Page 14
— Griffin Daily News Thursday, September 15,1977
Pre-season favorites in NFC
Cowboys, Rams, Bears picked
By BRUCE LOWITT
AP Sports Writer
There was a time when fig
uring out the division winners in
the National Football league’s
National Conference was as
easy as one, two, three.
One was a runaway by the
Minnesota Vikings in the Cen
tral Division.
Two was a tussle between the
Los Angeles Rams and San
Francisco 49ers in the West.
Three was a down-to-the-wire
dogfight among the Dallas Cow
boys, St. Louis Cardinals and
Washington Redskins in the
East.
Now the numbers are thor
oughly jumbled.
The East, once the hardest
division to figure, now looks like
a near-runaway for the
Cowboys, already a strong pick
to win not only the division but
the NFC title — and maybe even
Super Bowl XII.
The Cards still have the ex
plosiveness to make things in
teresting and not enough de
Southeastern Seer
'Bama pegged to nail Huskers,
Bulldogs, War Eagles get nod
By ED SHEARER
AP Sports Writer
ATLANTA (AP) - Bear
Bryant talks a lot each season
about schedule luck.
He has none this week.
Alabama, which opened its
season with an impressive 34-13
victory over Mississippi last
week, invades one of the na
tion’s strongest football confer
ences Saturday when the Crim
son Tide tangles with the Ne
braska Comhuskers.
No one relishes a visit to Lin
coln, Neb., where a red-coated
mob is seldom beaten. The odds
against Nebraska losing three
straight home games must be
incredible. But, that’s what
could happen if the Tide wins.
Alabama hasn’t glistened
with glory in most of its recent
meetings with the perennial
powers of college football.
Last week’s results didn’t
help the Tide. Nebraska was a
19-10 upset victim at the hands
of lightly regarded Washington
State. The Huskers also lost
their final 1976 home game to
Oklahoma.
It’s not a situation the Bear
appreciates. He’d rather have
the Comhuskers coming off one
of those 50-0 slaughters. Either
way, the results would be sim
iliar, so make it... Alabama 27-
17.
The Southeastern Seer
pegged 13 winners in 14 games
last week, a percentage of .929.
The only setback was Califor
nia’s destruction of Johnny Ma
jors’ homecoming at Ten
nessee.
Elsewhere around the South
this week:
Mississippi vs. Notre Dame at
Jackson—Another exceptional
intersectional test for the SEC.
Some have touted the Irish as
one of the top teams in the
nation. Most have touted the
The Wizard of Oz
raises Tide hopes
By HOYT HARWELL
Associated Press Writer
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP)—
Ozzie Newsome, termed by
Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant the
best athlete on an Alabama
football squad since Joe Nam
ath left in 1964, likes company,
especially when catching
passes.
He took in three for 93 yards
in Alabama’s 34-13 opening vic
tory over Mississippi at Bir
mingham Saturday night and,
after looking at the film, Bryant
termed two of them “great and
incredible.”
Bryant said Newsome and
Marty Lyons, a defensive
tackle, were the only Crimson
Tiders who graded near-per
fect.
It didn’t take a film to show
that Newsome, “The Wizard of
Oz,” had made the two near
impossible catches. They were
witnessed by more than 74,000
fans.
One, for 28 yards, was on the
sideline with an Ole Miss de-
sense to stay with Dallas — but
enough of what it takes to out
run Washington. Philadelphia
and the New York Giants, re
vamped in a few key spots, have
only slender chances to reach
the long-sought goal of a .500
season.
In the West, the Rams not
only look like sure champions
but may be the only team in the
division to finish over .500. Los
Angeles is a powerhouse with or
without the ball.
The San Francisco 49ers, who
looked so promising and so
spirited for a while a year ago,
may find it tough trying to put it
all together for another new
coach. This time, they’ll be
closer to also-ran New Orleans
and Atlanta.
Minnesota, which has ruled
the Central Division for so long,
is getting a bit crumbly around
the edges and looks ripe for a
tumble. The Vikings still will be
tough in the clutch — but look
for the Chicago Bears to get hot
around midseason and make a
Rebels as one of the weakest in
the SEC. The Irish will be
heavily favored, but watch for a
strong Rebel showing. Notre
Dame 14-10.
Southern Mississippi at Au
burn—The War Eagles survived
the opener behind the kicking of
Cuban refugee Jorge Portela.
They simply will thrive on the
Golden Eagles’ defense, having
little use for Portela’s side
winding talents. Auburn 28-7.
Florida at Rice—Gators open
their 1977 season with an easy
victory, but won’t have long to
celebrate. Mississippi State is
next. Florida 35-7.
Clemson at Georgia—The
ACC team is supposed to be im
proved this year, and indicated
so last week in holding mighty
Maryland to a seven-point deci
sion. Dogs not overly impres
sive against Oregon, but this is
a milestone for Vince Dooley.
Victory No. 100. Georgia 28-10.
Kentucky at Baylor—Curd’s
Cats took some severe injuries
in the victory over North Caro
lina. This would be tough
enough at full strength. Baylor
10-3.
Louisiana State at Indiana—
Bayou Bengals are anxious to
turn their program around. A
football visit to Hoosierland is a
lot easier than a basketball vis
it. LSU 35-7.
Boston College at Ten
nessee—The first game jitters
are over. Vols settle down,
please their fans and hand
Johnny Majors his first victory
at his alma mater. Tennessee
28-3.
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest—
The Commodores have matured.
They scared Oklahoma last
year and took a nosedive. They
scared Oklahoma last week, but
don’t expect another collapse.
Vanderbilt 17-14.
Florida State at Kansas
fender right on him. On the oth
er, for 41 yards, Newsome out
jumped two men, grabbed the
ball and held it as they tried to
wrestle it away.
“Concentration is the key to
catching those kinds,” the 6-
foot-3, 210-pound senior said.
“You can always concentrate
better when people are around
you. I’d rather have those kinds.
It’s easy to drop them when
they’re right in your hands and
you’re all alone.”
Despite that, Newsome was
all alone when he caught his
other pass, a 24-yarder.
So what’s a defensive back to
do, stay close and help News
ome’s concentration or play
loose and hope he drops it?
“Nobody in the country can
stop people like Ozzie one-on
one," said Jeff Rutledge, Tide
quarterback who connected on
seven of eight passes for 215
yards against the Rebels.
Wherever he plays, Newsome
draws a crowd, which is fine for
a man who doesn’t like to be
lonesome.
run to the top.
Detroit, as usual, will be re
spectable. The only thing keep
ing Green Bay out of the base
ment is Tampa Bay.
Here’s how the NFC stand
ings figure to look after 14
weeks of regular-season play:
EAST DIVISION
Dallas Cowboys
St. Louis Cardinals
Washington Redskins
Philadelphia Eagles
New York Giants
WEST DIVISION
Los Angeles Rams
San Francisco 49ers
New Orleans Saints
Atlanta Falcons
CENTRAL DlVl&ON
Chicago Bears
Minnesota Vikings
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
There was only one position
State—Bobby Bowden has the
Seminoles on the right track.
Florida State 28-7.
Miami, Fla., at Georgia
Tech—The Hurricanes, special
ists at playing the tough ones
close, slowled Woody Hayes’
Ohio State Buckeyes last week,
losing 10-0. Tech followed its
routine, dropping the opener for
the seventh straight year. Jack
ets should win this battle of
Southern independents. Georgia
Tech 21-17.
Cincinnati at Louisville—Car
dinals are much better this
year, but still not ready for a
team like the Bearcats. Cincin
nati 24-10.
I USED CAR SPECIALS I
I WE FINANCE OUR OWN I
1976 BUICK
Electro Cpe.
Loaded with extras.
$400.00 down
Cash or Trade
1 1974 BUICK
Century Cpe.
Pretty Blue
Bucket Seats
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
1973 CHEV
r Monte Carlo j
White-Blk. Top
New Tires
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
♦ WITH APPROVED CREDIT
I 50 OTHERS TO CHOOSE FROM I
I WE LIKE TO SAY "YES WE CAN" I
I SIGMAN BUICK & TOYOTA OF GRIFFIN I
I GRIFFIN. GA. I
1 PHONES 228-0090 — 228-2700 1301 ■ 1303 WEST TAYLOR ST. H
where Dallas was weak last
year, the experts said. The
Cowboys needed a powerhouse,
breakaway runner, they said.
With him, they predicted, it
would be Super Team time.
Enter Tony Dorsett.
The Heisman Trophy winner
from national collegiate cham
pion Pitt, locked in battle with
Preston Pearson for a starting
job, adds immeasurable ground
strength to a Dallas offense al
ready deadly through the air via
Roger Staubach’s passing to
Drew Pearson, Billy Joe
DuPree and, this year, rookie
Tony Hill from Stanford.
And if anyone questioned the
Cowboys’ defense, those fears
were dispelled by their eight
sack shutout job last week
against Pittsburgh.
St. Louis still will be known as
the Cardiac Cardinals, com
pliments of their Jim Hart-Ter
ry Metcalf lightning offense and
their porous defense. Victories
like last year’s 30-28 over Los
Angeles and 30-24 against
Utah State at,
State—Lloyd Patterson keeps
throwing and the Tigers keep
winning. Memphis State 27-17.
Northeast Louisiana at Tul
sa—The Hurricane is tough to
handle at home. Tulsa 35-6.
Arkansas State at North
western Louisiana—The De
mons return to the friendly con
fines of their refurbished sta
dium, but can’t match muscles
with the Indians. Arkansas
State 28-24.
Stanford at Tulane—The West
Coast team gave 12th-ranked
Colorado a scare last week. Tu
lane is still rebuilding. Stanford
17-10.
1975 BUICK
Convertible
Pretty White
Like New
$350.00 down
Cash or Trade
1974 BUICK
Regal 4 Door
Has All Options
Dark Blue
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
1973 CHEV
Vega Cpe.
4 Speed
New Tires
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
Seattle again will be typical.
Coach George Allen’s Red
skins, who beat Dallas in the
final regular-season game of
1976 and won the NFC wild card
playoff berth, keep getting
older. And this may be the year
they finally stumble over the
hill, what with a defense being
sliced up by injuries as well as
age and the offense directed by
Billy Kilmer sputtering at best.
The Eagles are pinning their
hopes on former Los Angeles
quarterback Ron Jaworski to
lead them to respectability.
They took a big step in that di
rection simply by winning dur
ing the preseason, something
they failed to do a year ago. The
Giants are searching for a
quarterback and a steady run
ning game to match a steadily
improving defense. It appears
what they do find won’t be
enough to get them near .500.
Whether young Pat Haden or
old Joe Namath is calling the
signals, the Rams will be fear
some, considering that Law
'VMM
• * £| mm m
Dallas Cowboys’ Aaron Kyle is airborne as he breaks up a pass from Pittsburgh’s Terry
Bradshaw to intended receiver Frank Lewis (43). The Cowboys romped over Pittsburgh
during exhibition season and are picked to be at the top of the NFC East at the end of
regular season play.
1975 OLDS
Regency Cpe.
Burgandy
Low Mileage
$350.00 down <
Cash or Trade j
1974 CHEV
Caprice Wagon
3Seats-Brown
Real Nice
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
1973 DODGE
Coronet Wagon
AirCond.
Y-8 Automatic
Low Miles
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
rence McCutcheon and John
Cappelletti on the ground and
Harold Jackson and Ron Jessie
on the end of the aerials are only
the first line of attack. That
offense doesn’t have to score
much to win, not with Jack
Youngblood, Fred Dryer & Co.
slamming the door.
Last season, Monte Clark had
the 49ers hopping before a sec
ond-half letdown dropped them
out of title contention. Now San
Francisco — with Jim Plunkett
still trying to prove his worth —
has to try to gear up under new
Coach Ken Meyer. He was
brought in by general manager
Joe Thomas, the franchise
builder who canned Clark.
If Archie Manning really is
healthy after last year’s debili
tating shoulder injury, if Chuck
Muncie and Tony Galbreath
really bloom as running backs
and if Hank Stram really can
work another miracle or two,
the Saints will shake up a few
teams. The same probably can’t
be said for Leeman Bennett,
1975 PONTIAC
LeMans Cpe.
Pretty Blue
One Owner
$350.00 down
Cash or Trade
I 1973
AUDI
Automatic
AirCond.
Beige Color
$300.00 down '
Cash or Trade
1972 CHEV
Impala 4 Door
V-8 Automatic
Fact Air
GoodCond.
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
making his head coaching debut
with the Falcons, despite a
maturing but injury prone Steve
Bartkowski and potential
running star Haskel Stanback.
The Vikings are perhaps best
known not as the perennial
Central Division champions but
as the perennial Super Bowl
losers. They may not get the
chance to tack on a fifth cham
pionship-game loss (or maybe
even a first win) this time.
The defense is starting to
show a few cracks. Fran Tar
kenton shows no sign of slowing
down just yet — but maybe this
time his propensity for losing
the big ones won’t wait until
post-season time. Wide receiver
Sammy White and all-purpose
back Chuck Foreman, the latter
coming off a divisive contract
squabble, are still bright stars—
but the supporting cast leaves
some questions as to staying
power. And a schedule much
tougher than the emerging
Bears could do them in.
Chicago will be banking on
1974 BUICK
Century Luxus
2 Dr. Cpe.
Pretty Black
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
1973 BUICK I
Estate Wagon
3 Seats
Real Nice
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade ||j|
1973 CHEV.
! Impala Cpe.
Fact. Air
Low Mileage
Pretty Blue
$300.00 down
Cash or Trade
Mike Phipps or Bob Avellini to!
provide quarterback leadership!
that has been missing for sev-j
eral years. If Phipps, obtained'
in a trade with Cleveland, shows!
he was worth waiting for, and if!
Walter Payton gains 1,000 yards
again, the Midway could have
its Monsters back.
The Lions have made a career
of hovering around the break
even mark every season. Even
though they’ve got proven
talent on both units, they never I
seem to put together more than j
one or two good games in a
stretch.
Green Bay went big for de
fense in the draft, but it will
take at least a year or two to
develop it. However, at least the
Packers have something to
develop. Tampa Bay, with the
exception of potential running
back stars Anthony Davis and
Ricky Bell, look every bit as
good as last year’s edition,
when the Buccaneers were 0-14.'
SPORTS
★★★★★★★★'
Braves recall 8
e
6 players
ATLANTA (AP) - The At-,
lanta Braves have recalled six 6
players, including catcher Dale ‘
Murphy, from their Richmond r
farm team in the International
League.
A club spokesman said the 1
National League club recalled 6
Murphy, infielder Rob Belloir'
and pitcher Joey McLaughlin ?
Saturday. In addition, Atlanta 1
bought the contracts of pitchers
Larry Bradford and Mickey
Mahler and outfielder Larry
Whisenton.
Pitcher Frank LaCorte also
was recalled but the right-hand
er will not report to the club due
to an arm injury.
