PRO FOOTBALL : Krieg Makes Aggressive Eagles Pay Dearly

The question of the day in pro football:

How could the flashy, unbeaten Philadelphia Eagles lose to an ultraconservative AFC team, the Kansas City Chiefs, a week after routing the Dallas Cowboys?

For an explanation, fans need only recall how two quarterbacks pass:

--Dave Krieg of Kansas City excels at the long ball, which is what it takes to beat the Eagle defense.

--Troy Aikman of Dallas is a middle-range marksman. His long passes tend to hang, float or drift.

And so in Philadelphia last Monday night, Dallas lost to the Eagles, 31-7, six days before the Eagles lost in Kansas City, 24-17.

Since opening day, Philadelphia’s players have been showing that they have mastered effective defense against conventional offenses.

So to beat the Eagles, opponents must play long ball, as Krieg did Sunday, throwing over the Eagles, who, except for a defensive back or two, are usually on the attack.

In particular, the two Philadelphia safeties always seem to be moving forward. Thus, if the play is a run, a short pass or a medium-range pass, one safety or the other is regularly at the point of attack.

The Eagles don’t really have a free safety. Both Andre Waters and Wes Hopkins are strong safeties, in either meaning of the term, and each has been called, at different times by different opponents, the dirtiest player in the game.

Waters was the first NFL blitzer to systematically dive at a quarterback’s knees. The league has outlawed that and swinging at a quarterback’s head, but Hopkins has mastered a related trick, butting or shouldering the quarterback’s head--which the league still allows.

Aware of all that, the Chiefs simply abandoned their ball-control offense Sunday and played the deep-pass game with Krieg.

As a play-action quarterback, Krieg isn’t notably nifty, but against Philadelphia he didn’t have to be. Coach Marty Schottenheimer put his Kansas City offense in a play-action mode, thus inviting the Eagles to keep running themselves out of the play.

On Kansas City’s key passes, the Chiefs put their hearts and backs into what seemed to be power runs. They were blocking, faking hand offs and making phantom line bucks.

Considering that Waters and Hopkins are always ready to come forward anyway, the Kansas City play-acting was enough to lure them up a step or two as the Chiefs’ receivers ran by and caught three long passes for touchdowns.

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King Krieg: Last year’s Kansas City quarterback, Steve DeBerg, is better at play-action than Krieg, but Krieg gives the Chiefs a Super Bowl threat at quarterback on his good days.

Krieg misses sometimes, though, and he can be a fumbler. For a 192-pound, 6-foot-1 quarterback, he has small hands and can lose control of the ball.

But he usually throws straight, and he invariably stands tough in the pocket. With Krieg, the Chiefs appear to be in the championship race.

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AFC rising: For the first time recently, two AFC clubs toppled front-line NFC opponents Sunday when Kansas City upset Philadelphia as the Miami Dolphins were turning back a 1991 playoff team, the Atlanta Falcons, 21-17.

Although the NFC still leads the interconference series, 11-7, its membership has lost two games each to two AFC East teams, Miami and the Buffalo Bills.

The Raiders, Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts also have won interconference games for the AFC.

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The 5-0 team: Preseason odds that the Dolphins, after six weeks, would be the NFL’s single undefeated team were astronomical.

A year ago, the Dolphins finished 8-8.

Yet, their opponents in the AFC East aren’t surprised.

“This just isn’t the same team,” Buffalo General Manager Bill Polian said of the Dolphins (5-0), who have opened a surprising lead on the two-time champion Bills (4-2). “They’ve improved more this year than probably any team in either (conference). They’re for real.”

Polian cited two Miami newcomers, tight end Keith Jackson and running back Bobby Humphrey, among others.

“Humphrey does more things for Miami than the (running back) they had last year,” Polian said of the deal that sent Sammie Smith to Denver.

To get Jackson, a free agent, Coach Don Shula made a winning bid two weeks ago because he wanted a tight end who could take some of the double-team heat off wide receivers Mark Clayton and Mark Duper.

On defense, Shula has regained his best player, linebacker John Offerdahl, who was injured last year, and added three key starters: rookie cornerback Troy Vincent, rookie linebacker Marco Coleman and linebacker, John Grimsley, acquired in a trade.

“(The Miami) bench is a lot stronger now, too,” Polian said. “They’ve had three or four good drafts in a row.”

As a result, the Dolphins, after upsetting Buffalo last week, 37-10, won Sunday without a touchdown pass from Dan Marino.

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Patrons’ chance: There are still plenty of tickets available for Super Bowl XXVII at the Rose Bowl Jan. 31, Los Angeles host committee members reported Monday.

They’re there for sports fans willing to spend $995 or more.

“We have three VIP patron packages available for those who want to help us support and underwrite the activities we’re arranging for Los Angeles guests,” committee chairman Sheldon I. Ausman said, identifying the following:

--Bronze package: $995 per end zone seat, plus parking, lunch and other amenities.

--Silver package: $1,250 per sideline seat, plus parking, lunch, etc.

--Gold package: $1,750 per premium seat, plus preferred parking, VIP lunch, VIP dinner, etc.

Said Los Angeles Sports Council President David Simon: “We’re planning a good time for all.”

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Quote Department:

--Michael Irvin, Dallas wide receiver, on playing his position in NFL games: “The catching is easy, the running is easy. Taking the licks ain’t easy.”

--Jerry Glanville, Atlanta coach, on why he advises kickers not to kick off into the end zone: “I want it to go about to the four-yard line, and then smack ‘em down on the 12.”

--Johnny Mitchell, Jet tight end, who has missed the whole season so far with a shoulder injury: “When I get back, I’ll show you all why the Jets drafted me with a No. 1 pick. I’ll live up to expectations.”

--Rickey Jackson, New Orleans linebacker, on growing old in the NFL: “When you’re 34, you still have most of the skills you had at 24, but you’re smarter. Plus people know you. Even the young (receivers and running backs) know that if they come my way, they’re going to pay for it.”