European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 06, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday january 6, 1991 and stripes Pago 19nfl playoff Tomczak to Bear Brunt is. Saints Chicago apr the lbs cameras will offer plenty of closeups of quarterbacks Mike Tomczak and Steve Walsh when the new Orleans saints and Chicago bears meet sunday in the first round of the nil playoffs. The quarterback who can make the big play a be it Tomczak of the bears or Walsh of the saints a could provide a Victory in what figures to be a Low scoring game Between two teams similar in most respects. Both rely heavily on defense and a time churning run Nin game. A a. A target of the Soldier Field boo Birds Tomczak appears to have an Edge in experience Over Walsh. Tomczak filling in for injured Jim Harbaugh has started the last two games giving him 32 starts and a 22-10 record in his six years. That includes a Start in the 1988 2012 a fog bowl a playoff Victory Over Philadelphia. Tomczak can be hot or cold. In a 27-14 Victory Over Tampa Bay he completed 16 of 33 passes for 239 Yards and two touchdowns. In last saturdays 21-10 loss to Kansas City he completed but 5 of 23 passes for 85 Yards As the fans jeered was so bad that coach Mike Ditka a briefly a thought about starting Rookie Peter Tom Willis in the playoffs. A a. A a a a Ditka later backed Down saying Tomczak would Start but that Ditka would also appreciate it if the fans stopped booing. A a it a added pressure. He tries to be More spectacular and that a what i done to want him to be a said Ditka. �?o1 want him to be Good old fashioned Mike Tomczak. Put on his High tops and go to does that Means a conservative game plan a if we have to throw we will throw a said Ditka a Mike has thrown it Well in the Jim morals game plan for the saints figures to be the same one that will protect Walsh acquired earlier in the season in a Trade with Dallas. A i done to think it could be any More difficult a said Walsh who started the last 11 games for the saints. A a it a like a second Rookie season. Its been a Tough adjustment. But my goal when i was traded was to get to the playoffs and in a Happy i was Able to do Walsh was a first round pick by Dallas in the 1989 supplemental draft. Since joining the saints he has 175 completions in 327 attempts for 1,970 Yards and 12 touchdowns. Whereas the bears won the super bowl five years ago and Are making their sixth playoff appearance in the last seven years this will be Only the second playoff expert a knee Quot for the saints. They were a wild card in 1987 and were eliminated by Minnesota 44-10. The bears clinched their division Early in the season As they opened with a 9-1 record before staggering to an 11-5 finish. The saints were 8-8 but won four of their last six games including a 20-17 Victory Over the los Angeles rams on Morten Andersen a Field goal that earned them a playoff berth. Of the saints last six games none. Was decided by More than four Points. A the saints try to give you nothing a said retiring Chicago defensive tackle Dan Hampton. A they run to stay in the game and then beat you with their All world of full. Up Mike Tomczak keeps filling in for Jim Harbaugh. Steve Walsh has passed for 1,970 Yards for hurting Hilliard might play new Orleans Craig Heyward suffers inflamed knee. New Orleans apr fullback Craig a Iron head Heyward leading rusher for the new Orleans saints was held out of practice thursday because of a knee injury. Heyward had surgery on his right knee after the 1988 season and it became inflamed thursday. He was listed As probable fur sunday s first round playoff game against the Chicago bears. Also thursday free safety Gene Atkins was held to Lix cited duty because of the thu. He had surgery 1 tuesday to repair a torn thumb ligament and was to have a cast put on his left hand Friday. He was upgraded from doubtful to questionable for sundays game. A i Don t think laying w Ith a East should be a Atkins said. A tailback Dalton Hilliard who has missed 10 games with a knee injury continued to run1 with the scout team. Coach Quot Jim Mora Saij Hilliard s condition was better than it has been for several weeks and there is an excellent Chance he would play sunday encore for Brooks Carlson Cincinnati apr whether James Brooks or Cody Carlson can repeat will go a Long Way toward deciding whether the Cincinnati bengals or the Houston oilers Advance in the nil playoffs sunday Brooks and Carlson gof their tenants in position for the. First round game at riverfront s to Duny with career Best performances in the past two weeks. A / a.-. 7 Brooks rushed for a club record 201 Yards two weeks ago putting Cincinnati in position to Clinch the acc Central division title with a 40-20 Victory Over the Oil cars at riverfront stadium. It was in the tinal two minutes of that game that Houston lost quarterback Warren Moon to a dislocated thumb. A v last w Eek Carlson had the game of his career to get Houston a wild Eaid berth and a rematch with the Ben gals. Filling in for Moon. Carlson threw for a career High three touchdowns in a 34-14 Victory Over Pittsburgh. Brooks and car syut can expect View obstacles to repeating sunday. 7 the oilers 9-7 spent the week polishing their tackling. Brooks slipped tackles on runs of 45, 56 and 40 Yards that proved the difference in the game lie scored on the 56-Vatder, and set up touchdowns with the other two a the longest runs allowed this year by the oilers. A two of his runs equated 100 Yards a defensive tackle Doug Smith said. A and on both of those we had him stopped for no More than a 5-Yard Brooks is a great Back and in a not taking anything away from him but. Those Are Long runs he normally have had against us.�?�. The missed tackles still irritate the oilers who like their reputation As a hard hitting defense. A we have a lot of Pride and we were very embarrassed by. What he did a a defensive lineman Ejra Johnson said. A i think its Safe to say you wont see that Guy running through our defense like that again a Brooks had a lot of help two weeks ago a perfect play switching by Boomer Esiason. Esiason set up the 56-Yard touchdown run when he came to the line and saw the oilers in a Blit formation lie changed the play to one the bengals Hadnot used in several years with Brooks lining up beside Esiason to take a Quick Handoff and sneak through the line. Brooks shed a tackle at the line and Wasny to touched the rest of tie Way. A we got in the right situation a Esiason said. A fortunately for us i was Able to read the defense we had enough time on the clock to get an audible and Job Brooks made a great Esiason went to the same play later in the game and the oilers stopped it for no gain. have such plays sunday to Advance to a second round game against the i of Angeles raiders. The oilers corrected a few things in their Victory Over Pittsburgh and present the bengals 9-7. With a More balanced offensive threat. Houston shuttled its offensive line to help its erratic running game against Pittsburgh. The moves rushed for 195 Yards. That took a lot of pressure off Carlson w to completed 22 of 29 passes for 247 Yards against one of the to rated defences in the nil. The last time these teams met the bengals worried More about Moons deep passes. Now they have to contend with the running threat. A they were creating holes against Pittsburgh a bengals defensive coordinator Dick Lebeau said a they could move the Ball either Way in the air or on the ground. If they can do both you re in for a Long those who predicted a Long Day for Carlson in the oilers run and shoot offence Eaine away surprised. He ran it nearly they did no to look any different to me Agar it Pittsburgh a Lebeau said. A Warren Moon have done any is that Moon has done it week in week the bengals want to make Carlson a one week sensation by changing defences frequently to make it harder for him to find an open ree Eider. Unlike pitl Huigh which played primarily a Zove defense the bengals base used bump and run coverage successfully against the oilers wildcard games on it an a. Central european time television and radio Houston at Cincinnati 6 30 . Sunday new Orleans at Chicago 10 . Sunday
