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Maybe, Thoms SaysBlanda Fades This Year?By SPEC 5 RANDY MURPHYSS Sports WriterTOKYO — Old pro George Blanda, who will be 46 in September, just goes on and on in the rougn world of pro football.Blanda, who seems to get better with age, has completed 24 years with the Oakland Raiders and is still going strong in a game played mostly by young, aggressive men in their 20s and early 30s.But Oakland teammate Art Thoms thinks this might be the season when time catches up with Blanda.“I kind of think this might be Bianda’s last year, even though his age doesn’t show in his activiites,’ said the Raiders’ Thoms, who was in Tokyo as part of a hand-shaking USO tour group ot visiting National Football League players.“George takes it year by year and I’m pretty sure he will be playing this year. He had a real good season for us in 1973 and played an important part in leading us to the American Conference West title,” Thoms said.“For a man his age, he hit a high percentage of the field goals he attempted.“He’s playing less and less as quarterback . , . last year I don’t think he played at QB all during the season and like a couple of years ago, he was named the most valuable player in the league and everything,” the strong defensive tackle Raider defenseman recalled.ssART THOMSTalks About the ‘Old Pro’Why does Thoms think this might be Bianda’s last year in the pros?“We drafted Rod Garcia out of Stanford and I don’t know how many years George can keep ahead of him,” said the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Thoms.“I'm sure of at least one year, with Garcia practicing under George this year with hopes ofHouston WFL Spot Costs 750GsHOUSTON (AP) — A group of four Monroe, La., men have purchased Houston’s new World Football League franchise for more than $750,000, the HoustonPost reported.The franchise will remain in Houston and possibly play in Rice Stadium beginning in July.The Post listed the stockholders as Dr. Ralph Simpson,ig Pacific Stars StripesTuesday, March 5, 1974Alton Howard, Pete Mangum and Wayne Spruill.Another Monroe resident, Mickey Cox, may also be included in the purchase from Steve Arnold of San Francisco.The Post quoted a Monroe, La., source as saying Mangum and Spruill, both former assistant coaches at Northeast Louisiana State University, will be club vice presidents. Mangum will be general manager and Spruill director of player personnel.taking over next year. This, of course, is just speculation,” the five-year pro out of Syracuse said.With Blanda in the Oakland lineup either as a placekicker or at quarterback, do the Raiders tend to get charged up over his being there? It seems that he gives them that extra spark needed when everything else has failed to work.“No, I don’t think the players really fire up any more than usual. I do think, however, they look up to him and admire him. He’s really just kind of a regular guy . . . he’s one of the guys on the team,” said the Raiders’ No. 1 draft choice of 1969.When is Oakland going to win the playoffs and advance to the Super Bowl?“I don’t know, it’s kind of getting discouraging. I’ve been on the team five years and we’ve been in the playoffs four of those years and we haven’t made it to the Super Bowl yet,” said the Oakland resident.“We’ve made it to the championship twice, but each year something seeme to go wrong. I do think, however, that with Kenny Stabler as quarterback, our odds will be a lot better in going to the Super Bowl.”Stabler is the left-handed quarterback who took over for the injured Daryle Lamonica and was the plus factor in the Raiders’ 9-4-1 season record in 1973.“Stabler has always been there, but they just haven’t given him an opportunity to prove himself. Daryle has played, winning a lot of games for theRaiders, and he has always donepretty well.“But ever since the zone detense came in, Daryle just kinda doesn’t seem to realize that the zone defense is here to stay, and he doesn’t realize he can’t throw the bomb as much as he used to,” Thoms said.Will Oakland fans be seeing more of Stabler next year and less of Lamonica?“Definitely more of Stabler end you might even see Lamonica going some place else and Don Milan emerging as the second string quarterback.”NCurpreballatic197-beet fplaathetapSurthebesailIStratheManurfallt;sonstritivlt;saj
Newspaper Details
Pacific Stars and Stripes
Tokyo, Tôkyô, JP
Tue, Mar 05, 1974
Page 10
Full Page
Clipped by
Marc H.
VA, USA 25 Apr 2023
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