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Page 14-Thursday, September 17, 1981-The Michigan Daily
EX-'M' GRIDDER ADJUSTS TO NEW LEA G UE
Diggs satisfied with AFA*.
By RON POLLACK
When former Michigan defensive
back Gerald Diggs was cut by the
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AFA players forego the "run through a
brick wall" type intensity, they also
commit the unheard of sin of enjoying
themselves during practice. It's enough
to make former Green Bay Packer
coach, or tyrant depending on your
point of view, Vince Lombardi turn
over in his grave.
"It's not a real strict league," said
Diggs. "Ifyou can't make it to practice,
you can't make it to practice. As long as
you try to get there it's OK. If you miss
one or two practices a week, you'd still
know what was going on. It was
basically up to you to know your
assignments and stay in shape.1
"PRACTICES ARE nothing like a
college practice. It's organized, but it's
much more relaxed. There's no
pressure to perform. We're just out to
have fun and show off our talent."
Another inequality between the NFL
and AFA is of greater significance to
players in the latter league. Money. The
pay scale in the AFA is of such a nature
that most players must hold another
job. Diggs notes that the Fire's budget
limited all facets of the team's
operations and not just the player's
wallets.
"There is a big money difference," he
said. "We flew everywhere. We didn't
stay in the top hotels like in the NFL,
but we still travelled well. We just
didn't stay in the Hyatts and Holiday
Inns. We'd stay inmotels."
THE ONLY OTHER change that
Diggs has undergone is the outlook he
takes on his future in the NFL. While
trying out with the Bears, Diggs felt
that a failure to make the team would
probably end his chances of ever
playing in the NFL. "If I don't make it
with the Bears, I'm going to become a
working man," he said prior to being
cut. "It's a one-shot deal. I got a degree
at Michigan and I'll use it. I feel that if I
don't make it with the Bears, then I'm
just not NFL material."
As it has turned out, the opportunity
offered by the Fire has changed Digg's
mind about the Bears tryout being a
"one-shot deal." In fact, he does not
rule out the possiblity of his trying out
with an NFL team in the future.
"If an NFL team calls me up and
likes me and wants to see what I can do,
I'd go."
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Chicago Bears this summer, his future
prospects in professional football ap-
peared quite dim. Diggs was not in
great demand by the National Football
League to begin with, as he went un-
claimed in the annual college draft. So
when the Bears released Diggs, it
seemed to confirm the scouts and
player personnel directors reservations
about the Michigan graduate's ability
to play professional football.
But these doubts have proved to be
unfounded. Diggs is talented enough to
play professionally, just not in the NFL.
After his tryout with the Bears, Diggs
was contracted by the other football
team in town, the Chicago Fire of the
American Football Association.
"I WAS JUST sitting around (after
being cut), waiting to see what would
happen," said Diggs. "If nothing hap-
pened within a few days, I was going to
give it up. I was contacted by the person
who was in charge of player pesonnel
with the Fire. They called me up, I
signed that day and practiced that
day.
Since the AFA plays its season during
the summer, Diggs arrived in time to
suit up for only three games. In this
short time Diggs noticed vast differen-
ces between the AFA and his previous
experiences. One of the most notable
disparities is in workouts. Not only do
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Sports inrormation rnoto
Former Michigan defensive back Gerald Diggs (29) breaks up a pass in a game against Indiana. Diggs was a part-time
performer for the Wolverines from 1976-1980 and is now a member of the Chicago Fire of the American Football
Association.
MSU still rebut
Editor's note: This is the fourth in a nine-
part series examining each of Michigan's
1981 Big Ten opponents. The series was writ-
ten by Daily football reporters Mark
Mihaio vic, Greg DeGulis, Buddy
Moorehouse, and Drew Sharp.
By DREW SHARP
Fourth in a nine-part series
"If we get a couple of breaks," said
Michigan State quarterback John
State was in 1978, when MSU won the
Big Ten co-championship with
Michigan. But because of its NCAA
probation, the Spartans were forced to
sit home and watch the Rose Bowl on
television. Ever since then it has been a
long road back to respectability for
Michigan State, one on which it is still
travelling.
"Our main problem has been a lack
of depth," said second year mentor"
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Leister. "We could be right in the thick
of things. Michigan could go 0-11. And
the world could blow-up today, too."
Well, Michigan has yet to win a game
in this young season, but at last look,
the world seemed to be still in oone
piece.
"WE'RE NOT a strong team this
year," Leister continued. "But we're
stronger than last year. It's definitely a
rebuilding year."
The Spartans' rebuilding program
seems to have become a permanent fix-
ture in East Lansing. The last rumble to
be heard from the pastures of Michigan
Frank "Muddy" Waters. "Our number
one objective (in recruiting) was
linemen, both offensively and defen-
sively. We feel that we did bring in
some big linemen."
. The prize of Waters' freshmen flock
has to be running back Aaron Roberts
from perennial state football
powerhouse Detroit Catholic Central
High School.
"IN AARON ROBERTS," said
Waters. We are getting a back who's
capable of breaking into the starting
lineujp. He has great potential and we
feel that he's a fine prospect. I don't
iding
believe in the progression system
where a guy can't play until he's a
senior. If we don't play some freshmen
we could be in trouble, because we don't
have that much depth."
In Leister, Michigan State has a bet-
ter than competent quarterback,
although that might not have shone
through in last Saturday's 27-17 defeat
to Illinois.
"In my opinion," remarked Waters.
"John is as fine a quarterback as you'll
find in collegiate circles. He was the
fellow that kept us in so many of th
ballgames that we were not supposed t
be in last year."
GRIDDE PICKS
When Notre Dame coach Gerry Faust
goes to church on Saturday, and stands
on the sidelines yelling "Hail Mary" it
won't be because he has lost confidence
in his Fighting Irish. He'll be praying
for his other nineteen Gridde picks to
pull through.
Poor Gerry, however, forgot th
Libels never lose a game, as he picked
his former team to upset the Daily
gridders.
If you wanted to' outcoach Faust for
the free one-item pizza from Pizza
Bob's, just drop off your selection at the
Daily (420 Maynard) before midnight
Friday.
Starting this week, the winner of the
Gridde Picks will also write his predic-
tions in the following week's Dail
competing with the "experts" from the
sports staff.
1. Notre Dame at MICHIGAN
(pick score)
2. UCLA at Wisconsin
3. USC at Indiana
4. Michigan State at Ohio State
5. Iowa at Iowa State
6. Northwestern at Arkansas
7. Purdue at Minnesota
8. Syracuse at Illinois
9. Georgia at Clemson
10. Harvard at Columbia
11. Georgia Tech at Florida
12. Florida State at Nebraska
13. Grambling at SMU
14. Vanderbilt at Mississippi State
15. North Carolina at Miami (Ohio)
16. Alabama at Kentucky_
17. Tuskegee at Morris Brown
18. Reno Nevada at Cal Poly SLO
19. Macalester at Gustavus Adolphus
20. DAILY LIBELS at Cincinnati Moel-
ler
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