It was just minutes after the Los Angeles Raiders had lost 27-20 to the New England Patriots in the AFC semifinal game last January.
Raider cornerback Lester Hayes sat facing his locker, shaking his head while thinking about the Raider turnovers that led to all but one of the Patriots` scores.
”We can`t score enough points all the time to bail out the offense,”
Hayes said to no one in particular. ”They`ve got to give us some help.”
But all the offense figures to show again this year is Marcus Allen, right, left and with a pass over the middle. The amazing running back from USC, who led the AFC in rushing last year and was 9th in pass receiving, carried the Raider offense almost alone, with some help from Todd Christensen. Navy`s Napoleon McCallum, playing without practicing, will help as much as a rowboat without paddles.
For one thing, many people forget the Raiders were just 6-4 before winning their last six games, two in overtime over the Broncos and by 10 and 7 points over Atlanta and Cincinnati. That could have been three losses just as easily.
And the Raiders did nothing to correct their most pressing problem: The lack of a quality quarterback.
Marc Wilson–who some said planned to change his first name to ”Lou”
this year so the announcers could say, ”That`s not booing”–was 24th in the league in passing last year.
Raiders` boss Al Davis tried desperately to obtain the USFL`s Jim Kelly, but failed, so he`s watching Wilson, Jim Plunkett and Rusty Hilger battle for the quarterback job that none appear capable of handling.
Defensively, the Raiders remain strong, led by Howie Long, probably the best defensive player in the game, and the top-rated secondary of Hayes, Mike Haynes and Vann McElroy. But they probably won`t be enough to assure the Raiders of better than third in what is probably pro football`s strongest division.
The team to beat?
”Nobody`s going to run away and hide in our division,” says San Diego Chargers` quarterback Dan Fouts. ”But you`ve got to believe that Denver is the favorite.”
Last year, the Broncos were 11-5, but didn`t make the playoffs. They are 24-8 over the last two years, and in the last decade, they have been the fourth best team in the NFL and are behind only Miami and Dallas in 10-win seasons.
Now they have the quarterback, John Elway, the NFL`s total offense leader last year, who should be able to take them all the way to the Super Bowl.
Admittedly, the Broncos remain weak in the backfield, where no one could unseat Sammy Winder as No. 1 running back, but Elway has Steve Watson to throw to and a defense–led by Karl Mecklenberg–that added all-pro cornerback Mark Haynes from the Giants.
Mecklenberg was so overlooked out of high school that he went to the other Augustana College, the one in South Dakota. He eventually transferred to Minnesota, but was just a 12th-round draft choice in 1983.
In 1985, however, although beginning the season as a reserve, he ended up recording a team record 13 sacks, forcing five fumbles and making 11 tackles in the Pro Bowl, where he was a starting AFC linebacker.
”It`s not that he`s so overpowering,” says Chargers assistant head coach Al Saunders, ”it`s just that he`s so quick and physical.”
He has been likened to the Dolphins` A.J. Duhe and the Raiders` Ted Hendricks. His presence has been so important for the Broncos they have adjusted their defense to create what they call ”a funnel” system, with as many plays as possible being diverted toward where Mecklenburg is on that play.
But a schedule that includes New England, the Jets and Giants, Washington, Cincinnati and their regular league games could stall the dream.
In that case, the surprise in the AFC West could be the Chargers, although they too have a difficult schedule that includes non-division games against the Dolphins, Redskins and Giants the first three weeks.
”We`ll keep them in the stands,” says Saunders, elevated to a co-coaching position with Don Coryell. ”Now we`ve just got to stop someone.”
Saunders` reference was to the Chargers` woeful defense, last in the league again. So what do you do? You hire a new defensive coordinator, Ron Lynn from the USFL, and see how the Bears did it.
”Our scheme will be more aggressive, a penetrating defense, much like the Bears,” said Saunders. ”We feel that will complement our offense better.”
And if it makes the defense just a little better, San Diego could cause lots of trouble.
Even with Fouts injured part of last season (he`s healthy again, moving Mark Hermann back to the bench), the Chargers led the NFL in first downs, passing yardage, total yards and average per reception. And this year they`ll have former USFL player Gary Anderson for a full season. By the end of last season, a poll of NFL scouts rated him among the 10 best backs in the league, and the Raiders` Hayes called him ”the next Gale Sayers.”
The Chargers also believe Kellen Winslow will make a comeback from a 1984 knee injury to join Lionel James, who set an NFL record for combined net yardage last year, and kicker Rolf Benirschke, also returning from a season-long injury.
”We`re optimistic we`ll be better on defense,” added Saunders. ”Of course, we can`t get worse.”
Getting better also is the goal of the Seattle Seahawks, who slumped to 8-8 last year after 12-4 in 1984.
”We`ve got to get back to playing Seahawk football,” says coach Chuck Knox. ”We`ve got to create more turnovers.”
It was no coincidence the Seahawks record worsened when they went from a plus-24 turnover ratio to plus-3. Quarterback David Krieg contributed to that immensely when in the team`s eight losses, he threw 18 interceptions and completed 43 percent of his passes. In the team`s eight victories, he threw just two interceptions and completed 64 percent of his passes.
Seattle tried unsuccessfully to trade up on draft day for either Chuck Long or Jim Everett, but with Krieg, they figure they must concentrate on forcing turnovers.
That might be difficult with the league`s toughest schedule ahead of them. The team is heartened about the quick development of rookie running back John L. Williams (they also have a John A. Williams from Wisconsin playing the same position), who blocked for Neal Anderson at Florida.
”He`ll help Curt Warner,” said Knox alluding to his top running back. Warner went over 1,000 yards last season after a severe knee injury in 1984, but he slowed toward the end of the year.
At Kansas City, the Chiefs slowed quickly, losing seven straight after victories over the Raiders and Seahawks. This year, they are expected to give Todd Blackledge a shot to earn his place with the quarterback class of 1983, Dan Marino, Ken O`Brien, John Elway and Tony Eason, and Mike Pruitt a chance to play running back again before seeking Social Security.
