European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 19, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse Sunday january 19, 1992 the stars and stripes b Pago 21super bowl xxvi Hall of Fame Means nothing to fans a quarterback has to win super bowl by Barry Wilner a sports writer fran Tarkenton is in the Hall of Fame. John Elway is headed there. For All of their magnificent achievements what do most football fans remember about Tarkenton and Elway How about o-for-3 in super bowls you done to need a great quarterback to win a super bowl. Jim Mcmahon Jeff Hostetler and Doug Williams certainly done to fit into the same category As Joe Montana Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr. But they have something Tarkenton the a Fly a Al time leading passer in attempts completions yardage and touchdowns does no to have. They have something Elway for All of his magical plays and Miracle comebacks does no to have. They be won nil championships. A it really is a dissatisfaction in your career and your life a Joe Theismann says of the failure to win the big game. A your career seems incomplete because that is what you play for to be a Champion. A i have had the experience of being on both sides on top of the Mountain and also suffering what can Only be described As the agony of defeat. When your team wins the world championship people society the Media other players look at you As a Champion. You Are a part of the Best team or Are the Best at what you do and that a what we All strive is it fair that most quarterbacks Are judged More by their championship rings than by their career stats and other achievements a i done to necessarily think it is just a litmus test for a quarterback but for a whole Theismann who won the nil championship wit the redskins in 1982, then lost to the raiders in the next seasons super bowl. A we All have personal goals and unless you Are a Champion. That a what the game is All about to compete and win a championship As a team. A the quarterbacks become focal Points in the game. The quarterback becomes the individual that represents the team to the rest of the world. If you done twin that game you feel so Jim Kelly lost his Only super bowl even though he played Well. He was 18-for-30 for 212 Yards and even ran for 23 Yards last january. But he is 0-1 and a loss at the metronome to the redskins might Spur doubt about his ability to take the final step no matter How unfair that might be. A a it a fair that you Are remembered whether the team won or lost a Kelly says. A so what if i play great and we Vikings fran Tarkenton lost three super bowl games. Lose do i walk away Happy a you hear that old cliche All the time and it always applies especially to a super bowl a the quarterback gets too much credit when we win and too much blame when we it comes with the Elway fully recognizes there is a perception of him As a loser because of the three super bowl failures. He did not perform up to his High standards in any of those games although he had some moments. A if i have to lose 10 of them to get one win i want that Chance a Elway says. A i want to get Back and try a John Elway for All the great things he has done will be remembered a great Deal for not winning a championship a Theismann says. A hopefully although he a getting older he will get that Chance to win it a and win it. A one thing that haunted fran Tarkenton with All the records he set and being in the Hall of Fame the one thing that eluded him was being a of course any quarterback dreams of leading his team to americans biggest one Day sporting event and becoming americans quarterback for a Day. It happened for veterans such As Len Dawson Phil Simms Terry Bradshaw Joe Montana and Williams for youngsters Joe Namath Bradshaw and Montana. It happened for a longtime second Stringer Hostetler and for a longtime survivor Jim Plunkett. It could happen for Kelly or Mark Rypien next sunday. A it would be the highlight of anybody a career a Kelly says. A but i done to know if its right to judge a Guy on one adds Rypien who had by far his Best season in guiding Washington to a 16-3 record a once you arc to this Point you have Only one thing left to accomplish. No matter what happens no matter How i play the main thing is to come out with a win. If we done to come out with a Victory ill feel something was taken away from the redskins have been to four super bowls in 10 years with three different starting quarterbacks. This Mann passed the super test and so did Williams. How will Rypien handle it a i done to think Marks inexperience in a super bowl will Hurt once they get into the game a says Theismann the nil analyst for esp. A at the beginning it will a i do not remember the first five minutes of my first super bowl. Its a bigger experience than anything you can actually like Kelly Rypien has been in one super bowl. The difference of course is that Rypien carried a clipboard in 1987 As a third Stringer. A i remember coming off the Field and All the big smiles on everybody a faces a Rypien said. A we had a lot of Guys become including Williams who had one of his Best games throwing for 340 Yards and four touchdowns. Often criticized in his career for underachieving Williams sort of fell into the heroic role. Rypien grabbed the Chance to fill it. A Doug was More an inspirational Leader a Rypien said. A he came in late in the season played the last half season As no. 1. I look at it As me being the mainstay All year like an Elway or like a Montana like a Tarkenton or a Bradshaw Well find out when Rypien a and Kelly a take their test next knows atmosphere counts by Dave Raffo up sports writer whether its at a party or a super bowl John Riggins knows the importance of atmosphere. And the one time superstar running Back says the sue Days of atmosphere leading up to super bowl sunday play an important role in the outcome of the game. Riggins agrees with the Odd makers who list his old team the Washington redskins As a touchdown favorite Over the Buffalo Bills for super bowl xxvi. But he thinks the temperature and a. _ c ___11 j _ Linnman Malta Minni a amount of snowfall in Minneapolis might swing the advantage to the Bills even though the game will be played indoors. A Mano a Mano i like the redskins. On the Field they re the better team a said Riggins who does a radio sports talk show in Washington but will soon head to new York to pursue an acting career. A but you have to see How they react to Minnesota. It might favor Buffalo. They re having one of the worst Winters in 34 years. A i see a Bunch of people cooped up in a room for three or four Days staring at the Walls. The Buffalo Bills being cold weather people might be More in tune with what to do in a Snow Riggins says the buildup to the super bowl can be taxing on players especially if they have never been there before. The Bills played in the super bowl last year but the redskins last played in one four years ago. A the two weeks out there its foreign to anything you be done a he said. A you come into town on monday then the Media puts on a full court press for two or three Days. They have family and friends on top of them then a real press Blitz. Buffalo went through it last year. A a considerably larger number of redskins Haven to experienced that. And the Bills having lost last year it appears they have their eyes on the brass Riggins said the weeks leading to his super bowls with the redskins differed sharply though they came in consecutive years. The first one was at the Rose bowl which was the third super bowl 5laved in Pasadena and the fifth in the the smaller Tampa area. A i done to think they Tampa officials were quite prepared and combined with the fact the redskins Are the Darlings of the South the los Angeles raiders were left fairly unmolested a Riggins . A the phones in our hotel were Busy four or five hours at night and you _ lobby it was mobbed. You kind of had to sneak go into the hotel lobby because is Angeles area. The following game was the first super bowl in Tampa Fla. Riggins said the fact everything was More spread out in Pasadena made it easier on him and his teammates than in in by the veil of Riggins was the map of super bowl xvii in 1983, Rushing for a then super bowl record 166 Yards on 38 carries and a touchdown in a 27-17 Victory Over Miami. The following year the raiders held Riggins to 64 Yards on 26 carries in a 38-9 rout of the redskins. Riggins who retired after the 1985 season ranks third in super bowl career Rushing yardage with 230 and his 166-Yard game is the third Best in super bowl history. But Riggins is known As much for his pre game antics. There was the time before super bowl xvii when Riggins woke up his teammates returning to the hotel late one night actually Early in the morning. Since he can to play in the game Rig ins 42, will be hosting a party sponsored y a company that makes tequila in can Cun Mexico on super bowl sunday. Up to 10,000 fans Are expected to join Riggins and watch the game while partaking in Beach volleyball and Bikini contests a which makes it a lot different than the last party he hosted in Washington. A i hosted a few inaugural balls for Ronald Reagan in 1985riggins said. A they were formal events a acre the president would travel from Ball to Ball and say a few words at each. A this obviously is going to be a Little More Given his reputation its no wonder when Riggins shows up at redskins Park these Days a they run Down slam the door and Bolt it tight. No not really. Its always a Friendly he should be treated As a Friend to the redskins. Riggins is their career Rushing Leader with 7,472 Yards Over nine seasons and his 24 touchdowns in 1983 Are an nil record. Counting five seasons with the new York jets Riggins rushed for 11,352 Yards a sixth on the All time nil list. His 116 career touchdowns Are third behind Jim Brown and Walter Payton
