Pro Football / Bob Oates : Flutie Shows NFL Why He Shouldn’t Be Sold Short

Doug Flutie, the quarterback who made a triumphant return to football this week, has everything it takes to succeed in the National Football League--everything but the preferred height.

A former Heisman Trophy winner from Boston College, Flutie, 25, throws with power and accuracy. When pressed, he scrambles well, with a running back’s speed.

And he has a football mind. Some say a football coach’s mind.

But he stands no more than 5 feet 10 inches, some say 5-9 or shorter.

Can a good little quarterback win in this league?

He did Sunday. The New England Patriots had lost three straight and were about to make it four when they went to Flutie--their fourth-string quarterback--in the fourth quarter, surprising the Indianapolis Colts. Completing 12 of 16 passes, Flutie led New England’s win, 21-17.

“We tried to rally around him,” Patriot wide receiver Irving Fryar said. “We needed to get untracked, and Doug was the key.”

He could be the key to a big season there. The New England personnel director, Dick Steinberg, has brought in plenty of talent at most positions, even quarterback, but in recent years the club’s top three--Steve Grogan, Tony Eason, and Tom Ramsey--have performed inconsistently.

Flutie has been consistent, and effective, under coaches who play Flutie’s style--the rollout game with, for variety, a few quick pocket passes and an occasional deep-drop long pass.

Most coaches prefer, by contrast, the typical, structured NFL pass offense with only an occasional rollout. That’s why Flutie couldn’t win for Mike Ditka in Chicago. That’s why John Robinson wouldn’t give him a chance in Anaheim.

And that is the Patriots’ problem. Should Patriot Coach Raymond Berry take a chance with Flutie or play it safe with his veteran quarterbacks?

He might try to do both, using Grogan as a starter and Flutie in relief.

In any case, 4 years after Flutie won the Heisman, some remain convinced that he’s an NFL winner in the right offense.

League statisticians are still using a faulty barometer to measure team strength.

For example, the Miami Dolphins have been ranked 10th on defense in the American Football Conference with a team that has held three of five opponents without offensive touchdowns.

The Dolphins, who will send Dan Marino against Raider quarterback Jay Schroeder in the Coliseum Sunday, gave up only field goals to the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis.

And in upsetting the Minnesota Vikings, 24-7, the Dolphins were on their way to a shutout in the fourth quarter when the Vikings scored on an intercepted pass.

Nobody has thrown for a touchdown against the Dolphins this year, although as recently as last week, they still ranked seventh against the pass.

The league’s statistical bureau, headed by Seymour Siwoff, measures only yards, not points, in its weekly and annual ratings.

As recently as Sunday, however, the games were all decided on points, not yards.

As the season moves into its sixth week, some clubs are still without union player representatives--the Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Seattle Seahawks, Patriots and Colts among them.

Several other clubs are without alternate reps.

The problem, some pros say, is that the league’s owners are still trading or cutting union leaders in their continuing effort to weaken the NFL Players Assn.

Quarterback Boomer Esiason, who recently resigned as the Bengals’ representative, said the players are afraid of losing their job security.

Esiason said he remains a strong supporter of the union. But his resignation has had an effect in Cincinnati and elsewhere.

The NFL’s 28 club owners nearly crushed the union in last year’s strike and are still playing hardball, Los Angeles lawyer Pat Haden said.

“The players are justifiably afraid of reprisals,” said Haden, the former Ram quarterback who is now a CBS commentator. “The stars are probably safe (from trades), but I wouldn’t advise any borderline player to be a player rep.”

NFLPA spokesman Frank Woschitz said there’s no concern at union headquarters.

“Many teams just haven’t had their elections yet,” Woschitz said. “The reps are only elected every 2 years . . . after the third game of the season. We hope to complete it by the middle of the month.”

Joel Buchsbaum, the Pro Football Weekly personnel expert who is a full-time analyst of pro and college players, still rates Michigan State tackle Tony Mandarich as first in the country.

Next in his top three, he lists UCLA quarterback Troy Aikman and Florida State cornerback Deion Sanders. Houston Oilers scout Dick Corrick ranks the top three in the same order.

Haden, who sees two top college teams each week as an analyst for CBS, said this is a good year for quarterbacks. In addition to Aikman, he named USC’s Rodney Peete and Miami’s Steve Walsh, a junior in eligibility but a senior scholastically, if Walsh decides to turn pro. Sanders will be drafted in the top five, Haden said, and another defensive back, Florida free safety Louis Oliver, is also heading for the first round.

After an off year, defensive linemen are making a comeback, Haden indicated, naming two from Auburn, Tracy Rocker and Benji Roland, plus Florida’s Trace Armstrong and Miami’s Bill Hawkins.

Haden said he has also been impressed by Florida offensive lineman David Williams.

Monday night’s game was decided in favor of the New Orleans Saints by two offensive players, their greatly improved passer, Bobby Hebert, and rookie wide receiver Brett Perriman.

Hebert’s clutch, last-minute sideline pass to Perriman went 26 yards to the Dallas Cowboys’ 32-yard line. But for that play, Morten Andersen would have had to kick his big field goal 75 yards for New Orleans, instead of 49.

The Saints won, 20-17, on a night when Hebert and Coach Jim Mora exhibited an understanding of modern pass offense that few NFL people can match.

The Cowboys lost it in the fourth quarter when their signal-caller, Coach Tom Landry, tried to get the ball in from the 20-yard line with Herschel Walker’s runs after a series of magnificent passes by young quarterback Steve Pelluer had advanced them that far.

Walker gained only 4 yards in 2 carries, whereupon Pelluer was asked to do it all on 1 down, the third. He couldn’t. In critical situations Monday night, the Saints, by contrast, were passing on first down.

Statistics Dept.:

--The New York Giants’ defense was hit by 6 touchdown passes of 20 or more yards in the season’s first 5 weeks.

--The 1-4 Indianapolis Colts have lost four games by a total of 17 points, an average of about 4.

--With 145 points, the Rams are the NFL’s highest-scoring team.

--Of the league’s 28 starting quarterbacks this year, 8 are already out with injuries or illness.