PRO FOOTBALL : Gillman Sees Many Talented Young Guns

The NFL’s future depends on its young quarterbacks. Are there enough of them?

Former coaches Bill Walsh and Bill Parcells insistently say no.

Former coach Sid Gillman disagrees. On the 28 pro clubs this year, Gillman computed Monday, there are at least 17 exceptional young quarterback prospects.

The argument:

--Walsh: College coaches are no longer turning out a sufficient number of NFL-caliber quarterback candidates.

--Gillman: There has been the usual stream of live candidates, but as always they need NFL playing time to develop.

Said Gillman, a pass-offense expert who still studies NFL game films religiously after coaching his way into seven halls of fame 20 years ago:

“A typical example is the Bear quarterback, Jim Harbaugh. Last season, most people thought Harbaugh would never make it. Never. Mike Ditka went on playing him anyway, and today he’s a tremendous prospect.

“The league is full of guys with that kind of talent.”

As Gillman sees it, Dallas has the two best, starter Troy Aikman and backup Steve Beuerlein. The others in his top five: Harbaugh, Jeff George and Timm Rosenbach.

More on the way: Coming out of college this spring or the year after will be two or three more potential franchise quarterbacks, in the view of lawyer-agent Leigh Steinberg, who represents many NFL veterans.

“(Houston’s) David Klingler has the size, strength and intelligence to make it big,” Steinberg said. “So has (Notre Dame’s) Rick Mirer. And (at Florida State), Casey Weldon runs his team like a franchise quarterback, although he lacks the (passing power) of Klingler and Mirer.”

Steinberg agrees in general with Gillman that “there are already 15 or 20 potentially exceptional” quarterbacks in the league, despite the popular perception that few good young ones are in service.

The problem, he said, is that the critics are comparing today’s youngsters against Hall of Famers who are remembered from their prime years.

“Anybody will tell you today that Terry Bradshaw was a great quarterback,” Steinberg said. “But how was he judged as a young man--when he was in his third or fourth year? About like Harbaugh last year--or worse.”

Suicidal NFL: If the development of young quarterbacks is slower these days than it once was, the explanation is that the NFL is gradually committing suicide by allowing defensive players to plow into the league’s most valuable commodities after they get rid of the ball.

That is Steinberg’s judgment. And he recommends a new rule.

“Passers should get exactly the same protection that the NFL gives kickers and punters,” he said, commenting on the incidence of injuries that have taken out Aikman, Randall Cunningham, Jeff Hostetler and others this season.

“Whenever the quarterback is in a passing pocket, it should be a rule violation for a defensive player to hit him any time after the ball leaves his hand.

“You would still have sacks. You could still rush the passer. But what is gained for football as a sport when a 300-pound defensive lineman is allowed to smash into a 200-pound quarterback after the ball is gone?

“In boxing, you see the knockout punch. But in football, nobody sees it. When the quarterback is blind-sided, everyone is following the flight of the ball.

“Football was never intended to be that kind of game. A quarterback sack was a rare event until comparatively recently. The game changed drastically a few years ago when the emphasis changed from running to passing--but the rules haven’t changed with it.

“The old guys knew enough to protect kickers because kicking was part of their game. You have to think they’d have protected passers, too, if passing were as much of football then as it is now. What’s needed are imaginative modern rules committee men who can see what’s happening to their game.

“It takes years to develop a polished NFL quarterback. Why allow him to be destroyed by one hit? After he’s thrown the ball? When he’s no longer in the play? It makes no sense whatever.”

Help on the way: Against the Buffalo Bills in the Coliseum on Sunday, the Raiders will have the most effective kicking game in the 1991 NFL, provided by kicker Jeff Jaeger and punter Jeff Gossett.

Gossett, in 13 games, has put only two punts into the end zone. Remarkably, he has placed 19 inside the 20-yard line.

“It’s like he’s been throwing the ball just where he wanted to throw it,” said former NFL quarterback Gary Huff, a Raider executive.

Jaeger, with an unlikely average of more than two field goals a game, has beaten two teams that held the Raiders without a touchdown--the San Francisco 49ers, 12-6, and San Diego Chargers, 9-7.

This year, Jay Schroeder’s best passes on his good days have gone exactly where he intended them to go.

He has also had other kinds of days, though, and if he has one of them Sunday, the Raider booters stand ready to bail him out.

Fifty years of football: Los Angeles old-timers are about to celebrate the anniversary of one of the city’s biggest early football games. On Saturday it will be an even 50 years since the Hollywood Bears wiped out the Columbus (Ohio) Bulls for what they called the Little World Championship, 21-9, at old Gilmore Stadium.

A capacity 18,000 saw Kenny Washington run 56 yards for a touchdown and set up other touchdowns with passes to Woody Strode. Two of the four officials were Los Angeles sportswriters, Dick Hyland and John B. Old.

On Pearl Harbor Sunday, the Bears, coached by Paul Schissler, and the Bulls came in as the champions of the Pacific Coast League and American Assn., respectively.

In the NFL that day, the old Brooklyn Dodgers upset the New York Giants at the Polo Grounds. In football as in war, it was a big day. It was a long time ago.

Quote Department:

Jimmy Johnson, Dallas coach, on backup quarterback Steve Beuerlein: “He’s one of the reasons I can sleep what little bit I sleep this year.”

Jim Harbaugh, Chicago quarterback, on his idea of the the perfect game he’ll play someday: “Going 30 for 35 for four TDs, no INTs, making all the right reads, no sacks.”

Darrell Green, Washington cornerback, evaluating Darrell Green: “I say this in humility, not pride, I was born to be an NFL cornerback.”

Bill Belichick, Cleveland coach, evaluating the progress of his month-old son: “He’s day to day.”

Rating the Young Quarterbacks

The NFL has a crowd of gifted young quarterbacks, Hall of Fame coach Sid Gillman said Monday. Here are Gillman’s ratings and comments:

No Quarterback Team Comment 1 Steve Beuerlein Cowboys One of the league’s smartest. 2 Troy Aikman Cowboys Has pro football’s biggest future. 3 Jeff George Colts Top value is obscured by bad team. 4 Jim Harbaugh Bears Strong, smart, tough team player. 5 Timm Rosenbach Cardinals A real QB beauty. Injured. 6 Chris Miller Falcons Has all the talent you need. 7 Rodney Peete Lions Nobody throws better on the run. 8 John Friesz Chargers Stands in and throws straight. 9 Neil O’Donnell Steelers Up there with all of the above. 10 Rich Gannon Vikings All he has ever needed is to play. 11 Jeff Carlson Buccaneers Has size, strength, accuracy. 12 Mark Vlasik Chiefs The raw talent is very much there. 13 Steve Walsh Saints Smart, accurate Bob Griese-type. 14 Stan Humphries Redskins Value if they had to play him. 15 Donald Hollas Bengals Has shown he belongs with these. 16 Kelly Stouffer Seahawks Lack of progress a mystery. 17 Todd Marinovich Raiders Has the talent to rank No. 1.