Cornerback LeRoy Irvin Loves Hawaii and Pro Bowl Tailgate Parties but Now . . . : He’d Give Up Vacation for a Business Trip : By GENE WOJCIECHOWSKI, Times Staff Writer

This year, Ram cornerback LeRoy Irvin will make his fourth appearance at the Pro Bowl. Of course, Irvin hasn’t actually played in a Pro Bowl. He would like to, but there’s this nitpicking rule about being selected and, well, Irvin’s name hasn’t found its way on many ballots in the past. Something about inconsistency.

Irvin just likes to make the annual trip to Honolulu and see what he keeps missing. So far, he has watched every other starting cornerback in the Los Angeles area earn a Pro Bowl jersey, check and status. Teammate Gary Green, then with the Kansas City Chiefs, was picked in 1981, 1982 and 1983. Then there are freeway rivals Lester Hayes and Mike Haynes of the Raiders. Hayes has played in the last five Pro Bowls, and Haynes has been selected seven of the last nine years.

Irvin, meanwhile, learned how to say mahalo or other Hawaiian phrases such as, Book ‘ e m Danno, murder one .

“Back in ‘82,” Irvin said, “I had a good year in punt returns (13.4-yard average, 3 touchdowns). I thought, ‘Dang, I should have went (to the Pro Bowl) this year.’ But I didn’t go. So a friend of mine said, ‘What the hell, let’s just go on over there.’ So we’ve been going ever since.”

There is talk, however, that Irvin’s fourth trip may mix business with pleasure. Ram coaches this season often have mentioned Irvin as a serious candidate for postseason consideration. Coach John Robinson spent several minutes of his weekly news conference describing Irvin’s performance against San Francisco last Monday evening. Robinson suggested that 49er running back Roger Craig will not soon forget several of the tackles the smaller Irvin delivered. Nor will 49er receiver Jerry Rice easily dismiss the last-moment deflection by Irvin of an almost-sure touchdown pass from quarterback Joe Montana. It was not the first time Robinson has singled out Irvin.

The compliments don’t stop with management. This from Ram wide receiver Ron Brown, who has worked against Irvin in daily practices and watched him in games:

“I know he’s one of the best defensive backs, if not the best in the league. He’s just quick and smart. He’ll change up on you so much.”

And this from Green, who knows the criteria for a Pro Bowl season:

“Like I’ve been saying the last few weeks, LeRoy has played All-Pro ball. He’s become consistent and confident. I definitely think he should be All-Pro. He’s one of the top three, four, five cornerbacks in the league.”

Green considers Hayes, Haynes and Everson Walls of the Dallas Cowboys as the likely candidates for recognition by other players and the media. Adds Green: “I think I’m having an All-Pro year as well.”

Green and Irvin each have six interceptions, which ties them for second in the NFC with four other backs. Walls leads the league with eight. But too often, said Green, a cornerback is judged simply by those numbers. “To me, an All-Pro cornerback is not a guy who comes up with interceptions, but who covers his man and gets beat less than the other corners,” he said.

The three years Green made Pro Bowl appearances he had five, two and six interceptions. Haynes has had only one season in which he intercepted more than six passes, but six seasons in which he intercepted five or fewer. Hayes hasn’t had more than three interceptions in a season since 1980. Then again, not many wide receivers have become famous against the Raiders.

“They’re all proven players,” Irvin said. “I’m probably one of their biggest fans. If I don’t get a chance to go to the Pro Bowl, just being mentioned in the same sentence with those guys is enough.

“There are fifteen-hundred guys in this league, and, unfortunately, about 30 or 40 of them get a chance to be an All-Pro,” he said. “It’s good to be All-Pro and I’m shooting to be an All-Pro, but at the same time, I know there are a lot of good players out there. “

Irvin said he would prefer a trip to the Super Bowl--to play, not watch--rather than any individual notices. Still, he wouldn’t mind the distinction of All-Pro. His six interceptions earn him notice, but several other less obvious talents may earn him a Pro Bowl selection.

Watch Irvin as he plays. More often you notice his tackling which, for the most part said Robinson, has become sure and quick. As for pass coverage, Irvin finds himself continually tested. Opposing teams would prefer to stay away from Green, though the Rams like to roll their zones toward the weakside (generally Irvin’s side) on occasion. Also, Irvin, by his own admission, had a tendency to relax in certain game situations. He defensed the short and intermediate pass routes fine, but longer pass patterns caused him trouble. “Other teams start labeling you,” said Irvin, who was labeled as talented but erratic.

So far this season, Irvin has defensed 20 passes. Next closest on the list is safety Johnnie Johnson with 12. Green has 11.

Defensive backs talk about wide receivers. But what does Irvin think wide receivers say about him?

“They probably say I’m more aggressive against the run than they anticipated I would be,” he said. “I’m more consistent than I have been in the past. Anyway, I don’t care what they think about me. I don’t like them, either. I don’t care what they think about me. I just want to go out there and play hard.”

Oh, yes, Irvin has a flair for the dramatic. After a play that pleases him, you’ll see Irvin strut, point and perhaps address the victim. He adopted the playing personality after watching Darrell Green, a smallish but swift cornerback with the Washington Redskins. “He plays with so much excitement, so much joy,” Irvin said.

So now Irvin plays with similar enthusiasm, a trait that sometimes annoys his opponents. “I get on a lot of people’s nerves by doing that,” he said.

Following an interception by Ram defensive back Vince Newsome early in the fourth period of Monday’s game against the 49ers, Irvin approached Montana. Montana wasn’t too thrilled by the errant throw in the first place (the ball was on the Ram 3-yard line), so Irvin’s remarks didn’t exactly console him.

“Dang, Joe, you know you wanted to throw me the ball. Why did you throw it to him?” Irvin asked.

Montana had heard enough.

“Shut up you big-eared bleepity-bleep,” he said.

Irvin laughs as he recalls the incident. “He got on me.”

Irvin is called to a meeting of defensive players. He is late. A teammate yells at him, “Yeah, yeah, you’re going to Hawaii.”

And perhaps this time Irvin will go as a player rather than a spectator, though, he said he is not quite sure if it’s worth it.

“I don’t know if I want to give up my once-in-a-lifetime chance to tailgate just to play in a football game.”