European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - December 28, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday december 28,1968 the stars and stripes commentary inside the dome rams had no Alibi the what lick outside i Frik it ii. Hill the Dante is so  of v Tong As the 1 i Kings glow. Let it Manit l it Sunn Tel in ii Lou outside in inc flurries of what the  Bureau described As a Light Snow of 4 10 6 inches in the 23-Dcgrcc chill he Clr Silome in Minneapolis resembled a huge Igloo. But inside the 69-Degrcc temperature was accompanied near inc Corner of one end zone by homemade Banner that greeted the los Angeles rams. Gel your sheep it ordered. Off our car  and once again in the find of the Vikings therms were poor Little sheep who loss their Way while Reading their own history. Maybe the Mere sight of Snow wits too much for their Sun tanned psyches. Through the years the rams have travelled to this Winter wonderland for four National football league playoff Barnes. And the rams have lost All four As the Vikings qualified 28-17, to oppose the 4 cars in san Francisco sunday in inc quarterfinals of the super bowl xx111 tournament. In other years at Mel stadium in the snowy suburb of Bloomin Eion Al least the Kams had in Alibi. Too cold. Too Windy. In those years the Vikings thrived on the cold a reflection of their Crew but coach s cold heart. Hung rank would t even let his players Wear gloves. But he did permit them to drink hot beef Bouillon on the sideline. Drink it Ahmad Rashad. The Viking wide receiver of that Era and now an Abc broadcaster once said. I used to pour it on my  none of the Vikings from those met stadium eight teams now in the super bowl tournament possess As much m a two game winning Streak the Vikings the 1 Philadelphia eagles and the Seattle Dave Anderson playoff games is still wearing purple and Gold. And in the Micro Doc. The Vikings arc a different team from the purple i eople eaters who wasted four opportunities to be measured for a super howling. In a dome on artificial turf you need Wor quickness Jerry Burns the Vikings coach often says. It s ii basketball game now Joey Browner was the Vikings Best basketball player monday. Browner s two interceptions with run backs of 26 and 14 Yards set up two Early touchdowns prompting John Robinson therms coach to describe the Vikings Strong safety As the Best defensive player in the  de pending on your viewpoint Robinson can Lake the credit or the blame fur Browner s Alt nil reputation. As the Southern cat coach a decade ago Kobin son transformed Luru incr from a wide receiver to u defensive Back. "1 Don t  Lar owner said when told of Koh Inson s appraisal. I just  against the rams it appeared that the Vikings might hold a Home dome disadvantage. After All the rams would t be All cycled by the cold weather As they were in other playoff games not Only against the Vikings but anywhere that freezing tempera Tures arc Likely. Away from Anaheim or the los Angeles coliseum the rants Are 4-12 in Ptah off games win Ning three limes in Dallas and once in Tampa Bay. In this nil season that has produced several bandwagons but no steamroller Only three of the the Houston oilers and the Cincinnati bengals each won their most recent game. Three others the 49ors. The Chicago hears and inc Buffalo Bills each lost their last game. The sea Hawks and inc two wild card winners the Vikings and Llic oilers also must confront the. Curse that has covered All the nil s hoi House teams no team thin Calls a dome Home has Ever played in the super bowl. Only Ihrcke hol House learns have Ever qualified for a conference championship game the 1978 and 1979 oilers that lost in Pittsburgh both seasons and the 987 Vikings that lost in Washington u year ago. In he two decades since pro football Lias been played under domes hol House teams have won Only seven playoff games on the Road. And the oilers arc the Only int House team to win a playoff game in a cold we Allter Eily. Ten yeahs ago inc oilers won in new Ling land 31-14, and last saturday they won in Cleve land 24-23. On both occasions the weather was decent 39 degrees at inc Kickoff in inc i97x game. 41 degrees at Lite kit Koff last saturday. But in Buffalo on sunday the oilers might hot he so Lucky with Lite weather. ,. The Vikings. Meanwhile should draw decent weather in san Francisco on sunday Anil in i la Vikings win they will go to the National Confer ence championship game in either Chicago or i Lii Adelphia. And none of these Vikings remember those play off games in he Snow out Al met stadium when it wits fashionable if not smart to pour hot Bee Boullion on your shuts to or it him Vikings Vikings Rick Penney backs into rants line following Randall Mcdaniel s Block from Page 21 regular season at 10-6 were the most by any playoff a am threatened throughout the first half but came out trailing 14-7. In fact the rams were in Minnesota Ler Tilory on five of their first nine possessions but came away with just 10 Points. Ram running Back Greg Bell who had 79 Yards inthe first half was held to just 12 in the second. ". Meanwhile the Vikings offence overcame five sacks three by linebacker Kevin Greene. Starting quarterback Wade Wilson lifted for Tommy Kramer in inc season ending win Over the bears completed 17 of 28 for 253 Yards. To was the offence that put the game away with two Long scoring drives in the second half. The first went b4 Yards in 14 plays following the Sec Ond half Kickoff and was capped by a 1-Yaradive by Anderson. The second 72 Yards in 9 plays featured a 46 Yard pass from Wilson to Anthony Carter and ended with a 2-Yard pass from Wilson to tight end Carl Hilton. Everett s ii Yard touchdown pass to Pete Holohan with 1 17 left ended the scoring. For a time the los Angeles Type weather indoors seemed to energize the rams but when Browner picked off his first pass from Everett in set in motion he 73-Yard March with Anderson s first to run com ing on third and six. The key was another third Down play a 34-Yard pass from Wilson to Jim gestation. Browner struck again on the first play after the Kickoff picking Olte Vercit s pass Over the Middle and resuming it 14 Yards to inc los Angeles 17. On inc first play. Rice burst up the Middle for the score that made in 14-0. The rams kept threatening yet they came up empty until their sixth Possession when Everett threw 3 Yards to Damon Johnson for a score capping a seven play 70-Yard drive. Late in the first period they got Field position Mondale Hatcher s 6 Yard punt then got he Ball Back at the Minnesota 40. Bui mat drive was Hurt by a motion penalty on Holohan that negated an 8-Yard run by hello the. 12. It ended with Mike Lansford missing a 41 Yard Field goal try. On their next to session the rams had a third and one at the Vikings 32. But failed when Berry and stud Well muffed Bell on successive plays with less than a Yard to go for a first Down. On its next Possession los Angeles finally  broke off runs of 22 and 70 Yards. The first came on third and four from the Vikings 45 and the second on first Down carrying to inc 3. Two plays later Ever Ett hit Johnson for the  made it 14-7. And that s How it was Al halftime As Chuck Nelson missed a 44-Yard Field goal attempt for the Vikings with 4 43  Minnesota look the second half Kickoff in for a 21-7 Lead 5 35 Imp the. Period. Wilson went 5-for-9 for 61 Yards in the drive capped by Anderson s 1-Yardcr. Lansford s 43-Yard Field goal with. 1 38 left in the period Cut it to 21-10. The rams might have had at had not James Washington been called for a hit from behind during a 64-Yard punt return by Clifford Hicks to the Minnesota 5. The Vikings came right Back with another Long drive featuring the 46-yarder to Carter on a third and to an the to pass o Hilton that effectively clinched it. Minnesota s 2nd-half drive called key to win by Mike Nadel Minneapolis a of so two Joey Browner interceptions gave the Minnesota Vikings an Early Lead. And the combination of los Angeles Offen Sive mistakes and the Vikings Good de sense kept the rams Down a halftime. Whal really gave the Vikings the Impe Tus for Victory f the key was our drive at the begin Ning of the second half offensive tackle Tim Irwin said after Minnesota s 28-17 Victory in monday s pfc wild card game. That was immensely important the turning  thanks mostly to Browner the Vikings led u-0 just 8 34 into the game. But the rams defense stiffened keeping Minnesota scoreless on its last five pos sessions of the first half and los anglers began moving the Ball. Had it not been for a missed Field Goaland a drive thai stalled on Minnesota s 32-Yard line the rams would have been much closer than 14-7 at halftime. Now if the rams could Only Stop the Vikings at inc Start of the third Quarter and get the Ball Back they could seize momentum la did t happen. The opening drive of the third quart or for the Vikings was the turning Point rams coach John Robinson . I re member thinking at the time this is an ominous thing " Minnesota started on its 16 and picked up three Quick first Downs. Wade Wilson then misfired on two passes creating a third-and-10 Al Minne Sota s 44, before hitting Jim Gustafson Over inc Middle for is Yards. Gustafson a 178-Pound wide receiver was guardedly 240-Pound linebacker Mike Wilchur Gus is a very underrated player Vikings coach  said. He made some key plays to keep drives going today once we got up 14 Points again it had to put doubt in their minds whether they were  stay in the game Irwin said. They began doubling their chances Afler that