European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 20, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 30 b the stars and stripes sports wednesday january 20,1993 a a a. Super wait starts Over frustrated Marino Battles to the end by . Simers the los Angeles times Miami a with two minutes remaining in the game he was Sill Chew ing out Mark duper and competitively pitching footballs like each throw might change the outcome. But with 35 seconds to play Miami Dolphin quarterback Dan Marino uns napped his Chin strap for the final time this season  a 29-10 american football conference championship game defeat against the Buffalo Bills. As the Bills began to celebrate Marino walked the Dolphin sideline with his own thoughts. No one attempted to console him. On the Field Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly Knelt with the Ball and it was official a the Bills were going to the super bowl. A please go out and win this thing a Marino told Kelly and Kelly hugged Marino. A a in la do the Best i can a Kelly said and then Marino was gone leaving Kelly to be smothered by teammates photographers and fans. In the Bills locker room Kelly said �?o1 can definitely feel for Dan Marino. He is one of the classiest Guys i know and he s done everything you can in the nil except win the super  this was going to be Marinous Chance to play in the super bowl but the dolphins had stumbled Early on under the weight of their own mistakes. Marino the master of the comeback had been unable to save the Day. A a it a frustrating when you get to this Point and you re looking at a Chance of getting into the super bowl a Marino said a a Ftp a disappointing when you done to take advantage of it. Quot you have a Home game. You feel Good about it and think you should move on to the super bowl and then you  the Bills employed More Man to Man coverage than the dolphins expected Marino said and they concentrated More on covering receivers than sending additional pass rushers. Quot but 1 talked about it All week Quot said Marino. Quot somebody had to step up and make some plays a me included a and it did no to happen. A we did no to play a Good football game at Alt and that a disappointing. The opportunities were there and we just did no to come  Marino completed 22 of 45 passes for 268 Yards with two interceptions and a 15-Yard touchdown pass to Mark duper. Dropped passes Ana a Strong Rush from Buffalo however kept Marino from Miami a Dan Marino. A it did t happen Quot a a. A mustering a serious threat. In 1984, Marinous first full season As a National football league starter a his second year in the league a he had guided the dolphins into super bowl Xix. It had seemed so easy at the time. But now eight years later there is no guarantee he will Ever return. Quot i know in be made a Mark on the game a Marino said a but super bowl victories arc a barometer for great quarterbacks and i done to have  Montana Idle in probable 49er finale san Francisco a Joe Montana spent what was probably his last game us a san Francisco 49cr As a Nitro sideline Spectator. One of the Best quarterbacks Ever to play the game never even got a Chance to warm up much less Lead another of his Miracle comebacks. Montana stood in the rain and watched As the 49ers fell 30-20 to Dallas in sunday s pfc championship game. After the game the Man that led the team to four super bowl titles was nowhere to be found in the 49er locker room even with san Francisco losing 24-13 in the fourth Quarter Steve Young this season s most valuable player remained at the Helm. Eleven years earlier it was Montana who led a storied comeback against Dallas in the pfc championship game capped by his spectacular scoring throw to Dwight Clark that became known As a the  sidelined during All of 1991 due to Elbow surgery the 36-year-old Montana Nedea another operation Early this season. He Wasny to activated until the next to last game of the season and his Only action of the. Year came late in a 24-6 Victory Over Detroit on dec. 28. Montana a future with the 49crs is Uncertain particularly in Light of the a Fly a new free Agency rules. He has said he does no to want to be Youngs backup preferring to jump to a team where he can Start. According to new league rules a team that makes the conference championship must have one free agent leave before it can sign another one. Since several top free agents want to join the 49crs, Montana May get squeezed out. Santa Clara Calif. A the agent for Steve Young said monday he a in no hurry to negotiate with the san Francisco 49ers and would encourage the quarterback to consider All of his options before making a commitment to stay. Young the leagues map and leading passer is among 12 free agents on the 49ers roster. However the 49ers Likely will protect him As the clubs designated a franchise player Quot Leigh Steinberg said if Young wanted to leave he would try to work something out with the team to make that  was con cd Rcd Young Young would Bear the Brunt of the blame for the 49ers�?T 30-20 loss to the Dallas cowboys in sundays pfc championship game. A going 14-2 and advancing to the conference championships in most other football cities they a have a Parade a Steinberg said a in Dallas ency had 70,000 screaming fans at a Pep rally. In san Francisco we be become so Blase to winning that we just need some time to get some  Young has Laboured in the Shadow of Joe Montana a four time super bowl Winner who returned at the end of this season after spending most of the past two seasons on injured Reserve because of an Elbow injury. Despite Youngs Success and the teams Success there has been some Public clamor for Montana to get his Job Back. Earlier monday coach George Seifert reiterated that Young was the starting quarterback but would not Rule out keeping Montana a we Well understand the tremendous heritage of Success that Joe Montana has had and Steve has always taken great pains Over the past six years to pay suitable homage to Joe a greatness. But its 1993 and Steve is a free agent and i simply think it would make sense to pause and watch what transpires a Kelly passes High pressure test adj to buffaloes Jim Kelly a sweetest Victory by John i. Bonfatt1 Miami of a Jim Kelly took More of a hammering from critics before the game than he did from the Miami dolphins in the end Kelly triumphed Over both leading the Buffalo Bills to their third straight super bowl in a 29-10 Victory in the acc championship on sunday. Returning from a three week Layoff because of a knee injury Kelly was stung by those who said the Bills should Start Frank Reich the Veteran backup who took Over for Kelly and led Buffalo to its two earlier playoff victories. A this is probably without a doubt the sweetest Victory in be Ever been associated with Quot Kelly said Kelly did no to show fro bowl form. He overthrew some passes under threw others and made at least one questionable decision that led to one of the two Miami interceptions. Still he completed All but 7 of 21 passes for 177 Yards and threw two touchdowns behind an offensive line that allowed Only one sack buffaloes defense did the rest sacking Dan Marino four times and limiting him to a 22-for-45 passing Day. A i cannot think of a time when a quarterback entered a game under More pressure than Jim Kelly did Quot coach Marv Levy said. A Ernest Hemingway once defined character As Grace under pressure Jim Kelly showed that today a the Bills insisted there was no quarterback controversy because Levy maintained All along that Kelly would be Back As the starter As soon As his knee sprained in Buffalo s season finale dec. 27 against Houston was ready. But fans and Media  let Levy a decision rest. There s been a considerable amount of rhetoric about Why we should have played Frank a and there Are Good reasons for it a that Deng rated Jim Kelly Quot Levy said. Quot Here a a Guy that a taken us to three super bowls the Best five year Span in he Buffalo Bills history and peo ple Are starting to Deng rate him. It revolted  Kelly said he did no to think All of the Buffalo fans were against him despite a newspaper poll that gave Reich a 5-to-l Edge Over Kelly. A everybody said the fans but they took a poll of what a 1,200 people a Kelly said a i realize 1 have my fans out there and Frank does too but nothing will Ever pull Between me and  he said his teammates helped him put aside the criticism he received. A i want to first thank All my teammates. For pulling behind me because everybody was talking so much during the course of the week and those Guys kept telling me a done to worry about what they re saying play your Type of game a Kelly said. Kelly said he s ready for the inevitable questions about the Bills losses in the last two super bowls. A a in a rather them be asking me than asking someone else a he said