PRO FOOTBALL ’86 : The AFC: Broncos Have Not Only Elway, but a Rugged Defense

In the week of the opening games, two things can be said about pro football’s American Conference:

--For the second time in 20 years and the first time since the 1960s, it has cornered most of the game’s good young quarterbacks.

--One of these is John Elway, who in his fourth National Football League campaign seems to have enough team around him--and seems finally mature enough himself--to lead the Denver Broncos into the Super Bowl.

As usual, the Broncos’ worst problems are expected from the teams in their own division, the consistently competitive AFC West. Their trouble will start Sunday in the Raider-Bronco opener at Denver, since the Raiders are a team that can make big trouble.

But for the pull of a 16-game regular season, the Broncos appear to have the right equipment. Their two most significant assets are effective quarterbacking and a formidable defense, which are two of the three things that determine most races in football. The other is injuries.

In the AFC this year, the teams that match the Broncos at quarterback don’t quite measure up defensively. And those with a similarly effective defense don’t quite match them at quarterback.

At the moment, the AFC can be described as a conference on the rise. Though it has won only one of the last five Super Bowls, it is better positioned than the NFC for what’s left of the decade.

For, curiously, AFC teams have signed almost all of the NFL’s most promising young quarterbacks.

All six members of the famous quarterback class of 1983 are in the AFC. And four are in one division, the AFC East. They are Dan Marino of the Miami Dolphins, Tony Eason of the New England Patriots, Ken O’Brien of the New York Jets and, now, Jim Kelly of the Buffalo Bills.

The two others are in the AFC West, Elway and Todd Blackledge of the Kansas City Chiefs.

Even the AFC Central has aggressively pursued strong-armed young quarterbacks. At Cleveland and Cincinnati, Bernie Kosar of the Browns and Boomer Esiason of the Bengals seem promising if inexperienced. At Houston, Warren Moon of the Oilers is showing both promise and poise.

The NFL’s quarterback model is also in the AFC. He is Dan Fouts of the San Diego Chargers.

Against this array of talent, the NFC can bring up Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers but not too many potentially great young quarterbacks. There is Jim McMahon of the Chicago Bears, who isn’t universally admired by his peers. There is Jay Schroeder of the Washington Redskins, who is underexperienced. And there are a few fans for Phil Simms of the New York Giants.

Some of the NFC’s other young quarterbacks are clearly struggling. Neil Lomax of the St. Louis Cardinals has blown hot and cold. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have benched Steve Young. And the New Orleans Saints have yet to march in with a ringing endorsement for Bobby Hebert.

On Jan. 12, 1969, quarterback Joe Namath of the New York Jets ended the myth of NFC (NFL) superiority and launched the AFC’s long run as pro football’s dominant conference.

In the subsequent 12 years, until 1982, the Dallas Cowboys were the only NFC club strong enough at quarterback and on defense to win the Super Bowl.

The Roger Staubach teams were the best Tom Landry has had at Dallas, but otherwise the AFC’s edge on defense and at quarterback with Bob Griese, Terry Bradshaw and others paid off year after year after year.

Although NFC teams made a comeback in the early 1980s, the question now is how long they can sustain the rally when, again, the AFC has a quarterback corner.

Of the AFC’s top teams, the Raiders alone are minus an All-Pro candidate at that position.

The top five:

1. DENVER BRONCOS

It is hardly the best of news for football fans that NFL teams keep putting so much of their time and energy into defense. Most spectators aren’t there to see that. But the coaches are, and, under Dan Reeves, the Broncos were 24-8 in 1984-85.

Denver is a typical NFL defensive power with such specialists as Karl Mecklenburg and such quarterback hunters as Rulon Jones. What lifts this team into a higher class is John Elway, a passer who also runs with distinction.

2. MIAMI DOLPHINS

Coach Don Shula has even more quarterbacking but less defense--unless Hugh Green and USFL import John Corker make a vital defensive impact. This is a journeyman team but for four people: Dan Marino, Mark Clayton, Mark Duper, and Shula.

Marino is one of the NFL’s few quarterbacks with an arm that’s quick enough to make today’s belligerent pass rushers cry. He and his coach found the one way to beat Chicago last year, going for the big play on every down.

3. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Under Coach Raymond Berry, this is the NFL’s strangest good team, in part because Tony Eason is the strangest good quarterback. He has the accuracy and touch of the game’s best passers--but when you think of pirate captains like Bobby Layne, he’s just the opposite of them.

The Patriots were lucky to win the AFC last season, but, strangely, they have the talent to have done even more than that--from Irving Fryar and Stephen Starring to defensive aces Andre Tippett and Raymond Clayborn.

4. L.A. RAIDERS

The stars and superstars of this team--Marcus Allen, Howie Long, Mike Haynes, Todd Christensen, Matt Millen, Don Mosebar, Dokie Williams and numerous others--are more evenly distributed between offense and defense than those of any other AFC club. There is also a unique leadership blend with Al Davis, Tom Flores and the other coaches.

The Raiders will go as far as Marc Wilson and Jim Plunkett can move them in an old-fashioned offense that’s often effective enough.

5. NEW YORK JETS

This is another team that’s long on stars--from Freeman McNeil and Al Toon to such as Mark Gastineau and Joe Klecko. And with Johnny Hector, Coach Joe Walton minimizes the loss when McNeil goes down, which is too often.

But there are more holes in the Jets’ platoons than in the Raiders’.

And though Ken O’Brien can throw the ball with nearly anyone in the league, he doesn’t have the quick feet of a great passer. In a blitz era, that often hurts the Jets.

AFC DIVISIONS

WEST: Denver and the Raiders will slug it out unless there’s a payoff from the San Diego Chargers’ new defensive concept, which rests on the premise that man is an aggressive animal. Their offensive firepower is more awesome than ever with Dan Fouts throwing to five or six Pro Bowl candidates--Gary Anderson, Lionel James, Charlie Joiner, Kellen Winslow, Wes Chandler and Trumaine Johnson, among others. . . . Under Chuck Knox, the Seattle Seahawks have everything but a consistent pass offense. Their defense, with such as Jacob Green, Jeff Bryant, Ken Easley and Dave Brown, is as awesome as San Diego’s offense. . . . The Kansas City Chiefs will become a contender if Todd Blackledge is ready at quarterback and if their rebuilt offensive line is all it seems.

EAST: In effect, this is a division with two divisions. At the top, the Dolphins, Patriots and Jets are three of the AFL’s best teams. In the second division, the Buffalo Bills and Indianapolis Colts are still struggling. . . . If the Bills had a blocking line, they’d have a great offense with passer Jim Kelly, runners Greg Bell and rookie Ronnie Harmon and receivers Jerry Butler and Andre Reed. The defense has one jewel, end Bruce Smith. . . . At Indianapolis, Coach Rod Dowhower, a passing expert, has been given the tools to build only a running attack and an offensive line. There’s still a question whether the Colts have a passer in either Gary Hogeboom or rookie Jack Trudeau.

CENTRAL: In a well-balanced division, there isn’t a well-rounded team. The AFC Central winner--and it could be any of the four--will be the one that’s hurt least by its weaknesses. . . . The Cincinnati Bengals, who always have the most talent, can run up points with steady runners and three fine receivers--6-0 Eddie Brown, 6-5 Cris Collinsworth and 5-10 rookie Tim McGee--in an offense directed by a good one, Boomer Esiason. . . . The Cleveland Browns are also potentially good with Bernie Kosar and Ozzie Newsome. . . . The Houston Oilers have improved offensively with rookie receiver Ernest Givins added to Drew Hill and third-year NFL quarterback Warren Moon. But the defenses of all three teams are spotty. . . . The Pittsburgh Steelers alone seem lacking on offense as well as defense. When your quarterback, Mark Malone, can’t get the ball to Louis Lipps and John Stallworth, you’re in trouble.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE

FINAL 1985 STANDINGS

WEST W L T Pct. PF PA LA Raiders 12 4 0 .750 354 308 Denver 11 5 0 .688 380 329 Seattle 8 8 0 .500 349 303 San Diego 8 8 0 .500 467 435 Kansas City 6 10 0 .375 317 360

EAST W L T Pct. PF PA Miami 12 4 0 .750 428 320 NY Jets 11 5 0 .688 393 264 New England 11 5 0 .688 362 290 Indianapolis 5 11 0 .313 320 386 Buffalo 2 14 0 .125 200 381

CENTRAL W L T Pct. PF PA Cleveland 8 8 0 .500 287 294 Cincinnati 7 9 0 .438 441 337 Pittsburgh 7 9 0 .438 379 355 Houston 5 11 0 .313 284 412