Raiders Camp : Schramm, Davis Let Players Do the Head-Butting

The lion posed for pictures with the lamb Sunday when Texas E. Schramm, the presiding officer of the Dallas Cowboys, chatted amiably with Allen Davis of the L.A. Raiders before their teams scrimmaged.

Schramm is, of course, a leading National Football League establishment figure and Davis, its foremost rebel. Previously they had argued bitterly over which of them runs the league’s winningest team and whether Davis had the right to move his and most other things under the sun.

Two seasons ago, when the Raiders went to Dallas to play--and beat--the Cowboys, Schramm took the standard Raiders press release charting their unrivaled success on his TV show and disputed it point-by-point. He testified in court against them in the NFL’s suit.

This was the first time they had been seen enjoying each others’ company since Hector was a pup. Did this mean that peace was at hand, all was forgiven and the Raiders could return to the fold?

Not hardly.

This was Schramm, asked if too much had been made of their rivalry:

“No. I don’t think very much has been made of it.

“We had a very close friendship before this thing (the Raider move) happened. I disagreed with him very strongly. I testified against him. I was at every session of the trial. He understands how I feel and I understand how he feels.

“He was one of my best friends in the league, although we always had certain philosophical differences. (Laughing) He probably didn’t totally agree with the (NFL-AFL) merger and the way it was done.

“We were on the (NFL) competition committee. We didn’t agree on everything but he made a lot of contributions to the committee. I made some statements when he was taken off the committee (defending Davis). . . . He was taken off the committee by the commissioner (Pete Rozelle).

“There’s no connection between this scrimmage and how Al and I feel. One thing we agree on is doing anything to help our teams.

“I saw him at the league meetings and he said he was moving here and we’d be real close (the Cowboys train a few miles down the Ventura Freeway in Thousand Oaks). We agreed it would be beneficial to our football teams to work against each other. You can’t get the same kind of work done when you’re going against yourself. I told Tom (Landry, Cowboys coach) and I’m sure he told (Tom) Flores.

“We talked about football (Sunday). We’re both interested in winning. We’re both interested in doing anything it takes. We both have the same idea as far as the player limit (the new rules reducing squads from 49 to 45, opposed by both) is concerned.

“We don’t kid about our differences. He knows how strongly I feel. We’re never going to be together on this.

“Are we friends? I don’t know what you mean by friends. I disagree philosophically and realistically with what he’s done. I think he was wrong. I think he was very wrong. I’d fight him on it as long as it takes.”

Aside from that , peace was at hand, anyway.

In the controlled scrimmage, the Raider offense scored two touchdowns against the Cowboy defense. On the adjoining field, the Cowboy offense scored one on the Raider defense.

The Raiders scored on a three-yard run by fullback Dan Reeder, the No. 5 pick from Delaware, and on Rich Campbell’s 14-yard pass to free-agent wide receiver DeWayne Jett. Jett, whose name, at least, qualifies him as a Raider receiver, last played in the Canadian League and spiked the ball.

Campbell completed 10 of 20 passes for 134 yards, 1 touchdown and had 2 intercepted. Russ Jensen was 4 for 7 for 69 yards.

“The quarterbacks were rusty, I thought,” Flores said. “Campbell still hasn’t gotten a grasp on what we try to do. We try to hold the ball a little longer. Today he made a couple of mistakes, trying to hold the ball and then forced it in. Where he was (Green Bay), they immediately went off (the wide receivers) and dumped it (to a running back). Here we like to give the receivers downfield a chance before coming off . . . I thought Russ Jensen threw the ball pretty well.”

Raider Notes The Raiders signed free agent defensive lineman Dave Stalls, 29, an ex-Raider who led the Denver Gold in sacks in 1983 and sat out last season, attending veterinary school. Stalls played for the Raider Super Bowl champions in 1983. All the speculation is that he’ll make the team once more. . . . They also signed No. 6 draft pick, quarterback Rusty Hilger of Oklahoma State. . . . Still out: No. 1 pick Jessie Hester and No. 4 Jamie Kimmell. . . . Tom Flores and Cowboy Coach Tom Landry both pronounced themselves pleased with the session and said they might hold a third one for their veterans, though without a full scrimmage, which might get too wild. . . . Sunday’s session was like all Raider workouts, closed to the public. A helicopter flew over the field once, prompting a Cowboy official to ask, “Where are those ground-to-air missiles? Someone’s dozing on that anti-aircraft battery.” . . . Tuesday’s scrimmage in Thousand Oaks, now scheduled for 1 p.m. will be, like all Cowboy workouts, open to the public.