They Said It

? Harvey Johnson, director of player personnel for the Buffalo Bills, on a player he drafted who turned out to be a flop: "He had size, speed, agility. He could do it all. But I knew I should never have drafted him when he came out of the dressing room and I saw his mother comb his hair."

?Ermal Allen, Dallas Cowboys assistant, giving a scouting report on the Philadelphia punting game: " Bill Bradley kicks them so high and so short you can't run 'em back. You have to fair-catch every one. Us coaches call that the punt of no return."

?Ni Chih-Chin of Communist China, whose 7'6" high jump is best in the world: "When I read the thoughts of Chairman Mao, I feel I could jump higher than a fireman's ladder."

?Dr. Daniel Hanley, U.S. Olympic team physician, on athletic skills: "By itself, practice does not make perfect. Those of us with a 10-year-old son practicing the trumpet may understand that."

? Bob Plager, blithe spirit of hockey's St. Louis Blues: "My big problem now is that I roomed with Al Arbour. It's not fair that they should make him coach after all I taught him."