NFL’s Annual Rite Begins After Off-Season of Change

It happens every summer.

The good people of Latrobe, Pa., form two lines along the steep steps leading up the hill from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice field to their locker room.

As the players trudge past after completing two-a-day practices, the citizens cheer them. Not for winning, but surviving.

It happens every summer.

Little boys bring their bikes and their dreams to Lambeau Field in Green Bay.

The lucky ones are hired by those Packers who don’t want to make the long walk across the parking lot to the practice field. The player rides the boy’s bike, the boy jogs alongside carrying the player’s helmet.

The player pays a buck and gets a breather. The boy gets to touch a hero.

It happens every summer.

The good people of Platteville, Wis., entertain the Chicago Bears with a pig roast.

The good people of LaCrosse, Wis., are treated to a tailgate party by the New Orleans Saints, offering that rare opportunity to spill mustard on Jim Mora.

From Fredonia State to Flagstaff, from Sierra Community College to St. Edward’s, small places will begin filling up with big names this week as NFL teams open training camps.

This being the second year of landmark upheaval in the league, some names will be bigger than others.

Barry Switzer will begin training camp in Austin, Tex., his first as coach of the Dallas Cowboys. Jimmy Johnson will begin training camp on a boat docked off South Florida.

But time and distance will not lessen the sting of their insults.

Warren Moon will be starting all over again with the Minnesota Vikings. Likewise for about a dozen other quarterbacks and their new teams.

And Buddy Ryan, football’s most bombastic personality, will begin his first training camp as coach of the Phoenix--oops, make that Arizona--Cardinals.

One Buddy, one group of players badly in need of a swift kick, all thrown together in the forests of northern Arizona.

Does anybody else think that sounds like a pig roast and a tailgate party rolled into one?

A peek at the next six weeks:

HI, I’M WARREN. AND YOU?

While NFL owners were making rules to increase scoring, their general managers were making moves to reduce it. What else would you call trading or releasing quarterbacks as if they were kickers?

Mostly because of free agency and the salary cap, 11 of the 28 teams will have new starting quarterbacks.

We’re guessing none of them will throw for as many as 350 yards in one game in the first month. Some of them won’t even know all the plays until Thanksgiving.

Only the tough and smart will triumph. The rest will get treated like Mark Rypien.

The three easiest transitions:

--Jim Everett, New Orleans Saints. Not too tough getting used to speedy wide receivers and fans who aren’t threatening to dismember you.

--Jeff George, Atlanta Falcons. Nobody other than Mike Tyson wanted to leave Indiana so badly. His season should be one big smile.

--Erik Kramer, Chicago Bears. Dave Wannstedt is careful never to put his players in a position to fail.

The three most difficult transitions:

--Warren Moon, Minnesota Vikings. Where he’s going, the run-and-shoot is something you do in the woods with your dog.

--Heath Shuler, Washington Redskins. A rookie quarterback in the NFC East? By Halloween, he will have the smile of a jack o’ lantern.

--Dave Brown, New York Giants. Who?

YOU KNOW WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT FIRST IMPRESSIONS

We know Ken Norton Jr. is going to be the leader of the San Francisco 49ers’ defense the minute he shows up at Sierra Community College. That’s simply him.

And we know Seth Joyner and Clyde Simmons will have Cardinal defenders throwing around offensive teammates from the first scrimmage in Flagstaff. That’s simply them.

But for other celebrated free agents, first impressions are less certain and more important.

Some of the San Diego Chargers thought Anthony Miller was selfish. The Denver Broncos will be watching.

Sean Jones was never reluctant to speak his mind in Houston. The Packers will be listening.

In the last two years in Atlanta, Chris Miller was not sound for more than two seconds. The Rams will be holding their breath.

Will the Falcons accept troubled Ironhead Heyward? Will the Detroit Lions listen to a career backup, Scott Mitchell?

And wouldn’t you like to be a fly on the wall when former Bear Steve McMichael checks in with his former hated rivals in Green Bay?

Cheeseheads, huh Mongo?

THREE WORDS: CAN THEY RUN?

The three most important injury rehabilitations, in order of progress:

--Terry Allen, Vikings, knee surgery: He has recovered so well that he was able to compete in a made-for-TV running back competition. He will spend the season in the same sentence with Emmitt Smith and Jerome Bettis.

--Randall Cunningham, Philadelphia Eagles, broken leg: The leg has healed. But has the ego? It’s not every off-season your bosses announce they are trying to trade you. A huge year for a man who does his best when he’s the only one who believes.

--Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins, torn Achilles’ tendon: He will be the only one of the big three rehab cases who will not be 100% by the start of training camp.

Is this a problem? Depends on what you believe.

Marino threw well during mini-camps, but did not participate in the entire workouts. He will remain on the same reduced schedule until at least the start of exhibitions.

There is no question he does not have the step that quarterbacks need to escape trouble, the ability to step up into or scramble out of the pocket. But did he ever have that step?

Supporters say no, but if anybody can recover fully from a mobility-limiting injury, it is the quarterback with the game’s quickest release.

But critics wonder. We have seen cornerbacks’ careers end with this type of injury. But we have seen NBA star Dominique Wilkins come back with a flourish.

What about quarterbacks? We don’t know what to believe.

Neither do the Dolphins, the proof being an off-season acquisition named Bernie Kosar.

THE HEAT IS ON, AND WE AREN’T TALKING ABOUT THE WEATHER IN AUSTIN OR PLATTEVILLE

As difficult as it is to change teams, sometimes there is even more pressure in staying.

Ask Cody Carlson, who occupies his own NFL hot spot as the Oiler quarterback replacing Warren Moon.

Except that Carlson looks as comfortable with the Oilers as Bum Phillips once did. He is tough, he is respected after past successes there, and he will do splendidly.

Another hot spot is in the Kansas City Chiefs’ defensive backfield, where the starting cornerbacks from last year’s AFC championship finalists are missing.

Albert Lewis and Kevin Ross are gone. In their places are former New York Giant Mark Collins and Dale Carter. David Whitmore, Doug Terry and Charles Mincy are at safety.

John Elway, are you listening? Thought so.

But there will be no hotter spot than the Cowboy defense, which has lost leadership, depth and experience with the departures of Norton, Tony Casillas, Jimmie Jones and Thomas Everett.

We like James Washington replacing Everett at free safety. But we don’t like Robert Jones starting at middle linebacker in place of Norton.

And we have no idea what the Cowboys will do for fresh legs in the defensive line in the third and fourth quarters. Their strength has become a weakness. And don’t the 49ers know it.

THEY’D BETTER DO MORE THAN STAND UP IN THE CAFETERIA AND SING THEIR FIGHT SONGS

These rookies need to play like veterans--and quick:

--Marshall Faulk, Indianapolis Colts. He can save face for a struggling franchise, and the job of a nice coach named Ted Marchibroda.

--Trent Dilfer, Tampa Bay Buccaneers. See Faulk. Insert Sam Wyche for Marchibroda.

--Bryant Young, San Francisco 49ers. All of their defensive changes won’t mean a thing if he is the reincarnation of Ted Washington.

IS DON SHULA REALLY IN THE LAST YEAR OF HIS CONTRACT? IF SO, WHAT DOES THAT SAY ABOUT THE REST OF YOU GUYS?

Five coaches whose jobs are absolutely safe: Barry Switzer, Buddy Ryan, June Jones, Pete Carroll and Norv Turner. If you guessed that they are new, you are right.

A few others aren’t so lucky.

The great Shula? We would not be surprised if he received a contract extension from owner Wayne Huizenga before the end of training camp. A summit meeting between the coach and the salesman at Shula’s North Carolina retreat on July 4 weekend indicated as much.

That said, we would also feel a lot better if Johnson would dock his boat somewhere else.

Mora? New Orleans owner Tom Benson is tired of enduring losses with the patience of a saint. Marchibroda? Nice guys get fired, especially in Indianapolis.

Wyche? A better team, so he must turn in a better record. Bill Belichick at Cleveland? Diminishing skills.

YOU THINK THE ONLY GUYS WORTH WATCHING ARE EMMITT AND TROY?

From deep roughs come three diamonds who will go from training camp to stardom:

--Natrone Means, San Diego Chargers: Those rushing to buy O.J. Simpson trading cards last week, a better investment would have been this guy. Means will lead the AFC in rushing this season.

--Hardy Nickerson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: This linebacker might be the best tackler in football.

--Aeneas Williams, Arizona Cardinals: This cornerback doesn’t do anything flashy, but does everything with gusto and heart. Returned both a fumble and an interception for a touchdown last year--in the same game. In Buddy Ryan’s defense, he will become another Eric Allen.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TWO-POINT QUARTERBACKS AND KICKOFF KICKERS

When you see coaches throwing up their arms and swearing this summer, they have either spotted Jimmy Johnson standing with their owner or they are working on the new rules.

Coaches will spend as much as two hours each week simply figuring out how to run a two-point conversion play. Not that they would ever use it if the game were on the line.

They must also work with their kickoff teams, which now start from the 30-yard line instead of the 35. If their kicker can’t get it into the end zone, they must add a kicker, find a new kicker, or teach their old kicker to direct the ball away from the return man.

Contrary to popular belief, coaches will not work on field goals, even though missed attempts will now be returned to the spot of the kick instead of the line of scrimmage, a seven-yard difference.

That is because this rule will effectively end long field goal attempts and cause more punts. Which would you rather see? Nice job, owners.

THE LESSONS

What will we learn during training camp?

We will learn that the Cowboys have become a circus without Johnson, and that the 49ers have become a powerhouse with Norton and Richard Dent.

We will learn that the Buffalo Bills are finally willing to let somebody else win the AFC title.

We will learn that the Raiders will be that team.

We will learn that the best off-season signing involved a backup player. Perhaps nobody will be as important as Steve Bono to the Kansas City Chiefs.

We will learn that the worst free-agent signing, for the money, was Mitchell by the Lions. The Dolphins will not be surprised.

We will learn that the Vikings and Packers will challenge the Cowboys and 49ers in the NFC.

We will learn that the Denver Broncos will challenge the Raiders in the AFC.

We will learn that Seattle and New England will finally be playoff teams.

We will learn that the Giants, Lions and Oilers will not.

We will learn that when it comes to making predictions in a league where the two-time defending champion coach quits, Pro Bowl quarterbacks are fired and the commissioner sues the Baltimore Colts for being the Baltimore Colts . . . we will never learn.

NFL Training Camps

Training camp reporting dates for NFL teams for this season, with team, reporting site and rookie and veteran reporting dates:

AMERICAN CONFERENCE

Team Site Reporting Dates Rookies Veterans RAIDERS Oxnard Opened Saturday BUFFALO BILLS Fredonia, N.Y. July 21 July 24 CINCINNATI BENGALS Wilmington, Ohio July 18 July 22 CLEVELAND BROWNS Berea, Ohio July 18 July 22 DENVER BRONCOS Greeley, Colo. Sunday Sunday HOUSTON OILERS San Antonio Sunday Sunday INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Anderson, Ind. Wednesday July 21 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS River Falls, Wis. July 21 July 21 MIAMI DOLPHINS Davie, Fla. July 18 July 18 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS Smithfield, R.I. Friday July 21 NEW YORK JETS Hempstead, N.Y. July 23 July 23 PITTSBURGH STEELERS Latrobe, Pa. Friday July 22 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS La Jolla Wednesday July 17 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS Kirkland, Wash. Wednesday July 21

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

Team Site Reporting Dates Rookies Veterans RAMS UC Irvine Opened July 22 ARIZONA CARDINALS Flagstaff, Ariz. July 27 July 27 ATLANTA FALCONS Suwanee, Ga. July 21 July 21 CHICAGO BEARS Platteville, Wis. Sunday July 21 DALLAS COWBOYS Austin, Tex. Thursday Saturday DETROIT LIONS Pontiac, Mich. July 22 July 22 GREEN BAY PACKERS West DePere, Wis. July 20 July 23 MINNESOTA VIKINGS Mankato, Minn. Wednesday Saturday NEW ORLEANS SAINTS La Crosse, Wis. July 20 July 21 NEW YORK GIANTS Madison, N.J. Sunday Sunday PHILADELPHIA EAGLES West Chester, Pa. July 19 July 24 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS Rocklin, Cal. July 20 July 23 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS Tampa July 24 July 24 WASHINGTON REDSKINS Carlisle, Pa. July 20 July 24