European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 29, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse By Datl Goldberg san Diego api John Elway is Superman in an Orange Cape carrying the Denver Broncos to their Sec Ond straight super bowl. Doug Williams is known More As the first Black quarterback to play in the Istl s showcase game not As the Star of inc show. Or Asho puts it i Don t win the games i just Don t Low for the second straight year inc super bowl comes Down to John Elway against the world the world his year being the Washington redskins rather than the new York giants. Is there anyone Elk in the Broncos besides heir quarterback sure. There Are his targets the three Amigos Mark Jackson. Vance Johnson and Ricky Natl ice Orson Mohley. The huge Light end and Ruton Jones and Karl Mecklenburg on defense. But this is Elway s show. Tills year he was everything he was supposed la be a lion he came out of College five years ago. The turn ing Point May have been inc 98-Yard drive in the Lasi five minutes of last year s acc Ille game Wilh Cleve land that put the Broncos in inc super Bow and gave him inc Confidence he might have lacked. This year he has carried a Denver team that lost five starters to retirement and More to injury i hair Slart cars missed a total of d i games beginning at mid Senon when inc Broncos began using inc Shotgun More than 50 percent of inc Lime he has been closer to the old single Wing tailback than Uchto is and an average of 329 Yards and ran 20 times for 100 Yards and a touchdown. Overall Denver is so since the Shotgun started including two playoff wins. He always Tad All the skills he has now coach Dan Reeves says. Wha he has now is experience and and Ilo do Confidence an inc knowledge of what to do and when what he can do Are things like the pay in last year s super bowl when he scrambled to the left Side of the Field Ihnn threw the Ball 55 Yards in inc air 10 Steve Watson on the right Side. Thai also showed Whai he can i do thai drive ended with Rich Kihs missing a 34-Yard Field goal Ai Impi. It also shows what can happen in super bowls Denver s John my while everyone talked Elway. Elway Elway Phil i nuns of inc giants went virtually ignored. All he did was go 22-of-2s, led the giants to a 39-20 Victory and won inc most valuable player award. So pay at least a Little attention to Doug Williams. Like Simms last year he is just a name behind a Bunch of other names. But he docs Lead a Washington team that will be playing in ils a Laird super bowl in sin Yean. There s denier Mantey. The sometimes nonstop talker and so climes ail a to defensive end Cor Norback Darrell Green inc nil s fastest Man running backs Vearge Rogers and Kelvin Uryan wide receivers Gary Clark and an Monk and be offensive line collectively known As the hogs. But Doug Williams nothing More than a 32-year-old retread from the Usel who Goi the quarterback Job because Jay sen Rocker completed just 4ft percent of his passes. Yet there was a Lime nine years ago when Doug Williams was John Elway. He was Tampa Bay s firs pick in inc 1978 draft and the Man around whom the second year franchise would build. He was of classic nil dimensions 6 fool-4,215 pounds with a Rifle Arm and Quick feet. Hut instead of slowly learning his Trade he was thrown in from the Star with a bid team his first regular season pass was intercepted and resumed for a touchdown. His first season he completed just 37.6 percent of his posses and in his we Rand completed just 4l.il per cent. He could throw the Ball 60 Yards in the air with Case but he also bounced bullets off inc chests of receivers seven Yards away. Nonetheless he took Tampa Bay to the pfc title game in 1979, where in lost to the los Angeles rams. From Here on it we downhill both professionally and personally. In 1533, Hij wife died of cancer and he left the due in � Coa act Depute to join the Oklahoma outlaws of the Usel. In 1986, after the Usel folded a was signed by the t dour William redskins As backup to Schroeder. While Schroeder a Cal to inc pro bowl Williams threw one pass All year. It was incomplete. Yel he retained his Confidence you Don t pay a Black quarterback $475,000 to be a backup if he can t play he said. In the off season he was almost traded to the los Angeles raiders Washington wanted a first round pick for him los Angeles offered a second we weren t ready to give someone a first so ringer for a so co and string coach Joe Gibbs says then Schra Cdr was Hurt in the opening game this year and Williams stepped in 10 Lead the redskins to a 34-24 win Over Philadelphia. He started the second game a 21-10 loss to Atlanta then sat Idle for four weeks during the strike. When the strike ended Schmo Cdr had his Job Back. The redskins were winning Bui Schroeder was bouncing passes or overthrowing them. Williams became a starter again in the second half of the final regular season game at Minnesota against the team the redskins were to beat in inc n pc taste game. Dut he never thought of himself As the redskins a Point emphasized in thai game two weeks ago sunday in which he was just 9 for 26 for 1 19 Yards but threw the i word passes Tut gave Washington a 17-10 Victory. The secret was that he did t throw the Ball to the Vikings or Fumble it. If i Don t gel us beat we be got too Many other people who can win for us 11 was t that Way with Tampa. Bay. There if Doug Williams did t do in in did l get done he says. The Only difference Between the Doug Williams of nine years ago and the Doug Williams of today is Sel Ler players around him and better Dan Lac Iii no the former Allan a coach who now coaches Washington s receivers sees in differently. It s the obvious difference Between a 23-year-old quarterback and a 32-year-old." Menning said Doug sen he Field much Burner and picks of his secondary receivers better. He s just a Good professional Quarter Elway however is a lot More than that. Friday january 29,1966 the stars and stripes super bowl special Page Iii
