ERIC DICKERSON VS. MARCUS ALLEN? : Ram Says He Isn’t Taking It Personally

Eric Dickerson of the Rams won the National Football League rushing title the last two years, and Marcus Allen of the Raiders probably will win it this season, if he has a decent game at Anaheim Stadium Monday night.

Dickerson against Allen. McEnroe-Connors? Hagler-Hearns?

You might have to settle for Laverne and Shirley.

About this showdown: Doesn’t anybody wanna make something out of it?

Dickerson is more amused than aroused. As far as he’s concerned, he and Allen will be laughing all the way to the playoffs.

“When you’re a running back, you never worry about what the other guy does,” Dickerson said. “To me, it’s me against their defense, and I think Marcus will probably feel it’s him against our defense. Then you can see how each guy did.

“I’d never say it’s me against Marcus or me against Walter (Payton) or me against James Wilder. That’s no big deal.

“The press makes competition. We don’t make the competition. You know Marcus is a great running back. I know he’ll play well and I’m sure I’ll play as well as I possibly can. If we win, that would be enough satisfaction for me.

“After the game, I’m sure we’ll look at the stats and see how he did and how I did. It won’t be anything personal. That will not say who’s the better back.

“Last year, I had 2,000 yards and I could have gone against the Raiders and not gained anything. That day they would have said Marcus was the better back. Or I could have a great day, and he could have an off day. Or both of us could have a great night, and then it’s gonna be like, well, who is the best?”

Good question. But it probably won’t be resolved Monday night or next season or any other time, because comparing Dickerson to Allen is a futile exercise.

“The clubs utilize each guy differently,” Dickerson said. “We run the football more. They run it and throw it to the backs.

“Marcus kind of reminds me of myself running the football. He’s tall, like myself; he’s rather slender, like myself. He’s a great running back. But they throw more to Marcus. We don’t catch the football here.”

Allen is perceived as an all-around back. He runs, he catches, he throws, he blocks. His

blocking led Charles White--now a Ram--to the Heisman Trophy in 1979. Dickerson’s blocking is limited to picking up a blitzing linebacker once in a while.

“I’m satisfied with what I do,” Dickerson said. “It’s good, in their offense, but that’s not me, trying to catch the ball, throw the ball and run the ball. In our offense, the back is mainly just to run the football, and that’s what I do.

“If they throw it, I can catch it. I can throw it, also. But our main thing is to run the football at you.”

Allen has completed 7 of 17 passes for 3 touchdowns in his four-year career. Dickerson has thrown one pass in three years. It was intercepted by a Dallas Cowboy, but that didn’t destroy his confidence.

“If we call it, I’m ready to throw it,” he said.

“As for my blocking, my run blocking leaves a lot to be desired. I haven’t done that. I really didn’t do it in high school. I was a runner. I mean, I’m the runner.

“As for all-around back, I’m sure Marcus will have the edge on me. But for running the football, I can hang with the best there.”

But even there, Allen has one-upped Dickerson, who missed two games during his holdout and struggled for yardage in others. With 1,636 yards, Allen leads Atlanta’s Gerald Riggs by 75 and Chicago’s Walter Payton by 166 entering the final weekend, and Allen is going for his ninth consecutive 100-plus game to tie Payton’s record. Dickerson has 1,136 yards.

“One thing about that,” Dickerson said, “I’ve led the league two years in rushing, and we’ve never been to the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl would mean a lot more to me than winning a rushing title.”

Dickerson isn’t totally an Orange County person. He has crossed over frequently into Allen’s territory for social, business and charitable activities. His agents at Ken Norton Personal Management are in the Wilshire district, and he is involved in charities on Allen’s side of the county line.

He has represented adidas shoes for three years and recently signed a deal with Kellogg cereals. The contract extension he signed recently is believed to pay him slightly more than Allen receives.

“That wouldn’t be any big deal,” Dickerson said. “I think, as the years go by, I’ll make more money off the field than on the field, and Marcus probably will, too.”

Dickerson also volunteers time to the Los Angeles County multiple sclerosis fund-raising drive and is chairman of Mayor Tom Bradley’s push to stimulate participation in the City Parks and Recreation Department’s youth programs, along with Students Against Drunk Driving. Next year he will take up the cause of drug abuse as the NFL’s national spokesman for Nancy Reagan’s “Just Say No” campaign.

“That’s more important than any money,” Dickerson said. “If you can just stop one person from using drugs by something you say, that’s important.”

Ram fans who suffered through Dickerson’s holdout and then saw him sign for a $3-million extension on his $2.2-million contract might doubt his sincerity, but he is giving more than his name to the anti-drug and charitable projects.

“That was just business,” he said of the holdout. “I’ve always spoken out against drugs when people asked me, but I never got involved.”

Now, he is getting involved.

“They’re not just using my name,” he said.

With all that, Dickerson said he doesn’t run into Allen very often.

“Marcus is a fun guy,” he said. “Me and Marcus just go to different places. I’ve never seen him at the places I go.”

All of which led Dickerson to a final point.

“Yeah,” he said, “this city’s big enough for both of us.”