European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - December 27, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday december 27, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 25around the nil file Wayne Fontes. Guided Lions to 12 win Lions Fontes named top nil coach by Harry Atkins Pontiac Mich. Apr Seldom has an nil coach done so much with so Little. There have been times in fact when even Wayne Fontes Felt like his Detroit Lions were doing it with mirrors. But somehow the Lions got it done earning their first playoff berth since 1983. As a result Fontes has been named coach of the year by 82 Media members in balloting conducted by the associated press. A a it a really humbling. Pm overwhelmed a Fontes said of the Honor. A but you know this in to a tribute to Wayne Fontes. This is a tribute to this football team and the staff of coaches we be assembled Fontes guided the Lions into the playoffs despite the loss of quarterback Rodney Peete linebacker Mike Cofer nose guard Jerry Ball and offensive linemen Mike Utley and Eric Sanders. There also have been a number of lesser injuries. Several of the Lions Haven to practice in Over a month. They Are so frail they just suit up on game Days. Last week for example the secondary was so depleted in practice that for offensive drills punter Jim Arnold worked at safety and linebacker Niko Noga a 250-Pounder, lined up at cornerback. A efm not surprised that we be had players step up and fill in for All our injured Guys a Fontes said. A i had a feeling they would. Pm close to my players. In be been in their Homes and a lot of them have been in my Home. I just had a feeling they d come together and they but nothing galvanized the Lions like the trauma from Utley a paralysing spinal Cord injury. And there again Fontes set the tone. He refused to Over dramatize the situation and would t talk Down to his fallen player. A a he a a Man and he does t want to be pitied a Fontes said. This season the Lions had four players named to the All pro team. No other team had As Many. The Lions selected were Barry Sanders Ball linebacker Chris Spielman and kick returner Mel Gray. A a we re not done Here yet a Fontes said. A starting a a has 2 teams stumped by Dave Goldberg a football writer even when the nil playoffs Are set they Aren t. Particularly at quarterback. Though the los Angeles raiders lost to the chiefs 27-21 sunday forcing them to go to Kansas City for a playoff game next saturday they discovered sunday they had a Good Young quarterback in Todd Marinovich. Now coach Art Shell and a1 Davis have to decide whether to Start Marinovich or Jay Schroeder who rested his sprained ankle on sunday. Dallas meanwhile goes to Chicago undecided Between Troy Aikman and Steve Beuerlein who has led the cowboys to five straight wins since Aikman injured a knee against Washington. Beuerlein seems to have the Edge unless Aikman recovers fully. The schedule for this weekend s first round was announced monday by the nil. The playoffs open at 12 30 . Est in a wild card game pitting the raiders 97 at Kansas City 10-6a reprise of sundays game in which the chiefs won the Home Field for the contest with a 27-21 Victory in los Angeles. The Only other time since the current format was established in 1970 that teams played Back to Back was in 1988, when Cleveland beat Houston at Home in the final game then stayed Home and lost to the oilers in a wild card game a week later. The chiefs and raiders will be followed by Atlanta 10-6 at new Orleans 11-5 at 4 . The saints won the pfc West title by beating Phoenix 27-3 sunday after the Falcons lost 31-27 at Dallas. Sundays first game will pit the cowboys 11-5 at Chicago 11-5which was left with a wild card spot when it lost to san Francisco monday night. Detroit 12-4 now gets a week off after winning the pfc Central title. Marinovich Schroeder Troy Aikman. Status is Uncertain the wild card weekend ends with the new York jets 8-8 at Houston 11-5 and the second round games will he hosted by the four teams with byes a Washington 14-2 Buffalo 13-3 Denver 12-4 and Detroit 12-4. But first come the quarterback decisions. Marinovich the raiders first round pick last april created the problem in los Angeles by going 23 of 40 for 243 Yards and three touchdowns against the chiefs on sunday. Will he Start Over Schroeder whose five playoff starts with the raiders and redskins represent four More games than Marinovich has played in his entire pro career Quot the last thing a team wants before a playoff game is a controversy Quot Marinovich said. What the coach says will probably be made in consultation with Davis who has considerable input in major decisions for the raiders. Shell said after sunday s game a efm not going to discuss that right now. Well take a look at it and Sec where we Dallas decision is a Little More Clear Cut a probably Beuerlein. Himself a former participant in the raiders quarterback go round. Coach Jimmy Johnson said monday that Beuerlein who was traded to the cowboys after losing the raiders Starling Job to Schroeder is a your projected Quot Well evaluate it in practice this week and see if there a any change Quot lie said. A a we be got Steve Beuerlein 1 m percent healthy and playing Well. If Troy s not 1 h percent it does t make sense not to Kut the player in the game who a not new Orleans is in the position of celebrating its first title of any kind in its 25 years of existence thanks to another quarterback Bobby Hebert. He came Back after missing six games and led the saints to wins in their final two breaking a four game losing Streak and keeping new Orleans from becoming the first team Ever to lose a division title after holding a four game Lead. The difference seems Clear a new Orleans was 9-1 under Hebert 2-4 under Steve Walsh. New Orleans offensive line is a Winner despite shuffle by Austin Wilson new Orleans apr conventional Wisdom holds that an offensive line has to play together for four or five years to become truly efficient. The pfc West Champion new Orleans saints who Host Atlanta in a wild card game saturday and their frequently changing starting line might say something different. Behind the shifting cast of offensive linemen saints tailbacks have rushed for 1,230 Yards and quarterbacks Bobby Hebert and Steve Walsh have been sacked Only 19 times. Only Washington with nine sacks surrendered protected its quarterbacks better. A a we be kind of screwed that old theory up Haven to we a said line coach Paul Boudreau. Since the Backfield has been wracked by injuries As much As the offensive line has Rookie Fred Mcafee is the leading rusher with 494 Yards. He was on the practice squad listed no. 4 on the tailback depth Chart when the season began. Right guard has been the position hardest hit with four players listed As starters since training Camp opened. Boudreau said he s not superstitious but the position is now referred to As a right inside Steve Trapilo wrecked a knee in training Camp and is out for the season. The saints got Derek Kennard in a Trade with the cardinals and he opened the season As the starter. Kennard ripped a pectoral muscle in a weight room Accident after the third game and he is Oul for the year. Practice squad graduate Chris port became the starter at right guard and As insurance the saints signed fourth year Veteran Larry Williams out of Law school at the University of san Diego. Port sprained his ankle and Williams started the last two games of the season. Center Joel Hilgenberg missed two games Early in the season and practice squad graduate Brad Leggett started those two. Kevin Haverdink developed Back problems and Richard Cooper took Over at left tackle. When Cooper injured his Chest against the cardinals Jim Dombrowski moved from left guard to left tackle. Will iams moved from right guard to left and poit hobbled into the game at right guard. Only right tackle Stan Brock has played every Down at his regular position. A a done to touch that dial Quot Boudreau cautioned. He said he does t want to downplay the importance of having the same group together for the whole season so they can develop a sort of unspoken communication. A i think that s very important. I think that having Guys know each other is equally important a he said. But the blockers have had to introduce themselves to each other All season. A when it comes Down to a situation like we be had a catastrophe emergency situations a i think Guys respond the Way they were taught a Boudreau said. A a 1 a Cyl re taught that this is the Way we re going to handle it no matter who a next to you. You have to really communicate. The Guy next to you May not be there he next a it goes Hack to training Camp anti the of season when we re All Here a this is How we Call it. This is How we identify this defense. When this is happening we say this particular a in training Camp there s very Little teaching of the system. The system is taught in mini Camp and in the of season. A what made it difficult is that Larry came in and had t gone through that. 1 he big thing that was a plus for us was that their system at Kansas City and Cleveland was similar. They even Call the same formations the same thing we do. That made it
