The Los Angeles Times from Los Angeles, California • 28

I Sagging Chargers Thrown to lions, 31-14 Qos Alleles (ftmes BY DAVE DISTEL Tlmti Staff Writer PONTIAC, Mitchell called it embarrassing. Pat Curran said there were no excuses. Coach Don Coryell just shook his head. In this disappointing season, the Chargers have more often than not beaten themselves. On Sunday in the Silverdome, they were beaten and beaten badly by the Detroit Lions, 31-14.

In these parts, the Chargers were lucky they were not automobiles. They would have been recalled. At the half, the Lions held a 31-7 lead and advantages of 326 to 93 in total yards and 20 to 3 in first downs. And this by a team that had a 1-6 record and had scored only 33 points in their previous three games. In fact, the Lions had not scored as many as 31 points in a game in two years.

"It's going to be a long season if we let it," said Mitchell, the running back who came to San Diego from Baltimore before the season. "When you get beaten like that by a team that was 1-6, you've got to sit back and talk to yourself. Where do we go from here?" Mitchell really had no answer to the question. "We go into the season thinking about the playoffs," he reflected. "Now, what are the chances?" That question needed no answer.

The Chargers' record is 2-6. This was a game in which the Lions outplayed and outcoached the visiting team. Jim Laslavic, the Charger linebacker who played with the Lions for the previous five seasons, was not totally surprised. "My word of caution to the team," he said, "was that we couldn't give them anything cheap early. I told them they were down, but they wouldn't go belly-up for us.

We had to jump on 'em and make it our kind of day. But they did it to us." The Lions did not get any cheap touchdowns. They did score once after a Charger fumble, but a clipping penalty forced them to work for that one. Using some flim-flammers, double reverses, a triple-reverse pass and screens and draws, they moved the ball seemingly at will in the first half. The Lions started the day with the worst pass offense in the National Football Conference.

But Gary Danielson completed 22 of 32 passes for 210 yards, including 17 of 23 for 155 yards in the first half. "We weren't going to beat this team with a plain vanilla offense," Danielson said. "I felt the screens and draws would slow down their rush," said Monte Please Turn to Page 7, Col. 1 BUSINESS -J- CC PART III MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 1978 LION KEY Rams Flagged Down by the Saints, 10-3 Thirteen Penalties (138 Yards) Keep Los Angeles, Now 7-1, Frustrated BY TED GREEN Times Staff Wrlttr The Rams must have set some sort of unofficial record for futility Sunday when 13 penalties, three lost fumbles, three interceptions, a blocked field goal and various other blunders kept them from putting away the scrappy New Orleans Saints. Instead, the Saints put an end to the Rams' fantasies about an undefeated season by beating them, 10-3, on Archie Manning's 19-yard touchdown pass to Tony Galbreath with 2:22 left in the game.

A Coliseum crowd of 47,574 saw probably the NFL's biggest upset this season. Probably the biggest when you consider the following: The 7-0 Rams, one of two unbeaten NFL teams, were 13-point favorites over the 3-4 Saints, already trailing Los Angeles by four games in the Western Division. The Rams had won 12 consecutive regular-season home games dating back to 1976, while the Saints were winless (0-9) at the Coliseum since 1967. Moreover, the Rams dominated this game so completely that before New Orleans' only long drive 60 yards to the winning touchdown the offense run by quarterback Manning had 16 net yards in the second half and 63 overall against the league's No. 1 defense.

Conversely, Pat Haden Co. piled up 342 yards against the Saints. But Dick Nolan's Saints, in surpassing by one their 1977 win total under Hank Stram, stopped the Rams several times, once at the goal line on fourth down to end the first of many frustrating series for L.A. The Rams and, to hear the Rams tell it, the officials took care of the rest. In 12 offensive series, the Rams advanced into Saints territory eight times to these yard lines: the 2, 3, 43, 22, 36, 19, 40 and 35, where the game ended, fittingly, on Maurice Spencer's interception of a Haden pass on L.A.'s last drive.

Despite all those penetrations, the Rams scored just three points, their poorest output in 1978 since they were shut out by San Diego in the second exhibition game. Their coach then was George Allen. He was fired the next day. His successor, Ray Malavasi, who Sunday tasted his first defeat as an NFL head coach after nine wins, will no doubt be back at work this morning. But he won't be passing out dozens of game balls, as he has been the last two months.

In order, this was how the Rams blew chances to score. Let us count the ways: -First quarter. After driving 78 yards on 15 plays in more than eight minutes, predominantly on a 20-yard pass from Haden to Ron Jessie and a 19-yard scramble by Haden (who had Please Turn to Page 8, Col. 1 Danielson Stars Despite His Statistics BY BILL ZAVESTOSKI Times Staff Wrlttr PONTIAC, many young college graduates, Gary Danielson decided to do some traveling before settling down. He tested the job market in New York, Charlotte, N.C., and Chicago, and even went to Canada to seek gainful employment.

Now it appears he has found steady work in Detroit, where he was born and raised. San Diego fans may not have heard much about the Lions' 6-2, 195-pound quarterback before Sunday's 31-14 Detroit victory, but Danielson began making himself known to the locals as early as 10 years ago, when he led his high school team from nearby Dearborn to the state championship. Then it was on to Indiana where Danielson played three seasons for Purdue, setting a shool record for completion percentage (61) his senior year. Next came brief stints in the World Football League, where in the two seasons of the league's existence, Danielson managed to play for the New York Stars, Charlotte Hornets, and Chicago Wind. After the WFL folded, Danielson was signed by Calgary of the Canadian Football League, but injuries prevented him from seeing much playing time there.

Signed by the Lions as a free agent in 1976, Danielson had thrown just three touchdown passes in 20 games in the NFL. He spent most of them as the holder for place kicks. Until Sunday, that is. Against the Chargers, Danielson completed 22 of 32 passes for 210 yards and doubled his career touchdown mark by throwing for three, all in the first half as Detroit built a 31-7 lead. Please Turn to Page 9, Col.

1 Dionne Bites After Kings' Canadiens Bounce Back With Five Goals in First 'f if Jabbar Bears Down in Front of Walton as Lakers Win SURE-HANDED Dexter Bussey of the Lions Rick Middleton attempts to defend, but it just catches an 18-yard touchdown pass thrown by wasn't the Chargers' day as Danielson's sharp Gary Danielson in the second quarter Sunday. passing led Detroit to a one-sided 31-14 win. AP Wirephoto BY TERRY SHEPARD Tlmat Stafl wrlttr Archie Changed Up on the Rams' Nickel Defense BY DON MERRY Timet Staff Wrlttr The Lakers got their first victory of the season in their home opener, beating San Antonio, 134-121, Sunday night. But by the middle of the fourth quarter, there were fewer fans in the stands than round the courtside seats where they were trying unsuccessfully to get spectator Bill Walton's autograph. The Lakers' win and Walton's presence may not be totally unrelated.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was outstanding, shooting 13 for 18. He finished with 27 points, 15 rebounds, nine assists and four blocked shots. Abdul-Jabbar's play may have had something to do with Walton being one of the 12,970 spectators. "If Walton comes every night, we'll be all right," said one member of the Laker organization. Regardless of whether he was trying to impress the NBA's Most Valuable Player, quell talk that he has lost some of his skills or was just trying to help the Lakers win one after three losses on the road, Abdul-Jabbar was his old dominant self.

"I thought Kareem was just sensational tonight," coach Jerry West said. "He played all facets of the game." Was there a special motive for his suddenly taking over the game? "Not really," he said. "It was just the game situation." He denied that Walton or newspaper stories had motivated him. "No, we've just got to start winning," he said. That run pulled the Lakers to a 43-43 tie, and Abdul-Jabbar then turned things over to forward Adrian Dan-tley.

Dantley scored the next 14 straight Laker points to close out the half, and L.A. had the lead, 57-53, and it never relinquished it. Dantley finished with a game-high 30 points after another fourth-quarter spurt that helped the Lakers lead at one time by 21, 131-110. He gave credit for his improved scoring and shooting (12 for 19) to a change in style. The Lakers, who had averaged 104 points a game during their 0-3 start, got their 134 by shooting 53.3.

West cited that as the biggest change. "For the first time we were able to score some points," West said. "If Please Turn to Page 12, Col. 1 His Tongue 8-4 Defeat After Two Straight Losses Period, Three in Second Dionne added one more thought about the Kings, circa 1978. "You have to build a team through draft choices," he said.

"We don't have one high draft choice playing on this team." Although it was not one of Marcel's better efforts, he did contribute three assists, was selected the game's No. 2 star and received a warm ovation at the end of the game, waving his arms to the crowd in response to the polite applause. When the Kings leave for Atlanta today, Marcel might be leaving his heart here. This was a game in which the Kings were actually blown away twice by the Canadiens, no doubt snarling over two straight losses, Please Turn to Page 10, Col. 1 MONTREAL-Marcel Dionne considered the question and smiled.

Then he wiped a towel across his face and bit his tongue-figuratively. Emerging from the shower room in the wake of an 8-4 loss to the Montreal Canadiens Sunday night, Dionne was asked to assess this season's Kings. "I opened my mouth in Detroit and I got in a lot of trouble because of it," he replied, choosing his words carefully. "I don't want to start all over here. All I know is that I have two years remaining on my contract, so come back in two years and ask me the same question." Dionne didn't come out and say it, but the inference was clear.

He might be seriously considering playing out his option and moving on, preferably, no doubt, to a solid contender. Pro Football THE UPSETS New Orleans 10, Los Angeles 3 NY Giants 17, Washington 6 Detroit 31, San Diego 14 Kansas City 17, Cleveland 3 Baltimore 7, Denver 6 Seattle 27, Oakland 7 Tampa Bay 33, Chicago 19 THE SETUPS Buffalo 5, Cincinnati 0 NY Jets 23, St. Louis 10 Dallas 14, Philadelphia 7 Minnesota 21, Green Bay 7 Atlanta 20, San Francisco 17 New England 33, Miami 24 Seahawks Upset the Raiders, 27-7 Seattle Picks Off Four Stabler Passes in Win SEATTLE (B Seattle coach Jack Patera liked almost everything he saw Sunday in the Seahawks' surprising 27-7 victory over the Oakland Raiders before a Kingdome crowd of 62,529, largest in Seattle's three-year history. "I think it's the best we've played both offensively and defensively. In fact, I know it is," said Patera.

"Our defense was very- aggressive, very alert and we didn't miss tackles. Having a shutout would have been frosting on the cake, but first you make sure you win." Seattle turned three of its four interceptions of Ken Stabler passes into scores and Sherman Smith ran for a pair of touchdowns to lead the Seahawks to their fourth victory in eight games. "Today was one of those days that just happens," said a disappointed Oakland coach John Madden, whose team dropped to 5-3 and remained tied with Denver for the AFC West's lead. "We got beat pretty solid. It was a complete defeat," Madden said.

"We'll take it and say we'll beat them another day." Linebacker Peter Cronan's interception of a Stabler pass at the Oakland 29 set up a five-play drive Please Turn to Page 6, Col. 4 BY MAL FLORENCE Tlnwt Staff Wrlttr Quarterback Archie Manning says the New Orleans Saints are like the little kids on the block who finally beat the neighborhood tough guy in his own backyard. Manning visited the Coliseum Sunday for the eighth time in his career and, as usual, he was gelling sacked (four times for 52 yards), intimidated and punished by the Rams' defense throughout most of the game. The Saints and Manning had never won in Los Angeles and, it seemed that the teams, tied 3-3 in the fourth quarter, would be playing until Tuesday. New Orleans had made only 16 total yards in the second half and 63 for the game when Manning took his team 69 yards to a touchdown climaxed by his 19-yard scoring pass to fullback Tony Galbreath.

So the Saints upset the previously unbeaten Rams, 10-3 and Manning, a 6-3, 200-pound athlete, who has performed spectacularly here at times but always as loser finally held court as a winner. "On that last drive I was thinking touchdown more than field goal," said Manning, the pride of Mississippi, as reporters clustered around him in the dressing room. "I have a lot of respect for the Rams' offense and they had more than two minutes to come back on us. I didn't want them to kick a field goal to take us into overtime. If we were going into overtime, I wanted them to have to do it with a touchdown." On the winning play, the right-handed Manning rolled left and threw a short pass to Galbreath, who gathered it in on the 13-yard line and scored easily.

There weren't any Rams in the vicinity. "It was an option-run pass," said Manning, one of the NFL's better running quarterbacks. "It was a safe play. I wasn't going to throw it if Tony was covered. I didn't want to come out of there with anything less than a field goal." Manning said that halfback Chuck Muncie made an excellent fake into Please Turn to Page 9, Col.

1 LANNY WADKINS TAKES AUSTRALIAN GOLF TITLE MELBOURNE (UPI) -American Lanny Wadkins, accused earlier in the week of not trying hard enough, closed with a three-un-dcr-par 69 to win the $57,000 Garden State PGA title at Woodlands Sunday. His total of 281 gave last year's U.S. PGA champion the winner's check of $11,500 an early wedding gift. Wadkins will marry Peni Atwood, who accompanied him to Melbourne, on Nov. 11 in Dallas.

Wadkins' victory was never really in doubt following birdies at the 5th and 6th holes. He wound up three strokes better than Australian Bob Shearer, who finished with a 73. He was poised to break the course record of 68 when he jumped to five under with his fifth birdie of the day at the 15th, but dropped shots at the last two holes. Earlier in the week, tournament chairman Doug Mason telephoned the Mark McCormack group, sports managers in Cleveland, and complained Wadkins hadn't given a decent performance in his first-round 75. Wadkins then reeled off rounds of 68, 69 and 69 despite constant sniffling and sneezing with hay fever.

He said later, "To me what Mr. Mason did was an insult to my integrity, "I never felt that I had to prove a point because I knew how I had tried on the first day." PAIN OF DEFEAT Washington Redskins coach Jack Pardee reacts to another misfortune during the fourth quarter as his team was losing to New York Giants, 17-6, for second defeat in row. STORY ON PAGE 2 AP Wirephoto.