Eagles’ Cunningham Doesn’t Fit Any Pattern : Versatile, Unpredictable Quarterback Is Hard to Contain and Hard to Figure

If Marion Campbell didn’t do anything else right--and he didn’t--during his brief stay as coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, he at least gave the franchise one Randall Cunningham, the most perplexing quarterback to enter the league since, uh . . . no one.

Which is exactly the point. Cunningham is an athlete unto himself, a player with more standard features than a Rolls-Royce. He passes. He punts. He runs. For all anyone knows, Cunningham would do the Eagles’ field-goal kicking if someone would just ask him. Versatile? Swiss Army knives should be so useful.

Sunday at Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium, the Rams will view the growing legend that is Cunningham. And although the Eagles are a disappointing 4-5, it’s hard to find fault with the play of the former Nevada Las Vegas star, one of three black starting quarterbacks in the National Football League. In short, he scares the bejabbers out of anyone assigned to stop him.

“The biggest thing with him is that he pressures you all the time,” said Ram defensive coordinator Fritz Shurmur. “Your team has to be ready to play lots of 6- and 7-second plays. That means you’ve got to stay on coverages downfield, and yet you’ve got to be able to get guys off blocks and try to get to him.”

Is that all?

Even Eagle Coach Buddy Ryan, the defensive whiz guy, is thankful that he doesn’t have to concoct a way to slow Cunningham. Instead, he offers such disheartening news as “the hardest quarterback to stop is the quarterback that scrambles.”

Cunningham is different, all right. He is a curious mixture of on-field excitement and off-field blandness. What you see is not what you get.

For instance, New York Giants linebacker Carl Banks saw Cunningham dart from the pocket on third and goal during their Monday night game Oct. 10. Banks, whom Cunningham considers to be a near equal to his majesty of linebackers, Lawrence Taylor, moved in for the sack. At the proper moment, Banks uncoiled and struck.

To appreciate the hit, imagine what it might be like to absorb the recoil of a cannon. Cunningham, a lanky 6 feet 4 inches and 200 pounds--tops--staggered backward. Somehow, as he fell, he reached for the ground with his left hand, regained his balance and, as Banks watched with quiet admiration, delivered a touchdown pass into the waiting hands of tight end Jimmie Giles, who didn’t know whether to celebrate or have the ball bronzed. It was a play that nearly embodied Cunningham’s every skill.

Banks saw a thin quarterback. Cunningham showed him strength and elusiveness. Banks saw a quarterback on the way down. Cunningham showed him a pass to the end zone. Banks saw a sure sack. Cunningham showed him a touchdown.

“I was fired up,” Cunningham said. “It was probably my most exciting game I’ve ever played. I couldn’t wait. I just wanted to get out there.”

Since the victory over the Giants, the Eagles have lost 2 of 3 games. Ryan has been criticized, perhaps unfairly, for the team’s record. One of the complaints: The Eagles depend on Cunningham too much.

“When we played the Redskins, (cornerback) Darrell Green told me after the game, ‘We felt this way: If you stop Cunningham, you beat the Eagles,’ ” Cunningham said. “So I looked at that and I said, ‘Well, I’ve really got to start taking that into my own, because if these teams are going to think that, I’ve got to perform even better.’ ”

By design, Cunningham is the coat rack for almost the entire Eagle offense. Of the 3,097 net yards gained by Philadelphia, 2,248 yards--a whopping 72.6%--are the result of Cunningham’s passing or running. Compare that to Denver quarterback John Elway’s most valuable player year in 1987, when Elway was responsible for a then-impressive 62% of the Bronco offense.

And get this: Cunningham has punted 3 times this season. His average? A stately 55.7 yards.

These are budding superstar numbers here.

The Eagles have noticed. They recently signed Cunningham to a 3-year deal at $4 million plus. So what does Cunningham do? Not much.

Cunningham is much flashier with a football in his hands than he is with a wallet. He respects money. He treats it lovingly, saving most of it. Some of his favorite people are bankers, mainly because they feel the same way he does about the green stuff.

But nothing is just as it seems with Cunningham. During training camp, he drove one of those eye-catching Porsche 944s. His was the one with the pine-tree deodorizer dangling from the rear-view mirror.

He takes drives through the inner city, through the poverty and dilapidated housing, just so he can better understand the people who must live there.

He doesn’t drink or smoke. He is a first-team God-squadder who credits his faith, his parents, who died before he left UNLV, and hard work for his success. If it’s possible, Cunningham manages to be both humble and cocky at the same time.

In the November issue of PhillySport magazine, Cunningham plays word association.

On Redskin quarterback Doug Williams: “If he hadn’t come before me, I probably wouldn’t be playing this position. He’s a trailblazer for black quarterbacks.”

On Elway: “Consistent. Consistently loses the Super Bowl. Just kidding, John. No, I love watching Elway play. What’s not to like? We play the position the same way.”

There are few in-betweens with Cunningham. He learned that little lesson from his famous brother of USC fame, Sam (Bam) Cunningham. According to Sam’s advice, you worked hard and you stayed out of trouble. The rest was easy.

“When I was in high school, he said, ‘Your arm is just as strong as the other quarterbacks in the league. What you need to do is concentrate on being a good person, get your studies down, be smart and don’t hang with the wrong crowd,’ ” Cunningham said.

So here he is. Those who know him say he has this good-person stuff down cold. He studied enough to begin his own sign business. He’s smart enough to earn that $4 million. As for wrong crowds, Cunningham wouldn’t hear of it.

In fact, Cunningham offers occasional advice to those in similar situations: the black quarterback trying to make an honest buck.

“I look at Rodney Peete, I look at Major Harris and some of the other black quarterbacks in college football today,” he said. “I’m watching ESPN and (the announcer) said, ‘(Harris) reminds a lot of people of Randall Cunningham.’ That made me feel good. So my advice to these guys is that it really doesn’t matter what color you are anymore. As long as you go out there and work hard and just be a good person and realize your role in life, you’ll have the opportunity to play.”

Spoken like the budding legend that he is.

Ram Notes

The Rams activated cornerback Cliff Hicks and punter Dale Hatcher Friday. Both had been on the injured-reserve list. Wide receiver Michael Young, who has a back injury, went onto the list, making room for Ron Brown, who will make his 1988 debut Sunday against the Eagles.