Pro Football / Bob Oates : Raiders’ Allen, Rams’ Dickerson Are a Statistical Anomaly in NFL

During a recent discussion of running backs, the Raiders’ Al LoCasale said:

“One of the hardest things to do in football is score a touchdown every week. Few pro backs average one a game.”

Walter Payton, for example, hasn’t been able to do it. In 168 games with the Chicago Bears, Payton has scored 115 touchdowns, 103 on the ground and 12 on passes.

But the Los Angeles area has two backs who have maintained remarkable scoring streaks for more than three years:

--Marcus Allen has been in the end zone 63 times in 61 games with the Raiders, scoring 47 touchdowns on running plays, 15 on passes and 1 on a fumble recovery.

--Eric Dickerson has scored 53 touchdowns in 53 games with the Rams, 51 running, 2 receiving.

In contrast, Payton in his first four years had scored 31 times in 57 games.

Conceivably, there can be an all-pro backfield without Allen and Dickerson, but not one that has been as consistent over several years.

George Rogers of the Washington Redskins can tell you how hard it is to score points consistently.

Going into next Monday night’s power struggle in the NFC East--Redskins vs. New York Giants--Rogers leads the league with a string of rushing touchdowns in 10 consecutive games. And that’s the third-longest string of all time.

In the last 67 years, only John Riggins with 13 in a row and Lenny Moore with 11 have rushed for more touchdowns in more consecutive NFL games.

“The thing that surprises a lot of people is that Rogers is doing it on a sprained ankle,” Redskin Coach Joe Gibbs said.

As Riggins’ successor, Rogers is averaging 24 carries and 105 yards a game.

Commenting on the season in general and the Redskin game in particular, Giant Coach Bill Parcells said: “I don’t think we’re good enough to win unless we have all cylinders going.

“We (have been) missing a lot of weapons--Joe Morris (at times), (tight end) Mark Bavaro for a while, and our best receiver, Lionel Emanuel (who is on injured reserve with a bad knee).”

The Giants, in their first shot at the 1-6 St. Louis Cardinals this fall, won with a total of 8 first downs and 144 net yards.

In losing at Seattle Sunday, the Giants netted 146 yards passing when Phil Simms completed 14 of 25 passes and was intercepted 4 times.

It is Parcells’ defense, the best in the NFC East, that is keeping his team in the race.

The myth that owner Al Davis advises Coach Tom Flores at Raider games is still alive. But it should have ebbed slightly last Sunday when Allen ran for 91 yards in the first half at Miami behind Frank Hawkins’ blocks.

Although 100-yard games are important to running backs and helpful to club public relations, nobody in the press box called Flores with an advisory that Allen only needed nine yards more. Against a weak defense.

And Davis was sitting up there with all his assistants.

The biggest change in the Chicago Bears this year is that their pass rush in their new 3-4 defense isn’t what it was last year in Buddy Ryan’s 4-3.

Even so, they should have beaten the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday. That they didn’t can be measured in the statistics.

With Tommy Kramer completing 60% of his passes, the Vikings gained 376 yards. Kramer converted 8 of 14 third-down plays, suggesting that the Chicago rush was not as effective as it might have been.

Coming up for the Bears are, among others, six games with Detroit, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Tampa Bay, meaning that they won’t miss Ryan--for a while. Their 1986 problem has always loomed as the playoffs.

The Philadelphia coach, James David (Buddy) Ryan, remains the Eagles’ toughest critic.

In a business in which the leaders seldom single out their employees for public criticism, Ryan on Tuesday blamed the individuals responsible for all 10 sacks by Dallas pass rushers Sunday.

At a Philadelphia press conference, he said fullback Mike Haddix was responsible for 1 sack, guard Ron Baker for 2, wide receiver Kenny Jackson for 1, quarterback Matt Cavanaugh for 2, quarterback Randall Cunningham for 3 1/2, and tackle Leonard Mitchell for 1/2.

Ryan also criticized the press.

“You guys try to rush (Cunningham) too quick,” he said.

“Anytime you have a young quarterback, you have to bring him along slow. He is going to be a hell of a quarterback. He’s the (Eagle) quarterback of the future.”

A famous defensive coach, Ryan has been saddened this year by his defense.

Lecturing his audience, he said: “The mark of a good defense is not whether you’re No. 1 against the run, No. 1 against the pass, all that crap.

“That makes interesting reading for the fans.

“It’s being able to take the ball away from the offense when they’re going in (for a touchdown) and you have to (stop them) to win the football game. Somebody has to make a play, come up and make things happen.”

What’s ahead for the 2-5 Miami Dolphins? An easier schedule, for one thing.

“We aren’t competitive,” Coach Don Shula said this week.

But the Dolphins have been losing to good teams. Starting Sunday at Indianapolis, the Dolphins can improve to 6-5 in their next four, including games against Houston, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Despite their worst start under Shula, this isn’t necessarily a losing season for the Dolphins, provided he teaches them a little defense.