European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 24, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Pass defense deployments so often on Long yardage situations. Although there is no statistical breakdown. I m sure the bears Wera no. 1 against conventional running plays. The Overall figure 82.4 Yards Rushing allowed per game was the Best in the league. They got a sack on 12 percent of their opponents passing attempts Well above the league average of 9 percent. That s a tremendous difference in a game. You could Call ii a gambling defense but the players Are so Good that the risks seem minimal. With any Lessarie personnel i Don t think they could Pla i defense like that. Other teams try but do not make out nearly so Well. Among the linebackers Wilber Marshall on the outside is a dominant physical player especially against the run. That s also True of Mike Singletary in the Middle and Otis Wilson on the outside. The cornerback Les Frazier and Mike Richardson have to be Good to play so much single coverage without help on the outside and get away with it. Special team Kevin Butler the Rookie place kicker had a Good year with 63 percent Success on Field Floa attempts. But Tony Franklin also had a Good year for the patriots. I think i would have to give the Edge to Franklin Lor attempts of 40 Yards and More. Maury Buford the punter averaged 41.8 Yards to 43 for Rich Camarillo of the patriots. The Del Terence in the punting is not going to have any effect on the outcome of the game As for special teams the bears have a weakness. They Are surprisingly deficient in covering Kuckolls ranking 22nd in the league. When the bears hav lha Ball look Lor the bears to use their entire repertory. 1 do not expect them to try to whip the patriots physically by running Walter Payton All the time. Rather their game plan is going to include a lot of Mcmahon passing. His passes to Gaull could be a big feature later after the bears work on softening up the new England 20no defense with the Shorter distance throws. New England patriots offence Stanley Morgan is new England s big play wide receiver. He averaged 19.5 Yards a reception in the regular season and it will be interesting to see what he can do if the bears choose to cover him one on one. If Irving Fryar proves ineffective with his bad Finger Stephen starring will be the other starting wide receiver. That is hardly a loss because starring started ahead of Fryar last season. He can come up with the big play when Given the Opportunity. Greg Hawthorne a one time running Back is the third old soul. The tight end Lin Dawson. Is a Blocker and occasional receiver who has been troubled by a leg injury. The other tight end Derrick Ramsey is the one the bears had better watch out for. Ramsey is a favorite receiver of Tony Eason the quarterback and in three playoff games he has caught Tive passes one for a touchdown. Eason is a Young Guy with a Nice touch on the Ball. He also fits Well into the personality of tha coaching staff and its offensive philosophy. He is Dutiful and in a Good position for a Young quarterback. Because the patriots offence is so run oriented there has not been a lot of pressure on Eason to produce. That could change if the patriots fall behind Chicago Early. His ratio of 11 touchdown passes to 17 interceptions in the regular season was t so hot. But look at his record in three playoff games All on the Road he completed 69 percent of his passes or five touchdowns and no interceptions. Creig James the halfback has great balance and change of direction but not blazing Speed. He can stretch a 2-Yard gain to 6 Yards and cause a missed tackle that turns a 4-Yard run into 8, he is an exceptional run to Daylight runner who Jim Mcmahn lift a fat. Bean Ric Hardoen dorm a. My. Averaged a Good 4.7 Yards a carry in the regular season. Tony Collins the other Back gained 657 Yards this season. He probably la More effective from the i formation than a pro set the patriots now use. Two other backs will see action Robert Weathers and most Tatupu the latter is an exceptional inside runner near the goal line. The offensive line May be the most talented in All of pro football. In tackle Brian Holloway and guard John Hannah the patriots have the Best loll Side of any line. The others Pete Brack at Center Ron Woolen at right guard and Steve Moore at right tackle Are super bowl Caliper players for sure. Defence Lullus Adams the 37-year-old end. Provides the leadership. He is a smart player with More finesse than Power. Lester wll Tams the nose tackle in a 30 defense three Man front. Is adequate and the Foockle left end Garvin Veris. Turned out to be an opportunistic Guy. He s around the Ball a lot and an effective pass rusher. But it s the linebackers who stand out especially the two outside ones Don Blackmon and Andre to Pratt. I contend they Are the Best of any outside pair in the nil. It is interesting to note that with a four Man front line like the bears use the linemen make 40 percent of the tackles and in a three Man front tha linemen make Only 20 percent. That highlights the importance of the new England linebackers. Larry Mcgrew. An inside Backer. Is Tail and has a lot of Range. Steve Nelson is a smart Veteran who gets a lot of Praise. Like the bears the pats have great athletes in their secondary Ray Clayborn the cornerback. Can Slick with the tastes and he will have to when he goes against Gault. Ronnie Lippett the other Corner is not in Clayborn s class but he will do. Fred Marlon the free safety had a tremendous season and led the team in interceptions Roland James the Veteran Strong safety was a first round draft Choice like Clayborn. Special learns the rejuvenated Franklin showed this season that he regained his Confidence. He had some bad years like All kickers do. Camarillo the punter was third Best in the acc. The patriots had an outstanding punt returner in Fryar who was named to the pro bowl squad for that skill. 11 he cannot perform James will Lake his place. Starring has been the Kickoff returner All season and his 21-Yard average is fair to Good. The kick coverage has been sensational three turnovers converted to touchdowns in four recent games. Tatupu Cedric Jones and Johnny Rem sri stand out. When the patriots have the Ball the patriots Are going to have trouble blocking tha bears eight Man front especially when Chicago puts someone right Over Brock the Center. Then he can t help the guards out. The Basic problem is that seven offensive players on the line of scrimmage will be trying to Block eight defenders with Dent or someone else occasionally running stunts. Imagine what kind of mismatches and chaos that can cause. So i believe the patriots Are going to have to throw the Ball. Their Best bet to me would be to go to Morgan expecting him to Gat single coverage for some big plays Early. Friday january 24, 1988 super bowl b8 Page Vii