeBartolo did not immediately return telephone messages left Wednesday at his Youngstown, Ohio, office. There was no telephone listing in Atherton for Muransky. Williams said police attempted to contact DeBar tolo during he investigation, but were told by legal counsel that he had no comment. “Our relationship with the San Francisco 49ers has been great and this is unfortunate,” Williams said of the Lambeau Field incident. Nault, 64, and Scharlas, 30, told police they were hit, but could not identify who struck them. They were among Packer fans waiting for the 49ers play ers to come out so they could heckle them, Scharlas said in January. “Everybody was yelling ‘40-whiners’ and things like that,” Scharlas said. Scharlas’ phone number is unlisted. Nault was not home when called by The Associated Press. Williams said DeBartolo’s involvement increased public interest in the case, and that was impetus to get through the investigation more quickly than other battery cases. “It probably forces us to put a little more time into it,” he said. But he said from an investigator’s standpoint there are more important cases. “We do have other things to do than worry about a battery that occurred at Lambeau Field,” he said. RENTALS! 10 Downhill & Cross Country.. Snowboards ^ Mon-Thurs 10-7 • Fri & Sat 10-9 Open Sunday 12-5 13th& Lawrence* 683-1300 • \A/n\AI UAI I S15 ADV • 8PM • ALL AGES • TIX I I * l/UUI/U rlMLL also at wow Mailbox office TICKETS AT ALL TICKETMASTER OUTLETS OR CHARGE BY-PHONE iS03l 224 4400 UONQUI SUBJECT TO SERVICE CHARGE. OPENING ACTS SUBJECT TO CHANGE. 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