Playboy's Pro Football Preview

Sid Gillman, one of pro football's great offensive tacticians, stood in the cool sunlight of a February morning on Los Angeles' Sunset Boulevard and reflected upon the current state of the art. Gillman, a man of mercurial emotions, only some weeks before had walked away in disgust from his job as head coach of the San Diego Chargers after a heated dispute with owner Eugene Klein. Now he was working for a television station, spending his spare time listening to classical music, tending a lush arboretum in his back yard and insisting he was through with football forever.

"Very few fans understand how much the character and personality of the owner of a football team affects its success," Gillman said. "He's the man who makes the crucial decisions. He has to be a hardheaded businessman, but he also must have the sensitivity to know when to stay in the background and not interfere and when to step in and rectify a situation that maybe his coach or general manager can't handle. Two of the best and most successful owners in the business are Clint Murchison of the Dallas Cowboys and Lamar Hunt of the Kansas City Chiefs. They're both intelligent, rational, sound businessmen. And there are others. They have the good sense to hire first-rate managers and coaches, give them the authority and freedom that matches their responsibility and then leave them pretty much alone.

"Just look at the Dallas Cowboys," Gillman said with awe in his voice. "They are a fantastic organization: no other club in pro football can even approach them in research, scouting and organizational efficiency, let alone in the quality of their coaching and player personnel. You just listen to what I'm saying: The Dallas Cowboys are in the process of putting together a football dynasty the likes of which we have never seen before. Even the Green Bay Packers of the Lombardi years didn't approach the power of the empire that's being built in Dallas."

He thought about his words for a moment and then said, "Boy, what a great organization they would be to work for!" A month later, Gillman was surprised by a call from Tex Schramm, general manager of the Cowboys. Schramm didn't have to do much arm twisting. Next day Sid Gillman was on his way to Dallas to join the Cowboys' "think-tank," and thus help fulfill his own prophecy.

Last year, the Dallas Cowboys were first among the 26 N.F.L. teams in total offense, third in rushing, second in passing, third in total defense and second in defense against the rush. It is true that the pass defense ranked 19th, but that was more a matter of ennui than of ineptitude.

The Cowboys tend to loaf a bit, playing only as well as they feel they need to in order to win. Thus some of last year's midseason defeats. But in the play-off games and the Super Bowl, they were indomitable. Even the pass defense played to near perfection.

There will probably be very few changes in the Dallas line-up this fall. With 13 starters over 30, age could become a factor, but coach Tom Landry feels, like Washington coach George Allen, that this is more of an asset than a liability. Defensive lineman Tody Smith and free safety Charley Waters could crash the starting line-up, but, like last year, there isn't a rookie in camp who has a chance of becoming a starter.

The Cowboys have this wealth of talent because their front office is one of the smartest in professional football. Tex Schramm, the father genius of the organization, is responsible for most of the creative innovations in pro football during the past ten years. The junior genius is scout Gil Brandt, whose encyclopedic knowledge of college talent enables Dallas to get the best group of rookies in the country almost every year. Coach Tom Landry has fashioned an offense that uses almost nothing but single-wing plays run out of multiple formations. That's why the Cowboys play nearly faultless football: Mistakes are made with tricky plays, not with tricky formations.

Coach Bob Hollway arrived in St. Louis last year preceded by press trumpetings and predictions that he was going to lead the Cardinals out of the wilderness of squad dissension and morale breakdowns. Hollway's first decision was that squad morale was inversely proportional to the length of the players' hair, so he ordered them to chop it off. And shave. His Spartan approach won few games and little player support. The (continued on page 126) Pro Football Preview (continued from page 118)leading dissenter on the squad was running back MacArthur Lane, whose public remarks got him traded to Green Bay--even up--for the Packers' resident malcontent, Donny Anderson. Anderson is joined by big Leon Burns, a runner of enormous potential who came from the San Diego Chargers. Also on the scene is Steve Worster, the bruising fullback from the University of Texas. Whether or not these new players can turn last year's nonexistent ground attack into a usable weapon depends upon the further development of a young but talented offensive line. The most exciting new addition to the Cardinal roster will be Bobby Moore, who could become a brilliant wide receiver in his rookie year. If the Cardinal defense is up to its usual standards and if Hollway wins the confidence and loyalty of his players, St. Louis could be a surprise team this year.

Cynical observers are saying the same thing about Washington coach George Allen and his team that they were saying this time last year: Ancient age may be good in a distillery but not in profootball. In '71, Allen did an instant rebuilding job on what had been the worst defense in football and gave journeyman Bill Kilmer the confidence to become one of the most effective quarterbacks in the country. At season's end, Kilmer destroyed the Los Angeles Rams with three touchdown passes, knocking them out of the play-offs and avenging his coach, who had been fired by Los Angeles the year before.

There will probably be as few changes in the Washington line-up as there are in Dallas', but for a different reason. The draft was a dry well for the Redskins this year. When Allen finally found a draft choice he had forgotten to trade away, he used it to pick up Moses Denson, an appropriately aging running back who has been playing in Canada. Although the Redskins won't have the advantage of sneaking up on any opponents the way they did last year, they could be even stronger--provided Sonny Jurgensen, Larry Brown and Charley Taylor are recovered from injuries that largely incapacitated them last season.

The Philadelphia Eagles, under new coach Ed Khayat, have regained their almost forgotten respectability. Khayat--who smokes whiskey-flavored stogies, wears an American flag in his lapel and is another molder of men who doubts the character of players who wear long hair--has worked wonders with a previously inept squad. The best features of the new Eagles are a young and reckless defense and long-range field-goal kicker Tom Dempsey. Prospects look even brighter this year with the arrival of John Reaves, a gold-plated quarterback prospect who should be a starter before his rookie season is over. The Eagles' running corps was mediocre last year and probably won't be much better this time. Top rusher Ron Bull has retired and the only bright prospect obtained in the draft, Ron "Po" James of New Mexico State, will have to break in behind an offensive line that is still very young and inexperienced. The brightest new star this season will probably be sophomore receiver Harold Carmichael, a 6'8" wonder who could team with Reaves to give the Eagles the best "bomb squad" in football.

The New York Giants have arrived. Their headlong rush to the bottom has come to fruition with the trading away of quarterback Fran Tarkenton to Minnesota. They now have one of the least impressive collections of player talent outside Chicago. Presumably, owner Wellington Mara is still sifting his player roster, trying to find some other talent on his squad to trade away to championship teams. The Giants' best hope of winning a couple of games this year lies in the person of strong-armed Randy Johnson, who came to the Giants for the same reason Tarkenton originally did: to get away from coach Norm Van Brocklin. At least Johnson will have an excellent receiver for his passes; Bob Grim, who came from Minnesota as part of the Tarkenton trade, will probably become the newest darling of the Giants' fans. They won't have much else to cheer about.

Along with Dallas, the Minnesota Vikings seem to have the best chance among N.F.C. teams to get to the Super Bowl this season. Since there is very little difference in the potentials of the top teams in professional football, luck and injuries should prove determining factors. The big games are usually lost rather than won. That's what happened at Minnesota last year. The Vikings, as usual, made defensive football their own specialized art, allowing only 14 touchdowns in 14 regular-season games. All season long, the Vikings turned patience into victory, playing so that the offense wouldn't get the defense into trouble. And when the other team made a mistake, the Vikes came pouring through. But in the conference championship game, the Cowboys played it Minnesota style, and coach Bud Grant was left to ponder the mixed blessings of defense-oriented football.

Viking fans will notice a difference this year. Grant is less a theory coach than a "what's best for what you've got to work with" coach. Now he has Tarkenton at quarterback, a healthy Gene Washington to catch Fran's passes, two superb runners in Dave Osborn and Clinton Jones (who, after five years, has at last reached his potential), plus a new bulldozer-type runner in heralded Ed Marinaro. It all adds up to a Viking offense that will be much less conservative.

Tarkenton, of course, will be the key. Opinions on Tarkenton's ability are amazingly diverse. Nearly everyone agrees that, with his incredible scrambling, he is the most exciting quarterback in the country. But while Tarkenton was still in New York, Atlanta coach Norm Van Brocklin said, "If Jesus Christ were the coach, Vince Lombardi his advisor and Fran Tarkenton the quarterback, the Giants would be a seven-seven club." It is our guess that Tarkenton will excel beyond all expectations at Minnesota, largely because he will be operating behind the kind of offensive line he needs.

The Detroit Lions are a mirror image of Minnesota: an excellent offensive attack and a decrepit defense. The back-field is one of the best in football. Quarterback Greg Landry was superlative last season and should improve. Steve Owens and Altie Taylor are a pair of exceptional runners. Owens not only led his team in rushing last year, he also wound up as the Lions' number-one pass catcher.

The defense is another story. The pass rush will still be anemic, despite the arrival of rookie defensive end Herb Orvis, who, at the age of 25 years, should have the maturity to be a starter his first year. Nearly half the defensive unit will be first- or second-year men. Although several of them--including Orvis, defensive tackle Bob Bell and linebacker Charlie Weaver--have great futures, the inexperience probably will again cost the Lions some close games.

After Donny Anderson had been traded from Green Bay to St. Louis, someone asked him how long he thought it would be before coach Dan Devine would take the Packers back to the Super Bowl. "About 25 years," Anderson said. "I'm not the only Packer who was disillusioned. It's hard for a professional to put up with a junior high philosophy."

Anderson's comments were more sour grapes than objective analysis. No coaching philosophy could have won with the Packers' weakness last year: a crumby pass rush, a slow and aged secondary and an incompetent kicking game. The pass rush will be juiced up this season by transferring Fred Carr to defensive end, and the draft helped answer the two other questions. Rookie Willie Buchanon is said (continued on page 163) Pro Football Preview(continued from page 126) to be the best defensive back to come out of college ranks in many years. Chester Marcol, a Polish-born soccer kicker from tiny Hillsdale College in Michigan, is a field-goal kicker of immense talent and an adequate punter.

The Packers will look better on offense, too, with John Brockington, MacArthur Lane and Dave Hampton running aggressively and gifted rookie Jerry Tagge backing up a much-matured Scott Hunter at quarterback. Now that Devine has weeded out most of the cynical older players left over from the Lombardi era and surrounded himself with younger talent less involved with the past, the '72 Packers should be considerably improved.

The Chicago Bears will wind up this season where they finished last year--nowhere. With no offense, not much defense and a lot of luck, the Bears looked surprisingly good in '71 until the law of averages caught up with them at midseason. The Bears need just about everything, but perhaps the most critical needs are in the offensive line, at running back and at quarterback. Although first-round draft choice Lionel Antoine will be a great help in the front line, we suspect that his most attractive feature for the Bears was the fact that he did not employ an agent to negotiate his contract. Said head coach Abe Gibron, "I admire the boy for negotiating on his own and not hiring an agent. This shows the character this boy possesses." We fail to see the logic. Negotiating a contract with the Bears without an agent is like being tried for murder without a lawyer.

The Bears also hoped to help fix a sorry running game by drafting Alabama's great Johnny Musso. Musso, however, had the good judgment to opt for Canadian football. Rookie cornerback Craig Clemons will undoubtedly be a starter his first season, but prospects for the all-important quarterback position are as dismal as ever. Bobby Douglass is easily the strongest quarterback in the country. If footballs weighed as much as cannon balls, he would probably be the best. He could be switched to tight end, where his talents would be put to better use.

The Bears' best hope for improvement lies in new head coach Abe Gibron, an old-fashioned tough-minded mentor who can terrorize his players into excellence if necessary, and who has the strength of character to overcome many of the disadvantages of working for George Halas. But any improvement in the Bears' fortunes will be in the future. This year's team will undoubtedly look much like last year's edition. Tackle Steve Wright summed it all up thusly: "There's one basic thing that keeps this team together--misery. The problems can't be solved by changing coaches."

San Francisco is a team with no discernible weaknesses. The 49ers are so deep in talent that they were even able to survive last year's serious injuries. As training camp opens, the only possible cloud on the horizon is defensive end Cedrick Hardman's knee, which underwent surgery in the off-season. If it heals by September, the 49ers should have the best pass rush in the country. Along with Hardman, the player most responsible for the emergence of the great 49er defense is middle linebacker Frank Nunley, who dominates the defensive unit with both his play and his personality. Nicknamed Fudgehammer by his teammates because "he looks so sweet but hits so hard," Nunley is a bundle of enthusiasm with a high-pitched voice that sometimes breaks up his teammates when he yells audibles on the playing field.

The 49ers are young and should return this season with few changes except for back-up defensive tackle Stan Hindman, who has retired in order to devote his full energies to sculpture and painting. The only prominent new faces on the scene will be receiver Terry Beasley, the All-America from Auburn, and runner Joe Orduña, who moves up from last year's taxi squad. In short, about the only thing that can keep the 49ers out of the play-offs is bad luck--or maybe Los Angeles.

Tommy Prothro did an exemplary job his first year at the Rams' helm and he expects nothing but improvement this year. His players adjusted to Prothro's "big play" offense without losing their winning habit. Prothro--who brought many of the fancier wrinkles of college football to the pros--is the only N. F. L. coach who flip-flops the offensive line and isn't above springing surprise formations and trick plays at unexpected moments. Reversing the current trend in pro football, Prothro wants to show his competitors that offensive football is the way to win, and he has turned the Rams into an attack-oriented team. The results were not unexpected. The Rams made too many mistakes last year, often fumbling at the wrong time or incurring a penalty when it hurt most. If Prothro's charges can cut down on the errors, polish the passing attack and improve the defensive consistency, the Rams could challenge San Francisco for best in the West.

Despite the presence of Roman Gabriel, who considers himself one of only two "complete" quarterbacks in football (the other quarterback who is allowed to share this honor is Bob Griese of Miami), the Rams will be primarily a running team. Rookie Jim Bertelsen of Texas and veterans Larry Smith and Willie Ellison should provide an explosive attack.

Second-year man Jack Youngblood has the best chance at moving into a starting berth; he's scheduled to take over the traded Deacon Jones's defensive-end spot unless he loses out to Fred Dryer, recently acquired from the Giants via New England. Dryer mouthed off at Giant owner Mara last year and got himself traded to the Patriots for his trouble. Despite--perhaps because of--his acid temperament, Dryer has the makings of one of the best defensive linemen in the country.

Many fans thought J. D. Roberts should have been the Coach of the Year in 1971 for the way he turned the New Orleans Saints from a forlorn bunch of losers into a team that pulled off a couple of the more impressive upsets of the season. Roberts has suddenly become one of the most respected coaches in the business--an interesting development, because for years he was regarded by fellow coaches with extreme disaffection, a sentiment that stemmed from his alleged role in blowing the whistle on the University of Houston for illicit recruiting practices shortly after he was booted out as an assistant coach at that school in 1964. Roberts was ostracized for six years, taking whatever jobs he could find in football's Siberia. Finally, in the middle of the 1970 season--when the situation at New Orleans had become desperate--the Saints' management brought him up from a coaching job in the minor Atlantic Coast League. Roberts immediately ordered his players to chop off all excess hirsute adornments (what, another one?) and ran off or traded all players who even faintly resembled hippies or who didn't demonstrate suitable fanaticism. He worked the remaining players to the brink of collapse in the sweltering Mississippi summer of '71, finally fielding a squad with 15 rookies--a quantity of inexperience that is supposed to spell doom in the N.F.L. But with quarterback phenom Archie Manning at the helm, the Saints knocked off such toughies as Los Angeles, Dallas and San Francisco and tied Oakland long before the '71 season was over.

One of Roberts' best efforts was in rebuilding the offensive line. The Saints now have one of the premier forward walls in the country and it will be even stronger this season with the addition of super rookie Royce Smith of Georgia and center Bob Kuziel from Pittsburgh. A new offensive star will be receiver Margene Adkins, obtained in a trade with Dallas. With a healthy and more experienced Archie Manning, the Saints' point production should be greatly increased in '72. The defense still needs some heavy rebuilding, a job that will be helped along by the arrival of rookie linebacker Willie Hall.

Another vastly improved team last year was Atlanta. The Falcons enjoyed a winning season for the first time in their history, and prospects look even brighter for '72 if a couple of the running backs obtained in the draft come through. For the past four years, coach Norm Van Brocklin has been looking for a blazing runner to give an outside threat to the ground game. Last year's hopeful, Joe Profit, carried the ball only three times before he was knocked out for the season with a knee injury. Profit is healthy now and rookie Les Goodman from Yankton College in South Dakota looks even more promising. The most interesting competition in training camp will be between veteran quarterback Bob Berry and rookie passer Pat Sullivan. Berry, who is theoretically "too short" to be a pro quarterback, somehow manages to be one of the best in the business. He is certainly the most accurate. We doubt if Berry can be dislodged, at least not this year.

Atlanta's trouble is defense. Rookie tackle Roosevelt Manning has talent and should help stiffen the line. The secondary will be helped considerably with the arrival of Clarence Ellis from Notre Dame.

If the new running backs live up to their billing and if the Falcons' offensive line, anchored by George Kunz, continues to improve, Atlanta could be one of the surprise teams of the year.

Although the Eastern Division of the American Conference is rapidly becoming the toughest circuit in pro football, the Baltimore Colts have the talent and depth to win the division championship again this year. Over the past decade, the Colts have probably been the most consistently successful team in football, and the two people most responsible have been quarterback Johnny Unitas and owner Carroll Rosenbloom. Unitas has been a peerless leader on the field and Rosenbloom has provided stability and shrewd guidance in the front office.

Baltimore lacked only receivers last year, a problem that seems to have been solved by good luck in the college draft. The Colts wanted a top college wide receiver, but all had been taken by the time they got their first pick. Gambling, they took Glenn Doughty of Michigan. The coaches couldn't believe their eyes when they got a look at him last March on rookie indoctrination day. He looked like he had been playing the position for ten years.

Another new face on the Baltimore squad will be Jack Mildren, who is projected as an eventual replacement for Jerry Logan in the defensive backfield. However, look for a surprise: Coach Don McCafferty is toying with the idea of installing a few wishbone-T plays and saving them for the right time. Why? Because Jack Mildren is a master wishbone quarterback and fullbacks Norm Bulaich and Don Nottingham are built to order for the wishbone offense. It is inevitable that sooner or later the wishbone offense will be adopted by the pros. It just might make its first appearance at Baltimore this year.

The knottiest problem for Miamians this summer is getting tickets to Dolphin games. Before coach Don Shula walked across the waters of Biscayne Bay to lead the Dolphins out of the wilderness, ticket hawkers managed to peddle only 17,478 season tickets. By May of this year, more than 65,000 were already sold.

The Dolphins' main hope for repeating last year's success lies in their continuing good fortune with injuries. Last year's two top teams, Dallas and Miami, were probably the healthiest in the country, while a few other promising squads, such as Cincinnati, St. Louis and Denver, were nearly wiped out by injuries. The Dolphins are blessed with one of the most talented backfields in the country. Bob Griese is a first-caliber quarterback and Larry Csonka and Jim Kiick are a perfect combination of outside speed and inside power--but there is little depth behind them. Mercury Morris should get some starting time and that will help. Receiver Paul Warfield could be the best ever at that position. If they all stay healthy, the Dolphins could be back in the Super Bowl next January. The Miami squad is young as well as talented, so the only rookie who should break into the starting line-up this fall is defensive tackle Mike Kadish from Notre Dame.

The New York Jets suffered devastating injuries the past two seasons. If all the injured return to health--especially Joe Namath--the team can make a run for the title. But it depends on how well Jerome Barkum develops at wide receiver and whether Rich Caster can work out at tight end, a position that has been a serious weakness. John Riggins, Emerson Boozer and Matt Snell (if his knee heals) will provide a potent running attack to balance Namath's passing. The defensive platoon, where most injuries occurred last year, must return to health and the kicking game must be improved.

The most important "if" is, of course, Joe Namath's knees. If they hold up, the Jets will give Miami and Baltimore a strong run.

There is optimism in both Boston and Buffalo. New England was rated with New Orleans as the most dramatically improved teams in the N.F.L. last year. Like New Orleans, the Patriots benefited from a phenomenal rookie quarter-back. Jim Plunkett ran every play from scrimmage all year and--unlike many seasoned quarterbacks--called every play himself. Also like New Orleans, the Patriots hung a couple of stunning upsets on supposedly much stronger teams, notably a 34-13 rout of the Miami Dolphins at season's end. This year, Plunkett will be throwing to a flashy new receiver, Tom Reynolds from San Diego State. He and Randy Vataha, Plunkett's teammate at Stanford, should drive opposing pass defenders crazy. Josh Ashton, lately of Vancouver in the Canadian League, should give added velocity to the running game.

Six years ago, Lou Saban left Buffalo to take the coaching job at the University of Maryland, moving the next year to the Denver Broncos. It was a regrettable separation for both Saban and Buffalo. In those six years, the Bills have lost 60 games. Endless misfortune--mostly in the form of player injuries--turned Saban's sojourn in Denver sour. Now he returns to Buffalo and he couldn't have picked a better time. Abundant talent from recent drafts is available to Saban this season. His first job will be rebuilding a sad offensive line so that talented quarter-back Dennis Shaw can spend more time on his feet and O.J. Simpson can at last reach his potential. In the past couple of years, Simpson has had to make some of the most brilliant runs of his career just to get back to the line of scrimmage. Defensive help is also desperately needed and appears on the way in the persons of Notre Dame All-America tackle Walt Patulski and two veteran defensive linemen, tackle Greg Lens and end Randy Marshall, obtained in a trade with Atlanta. Saban also thinks he may have gotten a talented sleeper in the college draft--tackle Karl Salb, an Olympic-caliber shot-putter at Kansas who didn't play football his last two years in college.

Few football teams have ever been so totally wiped out by injuries as were the Cincinnati Bengals in 1971. All the injured will report to summer camp fully healed, however, including invaluable quarterback Virgil Carter. No other professional quarterback, except Joe Namath, is so vital to his team's success. Carter makes up with intellect and leadership what he lacks in height and strength.

Even without Carter, the Bengals would have won several more games last season if they hadn't suffered last-minute breakdowns on defense. So coach Paul Brown went into the draft looking for prime defensive beef and picked up defensive end Sherman White of California and safety Tommy Casanova of LSU. Both should be starters their first year. Brown is so confident of Casanova's potential that special practice schedules are being worked out for him so he can attend medical school during the season.

The Bengals' fine runners will be joined by rookie Bernard Jackson. He and Lemar Parrish will give Cincinnati the best pair of kick returners in the country.

With the new defensive help and the probability that an injury epidemic won't strike two years in a row, the Bengals look like the cream of the Central Division.

Three factors will determine the Cleveland Browns' fortunes this season: the quality of a revamped defensive backfield, the maturation of Mike Phipps and Bill Nelsen's aching knees. Last year, Phipps was supposed to replace Nelsen as the starting quarterback, but it was a case of too much too soon. An added year should make a big difference for the extremely talented young passer, but, ready or not, Phipps will have responsibility forced upon him if Nelsen's shaky pins give way. Phipps has all the equipment; now he needs to win his teammates' confidence.

The Browns may have solved their severe problem in the defensive backfield by drafting Tom Darden of Michigan and Clifford Brooks of Tennessee State.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have become a stable team. The Pittsburgh tradition of tearing the squad apart and rebuilding it each year has been abandoned. Chuck Noll is only the third coach in the Steelers' 40-year history to direct the team through four consecutive campaigns, and he has managed to give his players a reasonable sense of security. Having a perennially good position in the draft, the Steelers' squad is loaded with good young talent. Last year's weaknesses--notably, a leaky pass defense--were mostly a matter of immaturity and could be solved with an added year's experience. The Steelers' major assets this year--as last--will be the fast-developing abilities of quarterback Terry Bradshaw and a gutty defense anchored by Joe Greene, a devastating tackle who seems to play best when the stakes are highest. Rookies who should see a lot of action this year are running back Franco Harris, offensive tackle Gordon Gravelle and tight end John McMakin.

The Houston Oilers' major liability the past few years has been owner Bud Adams. Last year, Adams fired an assistant coach in midseason without bothering to tell the head coach, then fired the head coach in a dispute over whether or not to fire an equipment manager. That kind of chaos in the front office has kept squad morale at an abysmal level. The problem may be solved, however, by new coach Bill Peterson, a smart and tough winner who isn't the sort to brook any interference from Adams. Peterson has a "lifetime" contract, so in Houston he should last at least two seasons. To improve the Oilers' won-lost record, Peterson and his staff will have to find some creditable runners and totally rebuild the worst offensive line in the league. Roy Hopkins and Willie Armstrong, who didn't play last year because of injuries, along with rookie Lewis Jolley, may punch up the running game. Unfortunately, an efficient offensive line can't be constructed in a single season, even by a coach of Peterson's caliber, so any games the Oilers win will be won by the defense. Defensive teams, however, don't score very often.

Kansas City's ground defense was so vicious last season that the only way opponents could move the ball was through the air. Since coach Hank Stram is a compulsive perfectionist (a trait most obviously expressed in his dapper dressing habits), fans can expect a retooled pass defense by the opening game. If quarterback Len Dawson repeats last year's best-ever performance and the receiving corps stays reasonably healthy, the Chiefs will win a lot of games. The squad's depth is such that the only new man who has a chance to see much action is Jeff Kinney, an experienced I-formation fullback from Nebraska.

The Oakland Raiders were confidently expecting a fifth straight division championship last year, but their hopes were wiped out in the exhibition season by injuries to runners Charlie Smith and Hewritt Dixon and a jail sentence for receiver Warren Wells. Nevertheless, the Raiders' excellent depth kept them in the running until the 13th game. Both runners are healed, but Wells's future is still cloudy. Consequently, the Raiders went for receivers in the draft, the prize catch being Mike Siani of Villanova. The Raiders' only other problems are quarterback Daryle Lamonica's throwing hand and a defensive line that needs shoring up. (The draft also brought some promising fresh tonnage for the defensive line in the persons of Kelvin Korver and Mel Lunsford.) Lamonica's hand underwent surgery in February and the prognosis is optimistic. If Lamonica doesn't return to his previous excellence, Ken Stabler, a future great, is now mature enough to take over permanently. Ageless George Blanda is still around and extremely popular with Oakland fans. They cheer when Lamonica gets hurt, because it means Blanda will come in.

Denver's long-suffering followers are understandably impatient. In their 12-year existence, the Broncos haven't had a winning season. Coach Lou Saban's failure to produce a winner last year--largely because of a disastrous rash of injuries--cost him his job. His replacement, former Stanford coach John Ralston, is a certified Dale Carnegie instructor and an advocate of the power of positive thinking. Ralston has an ineradicable grin that features several dozen pearly teeth and a handshake like a used-car salesman's. His enthusiasm and positive thinking ("Getting to the Super Bowl ... correction ... winning the Super Bowl is our goal, and it will come to pass") are apparently contagious; by mid-February, all available season tickets had been sold.

Last season, the San Diego Chargers had a brilliant offense and a sad defense. Things will be different under new coach Harland Svare. In the off-season, he traded for two super defensive linemen, Deacon Jones from Los Angeles and George Wright from Baltimore.

But former coach Sid Gillman's offensive genius will be sorely missed, and San Diego's schedule is perhaps the toughest in the conference. The Chargers will have to wait until next year for a crack at a winning season.

Finally, a suggestion to the 26 owners of professional football teams; a way in which they can return some of the bounty showered upon them by an insatiable clientele, a way in which they can prove they aren't completely blinded by avarice. After all, professional football is an essentially parasitic business, getting all its raw material preprocessed and refined for free.

So let the owners take ten percent off the top of their gross gate receipts and give it to the N.C.A.A. for distribution to colleges and universities to support their athletic programs. It would be a small price to pay for the world's best athletic farm system. It would also be tax deductible.

Eastern Division

National Football Conference

Dallas Cowboys .....11-3

Washington Redskins ..... 9-5

St. Louis Cardinals ..... 5-9

Philadelphia Eagles ..... 5-9

New York Giants .....1-13

Central Division

National Football Conference

Minnesota Vikings..... 11-3

Detroit Lions..... 9-5

Green Bay Packers..... 5-9

Chicago Bears..... 1-13

Western Division

National Football Conference

San Francisco 49ers ..... 11-3

Los Angeles Rams ..... 9-5

New Orleans Saints ..... 7-7

Atlanta Falcons ..... 7-7

Eastern Division

American Football Conference

Baltimore Colts ..... 10-4

Miami Dolphins ..... 9-5

New York Jets ..... 7-7

New England Patriots ..... 7-7

Buffalo Bills ..... 5-9

Central Division

American Football Conference

Cincinnati Bengals ..... 9-5

Cleveland Browns ..... 7-7

Pittsburgh Steelers ..... 7-7

Houston Oilers ..... 2-12

Western Division

American Football Conference

Kansas City Chiefs ..... 10-4

Oakland Raiders ..... 10-4

Denver Broncos..... 5-9

San Diego Chargers ..... 3-11