European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 22 the stars and stripes saturday january 11, 1992advice for Bills build a big Lead by Hal Bock a sports writer Here s some advice for the Buffalo Bills heading for an acc championship game showdown sunday with the Denver Broncos. Roll it up. Take no prisoners. F you get up a touchdown go for two. If you get up two touchdowns go for three. In its last three super bowl appearances Denver has lost by 19 Points to the new York giants then 32 to Washington and finally 43 to san Francisco the deficit increasing by 13 Points in each game. That is the Best formula for beating the Broncos. Ten Points ahead with a Quarter to play often wont get it done. Not with John Elway pitching against you. Elway is the current master of the comeback having rallied Denver from behind on the final drive of games 20 times. That a 20 times when the Broncos had one last Chance to tie or win and Elway delivered the necessary Points either eating up enough Yards Lor a Field goal or taking his team All the Way to the end zone. Twice Elway did it in acc championship games both times against Cleveland beating the Browns first in 1987, 2320 in overtime and then As if to prove it Wasny to a Fluke again the next year 38-33. He also victimized Pittsburgh 24-23 in a divisional playoff in 1990. His latest Superman show came in sunday s playoff against Houston. The oilers up 21-6 at one Point were sitting on a shaky 24-23 Lead with just Over two minutes left on the clock when they punted the Ball to Denver a 2-Yard line. There were no timeouts left. And there was no problem either. Denver had the Elway Edge a two minute drive to the winning Field goal. Twice he kept the drive going by converting fourth Down plays. It was the classic  Jackson May be ready Kartz ailing Denver a starting Center Keith Kartz did no to practice again on thursday but wide receiver Mark Jackson moved closer to being activated As the Denver Broncos wound up their second major practice in preparation for the acc championship game at Buffalo on sunday. Kartz hobbled by a strained thigh muscle remained an unlikely participant for sundays game. Backup tight end Reggie Johnson showed slight improvement from his pulled hamstring. Both Are listed As questionable on the teams injury report. But Jackson who suffered what was diagnosed As a season ending dislocated right wrist on nov. 24 but made a speedy recovery looked impressive for the second straight Day in drills. Quot i done to think there a any question that hell be ready a coach Dan Reeves said of Jackson. Reeves said Kartz and Johnson Quot Are not close to being 100 percent but hopefully by game time both of them will be ready to  Elway tried to explain the dynamics of rallying his team from behind. A you done to have time to think in a situation like that a he said a the game is going by about eight times faster than it normally  not fast enough however for the other Guys. Houston defensive Back Cris Dishman remembered thinking that the oilers had the game won. A no Way John Elway drives 98 Yards on us a he said to himself. Of no coach Dan Reeves knew Elway was capable of pulling it off. A John has done this Over and Over again a he said. A because of John our Guys believe Wco re never out of a game if there a any time left on the  Detroit quarterback Erik Kramer admired Elway a accomplishment. A a he a got intangible abilities not just physical a he said. A the wants the Ball late in the game with the Money on the line. He a like san Francisco quarterback Joe Montana. He a just a great  the solution then is to blow out the Broncos. In their first meeting this season the oilers used that approach beating Denver 42-14. You done to come Back when you re 28 Points behind. Comebacks can be a double edged sword though and nobody knows that better than the Broncos. Last season they went into Buffalo ant opened a 21-9 Lead. As they lined up for a fourth Quarter Field goal the Broncos could be forgiven for thinking the b word a Blowout. The kick was blocked and returned for a touchdown by Cornelius Bennett. Within 77 seconds Between an interception of Elway and a Fumble by Elway the Bills scored 20 Points. Final score Buffalo 29, Denver 28. Even Superman fails sometimes. Broncos quarterback John Elway has fast become the reigning King of comebacks. Kramer one of Lions intangibles "1 by Harry Atkins Pontiac Mich. A Erik Kramer has come a Long Way from the Cal. And his Rise has carried the Detroit Lions near the top of the nil. Kramer was the 1986 acc player of the year at North Carolina state. But none of the nil teams figured him for a pro quarterback so it was off to Canada. �?o1 got off the bus in Calgary on thursday and had to play on saturday a Kramer recalled. A i feel less pressure now than i did at that moment. At least in be had time to work into the  the situation As Kramer Kramer Calls it is the pfc championship game sunday at Frk stadium in Washington. The redskins 15-2 Are favored by almost two touchdowns to defeat the Lions 13-4. A this is a funny game Quot Kramer said. Quot you have be in the right situation with the right set of  but that never happened to Kramer. Not until now. Kramer played in the Cal but kept trying to catch a break with an nil team. During the strike torn 1988 season he played three replacement games with the Atlanta Falcons. All that earned him was the scorn of real nil players. His Rotten Luck continued in 1989 when Back in the Cal again he injured his knee in the Stampede so training Camp and missed the season. Kramer signed As a free agent with the Lions in 1990, but a shoulder injury kept him out most of that season too. A a in a not the first Guy that a had kind of a winding Road Quot Kramer said. A a in be never been Given a front door Opportunity. In be always had to use the Side door. I done to know Why exactly. But its All worked  things took a turn for the better in training Camp this season. Kramer went to Camp As the Lions third quarterback behind Rodney Peete and Andre Ware. Kramer had a Good preseason while Ware Winner of the 1989 Heisman trophy struggled. It Wasny to Long before Kramer moved up to the no. 2 spot. And when Peete was injured oct. 27 in the first Quarter of game 8, against the Dallas cowboys it was Kramer who took Over. Since then he has guided the Lions to an 8-2 record including a 38-6 Triumph in a rematch with the cowboys last sunday in a second round playoff game. Kramer passed for 341 Yards and three touchdowns in that contest. Willie Green on the receiving end of two of those touchdown passes against the cowboys says Kramer has been Cool right from the Start. A a it a a matter of leadership a Green said. �?o1 think Erik is a great Leader. He a not the Best looking passer you Ever saw but he makes the big plays when we need  running Back Barry Sanders Calls Kramer one of the Lions intangibles. A they can to measure a Guys heart a Sanders said. A they can to measure How sick we Are of losing and How much we like winning. They can to measure the magnitude of this game to us. They have no Way to tap into those things. A to me Erik is one of those  but done to think this is All some mystical Cinderella Story. There is a very practical Side to Kramer As Well. A last thursday night his wife invited All the receivers Over to their House and she cooked for us a Green said. A a and in a telling you Marshawn can really Cook we All talked and had a great time. Barry was there too. He always shows up where there a food. Quot about a week before that she cooked for the linemen. I went that night too since in a a Bachelor. 1 done to even have any dishes. But the Point is Erik has brought our offence  so far it seems to be working. The Lions Are Riding a seven game willing Streak. If they can squeeze out a Victory at Washington where they Are 0-15 Over their Long history they will Advance to the super bowl. That a about As far from the Cal As you can get