Sports
Page 12 Wednesday, July 22, 1981 The Michigan Daily
Powers confident about
future with the Giants
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By RON POLLACK
Daily sports writer
Fifth in a six-part series
This is the fifth in a series of six
articles examing the attempts of
recently-graduated Michigan foot-
ball players to make an NFL team,
their thoughts about the endeavor,
and their new pro coach's analysis
of their abilities and future in the
sport. The series was written, by
Daily sportswriter Ron Pollack.
Offensive guard John Powers was
selected in the eighth round of this year's
college draft, which would seemingly
make him anything but a sure-fire bet
to make it big in the NFL. The team.
that chose him was the New York Gian-
ts, a club whose losing seasons are a far
cry from what Powers was accustomed
to while playing for Michigan.
Under such circumstances, it might
be reasonably expected that Powers
would be a bit worried about his future
in pro ball, and unhappy at the prospect
of joining a losing team. But he is not.
In fact, he couldn't be happier about his
current situation.
"I think they'll give me a fairly long
look," said Powers. "They liked me in
mini-camp and they like me now. They
came out and told me they vn a steal in
the eighth round. Of course they told me
that after I'd signed my contract."
"He's a smart, strong kid with a good
attitude, and he has good workouts,"
said Giant head coach Ray Perkins.
As for the future of a Giant team that
finished a lowly 4-12 last season,
Powers offers a number of optimistic
reasons why he believes the team's
losing ways will become a thing of the
past.
"You've got to look at it this way, last
year they made a lot of mistakes and
had a lot of injuries," said the 265 pound
guard. "They set a record for the in-
jured reserve (35). This year,
hopefully, we'll quit making mistakes.
and have less injuries. Coach Perkins is
instilling a winning attitude. I think we
can finish a couple of games over .500,
which would be a vast improvement
from last year.
"I feel the Giants are an up-and-
coming team. In a year or two or three,
I think we can contend with Dallas or
Philadelphia. They're both pretty old,
and they haven't started turning over
their people, while the Giants started
two years ago. I think given a few
years, we can become one of the better
teams in the league."
With the start of training camp,
Powers has found other differences
between Michigan (10-2 last season)
and the Giants in addition to the two
squads dissimilar winning percentages.
One such discrepancy is in the progress
of the twosquads' offensive lines.
"The people they have here are
young and good," said Powers. "At
Michigan we were the top offensive line
in college, because everyone bad a few
years under their belt. ,But here we're
pretty young, except Jim Clack (10
NFL seasons). And as I understand it, it
takes four or five years to develop into a
good lineman, so we're still learning.
You've got to learn everything com-
pletely over from college."
Another variance between Powers'
college and pro teams can be found in
their respective running games.
Whereas the ground game has been a
strength at Michigan for many years,
New York is still trying to establish this
part of their attack. Instead of per-
ceiving this fact as making his run
blocking duties more difficult to carry
out, Powers believes that they will
become easier.
"Well really, it makes run blocking
easier because we're expected to pass,
and when we run we catch them off
guard," said Powers.
Other contrasts between Michigan
and the Giants were noted by Perkins.
"It's a different ball game," said the
Giants' head coach. "It's like he's in
college, but going against an All-
American every week.
"I think the biggest adjustment that a
college player must make is that it's
like two seasons in the pros. There are
20 games and that's a long grind."
One "difference" that Powers feels
will aid his chances of making the New
York team is not between Michigan and
the Giants, but rather of Wolverine
squads during the last two years in
which the pass has become more of a
weapon than the previous run-oriented
teams.
"I think it's helped me immensely,
because the last two years, I've learned
to pass block," said Powers. "And
that's the name of the game in pro ball.
If you can't do that, you don't make it."
However, Perkins said that Powers
still has to work on his pass blocking. "I
think that any college player from the
offensive line, unless he comes from a
purely pass blocking team, finds that
it's a whole new ball game (in pro foot-
ball)," he said. "The hardest thing for a
rookie lineman to do is pass block."
TOMORROW: GERALD DIGGS
JOHN POWERS (67) leads the way for running back Lawrence Ricks (46) after Ricks receives the handoff from
Wolverine quarterback John Wangler (5) ina game against South Carolina last season.
STILL NO SETTLEMENT:
Donovan returns to strike talks
WASHINGTON (AP)-Negotiations aimed at ending the
major league baseball strike that has wiped out almost a
quarter of the season resumed yesterday, wrapped in a
public silence and spurred by the nation's top labor official.
Labor Secretary Raymond Donovan, as well as federal
mediator Kenneth Moffett, met with representatives of both
sides at the downtown headquarters of the Federal Mediation
and Conciliation Service for the second day ina row.
AFTER 4 HOURS, 15 minutes, the talks recessed for lunch.
They were to be resumed after Donovan finished a speech to
the Urban League convention at the Shoreham Hotel.
Because of the news blackout imposed at Donovan's
request after Monday's four-hour session, parties in the talks
refused to discuss what went on yesterday.
Monday night, Moffett, the mediator in the dispute over
free-agent compensation for the last two years, said the two
sides "had never been further apart."
AS THE STRIKE went through its 40th day Tuesday,
having canceled 476 games or 23 percent of the 2,106-game
schedule, there were rumblings of dissatisfaction among
some players.
Several members of the Detroit Tigers said they were
unhappy about how the strike was being conducted and felt
they had not been consulted enough' by Milt Wilcox, their
team's player representative.
"Maybe a few players are willing to give up everything
they have. I'd have to file for bankruptcy and start over,"
Tigers outfielder Steve Kemp told the Grand Rapids Press.
"I could lead a normal life, but I'd have to give up a lot of
things."
Pitcher Dan Schatzeder said the players have not had
enough involvement in the negotiations.
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