PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : AROUND THE NFL : Last-Place Teams Lose an Advantage

Last-place teams in each NFL division, which used to get a somewhat softer schedule than others, will play a schedule similar to their division opponents next season.

That is the main change in the new schedule format, released by the NFL, to accommodate the debuts of Carolina and Jacksonville next season.

Under the new format, the schedule for the first- and second-place teams in each division will remain the same. But the schedule for the next three teams will be accommodated to include fifth-place teams.

Under the old format, fifth-place teams played the other fifth-place team from its conference twice and had one game each against the fifth-place team from the other conference. Its other four nondivisional games were against the teams in the four-team conferences--the AFC Central and NFC West.

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Atlanta Falcon defensive end Chuck Smith (sprained right knee) will be sidelined for Saturday’s game against Arizona. Smith, the team leader in five defensive categories, including sacks with 11. . . . Tampa, Fla., civic leaders unveiled a plan to guarantee home attendance of 55,000 per game for the Buccaneers’ new owners. The team is for sale and could be moved. . . . Browning Nagle will start at quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts against the Buffalo Bills. . . . Charges against Cincinnati Bengal running back Derrick Fenner stemming from a confrontation with police outside a bar Dec. 11 were dropped, according to broadcast reports in Cincinnati.