European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 9, 1981, Darmstadt, Hesse January 1981 the stars and stripes Page 23 never a moment in nil firings let me come up with the next Bunch of coaches and managers in line to be and in at its my some sports fans revel in memorizing every map since red others get off on collecting baseball ill take predicting who in line to lose his last baseball season was no Jerry Cole Man was a cinch for the firing squad at san As were Preston Gomez at Pat Corrales at Texas and Don Zimmer at Dick Howser getting the Yankee a was a bit off the but then so is George so i was rolling with decent until this nil first the bum Phillips firing at i picked up an afternoon paper in Pennsylvania last and at first the headline didst bum Phillips fired i mighty thought it was a but this was not april then came the Jack Pardee a a bitter wave after weeks of Public arguing Over the direction of the Washington the Pardee should have been no not the least bit approaching the Shockroo at both moves hit me like a blindsided Here i am professing glee at picking the next in line for the and the Only Heads i see rolling Are of Guys i figured were Good for another two years at what happened to Jack Patera at Walt Michaels at new Ron Erhardt at new Neill Armstrong at Bart Starr at Green coaches i figured were As finished As the Goose on Christmas Day the first four had teams either favored to win their divisions or expected to compete for playoff and they All As for his team lived Down to its expectations and like those other four will apparently return in 1981 although i doubt Erhardt has a that they should return is incredulous because of what happened to Phillips and its not too ancient to recall How horrid the pre Phillips oilers in 1973 their record was the Only Victory coming on a Las ditch Effort against another horrid the Baltimore two years later Phillips was hired As head coach and the oilers went in his last three seasons in the Astro Phillips programmed his troops into the play twice Honing in on the irresistible Steeles in the acc championship so what have you done for me lately heres what Phillips steered Houston into the playoffs with an 115 record despite a decimated offensive line that finally showed at Oakland two weeks ago How ineffectual it Phillips apparently rang his own death Knell by trading for the present and offering Little Hope for the future when his Star studded a Ken was sacked seven times in that playoff Ardees tale of woe deserves less he took Over a program that consistently produced play off teams partly because of George Allens emphasis on wilted in so who had brought winning credentials from the world football league and the slowly discarded the Allen boys and used draftees from an almost nonexistent list of his first Redskin Bunch went 88 after a 60 in 1979 the team went 106 and missed by Only a tiebreaker of making the but despite High expectations for Pardee coached a pathetic team that went 610 Only by winning its last three he Mightie even sur Vived but he got unwrapped in a Battle with general manager Bobby Beathard Over whether enough veterans should keep playing to help the team Ardees stand or More youth should be added to the lineup beat hards wheres the Justice in the cases of Phillips and Pardee i dont find even if both coaches led programs that seemingly stepped backward this their previous Steps Forward were imbedded proof that they could reverse their temporary if weve Learned anything from those its that the nil has All the patience of a hunted Jack win at once is the motto of what owners see As the answer to filling their but even that int always As bum Phillips a team has to keep improving if reaching the playoffs is All a team the fans get As they did with Allen in washing and if 1980 playoff coaches like Sam Rutigliano and Ray Malavasi dont improve this probably be gone the stars and stripes Bennett top pfc coach new York up Leeman who guided the Atlanta Falcons to their first Western division title and came within a minute of taking them to the conference title wednesday was named an Over whelming Choice As Upis pfc coach of the year for Bennett received 44 of 56 votes cast by a panel of sports four from each pfc to win the Honor for the second time in his four seasons As Falcon he was also named pfc coach of the year in when he took Over a floundering club and helped it establish a 14game nil re Cord for fewest Points allowed in a Dallas coach Tom Landry and Phila Delphias Dick Vermeil received five votes apiece in 1980 and Minnesota Bud Grant was named on two in very pleased because there Are a lot of Good coaches in this league who did great said the Atlanta who piloted the Falcons to a 124 record that snapped the los Angeles rams seven year stranglehold atop the Western Atlanta lost a heartbreaking 3027 divisional playoff to Dallas last sunday when Danny White hit Drew Pearson with a 23yard touch Down pass with just 42 seconds earned plaudits four years ago for his defensive but the 1980 Falcons were noted for a Well balanced of sense that placed five players on the pro bowl team quarterback Steve Bart running Back William Rookie tight end Junior tackle Mike Kenn and Center Jeff Van Miller was one of four Atlanta rookies to crack the starting lineup As Bennett took advantage of a Vintage draft crop to rebuild his club from 1979s 610 we had a very Young said Ben and All the assistant coaches did super jobs with inexperienced besides linebackers buddy Curry and Al Richardson and defensive Back Kenny Johnson earned starting berths in their Rookie season As the Falcons ripped off a nine game winning Streak after a 33 Start to Clinch the first division title in their 15 year Leeman Bennett second win in four seasons braves have a Deal Atlanta up Veteran right hander Gaylord Perry will get another shot at winning 300 games in the 1981 thanks to the Atlanta the braves and the 42yearold free agent Pitcher have agreed to a one year contract at a reported the signing May not take place until next week but the braves Nave already scheduled a press con Ference for weve got a braves Gener Al manager John Mullen said who needs just 11 victories to reach said at where he has a that it was really easy and simple to reach agreement on the the braves had claimed negotiating rights to Perry in his signing will give the braves two of the three oldest players in major league baseball because knuckle Ball Ace Phil Niekro is a year younger than Louis Pitcher Jim ultimate test of defense raiders gear up Tor Fouts up the Oak land raiders defense has been Brilliant this but it has no illusions about shutting out the san Diego chargers in sundays Battle for the american football Confer ence the defense knows it will be sorely tested by Charger quarterback Dan Fouts and his corps of featuring wide receivers John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner and tight end Kellen this is the ultimate says cornerback Lester the leading pass interception specialist in the National foot Ball league this Fouts is the Best passer in the Hes the Best in the Strong safety Burgess Owens agrees As far As Complete passing units san i egos is the Well be facing the Best receiving corps in the nil this the chargers have a great quarterback and three Al pro the hero of Oakland Cliffhanger win Over the Cleveland Browns last free safety Mike shares these Davis saved the semifinal game by an end zone interception of a Brian Sloe with Well see the Ball up in the air about 60 percent of the Well just try to hold him to a minimum of comple Davis but All these accolades for the chargers do not indicate that the raiders think their season will end in they con Sider san Diego another Tough pit Stop on the Road to new Orleans and the super bowl on in the regular during which the two teams split a pair of games and wound up with identical Oakland defense had a measure of Success against on 14 in san Diego the chargers won 3024 in Fouts passed for 387 Yards but was intercepted five four weeks later in the san Diego quarterback had 388 Yards and two interceptions As the raiders took the game 38 despite great passing and equally great Hayes says the chargers Are Bea table based on not giving Fouts too much time to and designing a defense to do that will be the chore of Charlie the Oak land defensive who has been Success Ful so far in two playoff in the first game against Houston it was Sumners idea to Send a cornerback when the wide receiver did not line up on that Side of the Oiler quarterback Ken Stabler can attest to the Success of that Man Euver As he spent much of the afternoon on the ground As Oakland swept to and against Sumner had line Backer Ted Hendricks its Sumner we might As Well put a red Flag on its so obvious when he is but the first time we tried it he got the Sumner admits that his defences Are concocted to create a Little confusion in the other teams and Hendricks for on believes ear Lier in the before a Tough Hen Dricks told reporters dont worry about Charlie will think of
