European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 20 the stars and stripes sunday january 19,1992 super bowl xxvi skins Bills game not expected to be a Dull Battle by Dave Goldberg a football writer keep your fingers crossed but a xxv year old trend May be ending a Dull super bowls. Of the last three nil title games two have come Down to the final minute a last years 20-19 win by the new York giants Over Buffalo and san Francisco a 2016 Victory Over Cincinnati in 1989. In Between of course the 49ers demolished Denver 55-10, but that of course was. Well. Denver. This years showdown should a emphasize should a be another Good one the first since 1985, when san Francisco 15-1 played Miami 14-2 that the two Best teams in the nil Are meeting for the title. Of course that dream matchup turned out to be a Blowout a 38-16 san Francisco win that started the of cd a current string of seven straight titles. There san interesting parallel Between this years game and last years although the giants were not As clearly dominant in the pfc As the redskins Are this year. Last season Buffalo was favored by a touchdown give or take a Point largely because the Bills demolished the raiders 51-3 in the acc title game while the giants squeaked by san Francisco 15-13 without scoring a touchdown. This year its the redskins who Are favored because they blew out Detroit 41-10, while the Bills were held without an offensive touchdown in their 10-7 Squeaker Over Denver. The Bills Are holding out that scenario As their reason for optimism. A a its sometimes hard to convince your players they re not As Good As a 51-3 game a says coach Marv Levy. Levy likes the two week break but some people think it can be a disadvantage. A i done to think id want to be any team that gives Joe Gibbs two weeks to get ready for me a says one pfc personnel director who spoke on the condition of anonymity. A Denver did something to Stop them. In a sure Joe and Richie Petitbon will be Able to find Levy does no to think so. A Denver did no to do anything we did no to expect a he says. A we just did no to execute very Well on a instant replay a Thurman Thomas the a Fly a map this year was a second round draft Choice in 1988, a huge Bonus for Buffalo which had surrendered its first pick that year for Cornelius Bennett. There were six running backs taken in the first round that year none of whose career has approached so were the Bills Lucky or smart a Lucky a says general manager Bill Polian. How Lucky the Bills decided to draft him Only after looking at a videotape of a knee operation performed on Thomas during his Junior year at Oklahoma state. Thomas was passed by the other 27 teams because of the knee surgery. When he took a physical with the Bills before the draft he was flunked by the team physician or. Richard Weiss. A we had a feeling he might drop Down and he had been a great College running Back a Polian says. A so we asked or. Weiss if he could look at the operation again to see the problem. He actually got a videotape of it looked at the tape and said a of. A class act a As far As anyone can Tell Washington a Matt Millen has a Chance to become the first player Ever to win super bowls As a member of three different teams. The Only problem he May not play next week. Millen who was on the raiders when they won in 1980 and �?T83 and with the �?T89 49ers, is the redskins a first Down Middle linebacker a run stuffer. So while he had 10 tackles against a run oriented team like the giants he was redskins Matt Millen right is congratulated by teammate Wilber Marshall for Early season interception. Millen is seeking third super bowl ring with third club. Inactive for playoff games against run and shoot Atlanta and Detroit brushing it off with a characteristically Classy a who am i supposed to cover the guard a Buffalo is More conventional but still uses three wide receivers and Gibbs said this week he Hadnot decided whether to play Millen. A this is a business a Millen says. A a in la understand if i done to according to the nil record Book Only one player has played in super bowls for three different teams a Preston Pearson with the Colts Steeles and cowboys. But he lost with the Colts to the jets in 1969. For a Long time the Only Man to be on two different winners was Marv Fleming a tight end who played for Green Bay in the first two super bowls and later played for Miami in 1973 and 1974. But plan b and a willingness to release veterans has resulted in three More a Millen Jim Burt giants �?T86 49ers, 89and Dave Duerson bears �?T85, giants �?T90. A Millen 33, was signed by Washington As a plan b free agent during the off season. A Why did i choose Washington a he said Early this season when it looked like a big year for the redskins. A a in a a Good a coaching caravan a one Rea son teams want to fill coaching vacancies As quickly As they can to grab the first rate assistants particularly coordinators before someone else gets them. One of the victims this year is Pittsburgh which with Indianapolis Are the last two of the eight teams with vacancies to make a decision. The Steeles who have interviewed 12 candidates wanted to bring Back Rod rust the former new England coach As defensive coordinator. But while they were making up their minds rust was snatched up by the giants one of whose problems this year was the loss of Bill Belichick to Cleveland a head Job. A class act ii a Denver a David Treadwell could have done what a lot of nil players to after bad games a grabbed his clothes from his locker before the Media got in then showered and dressed in the trainers room off limits to locker room visitors. Instead the Denver kicker whose three missed Field goals May have Cost the Broncos a trip to the super bowl stood up to wave after wave of questioners to discuss those misses two of which hit the right upright. Then having explained 100 times that kickers sometimes miss Treadwell went into the interview room stood on a podium. And explained it cite once you be been theory by Dave Goldberg Orchard Park . Apr it was a cliche in the Early years of super bowls one the Buffalo Bills Are counting on when they play the Washington redskins next sunday. Once you be gone there and lost its easier to go Back and win. A we did a lot of things wrong last year a says defensive end Bruce Smith who spent most of this season on injured Reserve after being last years nil defensive player of the year when the Bills lost 20-19 to the new York giants for the nil title. A one of the things was being overconfident. I done to think that will happen this Smith and the Bills May not be overconfident a they re 6-Point underdogs right now. But neither that nor the change in attitude guarantees that losing once guarantees a win when you go Back a just ask the Denver Broncos or Minnesota Vikings both 0-4 in super bowls. In fact a Quick perusal of super bowl history demonstrates that the Denver and Minnesota experience is As much the Rule As the a going backs theory. Of the 28 teams in the nil 19 have been to the super bowl and 13 have been to More than one. Six teams in the games 25 years have won in their first try a Pittsburgh and san Francisco each 4-0 Green Bay and the new York giants each 2-0, and Chicago and the new York jets each with a win in their Only appearance. Moreover the raiders lost their first game a the second super bowl following the 1967 season. By the time they went Back again a decade later they had almost no one left from their first appearance. The same is True for Washington which lost to Miami in the 1972 season then went Back and won a decade later a that was George Allens team the first time Joe Gibbs the second. Then there was Pittsburgh which went to its first super bowl following the 1974 season and won 16-6 against a Minnesota team which had been there and lost the previous season. In fact of the teams that lost their first time the last to go Back the next year and win was Miami which went unbeaten in 1972 and won the super bowl after losing 24-3 to Dallas following the 1971 season. The Colts who lost to the jets following the 1968 season beat the cowboys two years later and then the cowboys went on the next year to beat the dolphins. Thus was the triumphant return theory born. But is it True today a not with us a says Dan Reeves the Broncos coach the last team to lose and go Back the next year. A i done to think anyone in the country Ever roots for us to go in fact Denver has lost by increasing margins of 13 Points a to the giants by 19 following the 1986 season to the redskins by 32 the next year and to the 49ers by 45 two years after that. But the Bills approach their return in a much More positive Light. A the first time i think the reaction is a hey we re in the super bowl a a says coach Marv Levy. A the second time its a hey we re in it but we worked hard to get Here and we re still on a Mission that Isnit a last year we did no to really know what to expect says Carlton Bailey the linebacker whose interception and 11-Yard return produced buffaloes Only touchdown in the 10-7 win Over Denver that sent the Bills Back to the championship game. A this year we re going up there and knowing that our families Are there to enjoy themselves but that we re there to take care of ironically while All the Bills say being there last year will help they also think the different situation including a return to a pre game week off will help. Last year they came in off a 51-3 rout of the raiders in the acc title game while the giants had just squeaked by san Francisco 15-13. Thus the Bills were a 7-Point favorite right away. This year it was Buffalo that barely made it while Washington was rolling Over Detroit 41-10
