Dilweg Finally Gets a Chance to Be the Leader of the Pack : NFL: With Majkowski on sideline, grandson of former Packer star will start at quarterback Sunday against Rams.

If only the decision had been made based on the results of an essay test. Or maybe a quick round of “Jeopardy.” Then, maybe Green Bay Packer fans would have been heralding the magic of Anthony Dilweg last season. And nobody outside of his family would know how to pronounce Don Majkowski’s last name.

Midway through the 1989 exhibition schedule, there was still a battle for Green Bay’s starting quarterback job. Randy Wright was actually the favorite, but rookie Dilweg--who tied for the highest IQ score on a test given to draft-eligible quarterbacks--figured he had as good a chance as anyone.

This time, however, Coach Lindy Infante made the smart move. Majkowski got the job and went on to lead the NFL in passing yardage and completions. Backup Dilweg got onto the field for two plays when Majkowski was temporarily shaken up in a game against Detroit. He threw one pass, a completion good for seven yards. Nice completion percentage, but not much action.

“It’s always frustrating when you’re in a backup role,” Dilweg said, “especially when you think you’re going to get some playing time and then Don had such a great year.”

So Anthony Hume Dilweg, whose grandfather Lavvie was a Packer star in the ‘20s and ‘30s, would like to make a name for himself in green and gold and maybe--just maybe--he can turn the tables on Majkowski. Majkowski’s contract feud with Green Bay management wasn’t settled until Tuesday and while he was holding out, Dilweg was named the starter for Sunday’s season opener against the Rams.

Dilweg is bright enough not to bet against Majkowski being the No. 1 quarterback again soon--say, by as early as the first quarter Sunday--but he also contends that anything is possible.

“You would like to think the coach will give you the opportunity to keep playing,” he said. “It’s kind of like the bonus round. You get out there and if you continue to do well and we win, you would like to think you would get to keep playing.”

The man who will make the decision says he’s a don’t-fix-it-if-it-ain’t-broke kind of guy. Of course, Infante would be thrilled to write Dilweg’s name at the top of the depth chart two weeks in a row. That would mean a whole lot of passing yardage in a big Packer victory Sunday.

“If Anthony goes out there and plays really well, we win the game and we can attribute some of the success to what Anthony does, well, any coach in his right mind always is going to put the group on the field that has the best chance to win,” Infante said. “And I’m no different than anyone else in that regard.”

Ram Coach John Robinson, one who would least like to see Dilweg have a smashing debut, isn’t taking that possibility lightly.

“He’s been their quarterback all year,” Robinson said. “They have a system similar to ours, in terms of a timing passing game, and the guy has played it well.”

There’s no question that Infante’s offense was magical last year, as the Packers pulled off a series of last-minute victories. Majkowski’s star--and certainly his earning potential--began to soar. But what brought the Pack back in ‘89? The arm of the Majik Man? Or the brain of the NFL’s consensus coach of the year?

“What’s nice about this system is that Lindy’s produced a lot of great players,” Dilweg said. “And when Don was sitting out, I thought, ‘Who knows?’ Opportunities come at the most interesting times and you have to be ready to take advantage.

“There’s a plethora of options in this offense. Potentially, you can hit all five receivers on every play, depending on what the defense gives you. If you’re patient and understand the defense, you can really spread it around.”

OK, so maybe Dilweg has a chance, however slim, of getting his second pro start next week. But can he go about his business without sneaking a glance at the sidelines after every incomplete pass?

“I don’t have a lot to lose, so I’ll go out there and try to have fun,” he said. “If I start worrying about that, I won’t stay focused on the game. If something happens and (Infante) thinks Don should come in, it’s his decision.”

“Something” took a host of forms for Dilweg in the Packers’ four exhibition games. He didn’t exactly wow ‘em in Wisconsin. He completed 62 of 108 passes for 783 yards, but threw six interceptions and just one touchdown pass. His quarterback rating was 60.1. Not exactly Joe Montana-like numbers.

During Green Bay’s final exhibition game, a 27-14 loss at Kansas City, Dilweg was intercepted four times and fumbled four times, a performance that one generous Green Bay writer described as “uneven.”

Dilweg, not surprisingly, is among those who think the results of exhibition games are meaningless as long as you learn from the experience. Luckily for him, Infante seems to feel the same way.

“I don’t think the surrounding cast helped him look as good as I think he can play,” Infante said. “We missed a lot of blocks, we didn’t always run the right routes, and I probably called some plays that didn’t have a chance before the snap of the ball.

“But when he had a chance, he played pretty well. He’s a very heady kid and he knows the offense really well. He’s almost always going to the right place, and most of the time at the right time. He’s got a good future in this business.”

Dilweg is familiar with success. He was No. 2 in the country in total offense (3,713 yards) and No. 3 in passing yards (3,824 yards) and touchdown passes (24) as a senior at Duke. He says his adventures in disaster during exhibition games haven’t shaken his confidence.

“Experience is what I needed the most,” he said. “Exhibition play is a time to try new things and look at players. You don’t show your whole scheme. The troubles I had out there, I think I’m ironing them out. It really doesn’t bother me as long as you can learn and turn it into a positive thing.

“The biggest adjustment for me was getting a good pocket presence. When you’re standing on the sideline just looking, you can go through your progressions and go through your reads. But on the field, you get a sense of the pressure and how you should react to it, in terms of stepping up or sliding out.

“I think that’s the biggest thing I learned, because we had a tremendous rush in several games and I had the opportunity to learn a lot.”

OK, maybe the chance to have an intimate relationship with the artificial turf in Arrowhead Stadium wasn’t the kind of opportunity Dilweg had in mind when Majkowski’s holdout began. Still, he’s trying to relish every aspect of being the starting quarterback.

The Chiefs, for instance, sacked Dilweg five times and flattened him on nine other occasions just as he delivered the ball. So who wants to be a starting quarterback?

“I woke up pretty sore the next morning,” Dilweg said, “but at least I felt like I did something.”