European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 8, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse Friday january 8, 1893 r sports the stars and stripes page25steelers tackling stouter Reed at three Rivers compiled by Gragg Stein Buffalo 11-5 at Pittsburgh 11-5 6 30 . On an to and radio line a Pittsburgh by 2v4 record is. Spread Buffalo 8-8-1 Pittsburgh 9-7-0. Series record a Bills Lead 7-5 in regular season but Steeles wort Only playoff meeting in 1974. Last time met in week 10 at Buffalo Jim Kelly passed for 290 Yards and three ads and Thurman Thomas added 155 Rushing Yards in 2820 Bill Victory. Last game a Bills engineered biggest comeback in nil history rallying from 32-Point deficit for 41-38 overtime Victory Over Houston in first round of playoffs Steeles ensured Home Field advantage throughout playoffs with 23-13 Victory at Home Over Cleveland two weeks ago. Bill offence Rush no. 1pass no. 6overall no. 2 scored five ads in second half against oilers with both Kelly and Thomas on sidelines. Backup Bfrank Reich passed for 289 Yards and four ads and will Start again this week. Thomas who led nil during regular season with 2,113 total Yards from scrimmage 1,487 Rushing 626 receiving missed second half with hip Pointer but will be ready. Or Andre Reed broke stump with 136 Yards on eight catches with two ads. Steeler offence Rush no. 4pass no. 21overall no. 9 f Barry Foster was unit s most consistent weapon leading acc with 1,690 Rushing Yards and Wing nil record with 12 100-Yard games. Neil o Donnell finished third in acc with 83.6 passing rating and will Start against Bills after missing last three games of regular season with leg injury. Or Jeff Ira Ham was primary target with 49 catches for 711 Yards but had Only one cd reception. Bill defense Rush no. 2tpass no. 20overall no. 12 a secondary was shredded Tor 19 of 22 pass completions and four ads in first half last week but held oilers offence scoreless in second half. S Henry Jones who shared nil Lead with eight interceptions during regular season had key fourth Quarter interception and cd Nate Odomes added clincher in of. La Cornelius Bennett and cd Kirby Jackson both were out against Houston but should return saturday. It Steeler defense Rush no. 17tpass no. 8overall no. 13 allowed 225 Points during regular season fewest in acc. Key was pass defense which held opponents to 52.7 percent passing with 22 interceptions. Rookie s Darren Perry Ted team with six interceptions and cd Rod Woodson added four interceptions and six sacks. La Hardy Nickerson had 118 tackles to Lead team. A a. A special teams Bill k Steve Christie scored 115 Points during regular season to rank second in acc and added two Fps against Houston including game winning 32-yarder in of. Buffalo one of tour acc teams to allow More than 20 Yards per Kickoff return during regular season held oilers to average of 6.8 Yards on four returns. Steeler k Gary Anderson made 28 of 36 Fig attempts during regular season and has made seven in a Row in postseason. Woodson led acc with 11.4-Yard average on punt returns. Key quotes a Quot they re aware of the Steps they need to get Back to the super bowl. They re the defending champions so no question they re the team to a Steeler coach Bill Cowher. Quot we have the same capabilities As Buffalo and we might have a slight advantage coming into this game. Home Field advantage in the playoffs is a stats and notes Steeles last hosted playoff game exactly 10 years prior to saturdays game a 31-28 loss to san Diego on Jan. 9, 1983. With Victory Bills would become first team to reach acc championship game in three consecutive seasons since 1972-76 los Angeles raiders. Bills Are 4-0 against Pittsburgh under coach Marv Levy. Bill de Phil Hansen had sack in each of last six regular season games to tie dub record held by de Bruce Smith and also had sack along with 10 Solo tackles against Houston. Reed has club record nine career to receptions in playoffs. Pittsburgh finished regular season with 7-1 Home record and allowed Only eight ads in those games. By Bucky Gleason Orchard Park . A the Pittsburgh Steeles had better be ready for Andre Reed this time around. The last time the Steeles faced the Buffalo Bill wide receiver they held him to two catches for two Yards. The Bills prevailed 28-20 in that november game but it was perhaps Reeds worst game of the season. The game also was the fifth straight game Reed was held under 100 Yards a string that tasted until buffaloes 41-38 overtime Victory Over Houston on sunday. With Jim Kelly out with a knee injury sup sub quarterback Frank Reich came on to nit Reed with eight passes for 136 Yards and three touchdowns As Buffalo rallied from a 35-3 halftime deficit or the biggest comeback in nil history. A when the opportunities Are there you have to make the plays Reed were probably a lot of opportunities during that spell that 1 did no to get any passes but it just so happened they did no to come my Way. You can to do anything about Reed said he does no to want to Start a quarterback controversy in Buffalo. All he knows is that he had his Best game in 13 weeks with Reich at the Helm. A i really done to want to Start anything by saying a Jim a in there and he does no to want to throw me the Ball and Franks in there arid he wants to throw me the Ball. That a not it a Reed said. A you have to take what the defense gives you no matter who it the All pro receiver had been openly unhappy three weeks ago because he Felt his role As a Decoy was keeping him too much out of the offence. After catching one pass for six Yards in buffaloes 27-17 win Over the Denver Broncos in week 14, Reed Felt he had to voice his displeasure with his role. That changed when Reich took Over. Reich immediately went to Reed after Kelly was sidelined with a knee injury against the oilers in the regular season finale. Although the Bills lost the game 27-3, it clearly marked the return of Reed. Reed made it Clear to Reich in a pregame conversation on sunday that he wanted the Ball. He got it a catching three consecutive touchdown passes carrying the Bills from a 35-17 deficit to a 38-35 Lead. A i can get 50 Yards As Long As we win a Reed said. A you have to look to the goal we want to get to and that a the super bowl.�?�. Steeles will land buffaloes Andre Reed held to just two catches the last time the teams met Back in All pro form As primary target for Miracle Bfrank Reich. Toss 2nd once in a game by Barry Wilner Orchard Park . A twice in nine years Frank Reich has had a once in a lifetime experience. Not bad for a backup. Reich secured a second place in the history books and an everlasting place in the hearts of Buffalo Bills fans on sunday by leading the greatest comeback in nil history. He threw four second half touchdowns three to Andre Reed in guiding the Bills from a 35-3 Hole to a 4138 acc wild card playoff Victory Over Houston. That stunner came More than eight years after he took Maryland on another magical mystery tour from a 31-0 deficit to a 42-40 win Over Miami at the Orange bowl. It was the biggest comeback in major College football. A i thought of that Many times today a Reich said As wave after wave of reporters and Well wishers approached a More people than Reich probably had talked to in a locker room since the comeback with Maryland. A it was the same thing to some degree a again i remember when we played Miami that game was away so we did no to have the advantage like we did today of the crowd. In that game we were losing 31-0 at halftime. We came out and kicked off to them. We intercepted a Ball to Start the second half and that started Reich did no to even Start that game. Stan Gelbaugh now with the Seattle sea Hawks did. But he was ineffective and Terrapin coach Bobby Ross a now head Man with the san Diego chargers a turned to Reich. A the wanted to know Why he Wasny to going to be the starter against Miami and 1 told him that we had won five straight and so we stayed with Gelbaugh a Ross said monday recalling that Reich had been sidelined for five games with a shoulder a separation. A i said you re one play away and just be ready to play. A when it was 31-0,1 made the decision walking off the Field 1 was going to change quarterbacks. It was t that Stan was doing anything wrong its just sometimes you do something to try and do something. We made that decision and Frank came Back and got us the win. Frank did a great Job in that the Best Job he Ever did a until sunday. A what was ironic about that one was we were losing 31-0 and we threw Only 15 passes in the second half Quot said Reich who hit on 12, three for touchdowns and also ran for a score. A certainly when you re behind by 31 Points you would think you d have to throw a passes to come Back and win. A it just goes to show that when everyone works together everything is even a second Miracle comeback. This time Buffalo was Down by 32 Points after Bubba Mcdowell went 58 Yards for a touchdown with an interception just 1 41 into the third Quarter. White the Bills sideline resembled morgue arid Many fans must have thought about leaving Reich was t ready to give up. He had history on his Side. R a i thought if it happened once you have to believe it can happen again a Reich said. So he made it happen leading Buffalo to 28 third Quarter Points a playoff record another seven in the fourth period to take the Lead and then fittingly holding for Steve Christie s winning 32-Yard Field goal in overtime. A i can t say enough about the Way Frank played a Center Kent Hull said of the career backup who started Only because Jim Kelly injured his knee the previous week ironically against the oilers. A even when things weren to going Well in the first half he kept his composure. He a the Type of Guy a lot like Jim he never says die. Give him Lime and he a going to make things in a big Way a Frank is a person of High character a Bill coach Marv Levy said. A a he a intelligent. He a a Well rounded family Man. 1 know he a religious. I think sometimes the Guy who has other things in his life does t clutch up. There s other things that makes him Able to retain equilibrium. A these people who think the Only thing in the world is a win i Don t think they retain their poise As Well As a person that maybe is As rounded As
