Afc Central

After watching their quarterback sack total sink from 49 in 1979 to an NFL low of 18 last year, the PITTSBURGH Steelers made Keith Gary, a quick and active defensive end from Oklahoma, their first pick in the draft. They brought him to their mini-camp. They measured his vertical jump. It totaled 500 miles—all the way to Montreal. They took a big bite on the bullet and decided that maybe their 1980 pass rush had been on the injured reserve list: rookies John Goodman and Bob Kohrs. If Goodman and Kohrs remain healthy, the Steelers may not miss Gary after all.

Oh, they had other problems last year, too. Injuries, for one. Chuck Noll never had been hit by such a bunch of them. Wide receivers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth and offensive linemen Steve Courson, Jon Kolb and Sam Davis all were laid up at various times. So the world never saw the 1980 Steeler offense.

When the offense was crippled in the old days, that mighty Steeler defense would rise up like a monster and cover for the offense. Not so last year. The Steelers gave up the most points they have allowed in 11 years—313.

Opposing passers had time to pick and choose. Cracks started to appear, weaknesses were exploited. Jack Ham, coming back from a foot injury, was half a step slower. There was a lack of speed in the secondary. But there's a deeper problem at work here. It deals with the nature of dynasties. There comes a time when you have to say goodby to people, those proud, magnificent athletes who gave you all those championships. Chuck Noll couldn't. The fact that he couldn't is to his credit as a human being, but sentimentality doesn't cut it in the steely-eyed world of the NFL. Can Noll do it now? Can he look a Joe Greene in the eye and tell him, "Sorry, but I've got somebody who's quicker and better?" Can he tell a Jon Kolb that his body has just taken too much of a beating through the years?

The 1981 Steeler press guide has an interesting line: "Only 17 players remain from the first Super Bowl team." Only 17? Hey, that's a lot over an eight-year span. Do you know how many Vikings are left from the team that played the Steelers in that Supe IX? Five. And Bud Grant's a guy who likes to go with vets.

While the Steelers were aging, the draft failed to produce any real stars for them. Starters, yes, but since their great draft of '74, when Middle Linebacker Jack Lambert, Center Mike Webster and receivers Swann and Stallworth were picked, the Steelers haven't drafted a single Pro Bowl player.

Despite all this gloom, Pittsburgh will be a formidable force in '81 if Swann and Stallworth and Courson return to full-time duty, and if young Greg Hawthorne blossoms into a big league back and takes the pressure off Franco Harris. Even with Quarterback Terry Bradshaw toying with an acting career, the Pittsburgh offense should be potent enough to outscore people.

Cleveland Browns Coach Sam Rutigliano did a very un-Samlike thing this exhibition season. He went for the win each time out. He kept his varsity in longer than the other teams did. Why? "After last year, I felt we had to get out of the gate faster this time," he says.

It figures. The murderous part of Cleveland's schedule is bunched into the first six games—four 1980 playoff teams plus Pittsburgh on the road. The Browns are no longer those lovable Kardiac Kids from Lake Erie. They're a defending division champ, a foe, and their iffy pass defense (worst in the NFL in yardage allowed in 1980) will be tested right away. Last year the Browns found out that all that Kardiac stuff has a flip side, too. Pittsburgh beat them in the last 11 seconds. The Vikings beat them at the whistle. In the playoffs Oakland drove 80 yards on them for the go-ahead touchdown in the final quarter. Rutigliano wouldn't mind a few good old-fashioned breathers every now and then.

Defense is a very sore point around Cleveland. "Why do they keep saying all those things about our defense? Why?" says Lyle Alzado, the right end. "Don't they see how hard we're trying out there?" That's just the problem. Lord knows, they try. They're overachievers. Alzado's two line-mates, Marshall Harris and Henry Bradley, are 112.5-per-centers. The linebackers are solid enough. The secondary will wallop you if it can catch you. But speed, you gotta have speed. No. 1 draft pick Hanford Dixon, a cornerback, does a 4.45 40, and he'll be in there somewhere. Clinton Burrell, sixth round in '79 and a cornerback by trade, is now the free safety, replacing Thorn Darden. More speed. Then there's Eddie Johnson, a 6'1", 210-pound rookie linebacker. A shrimp, but man does he get around. "Rejected! Too small!" the computers said of Johnson, failing to notice that Atlanta had success with a set of Munchkins last year. Anyway, the Browns took a chance and drafted Fast Eddie in the seventh round, and he wowed 'em all preseason. He'll be in there somewhere before long. Don Goode, imported from San Diego by Draft Supervisor Tommy Prothro, has replaced umpteen-year veteran Charlie Hall at left linebacker.