European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Up giants Are a by Dave Goldberg a football writer after Dallas played the new York giants last season the cowboys offence needed Only 15 minutes to look at the film. A that was it a coach Jimmy Johnson said. A we never had the Ball the whole game. How do you show any offensive film a a that turned out to be a precursor of things to come a the giants won their second super bowl last season pfc East preview with a 20-19 win Over a More explosive Buffalo team by simply keeping the Ball for 41 minutes to 19 for the Bills. Expect More of the same this year in a division that figures to be far More bunched than last season when the giants started 10-0, finished 13-3 and effectively wrapped up the title by mid season. Washington is. Well Washington a a perennial Winner. Philadelphia remains competitive and Dallas under Johnson and Phoenix under Joe Burcl Are coming on. But to get to the top you have to go through the giants. Lite rally. New York giants last year slatted 10-0. Won division at 13-3, Ihen beat Chicago san Francisco and Buffalo to win second super bowl in five years. San Francisco and Buffalo wins were by a total of three Points a with Matt Bahr s last second Field goal beating the 49ers and Scott Norwood s last second miss giving them the super bowl. Strengths Overall de sense which allowed just 211 Points to Lead nil. Linebackers led by Lawrence Taylor. Carl Banks and Pepper Johnson. Young offensive line which matured into one of nil s Best. Running game with Ottis Anderson Rodney Hampton and Lewis Tillman behind the line. Weaknesses pass Rush., third from last with 30 sacks last year tight end where Mark Bavaro was released after apparent career ending knee injury. Depth at wide receiver. Newcomers coach Ray Handley. Re Jarrod Bunch. No. 1 pick wred Mccaffrey no. 3 of Clarence Janes no. 4 la Corey Miller. No. 6. The key to the team is a hulking offensive line made up of Large sex big ten players who play a Ganie that can loosely be called Quot four Yards and a turf a Cal tackle jumbo Elliott All of 305 pounds buried Bruce Smith the leagues top defensive player in the super bowl and the Oiher Guys Arentt far behind. Other than 32-Ycar-old Center Bart Oates the top seven Guys go Over.280, Are under 30 and Are augmented by 285-Pound Rookie Clarence Jones a fourth round draft Pic the coaches love. A Elliott Quot Smith says with a shake of his head. A a done task me about moreover Ray Handley who took Over when Bill Purcell decided to step Down As coach in May is the Guy who convinced Parcells that the Way to win was to run in other words the other Guy can t win if he can to have the Bull. So far the change seems positive at least for veterans. A the s got us relaxed a says linebacker Gary reasons whose 30-Yard run on a fake punt helped set up the win Over san Francisco in the pfc championship game last season. A the treats us like the major question in training Camp was whether the quarterback would be a Phil Simms the 12-year incumbent or Jeff Hostetler who took Over when Simms got Hurt and went 5-0 in two regular season games the playoffs and super bowl. But the identity of the quarterback May be irrelevant to the thump of giant feet a the Youngish line 33-Yeur-old super bowl map Ottis Anderson running like 23 in Camp plus two talented youngsters a second year Man Rodney Hampton and third year Man Lewis Tillman. As always there s the Lawrence Taylor led defense although at 32, it is Only an excellent player not a Superman. Carl Banks and Pepper Johnson Are All pro Caliper linebackers too an apparently Good Rookie crop adds depth and new York is solid if not dominating up front and in the secondary where cornerback Mark Collins is one of the a Fly a Best. A Washington redskins say this about Washington the redskins Are always there. In fact if they Hadnot developed this bad habit of losing to the giants a nine defeats in the last 10 no strike games they might have been close to another super bowl trip. Last season in fact they lost twice to new York in the first five games and spent the rest of the season fighting for a wild card. They got it at 10-6, beat Philadelphia then were eliminated in san Francisco As Mark Rypien continued his up file jumbo Elliott 305 pounds right and William Roberts 280 keep Bruce Smith and everybody else off Jeff Hostetler. Unfortunate habit of throwing interceptions in key games. Rypien competing with Stan Humphries for the starting Job is the key this season on a team that May be the leagues oldest a it retains nearly a dozen veterans from the Joe Theis Mann John Riggins Era and has added 33-year-old Matt Millen to plug a Hole at Middle linebacker. The running backs Are oldish too a Earnest byner is the Workhorse backed up by Gerald Riggs although third round draft pick Ricky Ervins looks like a keeper. Last year got wild card playoff berth Ihen went to Philadelphia and shackled the eagles 20-6. Lost 28-10 to san Francisco in Semi finals of divisional playoffs. A strengths offensive and defensive lines wide receiving Irio of Rickey Sanders Gary Clark and Art Monk. Coaching of Joe Gibbs and his staff one of most stable in the nil improving linebacker Andre Collins. Weaknesses secondary age in offensive Fine and at running Back where Earnest byner and Gerald Riggs May not have far to go uncertainty at Quad Lerback where Mark Rypien and Stan Humphries Are prone to interceptions in key games. Newcomers Middle linebacker Matt Millen plan b acquisition from san Francisco it Bobby Wilson just fourth no. 1 pick in 22 years re Ricky or Virts no. 3 pick who could be the Quick third Down Utility Back they be been seeking and could even supplant byner and Byers. How finish 1. New York 4. Philadelphia 2. Washington 5. Phoenix 3. Dallas Philadelphia eagles last year went 5-11 in first year under Joe Bugel. Sixth straight losing season. Strengths Young running backs Johnnie Johnson and Anthony Thompson. Linebackers featuring Erik i Ken Harvey and Freddie Joe Norm returned from defensive end. Safeties. Weaknesses loss of promising a a Timm Rosenbach for season to knee injury. Cor Terback offensive and defensive lines particularly pass Rush deep Speed at receiver. Newcomers no. 1 pick Eric Swann the defensive lineman with no College experience already has undergone three knee operations a the no. 1 Jinx hits the cards again. Things May be duller in Philadelphia this year now that buddy Ryan is gone after three straight trips to the playoffs without a win although More than a dozen holdouts kept training Camp Lively. Ryan a departure after a 10-6 season left the brain Trust More conventional. Rich Kotite last years offensive coordinator is the head coach and Bud Carson deposed As the head Man in Cleveland Midway through last year has taken Over the defense from Ryan and Jeff Fisher who went to the los Angeles rams. But the eagles remain the same a superstars like quarterback Randall Cunningham and defensive lineman Reggie White without enough supporting cast outside of the defensive line and Ace linebacker Seth Joyner. Moreover they be always been a team that can get up for big games five wins in the last six games Over the giants but Down for the Small ones Home losses to the cardinals and Colts a we be got to beat the teams we re supposed to beat to compete in this division Quot concedes Cunningham. A Dallas cowboys say this about the cowboys. After going from 115 to 7-9 last year they be got Texas excited again. A lot of the improvement is due to the dozen draft choices they got for Herschel Walker although All the Young players they got have yet to reach their potential. Jimmy Johnson has also used the draft picks for trades like surrendering a second for defensive tackle Tony Casillas in a division where its vital to Stop the run. They also have two offensive Cornerstones a quarterback Troy Aikman recovered from shoulder problems and running Back pm Mitt Smith last years offensive Rookie. But the cowboys May run into an expectation problem a their six game improvement last season was due in part to a last place schedule. A Phoenix cardinals last year went from 1-15 10 7-9 for nil s Best improvement in Jimmy Johnson s second year As head coach. Might have made playoffs it quarterback Troy Aikman had t separated his shoulder in next to last game. Strengths Aikman second year running Back Emmitt Smith potential of Alexander Wright and Alvin Harper at wide receiver. Weaknesses offensive line linebackers Ordinary secondary. Newcomers Harper and no. 1 Overall it Russell Maryland. No. 3 pick Enk Williams expected to be. An outstanding offensive tackle with work. Possibly Canadian and world league re Ricky Blake. Phoenix 5-11 last year has two problems. One is playing in what May be the a Fly a strongest division. The other is a Lack of support at Home. In their fourth year in Arizona season ticket sales have dwindled to barely 20,000. On the plus Side Timm Rosenbach looks like a coming Young quarterback and Johnny Johnson a 7th-round draft Choice shone at running Back As a Rookie. But defensive lineman Eric Swann this years top Choice has already injured a knee three times. Tomorrow pfc Central last year went 5-11 in first year under Joe Bugel. Sixth straight losing season. Strengths Young running backs Johnnie Johnson and Anthony Thompson. Linebackers featuring Erik vhf Ken Harvey and Freddie Joe Nunn returned from defensive end. Safeties. Weaknesses loss at promising a a Timm Rosenbach for season to knee injury. Cor setback offensive and defensive tines particularly pass Rush. Deep Speed at receiver newcomers no. 1 pick Eric Swann the defensive lineman with no College experience already has undergone three knee operations
