European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1987, Darmstadt, Hesse Afc7 pfc Broncos travel to Cleveland for showdown by Chuck Melvin Cleveland a Dan Reeves in t buying the notion that sunday s acc championship game Between his Denver Broncos and the Cleveland Browns will merely determine which team will lose in the super bowl. Right now the pfc has the dominant team in the new York giants. They Are a Good football team Reeves said but the american football conference is awfully Good and of the four teams that arc left anybody can beat anybody the acc Lilly game appropriately matches the sunday january 1t, 1987 titles the stars and stripes Page 2t sports Snow Likely in Cleveland Cleveland a them May be a lot of Snow on the ground when the Denver Broncos and thu Cleveland Browns meet sunday in the acc championship gum it municipal stadium. The National weather service has predicted Saow flurries u High of 25 to 30 degrees and winds at 10 to is Mph for sunday. The Itale was under a Winter storm Natch that began Friday and was supposed to Nylend id sat urday the storm Center iras expected to be in inv Northern part of the slate saturday adding to overnight accumulations. Teams with the two Best records in the conference. Cleveland won eight of its last nine games to close the regular season at 12-4, Good enough for its second straight acc Central division title. Denver started the year with a six game winning Streak but was Only a .500 team in the second half finishing atop the acc West at 1 us. The Broncos three Point underdogs this weekend have won seven straight against the Browns the most recent Victory com ing in i9b4. Cleveland s offence however has changed dramatically since then largely because of the Quick development of 23-year-old quarterback Bernie Kosar. Kosar who has never faced the Broncos had an erratic but inspiring performance in the Browns 23-20 double overtime Victory Over the new York jets last weekend. He overcame two fourth Quarter interceptions to rally Cleveland from a 20-10 deficit with just four Minu ios left to ploy. I think one of the real keys to being a great Quarter Back is that you Don t Lei adversity bother you Reeves said in a Telephone interview. He threw a see acc on Page 23 Denver ror Norback Steve Wilson breaking up a pass ear Lier this season is part of a defense that he Broncos Hope will carry them id Pasadena for super bowl xxi. Lineon giants trying for 3rd Victory Over redskins by Daye Goldberg East Rutherford . A the Fini time the new York giants played the Washington redskins this season the giants allowed Jay Schroeder to throw for 420 Yards. But Joe Morris ran for 181 Yards and the giants won 27-20. The second time in Washington the redskins held Morris to 62 Yards. But the giants intercepted Schroeder six times Phil Simms threw three touch Down uses and new York won again 24-14. Whatever the Gin nos do or Don t do they seem to be Able to beat the redskins. Particularly at giants wind cold predicted new York a Windy cold weather a forecast for sunday pfc game Between the new York tante and Washington redskins in East Rutherford . The National Weither service Sau Friday that rain or possibly Snow forecast for the new York Are would end Early sunday morning. Came time it 4 . Est. Giants stadium has tin artificial surface. Stadium where new York has won three straight it s a double edged sword. They can kill you with either the run or the pass acknowledges Washington coach Joe Gibbs. Whose team is a one touchdown underdog when in meets new York on sunday for the pfc championship at giants stadium. You Stop them one place and they kill you some where else Gibbs said. The reason they re so Good ii because they re the first giants redskins game this season was played in a surreal atmosphere on monday night oct. 27, while game 7 of the world series was being played 15 Miles cast at Shea stadium in Queens. There were Only 900 no shows among 76,800 giants season ticket holders but in was the owes a std game in monday night football history and the attention of the fans was divided Between the Field and their Porta ble televisions and radios. I never saw so Many antennas in Ray life Simms said after the game. For a while it looked like in would be an easy Victory for new York. The giants took a 10-0 Lead and Washington lost its Only Chance for a touchdown when Don Warren jumped offside at the i Yard line when see pfc on Page 23 giants intense for shot at 1 St super bowl by Frank Tutsky East Rutherford. . Not before the giants routed the san Francisco 49crs, 49-3, in the playoffs last sunday their intensity level was High. It is Foj High for this sunday s championship game against the Washington redskins that even a player on injured Reserve is almost a nervous wreck. I m intense already Lee Rouson a backup running Back said Friday everyone is. David Jordan told me How nervous he is and he can t even Jordan a third year offensive guard has been on injured Reserve since the final preseason Muldown. His sprained right Arch Baj Long since healed and he attend learn meetings and takes part in practice every Day. But on game Day he said i be never been on the Field. I m going to be on the Bench sunday just watching. I asked Bill Parcells if it would be of and he said sure. I be never Felt like this be fore. That s Why i m Erik Howard a Rookie nose tackle said the intensity level has increased daily during the past week. The last game we played against Washington was the biggest game i be been in so far said Howard. "1 did t think there could be anything More in tense. Our intensity level All season has been High and for the 49ers game last week it was up 50 percent. This week it s More. It keeps going up and the intensity of a playoff drive is new to the younger players the older giants have been through this before though they have never been this far. Earlier in the season they Seldom talked about the super bowl now hey do because the Winner of sunday s game Wil Advance to super bowl xxi on Jan. 23 in Pasadena Calif. You can sense the anxiety said Billy Ard a sixth year offensive guard. Fuses Are Shorter. There have been pushing and shoving matches in practice. The last week of the regular season when we played Green Bay. It was Low key. Even if we com we knew we would play the next week. But if you lose now you Don t play anymore. So the nervous nest builds up slowly sometimes you just Sec an and for the game on to and it although the stakes Are High sunday the giants work schedule last week was the same Asil was for most of the regular season when they compiled a 14-2 re Cord off monday and tuesday full practices wednesday and thursday a lighter practice Friday a walk through saturday and a game sunday. We re Fine Laid Parcells Friday. We re ready to play. Practices have gone Fine. I rink we be had Good Prepa How does a coach know if his team is ready you Don t have to worry about it this week he said. This u what it s ill about. This is what you re in coaching for and playing for Competition. Games like fast week games Tike this week games for the division championship. Being ready does t mean you re going to win. You just try to do the Best you Many reasons have been offered for the giants Success this season among them the defense in general Lawrence Taylor s Csur once Joe Morris running Phil Simom timely passing and parcels stewardship. Jim Burt the nose tackle has offered another thought. I m far out said Burt. Harry car son and Lawrence Taylor Are characters. Bill Parcells did t try to change that. The Only thing tie does t want Are Guys who gel on the Field and think of them selves. We Don t want Selfon Guys on the team. There May be teams that Are More talented but we play As a team. We Are 3
