Playboy's Pro Football Preview

Pro Football has long been two games--the matching of brawn and speed on the field and the more complex (and often more entertaining) battle of avarice and swollen ego played off-field and off-season by players and management.

The field-game rules aren't much different this year, but the ongoing battle between boss and skilled laborer has been completely restructured. The agreement signed this spring by the National Football League owners and the N.F.L. Players Association virtually assures an endless series of contractual maneuvers, financial bluffs and dramatic midnight concessions in the struggle to decide who plays for whom, and for how much.

To help you savor every thrilling moment of the suspenseful goings on, we herewith offer a condensed version of the new off-field game rules:

The N.F.L. owners get to keep their most sacred relic, the draft, along with a few restraints on the movement of players between teams, thus assuring--at least theoretically--some competitive balance among the clubs.

The players, conversely, are given greater leverage in their contract bargainings with owners. They also got their major demand, the scrapping of the Rozelle Rule, whereby the N.F.L. commissioner, acting like a medieval baron, decided compensation for a free-agent player if his original club and his new club couldn't agree on his worth. Now, if a restless mercenary plays out his option and signs with a new team for $50,000 or more, his old club is automatically awarded a third-round pick in the next draft ($65,000 to $75,000 brings a second-round choice and $75,000 to $125,000 gets the old team a first-round pick. From $125,000 to $200,000 is reckoned as being worth a first and a second). However (and this is what keeps the bidding for flesh from turning into a circus), the old team can match the new club's offer and the player stays. That ends it--no back-and-forth bidding.

Although a jilted club probably would get more compensation for a defecting player under the Rozelle Rule, at least now it will have a chance to retain a coveted player if the price isn't too high.

The person made unhappiest by all this is probably Washington coach George Allen; one of the rules says you can't bid for a free agent if you don't have the requisite draft choices available.

The annual bargaining tilt with draftees is under a complex new set of guidelines, also. Although the draft had been declared illegal in Federal Court, it has now been graced with legal status because it was established by collective bargaining and because it has been made "more reasonable" by being reduced from 17 rounds to 12 rounds--thus leaving a greater pool of players who can negotiate with teams of their choice. (That's at best a mixed blessing for those who would have been drafted in the later rounds; under the old system, they at least would have had an idea of their market value.)

A drafted player (the flesh auction is to be held annually on or about May first) has until June seventh to reach an agreement with the club that has chosen him. If he hasn't, the club must offer him one of four alternative contracts specified in the new agreement, ranging from a one-year deal for $20,000 to a four-year contract that will bring the player $65,000 his fourth year. He has 15 days to mull that one over. If he balks and continuing negotiations fail, he can lay off for a season and be drafted by another team the following May. The original club, therefore, has a problem--it must give the recalcitrant draftee what he wants or blow a draft choice.

But that doesn't necessarily leave the player--even a highly prized rookie--with a gun to management's head. A year out of action could be fatal to a finely tuned athlete. There is no guarantee that another club will be more generous, (continued on page 132) Pro Football Preview (continued from page 124) and if the player absconds to Canada and returns to sign with another N.F.L. team, the club that originally drafted him can match the offer and take him.

"All in all, it's a good set of checks and balances," says Tex Schramm, general manager of the Dallas Cowboys. "Both the clubs and the players have some control over their destinies, rather than the freewheeling open-market situation."

So much for the new guidelines for the off-season games. Let's take a look at what will likely happen on the fields of play.

For the past three years, canny observers of pro football, watching the methodical development of the New England franchise, have been aware that the Patriots were assembling a future powerhouse. The suddenness with which the Pats congealed last year stunned everyone, including their own fans. As this season opens, the whole city of Boston is up for grabs. Local pub crawlers who once derided the team are now gung-ho fans who talk about how many games "we" won last year (11).

The euphoria will likely continue this season, thanks to the cunning of head coach and general manager Chuck Fairbanks, whose genius at drafting and trading has produced an abundance of top-grade personnel. Perhaps Fairbanks' most valuable asset has been his willingness to gamble at the drafting table and in bartering sessions. The trade of quarterback Jim Plunkett to San Francisco for a bonanaza of draft choices was the slickest deal of the decade. Even the Pats' longshot draft picks, quarterback Steve Grogan and tight end Russ Francis, performed like all-pros last season.

The result of all this is that the Patriots enjoyed the luxury--for the first time--of drafting for the future instead of for immediate help. Three of the newcomers, defensive back Raymond Clayborn, wide receiver Stanley Morgan and tight end Don Hasselbeck, seem destined to be future greats.

That, combined with a relatively easy schedule, could put the Patriots into strong contention for a trip to the Super Bowl.

Baltimore's major problem in recent seasons has been the front-office turmoil caused by ego clashes between former general manager Joe Thomas and owner Robert Irsay. Thomas has departed for San Francisco and Irsay, known as the fastest lip in town, has reportedly promised to curtail his dressing-room tirades. His abortive attempt to fire coach Ted Marchibroda at the beginning of last season (the players revolted) thoroughly embarrassed everyone except Irsay himself. The other N.F.L. owners reportedly have told him to shut up and start acting like an adult, so the front office many become as stable as the team.

The Colt squad has no apparent needs except added manpower in the defensive secondary and help for aging Jim Cheyunski at middle linebacker. Norm Thompson, obtained from St. Louis in the off season, should solve the first problem.

The Colts' major assets are the Bert Jones-to-Roger Carr passing duo and two superb lines. Only the New England Patriots stand in the way of a division championship.

Miami is not the over-the-hill gang it many seem to be. Last year's disappointing showing was caused by neither lethargy nor arthritis; it was the result of 11 knee operations and one broken leg. If eight of this dozen players return to top form, coach Don Shula will consider himself lucky. As a result, any improvement in the flaccid pass rush--last year's major weakness--will probably have to come from rookie defensive tackles A. J. Duhe and Bob Baumhower.

Another possible boost for the defensive line could be the sudden maturing of Don Reese (called the Undertaker by teammates, because he works off season in his daddy's funeral parlor). Reese is the kind of player who has to have a fire lit under him, but when he's in top form, he's an eight-cylinder terror.

The defensive secondary should get an injection (it picked off only 11 passes last fall, an all-time low) from the arrival of safety Vern Roberson, late of the Canadian league. But the best news is the return of Bill Arnsparger as assistant head coach in charge of defense. It was he who built the great Dolphin defenses of the Super Bowl years before his short and unpleasant tenuere with the Giants.

The Miami offense, featuring three of the best receivers anywhere (Nat Moore, Freddie Solomon and Duriel Harris), will be as explosive as ever.

The situation in Buffalo has--at last--stabilized after last year's disjointing midseason coaching change, which resulted in ten straight losses. New coach Jim Ringo is rebuilding the squad's morale and fullback Jim Braxton and quarterback Joe Ferguson have recovered from crippling injuries.

The Bills need help everywhere in the defensive platoon, especially in the line. The draft brought tackles Phillip Dokes and Jimmy Dean, both of whom could be immediate starters. Another rookie, place kicker Neil O'Donoghue, could be one of the team's leading scorers his first season.

The Bills' main hope for success this year lies in a sterling offensive unit. The line, which has remained virtually intact for four seasons, many be the best in the pros. The backfield, featuring O. J. Simpson, Ferguson and superblocker Braxton, is equally awesome, and Bob Chandler may be the best wide receiver in the country. He isn't extremely fast, but he has courage, intelligence and craftiness.

Best of all, O. J. shows no signs of slowing down. He wants to break Jim Brown's career rushing record (he'll likely do it this year or next--he needs only 2686 yards), and then he will retire to movies, television and politics, in that approximate order.

The New York Jets are the sad sacks of professional football. Their problem is simple: little talent and less experience. The Jets had more rookies on the roster last season than any other club in the league--including the expansion teams. Six rookies were defensive starters in some games.

The causes of this predicament are equally clear: years of bad judgment in draft choices, premature retirement of some disgruntled veterans and permanent injuries to others.

A far more complex question is what to do about all this. A start was made last year with a good draft, for a change. The prime catch was quarterback Richard Todd, whose potential seems limitless when he completes the transition from the wishbone to the pro-set. This year's draft looks like a good one, too, bringing defensive lineman Tank Marshall to help beef up the pass rush, which was the poorest in the N.F.L. last season.

Two other draftees, offensive lineman Marvin Powell and wide receiver Wesley Walker, have the makings of future all-pros.

New coach Walt Michaels, a no-non-sense type, seems to have won the confidence of his players. He is also a superb defensive coach, providing the kind of expertise the Jets need most. All of which means that the Jets' fortunes seem to (continued on page 140) Pro Football Preview (continued from page 132) have bottomed out and they are at last on the rise to respectability.

How can a club finish with a 10-4 record and consider it a disappointing season? It happened to two teams, Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, in the A.F.C. Central Division last year.

Pittsburgh, after losing four of its first five games, arose from its collective lethargy and won the last nine. The Steelers insist they'd have gone on to win the national championship for the third time in a row if runners Rocky Bleier and Franco Harris hadn't been crippled before the play-off game with Oakland. The players seem determined to make up this year for that cruel stroke of fate. If they do take the laurels next January--and odds at season's beginning seem to favor them--they will be the first team in history to win three Super Bowls.

The Steelers have no serious injuries left from last season and, though linebacker Andy Russell and center Ray Mansfield have retired, Loren Toews and Mike Webster are more than adequate replacements and rookie Robin Cole will be groomed for future use. It's a well-balanced club, strong everywhere, with no glaring needs. The offensive linemen have received the least recognition from press and fans, but they have performed superbly the past three years. These hearties were largely responsible for Bleier's and Harris' gaining over 1000 yards each last season. Perhaps the Steelers' best asset is the stability of the franchise. They haven't made a major trade since 1970 and all 22 starters began their careers in Pittsburgh--a convincing indication of the warm emotional ambience provided by owner Art Rooney.

Cincinnati was disappointed with its 10-4 showing, because--by virtue of losing two games to Pittsburgh--it barely missed making the play-offs for the umpteenth time. "Year after year, some other team just barely noses us out. For years it was Cleveland and recently it's been Pittsburgh. Next it will probably be Houston," lamented a front-office official.

To challenge the Steelers, Cincinnati coach Bill Johnson needs to put some steam into the pass rush. Specifically, another super defensive lineman is needed to replace Bob Brown, who, at 37, is approaching retirement. Either of two newcomers, Eddie Edwards and Wilson Whitley, should be the answer. Another draftee, running back Pete Johnson, will add authority to the ground attack.

Despite the frustrations of the past, the Bengals are still a young team (13 rookies were on the squad last fall) and should grow stronger in the future. The question is, how do they beat Pittsburgh?

Despite the severity of its intradivision competition, Cleveland could be a sleeper this year. The Browns are a gutsy team; at one point during the 1975 season, they were 0-9 but never quit battling. Last year brought the big turnaround, with a 9-5 record, and there's more excitement among Cleveland fans than in any year since 1972. The main reasons for optimism are the sudden maturity of the offensive line, the emergence of Brian Sipe as a premier quarterback and the return (from Miami) of receiver Paul Warfield, who, with Reggie Rucker, gives the Browns their best pair of receivers since Warfield teamed with Gary Collins in 1969.

Going into summer camp, the Browns' major weaknesses were a less-than-ferocious pass rush and a lack of depth in the offensive line, where injuries could be disastrous. The former problem could be solved by second-year defensive end Mike St. Clair if he continues to improve. Also, new defensive end Robert Sims will help and Robert Jackson was the best linebacker produced by this year's draft. Rookie Tom Skladany makes the kicking game one of the team's strong points.

Cleveland cynics are asking whether last year's improvement was a mirage (the schedule was soft) or real. We'll find out before December, because the Browns' '77 schedule is murder: Oakland, Los Angeles, New England and two games each with Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

The Houston Oilers' main need is for their luck to change. The whole squad, including coach Bum Phillips, seems hexed. Game injuries, freak accidents and near misses are too numerous to recount. The Oilers got started like a house afire last fall, then, by the sixth game (with San Diego), they had lost six starters and one backup player. The rest of the season was a nightmare.

All the injured are healed now, but Phillips still needs to find some offensive linemen and a couple of snazzy running backs if Houston is to hold its own in an extremely tough division. Rookies Morris Towns and George Reihner could fill the former need and Tim Wilson and Rob Carpenter, the latter.

These additions, combined with four of last year's rookies (guard Bobby Simon, tackle Larry Harris, tight end Mike Barber and linebacker Art Stringer) who would have made the squad if they hadn't been lost for the year with injuries, will give the Oilers a massive injection of new talent.

Another hopeful sign is that the Oilers seem suddenly to have captured the imagination of the Houston citizenry. Even after last season's dismal showing and a ten percent hike in prices, over 30,000 season tickets were sold by April. In 1974, the Oilers could sell only 17,000. Even the pre-season games are standing-room-only affairs.

Congratulate an Oakland Raider for at last winning the national championship and you'll get a bristling response. "We've been the best team in the country for years," he'll tell you, pointing to the fact that the Raiders have the best overall winning percentage in the league since the franchise was started in 1960.

The entire Raider organization--players, coaches and front office--is permeated with a combination of smoldering hostility and haughty confidence. It shows up best on the field, where the aggression is called dirty play by some opponents. Whatever you call it, the Raiders' high intensity wears down many other teams toward the end of games. As a result, they nearly always win the close ones.

Instilling this unrelenting aggressiveness in his players is coach John Madden's most valuable skill, and he isn't about to let the euphoria from the Super Bowl victory erode the intensity of his players.

"This year," says Madden, "we're going to do the same things we've been doing, only we'll do them a hell of a lot better. Everybody will be lying in wait for us, but that's nothing new. Every place we go, we're the biggest rival. We lead the league in boos."

The Oakland squad is so stable and well manned that not a single rookie seems to have a chance to break into the (continued on page 162) Pro Football Preview (continued from page 140) starting line-up. All of which means the Raiders will be much the same as last year, in both attitude and personnel. And we will still see Madden pacing the side lines, screaming out his fury, shaking his fist at offending referees and heckling crowds.

Watch San Diego this fall. Despite a rugged schedule, the Chargers are in a good position to duplicate New England's sudden emergence as a national power. From top to bottom, the squad has the best manpower since the Chargers won the A.F.L. Western Division championship in 1965. The main assets are a tough young defensive line and quarterback Dan Fouts, who had his best season in '76 and is still improving. Add new wide receiver Johnny Rodgers (returned from the Canadian league) and runner Joe Washington (out with an injury all last season). Rodgers could become the nation's premier receiver, not only for his ability to catch the ball but also because of his elusive running. Washington will give the ground attack a new dimension. These two burners should provide the Chargers with a home-run threat from anywhere on the field.

Coach Tommy Prothro's main task in summer camp is to build a more aggressive secondary, a task made easier by the arrival of rookie Keith King.

New Denver coach Red Miller's major expertise is coaching offensive lines. That's fortunate, because bumbling blockers kept the Broncos from getting into the play-offs last season. The perennially unstable quarterbacking situation didn't help, either. New quarterback Craig Morton, obtained from the Giants in the off season, will be the Broncos' 26th quarterback in 18 seasons. If he proves effective, and if Miller can fix the young line (a year's experience playing together will help), Denver could win a play-off berth.

The Broncos' defensive unit rates as one of the classiest anywhere. Its backup players are better than the starters on most squads. Rick Upchurch may be the best kick returner of all time.

The major change in the Broncos' squad probably will be the players' attitude; they'll be a hard-nosed bunch this season. Unlike the departed John Ralston (who motivated players with a toothy super-salesmanship), Miller is a tough disciplinarian.

The Kansas City Chiefs have had two straight 5--9 years, but that's the only similarity between the teams of '75 and '76. The '75 team was top-heavy with aging veterans, while last year's squad had 12 rookies, most of whom played a prominent role. The mistakes of youth cost the Chiefs a few games last season, but added maturity and a more stable squad should make this a better team. The improvement could be dramatic if the defense (second worst in the league last fall--only Seattle's was worse) can be shored up in summer camp. Two draftees, cornerback Gary Green and linebacker Thomas Howard, could be immediate starters.

The Chiefs' only real offensive need is a top-grade running back, and rookie Tony Reed may fill that order.

Quarterback Mike Livingston, going into his tenth year, seems to have at last realized his full potential. The offensive line, though very young, is a good one and will soon be even better.

Despite winning only two games in its first season, the Seattle team was gutsy and entertaining, barely losing to some of the league's stronger teams. The boisterous enthusiasm of the Seahawks' fans, therefore, is unabated. Their optimism is well founded. The basic philosophy of the Seattle franchise is to emulate the tactics of Dallas and Minnesota when they were expansion teams--build gradually over a period of years through the draft, instead of wheeling and dealing in an effort to field an instant winner with aging veterans. Which explains why Seattle traded away the right to draft Tony Dorsett to Dallas; the resulting draft choices enabled the Seahawks to net as many as eight rookies who could be starters their first year.

Although the Seahawks have an impressive passing game (Jim Zorn completed more passes for more yards than any first-year quarterback in N.F.L. history) and Steve Niehaus is a terror at defensive tackle, most of the other positions on the squad need additional help. The running attack, last year's major weakness, will profit from new offensive linemen Steve August, Tom Lynch and John Yarno. Two other rookies, linebacker Terry Beeson and receiver Larry Seivers, will likely be pressed into starting roles before season's end.

But a few new players, however talented, won't produce a winner, so the Seattle fans still have a long wait. When it does happen, the whole city will look like Times Square on New Year's Eve.

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The Dallas Cowboys have been looking for a breakaway runner since Duane Thomas departed in 1971, and sizzler Tony Dorsett, obtained in the craftiest draft maneuver in memory, may be the next O. J. Simpson of pro football.

With Dorsett in camp, the Cowboys have no urgent talent needs, so they will be--as usual--much the same as last year. Middle linebacker Lee Roy Jordan has retired, but Bob Breunig and Randy White will take up the slack in raw ability, if not in smarts and leadership. Cornerback Mel Renfro, with 35 years and gimpy knees, may have trouble surviving the season, but Aaron Kyle, with added experience and sharpened skills, should be an adequate replacement. There is also a chance that second-year wide receiver Butch Johnson could displace Golden Richards.

Perhaps coach Tom Landry himself represents the major change in the Dallas club. Now 52, he's a bit more tolerant of individualists than he once was. You even see a few beards and pageboy haircuts on the squad these days and Landry has ceased cloistering his players in a hotel the night before home games, allowing them to show up for work like other responsible adults.

There could be another change: The Cowboys traditionally get off to a slow start, then finish the season in peak form. Last year, they did it the opposite way and it didn't work. So look for another slow start and a return to the Super Bowl.

The Washington Redskins, as always, will field a team that is virtually identical with last year's group. The only possibilities for change are at quarterback, where Joe Theismann could displace aging (37) Bill Kilmer, and in the defensive line, where Dave Butz could beat out Bill Brundige. The latter move would help cure last season's only noticeable weakness, a not-very-ferocious pass rush.

The St. Louis franchise, for many years an inferno of dissension and unrest, has become as stable as that of Washington or Dallas since coach Don Coryell arrived four years ago. Coryell, for reasons his best friends can't identify, has the knack of inspiring fierce loyalty from his assistants and players. "He's a quiet, soft-spoken, gentle sort of man," one of his players told us, "but when he speaks, you damn sure better listen."

Coryell needs to find some additional help at linebacker, and rookies Kurt Allerman and Andy Spiva should provide it. The only other imminent change is in the backfield, where second-year runner Wayne Morris should become a starter. Quarterback Jim Hart and runner Terry Metcalf will again make the Cardinal offense one of the most exciting in the country, while rookie passer Steve Pisarkiewicz is groomed for future use.

The New York Giants will be a more stable squad this season and the schedule will be easier. Last year's fiasco resulted from a too-big psychological build-up for the first game with the Redskins. The Giants had the game won in the last quarter, then lost it in the last two minutes. They never recovered emotionally and it took a midseason coaching change to shake them out of their blue funk.

New coach John McVay's job involves more than psyching up his players, though. He must beef up the offensive line and find some bigger and better wide receivers. Gigantic rookie Mike Vaughan will help with the first priority and new receiver Johnny Perkins will help with the second. Another rookie, defensive lineman Gary Jeter, will likely be an immediate starter.

Philadelphia doesn't have enough good players and the prospects of acquiring more are bleak. The Eagles haven't had an early pick in the past three drafts and didn't get one this year until the fifth round. Last year's top draft choice didn't even make it through summer training camp and the Eagles don't have a firstround pick until 1979. There isn't much trade bait on the squad, so any improvement will likely come from luck, smart coaching or the sudden development of younger players such as defensive lineman Carl Hairston. The entire coaching staff is feverishly looking for some nuggets among free agents and late draft choices.

With such bleak prospects, the squad morale is remarkably good and the Philadelphia fans deserve an award for their dogged loyalty. Over 60,000 season tickets were sold by April first. Fan loyalty and the passing of new quarterback Ron Jaworski (obtained in an off-season trade with Los Angeles for tight end Charles Young) may be the Eagles' principal assets.

When Chicago general manager Jim Finks arrived from Minnesota in September 1974, he surveyed the wreckage of the Bears franchise and made a mental estimate; he figured it would take four years to refloat the derelict. He's a year ahead of schedule. The Bears came to life last fall, finishing with a 7--7 record, better than their headiest pre-season dreams. Now, a year later, the prospect of winning only seven games is distasteful to the title-hungry Bears.

Their confidence has a solid basis. Chicago was the youngest team in the N.F.C. last season and thus should be much improved with a year's added maturity. Walter Payton is the first superstar runner the Bears have had since Gale Sayers' prime years. Payton, who runs more like a ballet dancer than a gazelle, is only 23 and appears headed for a brilliant future. New quarterback Mike Phipps, obtained in an off-season trade from Cleveland, has the arm and savvy to displace incumbent Bob Avellini.

All this has led to a binge of heady optimism among Bear fans, and owner George Halas' wallet is being further squeezed for funds to gussy up the franchise in preparation for the glory days ahead. Twenty-eight (count 'em) side-line dancing girls with their own coach have been hired to lead the victory celebrations.

Unless either of the two most promising rookies, offensive lineman Ted Albrecht and thunderous fullback Robin Earl, develops soon enough to win a starting role, the Bears will be little changed from last season. They have a good chance to become division champions for the first time since anyone can remember.

Despite appearances, the Minnesota line-up does change from year to year, but it happens so gradually that few fans notice. This year will see the gradual displacement of veteran linemen Jim Marshall and Carl Eller by James White and Mark Mullaney. Linebacker Wally Hilgenberg and safety Paul Krause--both 13-year veterans--are also nearing the end of their careers. The Vikings are also beginning to look for a replacement for quarterback Fran Tarkenton, who has showbiz ambitions and will likely go the Don Meredith route in a couple of years. Draftee Tommy Kramer will be groomed as Tarkenton's eventual replacement.

The Vikings' competition within the N.F.C. Central Division will be stronger this fall than in any year since Green Bay was a power, and they probably will be displaced from the division championship for the first time since 1972.

The Detroit Lions were a much better team last year than their record (6--8) indicated. They were superb one week, crummy the next. New coach Tommy Hudspeth--a tough but extremely likable sort--will bring more consistency to the club. Quarterback Greg Landry seems to have recovered his old form of five years ago, when many people considered him the best in the land. If Hudspeth can teach the offensive line to give Landry adequate protection (last year it was dreadful), the Lions will be a greatly improved offensive club. This, combined with an already excellent defense, could make Detroit one of the most improved teams of this year.

The prospects are bleak in Green Bay. The Packers are still woefully short of manpower, despite a good draft that brought much-needed help. As many as five rookies--defensive linemen Mike Butler and Ezra Johnson, offensive linemen Greg Koch and Rick Scribner and runner Nathan Simpson--could become starters before season's end.

Other than the draft, the only good news in Green Bay is the return to health of quarterback Lynn Dickey. He and Randy Johnson give the Packers a stable quarterback situation for the first time since Bart Starr and Zeke Bratkowski shared the passing chores in the late Sixties.

The Packers are at least three years away from having a chance at the division championship, and then only if their luck and skill in the drafts continue. They've had two good drafts in a row now, after several disastrous ones in the early Seventies.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a 0--14 record last year, but they weren't that good. The team, not exactly an awesome one when healthy, was wiped out by injuries; 17 players were on the injured-reserve list at the end of the season. Another liability is that John McKay is the coach other N.F.L. coaches most enjoy beating.

Tampa got a hefty infusion of new manpower from the draft. Most helpful of the newcomers will be runner Ricky Bell. His presence, together with the arrival of Anthony Davis from Canada and quarterback Gary Huff from Chicago, will give the offense added potence.

The team will still be short of manpower--it'll be lucky if as many as ten of last year's casualties are fully recovered. Several rookies could be immediate starters. It's hoped that linebacker David Lewis and lineman Charles Hannah will give the defense a needed lift.

Los Angeles seems destined to win its fifth consecutive division title, not only because the Rams are a good team but because the other N.F.C. West clubs are so weak. The Rams' summer camp will be interesting because of the tussle among Pat Haden, James Harris and Joe Namath for the starting-quarterback job. The draft produced some promising rookies to be groomed for future use; notably, linebacker Bob Brudzinski, safety Nolan Cromwell and runners Billy Waddy (who could be used as a kick returner) and Wendell Tyler.

None of them, however, are likely to displace any of the incumbents this year. The only change in the Rams' starting line-up will be new tight end Charles Young, late of Philadelphia, who will replace retired Bob Klein. The cooks at the Rams' summer training camp were told to up the grocery inventory by 30 percent in anticipation of Young's arrival.

Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr., of Youngs-town, Ohio, is a very rich man (construction, race tracks and motels). Last April, he bought his son, Edward, Jr., a new toy--the San Francisco 49ers. It was an exercise of such conspicuous consumption that the DeBartolos won't have to worry about the next-door neighbors' one-upping them.

The 49ers are worried; though. Junior brought along as general manager of the franchise roving iconoclast Joe Thomas, former czar in Baltimore, Miami and other points East. The 49ers appeared on their way up in the scheme of things, having won eight games last fall after three straight losing seasons, but Thomas isn't about to settle for a success he didn't engineer himself. As he did in Baltimore, Thomas wants to rip the franchise apart and rebuild it in his own image. DeBartolo therefore offered incumbent coach Monte Clark a hefty raise in return for Clark's abdication of all prerogatives (drafting, trading, player-contract negotiations) except pacing the side lines. Clark, not wanting to abandon his players and coaches to the wolves while carrying a fat wallet, told DeBartolo to ram it and walked out.

Ken Meyer, a genial fellow with a glittering reputation as a quarterback coach, was brought in as the 49ers' new mentor. His first job will be to try to fix whatever caused passer Jim Plunkett's disappointing first year in his home town.

The good news in New Orleans (and the Saints need some good news--they have never won more than five games in any season in their ten-year history) is that quarterback Archie Manning is now apparently fully recovered from shoulder surgery. Another hopeful prospect is the improvement of a dreadful offensive line, thanks to the draft, which brought Dave Lafary and Dave Hubbard. If these youngsters can learn their jobs quickly, the running duo of Tony Galbreath and Chuck Muncie (known lovingly to Saints fans as Thunder and Lightning) could be devastating.

The Saints' major problem is lack of over-all ability; there are about a dozen top-grade players on the squad, including new defensive linemen Joe Campbell and Mike Fultz, and the rest are fill-ins. Coach Hank Stram is a skilled finder of hidden talents, though, and if the next couple of drafts are productive, the Saints could have a winning season by 1980. In the meantime, Stram is settling in for a lengthy construction schedule. Stram the Peacock has taken on protective coloration, acquiring all the attributes of a born-and-bred suthren gennelman, including a brand-new genuine imitation antebellum mansion, complete with white columns and Spanish moss.

Probably no other team in N.F.L. history has had such a sweeping change of leadership as the Atlanta Falcons have experienced this year. The new general manager is Eddie LeBaron, a dynamo of energy whom older fans remember as the diminutive underdog who made it big as an undersized pro quarterback in the early Fifties. Leeman Bennett, a steady, brainy, easygoing type, heads a new coaching staff. Most significant change of all, perhaps, is the retirement of linebacker Tommy Nobis, who for years was the Falcons' emotional leader on the field and in the locker room.

Ralph Ortega is Nobis' heir apparent at middle linebacker, but a new team leader must emerge if the Falcons are to improve their dismal performances of recent seasons.

The Falcons have two major weaknesses--both lines. Fortunately, Atlanta had good early draft choices last May and used them to get offensive linemen Warren Bryant and R.C. Thielemann and defensive linemen Wilson Faumuina and Edgar Fields. If these rookies catch on quickly, and if center Jeff Van Note and guard Walt Brett are fully recovered from injuries, the Falcons will be more competitive in the trenches.

And, finally, a word of comfort to those poor working stiffs who choke with envy every time they read about a callow youth, barely out of college, signing a contract for millions of dollars.

Please remember that pro football is the most evolved form of show business and all those exorbitant figures are merely for public consumption. The internal details of bloated player contracts are a closely guarded secret, but we've seen a few of these Rube Goldberg documents and you shouldn't believe the cover prices any more than the stickers on new cars.

The player often gets the full announced price only (1) if he stays healthy enough for the full term of the contract to avoid being cut, (2) if he is a designated starter each year for the full term of the contract, (3) if he makes all-pro each year, (4) if his team goes to (and wins) the Super Bowl each year, (5)if the player fulfills all promotional obligations called for and (6) an assortment of other, smaller, ifs.

Divide the face value of the contract by four and you'll get an approximate idea of what the player usually gets in his pay check. Minus, of course, his agent's cut. The agent gets his wad (usually 15 percent or more) up front, no ifs involved. Often neither player nor management ever sees him again.

Some of the sharpies who once sold gold bricks to country bumpkins are now stalking college athletes.

Playboy's 1977 Pre-Season All-Pro Team

Offense

Isaac Curtis, Cincinnati..............Wide Receiver

Drew Pearson, Dallas..................Wide Receiver

Russ Francis, New England.............Tight End

Dan Dierdorf, St. Louis...............Tackle

George Kunz, Baltimore..............Tackle

John Hannah, New England..............Guard

Joe DeLamielleure, Buffalo............Guard

Jim Longer, Miami.....................Center

Bert Jones, Baltimore.................Quarterback

Walter Payton, Chicago................Running Back

O. J. Simpson, Buffalo................Running Back

Efren Herrera, Dallas.................Place Kicker

Defense

Jack Youngblood, Los Angeles..........End

Harvey Martin, Dallas ................End

Wally Chambers, Chicago...............Tackle

Jerry Sherk, Cleveland................Tackle

Jack Lambert, Pittsburgh..............Middle Linebacker

Ted Hendricks, Oakland................Outside Linebacker

Jack Ham, Pittsburgh .................Outside Linebacker

Mike Haynes, New England..............Cornerback

Mel Blount, Pittsburgh................Cornerback

Cliff Harris, Dallas..................Free Safety

Tom Casanova, Cincinnati..............Strong Safety

Ray Guy, Oakland.....................Punter

Rick Upchurch, Denver.................Kick Returner

This Season's Winners

AFC Eastern Division: .... New England Patriots

AFC Central Division: .... Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC Western Division: ....Oakland Raiders

AFC Play-offs: ....Pittsburgh Steelers

NFC Eastern Division: ....Dallas Cowboys

NFC Central Division: ....Chicago Bears

NFC Western Division: ....Los Angeles Rams

NFC Play-offs: ...Dallas Cowboys

Super Bowl: ....Pittsburgh Steelers

"The New York Jets are the sad sacks of professional football, with little talent and less experience."

Eastern Division

American Football Conference

New England Patriots ..... 9-5

Baltimore Colts ..... 8-6

Miami Dolphins..... 8-6

Buffalo Bills ..... 4-10

New York Jets ..... 3-11

"Instilling unrelenting aggressiveness in his players is coach John Madden's most valuable skill."

Central Division

American Football Conference

Pittsburgh Steelers ..... 10--4

Cincinnati Bengals ..... 9--5

Cleveland Browns ..... 8--6

Houston Oilers ..... 6--8

Western Division

American Football Conference

Oakland Raiders ..... 10--4

San Diego Chargers ..... 9--5

Denver Broncos ..... 8--6

Kansas City Chiefs ..... 7--7

Seattle Seahawks .... 3--11

"The Broncos' defensive unit rates as one of the classiest anywhere."

Eastern Division

National Football Conference

Dallas Cowboys ..... 10--4

Washington Redskins ..... 9--5

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

New York Giants ..... 4--10

Philadelphia Eagles ..... 3--11

Central Division

National Football Conference

Chicago Bears ..... 10--4

Minnesota Vikings ..... 9--5

Detroit Lions ..... 8--6

Green Bay Packers ..... 3--11

Tampa Bay Buccaneers ..... 2--12

Western Division

National Football Conference

Los Angeles Rams ..... 11--3

San Francisco 49ers ..... 6--8

New Orleans Saints ..... 5--9

Atlanta Falcons ..... 3--11