South Florida Sun Sentinel from Fort Lauderdale, Florida • Page 49

6un-SntIrwl, Thursday, Jan. 19, 1984 SC 3C Skins' overlooked H-backs just looking for respect McNEAL I I'-tMk 00000 WARREN WALKER 'blocking doesn't bother me because I usually have some big friends right next to me." Walker, a 6-4, 235-pound veteran of seven years, plays the position more than anyone. Timing and rhythm are very important "You have to hear the cadence, read the quarterback's mouth or use some other method," Walker said, "Timing is everything. You do a lot of angle blocking at the point of attack. If you're too early, it's a penalty.

If you're too late, the play breaks down and the runner gets killed. It's really a science. "Our blocks are critical to the runner making the corner and often to creating a seam to cut back inside." As difficult as the position is to play, it is just as difficult to defend. "The defender can see you coming," Walker said, "but he dosn't know when you're going to get there and worse yet, he doesn't know what he's going to do with you when you arrive." The Redskins have collected a group of players who have mastered the requirements of a difficult job even if they go unnoticed with all the attention given the Smurfs and Hogs. "If somebody said, 'John Riggins rode the H-back into the end people would probably think that he scored on horseback," Walker said.

Riggins only laughed when told of Walker's remark. "To me, those guys are like the offensive linemen," he said. "They're all horses." By Craig Barnes Staff Writer TAMPA With Joe Tbeismann, John Riggins, the Hogs, the Fun Bunch, the Pearl Harbor Crew and the Smurfs, the Washington Redskins' H-backs go about their jobs unnoticed. Along with Riggins, they are honorary members of the Hogs, but Rich Walker, Clint Didier and Don Warren, Washington's tight ends, are important people. As is Nick Giaquinto, the former Miami Dolphin who plays the H-back in passing situations.

H-back stands for halfback, but in old football terminology, the person in the position is usually in a wingback alignment and normally goes in motion. Warren is exclusively the stationery tight end. Walker, Didier and Giaquinto usually occupy the H-back role. The importance of the position was best illustrated in the Redskins' 27-17 victory over the Dolphins in last year's Super Bowl. The Redskins, leading 20-17 in the fourth quarter, were facing a fourth-and-1 from the Miami 43.

They went to a three tight end set, with Didier as the H-back. He went in motion and took out Miami safety Glenn Blackwood. Walker closed to the inside and knocked off linebacker Earnie Rhone. Those two blocks created the seam for Riggins, who rambled for the clinching touchdown. "It's the single most important position on our team.i' said Joe Bugel, the Washington assistant head coach who coaches the offensive line.

"Kellen Winslow San Diego's tight end created the position. It takes a special breed of cat to play it. It takes the complete athlete, a guy who can block an end or a linebacker or take a cornerback or strong safety deep. Didier is close to the perfect mold." Didier, 6 feet 5, 240 pounds and capable of running the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds, is an intimidating blocker. "Walker and Warren aren't quite as fast," Bugel said.

"Nick is more like a back, but we aren't afraid to run with him in the game. We don't want people getting a fix on what we're going to do." Warren said all four players are overlooked. "Most people perceive our roles as not important," said Warren, a 6-4, 242-pound, 5-year veteran. "People only see us when we're catching the ball. "Other teams don't overlook us.

It's an alignment, when we're all in there, for a very condensed offensive situation. You have a lot of big people to move and normally, you have to only move them just a short distance, a yard or two. Against Miami, John just hit the seam, and it went for something much bigger." Giaquinto, at 5-11 and 204, isn't afraid to block, although he's usually lined up in a slot as a third or fourth receiver. "It's no secret that my main job is to catch passes," he said, "but we can't just leave outside linebackers uncovered on running plays. The Qtkeismann DIDIER m) HARMON 44 RIGGINS SUff graphic by TOM ALSTON The Redskins' H-back was never more evident than in last year's Super Bowl, when Gint Didier (86) went in motion and cleared path for John Riggins (44), who straight-armed Don McNeal (28), the last Dolphin defender, on clinching 43-yard touchdown run.

I -turn, A Cohen At the Super Bowl iw WMMMtM -y fcj. 1 i- I. t-linriirr nimm ri Til Ml 111 1 II IW1 AP pholo Los Angeles Raiders' linebacker Ted Hendricks stretches and twists during an exercise period at practice Wednesday. Martin (who?) learns to live with obscurity By Craig Barnes Staff Writer TAMPA Ted Hendricks, Los Angeles' All-World outside linebacker, was surrounded at a recent Super 1 1 1 i A I 1 A lew ieei away, nuu Martin, Los Angeles' All-Pro outside linebacker and the AFC Defensive Player of the Year, was talking to a handful of reporters. Nothing has changed.

Martin still isn't getting the recognition he deserves. "It has been frustrating," said Martin, a 7-year veteran from Southern California. "Super Bowls long way toward keeping my performance from falling off." Hendricks has known about Martin for some time. "Rod should have been All-Pro several years ago," he said. "It has been a great injustice." Perhaps, as Martin sees it, it wasn't as much injustice as it was location.

"Oakland wasn't the media center of America," Martin said. "Statistically, I was doing fine but nobody knew it. When the team moved to Los Angeles, I was helped tremendously. "Before Los Angeles, the only time anybody knew about Rod Martin was in Super Bowl XV. I believe I have played consistent football for the past five years." Martin, 29, hasn't forgotten any part of Super Bowl XV.

He detailed each interception for those interested on Tuesday, recalling the coverages, his responsibilities and even the distances he returned each one. "The game was the highlight of my career," he said. "I don't expect any repeat performances. Someone else will be the star this time. I just want to win." To win is all Martin has ever wanted.

It's the biggest reason he wanted to play for the Raiders. "I grew up in Los Angeles, but the Rams were never my favorite team," Martin said. "Winning started for me in high school, carried on through college and I've been fortunate enough to sustain it as a professional." Martin never doubted he was good enough, but the Raiders did. "They were looking for a special-teams player, not a skill-position linebacker," Martjn said. "When I was drafted in the 12th round, they had just won the Super Bowl XI and were set at linebacker." Martin was traded to San Francisco after two exhi bition games and cut before the regular season began.

"It was just as well," Martin said. "I didn't like the attitude of the San Francisco players. They weren't interested in winning. They were just interested in playing." Martin tried out with Chicago, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and was headed to Miami when the Raiders called him back. "There was no decision involved for me," he said.

"From Al Davis down to the ball boy, the Raiders instill winning. I always loved the silver and black." Ironically, Martin isn't the typical Raider brawler. I He's a scientific player. "When you weigh 220 pounds," Martin said, Vyou have no choice but to be scientific. I wasn't big like the linebackers of the old days.

"I have to use my mind more than my strength. I consider myself 50 percent lineman and 50 percent defensive back." Martin used his mind against the Eagles in 1981. "Dick Vermeil then Eagle coach had recruited me when be was at UCLA," Martin said. "I knew him, and I knew on our left side we had All-Pros Ted Hendricks and Lester Hayes. "I figured Dick would try to exploit the right side.

He did and came up empty, which isn't unusual. It definitely let everybody know Rod Martin was a good football player and he was here to stay." Martin is still around, having only solidified his status as one of the game's top outside linebackers. Yet the recognition is still missing. "It's better now than ever before," Martin said, "and if I continue to play well, it will continue to get better. At least Rod Martin isn't an unknown anymore." players, some for the good Koa Martin and some for the bad.

Fortunately for me, it was for the good." In Super Bowl XV, a 27-10 Raider victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, Martin intercepted three passes, but quarterback Jim Plunkett was voted the game's Most Valuable Player. "Maybe they should have given two awards that day," Martin said. "That game certainly got me recognized, though." "My teammates recognized my achievements," he said, "and I think their appreciation for my play went a Linemen cash in on hog-wild fans TAMPA The Hogs are coming. And they mean business. Big business.

Prompted by fanatical Washington fans who have literally gone hog-wild over the Hogs, the Redskin offensive linemen are profiting from their popular nickname. Super Hogs Inc. is the name of the company and its home is a three-room office, one floor above a dry cleaning shop in downtown Washington. You name it, the Hogs are marketing it. Hog T-shirts.

Hog noses. Hog beer. Hog tea. They have two official posters, one in which the linemen wear tuxedoes with a real-life hog, the other shot is in a cemetery where the Hogs are burying opponents in effigy. Tackle George Starke, a graduate of Columbia University and the oldest Hog at 35, engineered the consolidation of the Hogs after the 1982 championship season.

He noticed that unofficial Hog T-shirts and related items were popping up all over town and thought the guys deserved a piece of the action. "The whole thing has snowballed," Starke said. "The time was right for it. Maybe the Hogs are more interesting than the other guys. People get tired of hearing about only quarterbacks and running backs." The souvenirs are reasonably priced.

After all, the Hogs didn't want to be hogs. AROUND THE SUPER BOWL Dolphins' center Dwight Stephenson and defensive end Doug Betters were selected the AFC's offensive and defensive linemen of the year Wednesday by the NFL Players Association. Raider nose guard Reggie Kinlaw says Stephenson is far and away the best center in the league The Tampa Bay Bandits have acquired the United States Football League's rights to Theismann from the Chicago Blitz. Although Theismann's current contract with the Redskins has two years plus an option year left, the Pro Bowl quarterback is unhappy with his salary and wants to renegotiate. He called the Tampa Bay situation "food for thought" but added all his thoughts are centered around finishing his career with the Redskins Another USFL rumor circulating here is that University of Florida All-America linebacker Wilbur Marshall is considering signing with the Bandits.

Redskin Coach Joe Gibbs has until 4 p.m. Saturday to decide whether to activate kick returner Mike Nclms, who has been out with a hamstring injury. "It's coming around," Nelms said. "I'll practice hard for the next few days and I think I'll be ready to go." The Los Angeles Raiders are feeling more at home every day. All over town on billboards, on street signs and on bus benches you can find the words "Commitment to Excellence," written in big black letters.

"We wanted to make sure everyone knew we were here," Raider Executive Assistant Al LoCasale said. "We arranged for a dozen big signs and about 80 smaller ones." Raider guard Curt Marsh wasn't pleased to hear that Barry Manilow would be singing the national anthem Sunday. "I hate Barry Manilow," Marsh said. "He looks like when you first get up in the morning and you see yourself in the faucet. You know how bad you look? Imagine how he looks." Raider tight end Todd Christenscn was talking to several members of the media when CBS commentator.

Tom Brookshler walked by. "Hey, 40 1.Q., what's happening?" Christen-sen asked. Brookshler tried to smile. CBS took him off several broadcasts last month, after he said on the air that the I.Q. of the Louisville University basketball team collectively rated a 40.

The winner of Super Bowl XVIII will receive the Lombardi Trophy, designed by Tiffany and of New York. The trophy is for the team to keep and, based on past Super Bowls, it winds up in a variety of places. All four Lombardi Trophies won by Pittsburgh are in a plexiglass case In the team's offices at Three Rivers Stadium. Washington's trophy from last year spends most of its time at Duke Ziebert's, an eating and drinking place in downtown Washington. The San Francisco 49ers use their trophy as a centerpiece in the lobby of the team's complex in Redwood City, Calif.

In Miami, one trophy is on the mantel outside owner Joe Robbie's office and the other Is in Don Shula's office. Similarly, Dallas Cowboys' President Tex Schramm and Coach Tom Landry each have one in their offices. The Redskins practiced for two hours and the Raid-' ers for three hours Wednesday as both teams intensified their preparations for Sunday's game. "I was well satisfied with our practice," Gibbs said. "We got a lot done." Meanwhile, Raider Coach Tom Flores noted there were several "tough collisions" during his team's spirited session.

"It was very physical out there, which shows you how Important this game is," Flores said Rookie Green ready to defuse Raider bombs K4I fN fx 4 7 Ji PI pftotO By Craig Barnes SUff Writer TAMPA When the Washington Redskins picked 5-foot-8 Darrell Green in the first round, it was nothing new. It might have surprised some football experts, but it didn't surprise Green. He had been a first-round draft choice all his life. "When we used to play football in the streets of Houston," Green said, "I was always one of the first players chosen, not for my size, but for my talent." The Redskins were also attracted by his talent. "We picked 28th last in the first round," said General Manager Bobby Beathard.

"At that point, you seldom find a player with Darrell's speed. There are some class sprinters in the NFL, but Darrell Is a world-class sprinter. "His 10.08 time in the 100 meters was second best in the world last year. He has a 32-inch vertical jump. We knew he had the ability." In the early going, it certainly didn't look like a wise decision.

Green, barely 170 pounds, was often getting beaten deep. "The coach was screaming 'Get back! Get a whole lot," Green said. Because the secondary was having trouble defending against the bomb, it was nicknamed "The Pearl Harbor Crew." In Super Bowl XVIII Sunday, Green knows the Los Angeles Raiders will try to go deep on the Redskins. "I expect it, but I think I'm better prepared now than earlier in the year," Green said. "Miami worked me over pretty good in an exhibition game because I made a lot of rookie mistakes.

I'd like another shot at them. "In the beginning, I was in shock. In college, we would play a team, and it would have one burner. I come up to the pros, and It's Art Monk, Charlie Brown and Alvin Garrett every day in practice, and they can all burn it. It was enough to make you want to quit." Not this time.

Green had tried quitting once before. He left Texas Ail in the spring of his freshman year (1979) and went home to Houston. USFL and the Olympics, he reported with the thought of being nothing but a starter. "The guys made it easy because they were like college players," Green said. "They were enthusiastic, and they were winners.

"Everybody wants to win, and I'm no different. At the same time, the game has to be fun, or it isn't worth it When you take the game out of playing, it isn't fun anymore." The game has been especially fun for Green in recent weeks. Against Los Angeles, he had seven tackles, six passes batted down and a 72-yard interception return for a touchdown. Against San Francisco, he had seven tackles and caused two dropped passes and a fumble. "I doubt if anybody in the league is playing better at cornerback right now," said Washington assistant coach Richie Petitbon, who coaches the defense.

"At first I thought Darrell was too small, but I know now that he isn't." Earlier In the season, opponents went after Green because he was small, aggressive and a rookie) "It is noticeable," Green said. "I am a short; short guy. When I was In the seventh grade, the coaches put me on the sixth-grade team. "My mother always told me, 'Don't grow up tqo fast or you'll miss out on the Now Green knows what she meant. "I led the team in solo tackles," he said.

"I've been playing pretty good lately, and we're in the Super Bowl. I'm a rookie and already in the Super Green remembers the last time he was in a football playoff. "It was In the seventh grade," he said, "and the only reward was a barbecue." The stakes will be much higher against the Raiders. "There's the ring and the money and the championship of the world," Green said, "and I don't expect any respect from the Raiders. Like everybody else they will continue to treat me like a small fry and with no respect.

"I Just hope I make them sorry In a big, big way." Darrell Green (left) pulls down Rams' Mike Guman in Redskins' 51-7 playoff victory. "I had grown up in a family of seven children," Green said. "We were always close. It was tough being away from home." Green went back to Houston and drove a furniture truck for a year. He made about (100 a week.

"I swore I would never go back to Texas Ail," he said. In the spring of 1980, he did. "Getting up early and driving around Houston until after dark making deliveries got old fast," Green said. "If I didn't do anything else, 1 learned my way around the city of Houston. I had planned to go back to college.

I just went back sooner than I had expected. Only God knows why I went back." It certainly worked out best for Green and the Redskins. "I felt like I was running a kindergarten back at the start of the year," free safety Mark Murphy said, "with Darrell and Anthony Washington, but they both learned quickly." Green said, after choosing the Redskins over the V. f- -J -J.