European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 14, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 26 the stars and stripes tuesday january 14, 1992 pfc championship everything skins had was better j f by Mike Rabun United press International All the things the pundits said would Hurt the Detroit Lions sunday did so. Although the Lions avoided the Post season jitters in the first playoff game Ever played in the Silver dome a week earlier they were present against the Washington redskins. Result two instant turnovers and a 10-Point deficit. Playing away from Home was considered a detriment. Result a a general loss of poise during the second half. Facing a seasoned coaching staff with plenty of big game experience was obviously something the Lions had to overcome. Result adjustments by Washington at halftime turned the game into a Blowout. The pfc championship game looked like any playoff contest in which the better team plays at its Best and the underdog stumbles around and then begins to do desperate things in a vain attempt to catch up. Teams from the pfc have won the last seven super bowls and with one exception each of those seven teams have rolled into the nil championship game Asit was t like Kramer planned it by Harry Atkins Washington a it Wasny to the ending Erik Kramer had in mind. He truly believed he could be Erik the great for two More weeks. The Washington redskins took care of that sunday when they Defeated Kramer and the Detroit Lions 41-10 in the pfc title game. As a result it will be the redskins not the Lions in the super bowl. A it s a total disappointment a Kramer said. Quot we came in Here thinking we could win. This is going to make for a Long of season. In a very  Kramer took Over the quarterbacking duties in game 8 when Rodney Pectic Tore his Achilles Tendon. During the regular season Kramer completer 136 of 26? passes for 1,63? Yards and 11 touchdowns with eight interceptions. He went 6-2 As a starter after Peele s season was Cut Short. Then he completed 29 of 38 for 341 Yards and three ads to Lead the Lions to their seventh consecutive Victory 38-6 Over the Dallas cowboys a week ago in a second round playoff game. But things got off to a bad Start in hostile Frk stadium where the Lions began and ended their improbable season. Kramer was overwhelmed Early by the redskins swarming defense. A a that a the one thing we did no to want to do a Kramer said. A we did no to want to get behind Early and let them Roar at us. That let them just bring the  Kramer fumbled three times and gave up one interception. Only 4 02 into the game the skins already were ahead 10-0. A we probably needed More linemen to Block for Erik a Lions coach Wayne fonts said. Quot he was pressured All Day. But he a been so special. I can to say enough about the Job that Erik did this  Kramer tried to bring the Lions Back against the bigger faster redskins. He threw an 18-Yard touchdown pass to Willie Green that narrowed the score to 10-7 Early in the second Quarter. And he engineered some drives that the Lions simply  finish. Kramer completed 21 of 33 passes for 249 Yards before fonts put Andre Ware into the game late in the fourth Quarter. And on the final play of the game it was third Stringer Chuck Long under Center. A if we could have scored in the third Quarter i think we could have gotten it to Barry Sanders a lot More than we did Kramer said. Analysis the dominant team in the conference that exception was last year when the new York giants edged san Francisco by two Points and were Able to do so Only because of a late Fumble by the 49ers. But Washington has renewed the trend. The redskins did so because they have something of everything and because in each department that something is better than virtually anybody else has. At Frk stadium sunday the redskins had the better quarterback. They had the better offensive line. They had the better defensive line. They had the better kicker. They had the better secondary. They May not have had the Best running Back but Washington has one of the most unique running Back packages in the history of pro football. Earnest byner produces the body punches Early in the fight Ricky Ervins comes in to slash away when the opponent is a Little tired and Gerald Riggs delivers the knockout when Washington gets close to the goal line. So even though any coach would want Detroit a Barry Sanders on his roster Washington a Trio outperformed Sanders sunday. The one thing that Detroit had displayed More of than Washington during the latter half of the season was emotion. Alas it was proven once More sunday that when emotion and Talent share the same Arena Talent tends to prevail. And that was the Long and the Short of the pfc championship. Washington had far More Talent and that Talent performed up to its capability. The game in Washington looked like so Many super bowls have looked. One team was clearly better than the other one and when the second Best club on the Field finally began to realize that things got out of hand. That was not the Case a year ago in Tampa when the giants shaded the Bills. It May not be that Way again this year because both teams have a lot going for them. Buffalo might indeed wind up winning the super bowl a game in which the Bills were initially made a six Point underdog. One thing is certain however. If the super bowl had been played sunday the Bills would not have had a Chance. Guard Raleigh Mckenzie who had a key Block on the play celebrates As Gerald Riggs scores redskins first touchdown sunday. 18 seconds and it was All Over by David Ginsburg Washington a it took the Washington redskins All of 18 seconds sunday to put Detroit in a deep Hole. The Lions never climbed out. Any Chance the Lions had to silence the raucous crowd at Frk stadium at the outset of the pfc championship game disappeared on the first official play from scrimmage. After Detroit opened with a procedure penalty quarterback Erik Kramer lost the Ball after being sacked by Charles Mann Charles Stokes recovered at the Detroit 11, and the Lions defense a shredded for 45 Points by the redskins on opening Day a was immediately put in a dangerous position. Gerald Riggs scored two plays later and after 66 seconds Detroit was Down 7-0. Another turnover on Detroit a next series gave Washington a Field goal and the Lions had to play catch up the rest of the Way. That affected the momentum Quot Kramer said. A they got on lop and they never let up Quot on the opening turnover Mann scooted around Rookie tackle Scott Conover and hit Kramer As his Arm was cocked to throw. A the was pumped. He went after it and i guess i did no to set up Well and he made the play a Conover said of Mann. A a he a one of the Best in the league if not the Best at doing  Stokes was there to eagerly scoop up the Loose Ball. A i had an inside Rush also a Stokes said. �?o1 saw Charles going in and when he hit him the Ball popped out. I was trying to get it like i normally do when i see a Loose  five plays after Riggs scored Kramer threw a third Down pass that linebacker Kurt Gouveia intercepted and returned 38 Yards to the Detroit 10. Chip Lohmiller followed with a 20-Yard Field goal to make it 10-0 with just 4 02 gone. A that played heavily in the outcome a Stokes said. A it allowed us to get up on Detroit and maybe give them an attitude of a hey we can twin  they might have gotten some doubt and that helped us a  Gouveia said the Quick Lead made the redskins task much easier a it was a big boost for the team and for the defense a he said. A everybody gets excited a we get excited the fans get excited. I mean that got the adrenalin going. We were  and the Lions were deflated. A to put it in a nutshell we got Down Early a said linebacker Chris Spielman. Detroit eventually pulled to 20-10 and had a Chance to close within a touchdown when Eddie Murray lined up for a 44-Yard Field goal attempt late in the third Quarter. But jumpy Geathers blocked the kick extending every bit of his 6-foot-7 Frame in the process and Washington subsequently drove 73 Yards in five plays to take a 27-10 Lead and effectively end any Chance the Lions had for their first Ever Victory in Washington. A this is the hand that did it a Geathers said in the noisy dressing room holding his dirty taped right hand aloft. A i got a Little penetration and stuck this hand up and a Boom a i got