THE HOLDOUTS : Dickerson, Marino Merely Best Known

Dan Marino and Eric Dickerson had something in common last season in the National Football League.

They achieved impressively. As the quarterback of a Miami team that couldn’t run well enough to take the pressure off him, Marino threw for 48 touchdowns, 12 more than any other passer in NFL history, and led the Dolphins into the Super Bowl.

At running back for a Ram team that couldn’t pass well enough to take the pressure off him, Dickerson still gained 2,105 yards, surpassing O.J. Simpson’s record of 2,003.

Now, with a new season beginning, Marino and Dickerson again have something in common. Neither is in training camp. Each, seeking renegotiation, is holding out.

This year, though, they’re not alone.

“We’re having a record number of big-name holdouts,” NFL spokesman Joe Browne said the other day. “Marino and Dickerson are just the tip of the iceberg.”

Among the others are all-pro lineman Marvin Powell of the New York Jets, cornerback Mark Haynes of the New York Giants, quarterback Richard Todd of the New Orleans Saints, linebacker Jerry Robinson, halfback Wilbert Montgomery and three other Philadelphia Eagle starters, and linebacker Mike Singletary and five other Chicago Bear starters. There are many others.

In addition, many high draft choices are unsigned and unreported.

What’s going on here?

Speaking for management, Browne said: “The club owners are trying to keep the (NFL) salary spiral from spiraling off the charts.”

Speaking for the athletes, Gene Upshaw, president of the players’ union, said: “The United States Football League is inactive at this point, so there’s no competition for the NFL (and) no incentive to compete.”

Browne said that the widespread discontent among NFL players is due in large part to recent dissemination of precise salary information.

“In the old days, nobody really knew what other players were getting,” he said. “But salary figures are published in many places these days. A player who’s unhappy with his contract doesn’t have to guess at the going salary for his position.”

Nor do productive players have to guess at their worth to their coaches. They know what that is. So, if they’re underpaid by comparison, their tendency this year is to hold out, regardless of whether they’ve already signed a binding contract.

“You only have one lifetime, one career,” said Marino, who has returned to his home in Pittsburgh.

Miami owner Joe Robbie, who has a reputation for paying good players well, said when Marino took off: “I’m not going to negotiate with him in Pittsburgh.”

Jim Miller, director of administration for the NFL Management Council, supports Robbie and the other owners.

“Marino and Dickerson both have contracts in place,” he said. “Marino negotiated his the same year Jack Elway got $5 million from Denver. And at the same time, Dickerson negotiated his.”

Miller’s implication was that the clubs shouldn’t be blamed today if the players underestimated themselves yesterday.

“You have a contract, you should report,” he said. “That’s why we and the union jointly negotiated the $1,000 daily fines for nonreporting.”

As Upshaw views it, the NFL’s club owners are mainly at fault for the recent turmoil.

Since 1983, he said, while battling USFL teams, the NFL has consistently and heavily overpaid its rookies.

“This has upset the league’s salary balance,” Upshaw said. “The big money should have gone--and should be going--to NFL veterans, not untried youngsters. By overpaying rookies, the owners have pushed salaries up all around.”

Upshaw cited the $5 million package deal with the Browns negotiated by quarterback Bernie Kosar of the University of Miami.

“They gave him more than Marino is getting from the Dolphins,” Upshaw said. “And Kosar has yet to throw his first NFL pass. How do you suppose Marino feels about that?”

Upshaw said that the basic problem is the inequality in the salary structure.

“You’ve got to expect trouble when two players in the Jets’ offensive line are each making $125,000 a year more than Marvin Powell, one of the greatest blockers in the league,” he said.

Then, naming running backs Dickerson and Walter Payton, Upshaw said:

“What are the Rams paying Dickerson this year, $200,000? What are the Bears paying (Walter) Payton this year, $1 million? I can’t blame a man when he says, “Look, I’ve played hard, I’ve been patient, I’ve proved what I can do. It’s time to compensate me fairly.’ ”

That argument doesn’t move management.

Said Miller: “A player signs a contract, and agrees to a reporting bonus, he should report. Why not?”