European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 18, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Saints March in finally a saints Gill Fenerty is sandwiched Between raiders Riki Ellison 50 and Ronnie Lott. By Dave Goldberg new Orleans a the new Orleans saints made it finally into the nil playoffs. With Bobby Hebert throwing for a career High 320 Yards after missing six games with a sore shoulder the saints beat the los Angeles raiders 27-0 monday night ending a four game losing Streak and completing the pfc playoff picture. The saints had to overcome what seemed like dozens of blown scoring opportunities to do it getting 376 Yards without a touchdown until Dalton Hilliard finally got the Ball into the end zone with 3 04 left in the third Quarter. They out gained the raiders 290-35 in the first half but led just 3-0 at intermission. And they still led just 10-0 until the final four minutes when Morten Andersen kicked a 42-Yard Field goal and Gill Fenerty went in from 2 Yards out after Ethan Horton a Fumble to Clinch the Victory. Brett Maxie returned an interception 31 Yards for the final to. The Victory left the saints who once had a four game Lead in the pfc West at 10-5 and tied with Atlanta for the division Lead with the Falcons holding the tiebreaker Edge going into the final week. It also gave Denver the acc West title by dropping the raiders who have already clinched a playoff berth to 9-6, two games behind the Broncos. And it eliminated Philadelphia and san Francisco from the playoffs. Hebert completed 28 of 39 passes and Quinn Early caught four for 127 Yards As new Orleans dominated. The saints limited los Angeles to 118 Yards and knocked quarterback Jay Schroeder from the game for most of the first half with a sprained right ankle. In fact the raiders get across Midfield on their own. They mounted Only one threat after Derrick Crudup blocked Tommy Barnhardt a punt at the new Orleans 33. But Rickey Jackson sacked Schroeder on third Down and Jeff Jaegers 52-Yard Field goal hit the crossbar. The stars and stripes december 18,1991 b Page 32 Schroeder who returned in the second half was 7 of 14 for 76 Yards. Vince Evans Schroeder a backup hit 3 of 9 for 21 Yards. Still it was 3-0 for most of the game on a 37-Yard Field Goat by Andersen with 4 57 left in the first Quarter. Andersen added one from 42 Yards with 3 35 left in the game. New Orleans lost one Chance when Hoby Brenner was called for holding As Fred Mcafee ran for a first Down at the 3. On the next play Hebert was sacked by Anthony Smith and fumbled and Anthony Moss recovered for the raiders. On the final drive of the half the saints ran out of time when Hebert com elected a 14-Yard pass to Eric Martin in funds at the 5 on a play that began with 13 seconds and no time outs left. Andersen a first Field goal was set up by a 52-Yard pass play from Hebert to Early who appeared to be in the Clear for a touchdown when Eddie Anderson caught his Heel and tripped him at the 8. Penalties for illegal motion and holding helped keep the saints out of the end zone. They finally hit pay dirt in the third Quarter with the help of a pass interference Call on Eddie Anderson. Hilliard Dove in from the 3.cba team makes bid for Jabbar Rockford 111. A a bid for the services of retired Aba great Kareem Abdul Jabbar went out monday from a Continental basketball association team in this Northern Illinois City. Abdul Jabbar the a bad a Al time scoring Leader retired after the 1988-89 season but said saturday he is thinking of returning to basketball. The former los Angeles Laker Center said he would donate a Large portion of his salary to magic Johnson a newly established aids research fund. General manager Tom Kayser of the Rockford lightning said he had contacted Laker general manager Jerry West about the possibility of Abdul Jabbar playing for the Cuba team before he attempts to rejoin the lakers. A Kareem May not be in the kind of shape he needs to be in to compete immediately in the Aba. At 44, i think he can get to the Aba but he needs time to get Back in shape. We think Rockford would be an Ideal place for him to begin his Kayser admitted that the lightning 3-14 and if last place in the a bad a Midwest division is hardly a glamorous franchise. Playoff picture the ins and outs p la by the associated press the Meek have finally inherited the nil a at least in the pfc. As the muddled playoff picture sorted itself out this weekend the pfc found itself with a new group of ins and outs. In Atlanta last playoff appearance 1982 Detroit last playoff appearance 1983 Dallas last playoff appearance 1985 and a 4-28 record in �?T88 and�?T89. Out new York giants five playoff appearances and two super bowl titles in the ast seven seasons Minnesota playoff appearances three of four years pfc title game 1987 san Francisco eight straight playoff appearances nine out of 10 and four super bowl victories Philadelphia three straight playoff appearances. It was a watershed weekend for the nil. The 13 games saturday and sunday left All but one of the 12 berths settled and monday nights 27-0 Victory by the new Orleans saints Over the los Angeles raiders clinched the final berth in the pfc. The saints joined the redskins bears Lions cowboys and Falcons. The final acc berth will be decided sunday when the new York jets 7-8 Are at Miami 8-7with the Winner getting the final wild card berth. The jets would win in a tie because they won the first meeting. Already in Are Buffalo Houston Denver the raiders and Kansas City. But the big shakeup is in the pfc a specifically the ascension of Detroit Atlanta and Dallas. Examples a the last time the Lions won a playoff game was 1957. The quarterback was Bobby Layne and the stars of the secondary were Yale Lary and Dick a Nicht train sports nil summaries Aba boxes a Page 25 Jimmy Johnson finally at ease a Page 28 Bills Thomas says hell play a Page 29 jays red sox talking to Morris a Page 31 Las and recently lost nose tackle Jerry Ball the key to their run defense. Moreover they sustained what appeared to be a devastating blow when guard Mike Utley was paralysed against the rams on nov. 17. But they made Utley their rallying Point and have won the four games since he was injured to go a if i Kee p talking ined a about this team ill teas a the last time the Falcons won a playoff game was 1979. The quarterback was Steve Bartkowski and the running backs were Haskel Stanback and Bubba bean. A the cowboys a a american steam for two decades they were steamrolled 20-0 by Eric Dickerson and the los Angeles rams in their last appearance 1985, and their last Victory came in 1982, when they reached the pfc title game. That was Danny White Tony Dorsett it. Al. And it came a year before the senior members of this years cowboys Jim Jeffcoat and Bill Bates joined the team. Can still capture the pfc Central if it wins at Buffalo next sunday and Chicago loses monday night in san Francisco is perhaps the most inspiring Story. A lacklustre 6-10 last year the Lions have been without linebacker Mike Cofer their Best pass rusher All season lost quarterback Rodney Peete for the season in their eighth game against dal probably slide a Quot tear a said warn Fontes the emotional coach who a shepherded his team through the adversity after the 2h7 win Over Green Bay put the Lions in the playoffs. The Falcons made it to 10-5 and clinched at least a wild card with a 26-13 win Over Seattle their fifth straight win since a 56-17 drubbing in Washington. The Victory enhanced the reputation of coach Jerry Glanville who until this season had never won More than three straight and had been considered a coach who could get his team up one week Only to have it collapse the next. Glanville who got Houston into the playoffs in 1988 Ana 1989 was an assistant on the last Falcons playoff team. Dallas got a lift from Kelvin Martin who returned a punt 85 Yards for a touchdown to ignite a 17-Point fourth Quarter that gave the cowboys a 25-13 win in pm Adelphia their first Victory at veterans stadium since 1986 and first win in six tries Over the eagles in the Jimmy Johnson Era. A i think its Good for football for the Dallas cowboys to be a part of the playoffs a said owner Jerry Jones who seems to finally have overcome the flak he took after finn Tom Landry and hiring Johnson his old College Roommate. At least in Dallas
