European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 7, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 26 c the stars and stripes tuesday january 7, 1992 around the flit s Broncos Bills again for acc title by John Mossman Denver apr Dan Reeves Wasny to surprised. He figured All along his Denver Broncos team would be facing the Buffalo Bills in the acc championship game. Denver a Ideal scenario of course would have had the Kansas City chiefs beating the Bills thus giving the Broncos another Home playoff game next week. But Buffalo prevailed 37-14 on sunday setting up a title game Between the teams with the Best records in the conference next sunday. It Denver which rallied to Edge the Houston oilers 26-24 on saturday will bring a 13-4 record to Rich stadium. The Bills arc 14-3. A it should be a great matchup a Reeves said sunday after the Bills rout was Complete. A a wite similar Type teams although they re a Little More wide open. The game will match two great quarterbacks John Elway is. Jim Kelly and two solid defences. A a we be got to handle the crowd noise with our offence and our defense has to handle a team that has averaged 44 Points in its last three playoff games. This is a very mature Buffalo team but we have Confidence in our Denver has been highly competitive against the Bills of late. The Broncos won 28-14 at Buffalo two years ago and nearly won there last year. Denver led 21-9 and was lined up for a Short Field goal but the kick was blocked and returned 80 Yards for a touchdown triggering a 20-Point Bills explosion in just 77 seconds of the fourth Quarter. Buffalo won 29-28. A that turnaround in our game last year was sort of a stepping Stone for them a Reeves said. A they started going upwards and wound up in the super bowl. We started going backwards and finished 5-11. Bills receiver Andre Reed beats chiefs cornerback Janice Pearson on a 53-Yard to pass from Jim Kelly in the second Quarter. A the recent games we be had give us to a super bowl and in a sure they want a High powered offence and they be done Confidence that we match up Well with to get Back and win it this time. The Job week in and week out. Its pretty them. But they re a much better team a i think their improvement is largely frightening to think of the Points they be now than they were then. They went on because of the maturity Factor. They have been Smith somebody had to lose by Jim Irwin Pontiac Mich. Apr Flat on their backs after their worst loss of the season the Dallas cowboys could look nowhere but up. A somebody had to lose the game. We did no to play Well and it was us a running Back Emmitt Smith said after the Detroit Lions rolled Over Dallas 386 on sunday to Advance to the pfc championship game. Quot now we have a taste of the playoffs a said Smith the nil Rushing Champion who gained 80 Yards on 15 carries against the Lions. A we know what it takes to get Dallas 12-6 had what it took a week earlier in knocking off Chicago 17-13 in a first round playoff game. On sunday the cowboys converted two first half drives into Field goals and nothing More. A we should have found a Way to get it done a said quarterback Steve Beuerlein whose inability to get Dallas into the end zone prompted coach Jimmy Johnson to replace him with Troy Aikman late in the first half. A we were moving the Ball Quot said Beuerlein who completed seven of 13 passes for 91 Yards and an interception that cornerback Melvin Jenkins returned for a touchdown. A we just were not getting the Ball into the end zone. That was the Aikman completed 11 of 16 passes for 114 Yards and one interception. He also fumbled two snaps that killed second halt drives. A we were looking for a spark at that stage and we decided to stay with him in the second half Quot Johnson said of Aikman. A i done to think i gave us much of a spark a Aikman said. A a they re not the kind of defense that gives up a lot of Points anyway. And when we got behind As much As we did it took away our running game. A the disappointing thing is we thought wed play better and the Way we got beat does leave a sour Erik Kramer who became Detroit a starting quarterback when Rodney Peete was Hurt Early in the Lions 34-10 Victory Over Dallas on oct. 27, completed 29 of 38 passes for 341 Yards and three touchdowns. Only Houston a Warren Moon 425 Yards and the new York giants Jeff Hostetler 368 had bigger Days against the cowboys this season. A they knew what we were giving them and they were taking it and they were very successful at it a linebacker Ken Norton said. A when we play run and shoot teams like Houston they do pretty much the same thing a safety Bill Bates said. A eventually you think the Guys going to throw an incomplete pass but he was on the Money All the cowboys stacked up the line of scrimmage to Stop Barry Sanders and it worked most of the game. Sanders had Only 11 carries for 22 Yards until a bouncing weaving touchdown sprint of 47 Yards Midway through the fourth Quarter. A you talk about stopping Barry. Its got to be your number one priority a linebacker Jack Del Rio said. A your objective was to take away Barry we did that for vhf quarters. Then Kramer got a hot hand. That a something we did no to some of the cowboys preferred not to dwell on the preceding three hours of football but on the Progress of the previous three years a when they went from 1-15 in 1989 to 7-9 last season and a playoff berth this year. A we were on a Fine ride a Long ride a Bates said. A we got Hopes up in Dallas got the fans fired up and the players had perhaps most optimistic of All was Dallas owner Jerry Jones. A i think its easy to have a positive attitude about the Way the cowboys Are going and the Progress we be made a he said. Quot we Felt like we could match up Well with Detroit today. They deserve All the credit. They got the Best of it this Bay great place with a sorry team Tampa Fla. A what with the Tampa Bay buccaneers being described As a pastel foot wipes and a the sucks a some wonder if Tampa is a City of losers or a City that just happens to be Home to a losing football team. A a it a the latter a Larry Marmon said. A fall our friends who come Here think Tampa is great and we speak highly of Tampa. Everybody thinks its a great place that just has a Rotten football when Marmon a company time inc., transferred him to Tampa several years ago As vice president of client services the lifetime new yorker had been a jets fan a a forever and a season ticket Holder for 12 years. Now he a a bucs fan although he tends to keep it to himself. A the stadium is great and i have much better seats but the team was much worse than i Ever imagined a he said. A so i just try not to talk to friends Back in new York about them. If 1 do i take a lot of through the years the buccaneers have been lampooned in National comic strips and chopped up like cheap Rump roast by late night talk show hosts and sports broadcasters. A when you have lost in double figures for the past decade and you have to go play in cold places wearing Orange uniforms the Public a perception is that you Are not a very Tough football team a esp commentator Chris Berman said. Can the Tampa Bay buccaneers image be so bad that established nil Coache Are afraid of the Job a i done to think so a former Washington redskins quarterback turned to commentator Joe Theisman said. A i think a lot of people look at the bucs As a hey that team has some Tal ent a a Theisman said. Quot i think Tampi Bay fans if you give them just the slight est Little thing to cheer about Woula be one of the great support organizations in 6
