Poughkeepsie Journal from Poughkeepsie, New York • Page 13

I INSIDE PRO FOOTBALL I I I nriii GAME PLAN I NO. 4 NEW DOUBLE I'TOUCH RULE Midway through the lourlh quarter ol lastseaSon AFC playoH game between Denver and Pittsburgh, Broncos quarterback Craig Morton was laoed with a third and goal situation at the Steelers' 7 tfe dropped back, eluded the Pittsburgh rush, and aimed a pass In the direction olwlde receiver Jack Dolbln The ball deflected oH Dolbln Intojhe arms ol teammate laven Moses who was In the end zone But the catch ruled Illegal According CUP AND SAVE lo the rules Moses was an Ineligible receiver because he was Ihe second offensive player to touch the pass without a defensive player (In this case, someone Irani the Steelers) touching It first Tat rule has been changed The touch Is now legal All offensive players become eligible once a pass Is touched by an eligible receiver or any defensive player II Is Illegal, however, to bat a pass in (light towards the opponent goal line vo A fj Tob toga( fj 7ts yar lh( i I l.jlech vi I I Ja Friday, Septembers, 1978 Poughkeepsie Journal 13 Rating the NFL's top defenses ty Peter Pascarelll. annett News Service Defense In football, like pitching in baseball. Is cohsidered 75 percent of winning. No team better embodied tht adage than the 1977 Denver Bftncos, who combined an ordinary offense with an extraordinary defense to reach Super Bowl XII.

Bearing in mind the omnipresent injury factor and trying to ignore the NFL's first week aberrations, here's ar early season rating of the league's defenses from'blocks'of granite to chunks of putty, f. DALLAS COWBOYS Not much else is needed when you have a grjjat front four, hordes of good linebackers and a secondary that features two All Pros (Cliff Harris arid Charley Waters). All that talent is! regimented by "The not sty nettling you do to a muscle but a Tom Landry device that is hard to defeat. C. DENVER BRONCOS The "Orange Crush" is a rare "defense thjat is exciting to watch.

In fact? the iealots are the only NFL fajis to visit the concessions when their team has the ball. ATLANTA FALCONS In Carter Country, the Defense Department is enough to make Billy C. stop drinking long enough to applaud Lute Denver, Atlanta's best offense is it defense PITTSBURGH STEELERS Perhaps a nod to nostalgia, to the days when the 'Steel impenetrable. The line doesn't dominate like it once did but any team with Jack Lambert and Jack Hhm has to be among the elite. 6.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Itjall might have been an illusion but the Pats did lead the NFL last year in m'ost defensive statistics, including sacks. The keys are huge linebackers (lor example, Sam Hunt weighs abound 27S) and a good young secondary. 3. LOS ANGELES RAMS Monte Jckson's departure won't help but rjplacement Rod Perry won't hurt, egher. Owner Carroll Rosenbloom dtesn't give the defense the same ldVing at'ehtion he gives the offense.

Which is one of the defense's biggest ajsests. 7. OAKLAND RAIDERS The defensive line is a.seemmgly motley collection of castoffs and bit players but they function. The late arriving Monte Jackson should help the secondary. The Raiders' enthusiastic style would make Attila The Hun wince.

8. HOUSTON OILERS The linemen and linebackers match up well with any team but the secondary has its problems. The star is linebacker Robert Brazile. In these days wtjen a player feels lucky to go a week without Injury, he has missed one practiejn three years because of "an1 injury! He's never missed a game. 9.

NEW YORK GIANTS The unit hasn't the charisma of Sam Huff and the legends of the 1950s. But when end Troy Archer and linebacker Brad Van Pelt return from injuries, this will be a solid unit. 10. fMINNESOTA VIKINGS What Bud Grant had joined, age has put asunder. The defensive line is almost as old as the Supreme Court.

However, help is on the way in the persons of three recent top draft picks, Mark Mullaney, James White and Randy Hollowayr secondary has yet to adequately replace departed Super Bowl vets Dick Anderson and Jake1 Scott. 17. GREEN BAY PACKERS The Ray 'Nitschke, Willie Davis, etc. legends are secure. But a young front four makes the Packers respectable.

18. BALTIMORE COLTS The "Sack Pack" still terrorizes quarterbacks but the linebackers strike little fear. The secondary has Lylp Blackwood and a gang of journeymen: 19. CINCINNATI BENGALS Injuries have been a problem. But for a team with more recent high draft picks then any team, the Bengals' defense remains remarkably toothless.

20. DETROIT LIONS The glare from rookie end Al Baker's shaved head may blind some teams but on the whole, this is an in and out unit. 21. CHICAGO BEARS Ancient end Tommy Hart will help the line, but there is no help in sight for the linebackers. And the secondary now is minus cornerback Allan its 25.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS With all the big Defense Department contracts that the Seattle area aerospace corporations receive, you'd think help could be found for the Seahawks. 26. SAN FRANCISCO 49ers It will be like the good old days in Buffalo for 0 J. Simpson He'll spend the majority of most games on the sideline, watching his defense get pushed all over the field 27T BUFFALO has been as rare In Buffalo as palm trees and 80 degree January days. But a needed transfusion of talent has at least begun.

28. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS The Saints have been, as defenseless as Luke Skywalker without The Force. But perhaps last week's upset of Minnesota is an indication they've taken the cure Jimmy the Greek Around the NFL LAS VEGAS Despite hts two touchdown passes against Washington, New England quarterback Steve Grogan is not playing well. Everybody's wondering when coach Chuck Fairbanks will give Tom Owen a chance. Coach Walt Michaels and the New York Jets, led by Richard Todd Co will make the three cornered AFC East even more of a guessing game.

The Jets got a break playing Miami without Bob Griese but it was their offense that got the points. Just how good is Wesley Walker? Well, the Jet stream receiver ran a 40 in 4 3 right by Gerald Small, the rookie cornerback Don Shula said was the finest defensive back prospect he has had in Miami. The St. Louis Cardinals will get better as the season grows older, especially if they find a tight Chicago Bears will huff and puff, block kicks, punts, and Walter Payton, with 15 games to go, will do 1,000 yards easy. The Cincinnati Bengals made a big deal about converting to a 3 4 defense but Kansas City, utilizing a wing offense installed by coach Marv Levy to take advantage of a 3 4, produced 250 yards rushing by four different backs.

Paul Brown has to be wondering about his coaching staff Wonder what would have happened in Los Angeles if they had missed that last second field goal The Ram offense looks much the same to me dull. If the Atlanta Falcons had a QB, they could make It hot for the Rams. The Washington Redskins have to be excited over the play of defensive end Coy Bacon, who performed exceptionally well against the Pats' Leon Gray. Themost interesting matchup in college football this weekend Is UCLA Washington, which is a toss up The winner could be the Pac 10 representative at the Rose Bowl Oklahoma is a 13 point favorite over Stanford. But the Sooners have to be worried, knowing the Indians never field a team that isn't well coached and well prepared Other college games Florida State 1 over Syracuse, Georgia Tech 1 over Duke, Maryland 12 over Tulane, Notre Dame 17 over Missouri, Penn State 24 over Rutgers, Virginia Tech 17 over Tulsa, William Mary 7 overVMI, Illinois 11 over Northwestern, Texas 13 oyer Kansas II.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS The Chargers' defense casts a big shadow, especially with Louie "Big Foot" Kelcher (6 0, 282 pounds, size 17EEE shoes) and Leroy Jones (6 8, 270). Veteran Glen Edwards and Jim Laslavic could help ordinary secondary and linebacker groups 12. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS The line could be frightening with Lee Roy SelmonT Dave Pear7Charley" Hanna, Wally Chambers and Ernie Holmes. And the young linebackers are coming of age. 13.

CLEVELAND BROWNS A solid, largely veteran unit that should Improve with the progress of tackle Jerry Sherk's recovery from knee injuries. 14. WASHINGTON REDSKINS Provided plenty of Geritol and oxygen Is kept handy, the Redskin defense will continue to be a ben dable but usually unbreakable crew. End Coy Bacon and cornerback Lemar Parrish are good short term additions M5. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Bill Bergey alone makes the Eagles a cut above the average.

And finally, he is being surrounded by talent. 16. MIAMI DOLPHINS Injuries have been a constant plague. And the 22. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS In two years, the young Chiefs' defense should be good enough to lure "Warpaint," the mascot stallion, back from the pasture 23.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS Help may be on the way for the defense less Cardinals. A high draft choice was Johnny Barefield, a linebacker with the loveable nickname of "Dr. Doom," who writes poems about tackling 24. NEW YORK JETS If the secondary is patched up, the Jets could become surprisingly tough There's nothing wrong with their good young Iinebacking corps PATRONIZE YOUR "ADVERTISERS" SATURDAY, SEPT.

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