European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday january 26,1990 the stars and stripes super bowl xxi passing the nil test Eloy game for the game by Dan Moffett Cox news service new Orleans the mid professional life crisis descends upon the boy wonder and a troubled John Elway finds himself confronted by an unrelenting and familiar Demon. A third super bowl appearance affords Elway the dubious Opportunity to join fran Tarkenton in an ugly Little Cor Ner of nil history reserved for Quarter backs who have lost the game three times. Sure this is injustice. Twenty two positions a half dozen different units of specialists and it is the quarterback who is assigned the a or the a but then offensive tackles Don t gel guest shots on Good morning America and place kickers Don t have Candy bars named in their Honor. Too much credit too much blame too much in the Light too much an individual isolated in a team game the Quarter Back pays in pressure for what he receives in Glamour. John Elway has been made to under stand this More in the last season than in any other. As a passer he was Only medi Ocre ranking ninth in the acc. With As Many touchdown passes As interceptions 18. He struggled at More than football feuding with the Denver press Over what he believed to be Petty or unfair inva Sions of his privacy. The Paradox is that the Broncos did not need a Happy or prolific Elway to dominate their division and for that matter the acc. In their two other super bowl appearances of the decade the Broncos were carried by Elway. This year a rejuvenated defense and the running of Rookie Bobby Humphrey have lifted the Burden. Still the mention of Elway s name is a Call to Praise. San Francisco coach George Seifert s first Public comment on arriving Here began with a declaration that Elway remains one of the great quarterbacks in the the play really starts when he starts scrambling said Seifen. The move ment of the Man the strength of his Arm and the types of plays that he is making Are quite what this Denver team asks of Elway differs from the other two that won acc championships. My role has changed because we have the running game now we Haven t had in the past Elway said. Before we came to the super bowl trying to win with the pass. Now we can win other the return of Mike Shanahan As Denver s quarterback coach would appear to have sharpened Elway late in the season. Fired As los Angeles raid ers head coach Shanahan has a rap port with Elway that was established when he arrived in the league. The guru has come to the Rescue. He is a great Young football coach said the quarterback. We get along Well. We re always on the same Denver s John Elway. We Don t care what the spread is Page. He s helped me tremendously. I think i m playing my Best football of the season and so is the whole this third Opportunity comes with a change in strategical approach. The Broncos put their game plan in last week unlike before. They also came Here sunday a Day earlier than before. Technical meddling you say irrelevant tinkering perhaps but having been humbled twice in full View of even a few million chinese to House holds the Broncos must try something. Maybe a change in formal also will change substance. We re going to keep it Low key and try to keep one thing in mind said Elway. We re going to play a football game. We Don t care what the spread nobody has come to new Orleans with More to prove than Elway. No body has quilt As much to gain in Vic tory or to lose in defeat. I Don t think 1 feel Complete said Elway. I think that when you walk away from this game you d like to leave knowing you be won the championship. Right now 1 just feel fortunate i have the Opportunity to do understand that nearly everything that is John Elway s has come to him naturally. He is the coach s son the child Prodigy the College All Ameri can the new York Yankees draft Choice the no. I nil draft pick the All pro quarterback the highly paid commercial endorser of goods and services. The progression has been natural orderly and expected. He is 29 and has failed at almost nothing. To win Here sunday would erase the almost. To lose again would reinforce the feeling that this specific frustration May be one destined to follow Elway. We be got nothing to lose he said. There s no pressure on if you read the quarterback s eyes when he says that you Don t believe him for a minute. He s a Beauf Montana by Craig Dolch Cox news service new Orleans Mark it Down. Get out the camera and save it for posterity. Send the film to Ripley s believe it or not. Joe Montana lost his temper monday night. That s right Joe Cool got a Little hot under the Collar. Well maybe just a Little lukewarm. Montana was t thrilled when his initial super bowl press conference lasted longer than he wanted it to. That would be about15 seconds if it were up to him. I Don t enjoy doing this Montana d rather just play the game and let some one else talk about it. This in t what footballs All about. This is kind of a it s funny. Montana can take Blindside hits from 290-Pound defensive linemen and never flinch. But get him in a room filled with out of shape reporters he was approached by about 300 reporters monday and he s As uneasy As a Man being Audi Ted by the irs. Montana can undergo spinal surgery Aswan the Case in 1986. And not be worried. But turn on the television lights and he Elfreeze like a Deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. If the Denver Broncos really wanted to pressure Montana in sunday s super bowl at the super Doc they should Arm their defensive linemen with notepads and tape recorders. Now that would make Montana nervous. But knowing Montana he would still Finda Way to come up with the winning phrase. Whether it s facing a barrage of questions Oran All out Blitz Montana always has the perfect response. There s not much doubt about it said san Francisco linebacker Matt Millen. Joe Montana is simply the Best quarterback Everto play the game. Not was but is. And that May be the mos amazing aspect about Montana. At age 33, he has found a Way to improve upon a career that already has earned him a spot in the pro football Hall of Fame. At a time when he s supposed to be slow ing Down Montana set an nil record for quarterback efficiency 112.4 this season and just missed another for completion percentage with a 70.2 Mark the record is 70.5by Ken Anderson. He has also led the 49crs 16-2 to within one Victor of becoming the first nil team in a decade to win Back to Back super Bow i titles. That would mean a lot to this Organiza Tion because nobody has repeated in a Long time Montana Saio notice that Montana talks about what repeating would mean to the 49ers. Not to himself. He never runs his press conferences out of the t formation. For instance it s easier to get Montana Tothrow into triple coverage than it is to coax him into talking about his Impact on the sport. Ask him about the significance of pos Sibly joining Pittsburgh s 1 Crry Bradshaw Ashe Only quarterback to Lead his team to four super bowl titles and Montana will shrug and Stan talking about his teammates again. I m not the Type of Guy that likes to look Back Montana said. I m too Busy worry ing about what i m trying to accomplish than remembering what i be already accomplished. Plus i be Ocen Lucky to be on a u ii with a lot of great when asked monday night about How he / / san Francisco s Joe Montana. Pressed for comments would Liki. People to remember him when he retires Montana smiled and said. Finally he s s Story in t just one of remarkable achievement it s also one of Persever Ance. Don t forget he was t taken until the third round of the 1 979 draft making him perhaps one of the league s biggest draft Day Montana Ever heard was How he was too Small 6-foot-2 and his Arm was to weak for him to make it in the nil. And All he has Ever done is after he led the 49crs to two super bowl titles people were again writing Himoff after he underwent Back surgery Early in the 1986 season. Ten weeks after the sur Gery he completed 13 of 19 passes for 270 Yards and three touchdowns in a 43-1 7 Vic tory Over St. Louis. For a Guy who almost never gets knocked Down he has had More comebacks than sugar Ray Leonard. You would think every one would catch on by now but he still is forced to continue to prove himself. Even his former coach Bill Walsh contemplated benching Montana last season in favor of Steve Young. There was never any doubt in my min that i was going to come Back after the Back Montana said. I knew what peo ple were saying was his have Learned not to dub Montana. The Only time they gel surprised by Montana is when he does t do some thing magical. San Francisco s players probably were the least surprised people at Joe Robbie stadium in last year s super bowl when Montana drove his club 92 Yards for the winning touchdown in a 20-16 Victor 1 Over Cincin Nati. Montana has made Miracle comebacks almost seem Montana is like the Green Beret going against the army said running Bac Kroger Craig. The Guy is just not afraid of cameras and notepads. But like everything else he has faced in life Montana learns to adapt. And Excel
