January 6, 1991

Joe Gibbs had made a pact with his players, and the Washington Redskins wanted to fulfill their side of the bargain in their playoff showdown here today with the Philadelphia Eagles. "Coach Gibbs made a commitment to us early in the week by saying that he would do his part in preparing us for the playoffs," said Monte Coleman, a 12th-year Redskin linebacker. "He said he had never worked harder on a game plan. He said that all of the coaches had never worked harder. They really had done their homework and had done their part. We were bent on doing ours."

A recent effort by the Navy and two of its largest contractors to save the troubled A-12 warplane is the clearest illustration yet of how policies intended for the arms buildup of the 1980's are haunting the military and its suppliers in an era of declining budgets. Even before they absorb the full impact of the coming shrinkage of the nation's combat forces, military contractors are reeling. They are victims of their own overly optimistic business projections and harsh terms imposed by the Pentagon in the last decade in an ill-fated attempt to hold down costs. Policies Built by $500 Hammers The builders of the A-12, for example, the McDonnell Douglas Corporation and the General Dynamics Corporation, agreed to develop the plane for a predetermined price, a condition of the contract. As in other fixed-price arrangements, the contractors ran into unforeseen technical problems that led to expenses far higher than the value of the contract, more than $1 billion higher with the A-12.

A large and disproportionate number of the nation's homeless are young people who have come out of foster care programs without the money, skills or family support to make it on their own. Some left foster care for the streets because of an inability to adjust to their foster families or to group homes. Others managed life as blue-collar or service workers until they lost their jobs in the economic slowdown.

After their 20-point victory over Pittsburgh last week, the Houston Oilers thought they were a team of destiny. If that is so, then Cody Carlson is the key in an amazing master plan. For four seasons with Houston, the former Baylor Bear has waited, not so patiently, for an opportunity to be a starting quarterback, if not for the Oilers, then somewhere else in the National Football League. He complained and moaned last summer during a contract dispute, hoping to force a trade. Instead the Oilers signed him to a one-year contract worth $400,000.

FROM the glass-framed boardrooms of Newark to the flower-bedecked bridges of New Brunswick, corporate leaders are playing larger roles in improving the communities they serve. They call this responsibility and say they are learning to care. They point to a range of social and civic programs, from a child-safety project and after-school job training to neighborhood beautification and renovation assistance, as indicative of their continuing commitment to communities across New Jersey. They add that their most significant contribution remains their commitment to build and expand in New Jersey, thereby providing employment, tax revenue and stimulus for business development, all of which are of critical importance in distressed areas.