Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 35

mm Friday, August 31, 1C34 Thc Irish aren't smiling Notre Dame wasn't happy with last season's performance, and tailback Allen Pinkett says he and the rest of the Fighting Irish are fighting mad about it. Page 10D. IM NFL SCHEDULES PRO PREVIEWS GRAND VALLEY I- Call with portt new: 222-6660 20 burning questions about football 984 and some hot answers Tf ivx i 7 UEH3 jtmpypm iWWSWlw1 I 1 1 l.ltrjrjumM.iiJ JBSk. Free Press Photo by MANNY CRISOSTOMO Is eight enough? Holba (left), John Wilson. Clark Brown, Dave Yarema, Jeff Paterra, Bobby McAllister.

Pete Hrisko and Trent Annicharico all want to be MSU's quarterback. Story. Page 2D. 1BtK Where have all the nicknames gone? I -'it if and more puzzlers Free Press Photo by MARY SCHROEDER 'Peppy' hopes Lions perk up By CURT SYLVESTER Free Press Sports Writer Never in his seven seasons with the Lions has. Monte Clark been quite like this.

Under some of the worst possible conditions, he's been relaxed, he's been funny, he's been accessible and he's been co-operative. Leonard Thompson, Ken Fantetti and Amos Fowler two starters and a top-level backup missed training camp as they held out for more money. (Thompson and Fantetti didn't report until this week; Fowler was still holding out Thursday.) The middle of Clark's offensive line was riddled by injuries, obesity and Fowler's holdout. The Lions had a quarterback problem. Gary Danielson, Eric Hippie and Mike Machurek played at times as though they didn't want the job.

But Clark took it in stride. He even kidded himself, something he hasn't done much in the past. "I probably just don't understand the magnitude of the problem," Clark said. "I'm trying to take the approach of 'What the hey, I'll do the best I I've kind of discovered in the past that people don't have the capacity to get as uptight as I do, so I'm trying to gear down to their level. "I want to be known as a bright and cheery type of guy.

Maybe they'll start calling me Peppy THERE MAY BE more to Clark's attitude than a change of image. He obviously feels confident enough about the 1984 Lions that even the disruptions of holdouts, injuries and a muddled quarterback situation haven't dampened his enthusiasm. See 1984 LIONS, Page4D Free Press staff 1. It has been 12 years since a quarterback (Auburn's Pat Sullivan) won the Helsman Trophy. Is this the year It'll happen again? Could be.

The pre-season hype is for Doug Flutie, Boston College's mighty mite. The usual glut of running backs is available Napoleon McCallum of Navy, Bo Jackson of Auburn and Allen Pinkett of Notre Dame but other quarterbacks, such as Iowa's Chuck Long and Miami's Bernie Kosar, will challenge if they get off to a fast start. Looking for the longest shot (and maybe most deserving)? Offensive tackle Bill Fralic of Pitt. And the winner is Flutie. The USFL is two years old now, so we've had two competing drafts and virtually no break from pro football In 24 months except the '82 strike.

What's been the effect on the NFL? The most notable effect has been in what Quarterback Chris Zurbrugg and the Michigan Wolverines are eyeing another Top 20 season. Michigan's Harbaugh already feels the heat Bunch) have been banned. Same for touchdown dances and "any prolonged, excessive or premeditated celebration by individual players or groups of players." And here's another: players must wear a one-piece exterior stocking that combines solid white and individual team colors." Says so in the NFL rule book. 4. Every Division I conference has its own TV package.

How about the Mid-American Conference? Oh, yes; after months of work, MAC commissioner Jim Lessig has come up with a deal with Sports Time Cable Network. The only problem is that if you live in Michigan, you can't get it. Sports Time cannot be seen in the Toledo or Bowling Green areas, so the package is almost useless to half the conference. If you have PASS, you can see Central Michigan once and Western Michigan once. 5.

Elroy (Crazy Legs) Hlrsch and Gene (Big Daddy) Lipscomb are gone from pro football and Ed (Too Tall) Jones Is getting old. What are we going to do to replace these all-time great nicknames? We like Grambling's defensive tackle, James (Death) Polk. He's a petite 6-foot-ll and 325 pounds. Another to watch is Clem-son's noseguard, William (Refrigerator) Per- the USFL has done to NFL salaries. In 1983, the base salary increased 33 percent for all first-year players, 55 percent for first-rounders.

And first-round bonus money nearly doubled. The USFL also is paying big money, at least to potential NFL first-rounders such as quarterbacks Jim Kelly and Steve Young, wide receivers Trumaine Johnson and Anthony Carter, running back Mike Rozier and offensive linemen Mark Adickes and Mike Reuther. One NFL concern is overexposure of pro 'football. NFL attendance for 1983 was down 325,000 from 1981 and 115,000 from 1980. Television ratings also slipped last season from 1981, the best year.

(ABC's Monday Night ratings fell 17 percent; NBC's 9 percent and CBS's 5 percent.) Any Important NFL rule changes this year? Darned right. Group end zone celebrations (such as those by Washington's Fun By TOMMY GEORGE F'W Pf Sports Writer I i footsteps. i Jim Harbaugh can already "JL hear them. Though coach Bo Schembechler named Harbaugh Michigan's No. 1 quarterback in spring drills, Harbaugh has still fought challenges from No.

2 Chris Zurbrugg and No. 3 Russ Rein in camp, which concludes Saturday with an intra-squad scrimmage. Disbelievers remain some team-; (nates among them, and certainly a vocal few of the 100,000 or so who will cram into Michigan Stadium Sept. 8 when Michigan kicks off its season against the national champion Miami Hurricanes. Harbaugh knows about such things.

He had two years to watch his predecessor, Steve Smith, take heat from U-M fans because he wasn't John Elway. "I came out of spring drills No. 1," Harbaugh said, "but no job is nailed down until that first game. And even I then, you've got to perform week after week. "I am not a proven quarterback, so I lean understand the speculation and i doubt that's been going around.

I think the fact that I'm unproven is why we've been ranked a little lower in jmost of the pre-season polls. But I i think the responsibility of being Michi-' gan quarterback is great on and off the field. We've had some fine, proven quarterbacks here. I think I'll prove I myself worthy of that same status." There's been little chance to prove himself. He's thrown all of five colle-i giate passes.

His backups, Zurbrugg and Rein, were in school last year but didn't play at all. HARBAUGH Hi the physical at-' tributes he is 6-i6ot-3, 202 pounds, has a strong arm and strong legs. Those legs may carry him and the Wolverines through the early season. With backs who can spurt inside and out running behind an experienced offensive line, Michigan might run the football this year as often as it ever has. That may be especially true if tailback Rick Rogers returns.

(Rogers has practiced with the team since last Wednesday, but next week faces a U-M academic board that will determine his eligibility.) He rushed for 1,002 yards last season. Schembechler is pleased with Har-baugh's execution of the option, and if he lets him go airborne, plenty of speedsters can catch up with the football. Vince Bean, the "old man" at split end, has started every game for three seasons. ON DEFENSE, the Wolverines' strong suit, seven seniors return as linemen, and Schembechler hopes they can help hold opponents if the offense needs a couple of games to produce. Tackles Kevin Brooks and Mike Ham-merstein and middle guard Al Sincich are defensive stalwarts, as is linebacker Mike Mallory, leading Wolverine tackier last season (119).

Cornerback Brad Cochran and safety Tony Gant are chief members of the secondary, which Schembechler says must improve because he expects more big-play passing around the Big Ten this year. And what does Schembechler, heading into his 15th Wolverine season, expect from Harbaugh? "He hadn't really said anything like that," Harbaugh said, "other than don't worry about the fans or anybody else but pleasing the coaches and the players qnt this team. I think what he really exiects, though, obviously, is for the quarterback to win games." ry, a 6-3, 320-pounder. However, his chances for the all-time nickname team were hurt when Sports Illustrated referred to him as G.E. 6.

What's a Cherry Bowl and who's going to play in it? The northern climes get into the bowl act and since Traverse City is more appealing in the summer, we'll salute Michigan's cherry industry in Pontiac, where there are more cars than cherries, but also an stadium. Selectors would love to find Michi- See QUESTIONS, Page 15D 1 "PfeeTfes? Punter Mike Black will try to help the Lions keep their feet in the NFC Central Division championship door. And, inside, more burning questions, such as So who's scheduled to play My Favorite University this fall, and when? Page 12D. Can Big Ten champ Illinois bounce back from probation and a Rose Bowl defeat? Page 6D. Who is Michigan's other highly successful coach and why don't we hear anything about him? gm.

Page 3D. Jr Whose doors will college scouts be banging on this fall? Page Kit.