Dickerson succeeds Payton as No. 1

By Rich Tosches 100 or more rushing yards and has scored eight Ram offensive lineman said United Press International If you were going to start a football But even the majonty of the Bears, very care-

30-year-- team, the old Payton might very well be fully trying not to damage the feelings of their - The torch ear- the second running back vou'd want franchise-carrie- r. ga e Dickerson the nod ned as the 's premier But if you polled the 28 NFL team owners in ' I had great respect for Enc Dickerson col- running back for so many seasons has been in strict confidence, there's little chance all 28 lege," linebacker Otis Wilson said, I still passed The flame now belongs to Eric Dickerson "and wouldn't make Dickerson their first choice have respect for him He just kept coming at us The final step in the exchange of the NFL's Although he gained 208 yards a week ago He never stops We tried to keep him from going unofficial Golden Cleat Award was made Sunday, against St Louis, Sunday's performance against wide, but he'd just cut back He got five, six ards every time touched ball when Dickerson ran for 149 yards and a pair of the tough Bear defense may have been Dicker-son- 's he the touchdowns to lead the to a 29-1- 3 finest He took control of the game in the "He's a great runner " victory over the Chicago Bears Payton fin- half, to ef- second dancing his way a seemingly Dickerson. whose strange glasses and oversized ished with only 60yards rushing 99 re- fortless yards and both touchdowns with a mouthpiece screened behind his cage facemask markably different running style than Pavton's For a while, the doubters will remain Those give him the appearance of a creature from an who have watched Payton confuse and crush NFL When Payton runs, you look for a linebacker or other land, has averaged 119 ard per game this defenses for a decade will be unable to let go He safety When Dickerson runs, you glance around season If he averages just 20 more per game is, after all, the all-ti- me leading rusher, having for Ginger Rogers against Green Bay, Tampa Ba. New Orleans Houston O left the legend of in his wake earlier The statistics show Dickerson's rise to the top and San Francisco, he'll break J Simp- this year. hasn't been as gradual as people would think Last son's NFL season record of 2,003 vards "Enc Dickerson is not the best I've ever played year, his rookie season, he rattled around the The Rams' next four opponents don't exacth against," Chicago linebacker league for 1,808 yards to win the NFL rushing have defenses to rival the Pittsburgh Steel Cur- said in the locker room after the Bears' loss. "But championship and set a rookie record Payton fin- tain of the 1970s Or even the Chicago Bears' de- he's in the top two" ished with 1,421 yards fense of 1984

Asked who the top runner was, Singletary re- This season, Dickerson has had out eight 100-yar- d If he doesn't get that record this season, he al- plied, "I'm not going to say But he's in the room games, piling up 1,309 jards Payton is sec- most surely will before he gives NFL defenses a nghtnow " ond with l,172yards break and retires The 24-year-- old from Seal. the whole Texas says he's still learning Even modest Dickerson casts his vote for OK Sometimes the stats don't give the Maybe Dickerson ball more Payton. truth has carried the ' I'll get better," he said 'You get better as ou often than Payton Wrong. Dickerson has 241 car- get older People haven't seen the best of Enc "To me, he's the greatest," he said. "I think ries this year and is averaging 5 4 yards per rush Dickerson vet." he's the best running back in pro football." Payton has earned the ball eight more tunes and Payton still dazzles at times, running wild with is averaging 4 7 yards per carry. Even Payton knows the sleek cat in California his unique high-steppi- ng style, a stride first prac- You expect the Rams to heap the praise on their now rules the jungle franchise-carryin- only UPI Telephoto ticed by farm boys running through cow pastures g player, and they do "The way I could keep Eric Dickerson Chicago's Walter Payton flies high over the Rams Payton lost while trying to keep their new boots clean "He's the best running back m football and I from breaking my record would be to keep pla-in- g his rushing duel with the Rams' Eric Dickerson Sunday. He's rattled off seven games this season with think that was pretty evident on the field today," as long as him," Payton said