European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 30, 1993, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday january 30,1993 sports the stars and stripes b Pago 33aik Man s Rise silences his critics by Denne h. Freeman Irving Texas apr Troy Aikman has done a Good Job of burying his critics. He finally beat the Philadelphia eagles twice took out the defending world Champion Washington redskins dire eled the Dallas cowboys to the pfc East championship and put on a Brilliant performance in a 30-20 pfc title Victory Over the san Francisco 49ers. A there will still be a few of them out there a Aikman said a they la Point out i be never won a super bowl. If we win the super bowl  be saying next year i can to do it Back to Back. It will never end. But in a comfortable with the Way things Are going. Its been a Good  a performance in the second half of the pfc title game was Roger staubach Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw quarterbacking All wrapped up in a 30-minute package. He completed 13 of 16 passes and made the critical throws when the cowboys needed them the most including a perfect strike to Alvin Harper on a 71-Yard catch and run and a 6-Yard scoring pass to Kelvin Martin to put the 49ers away. After the game coach Jimmy Johnson said a a it a been a great year and id like to thank Troy for taking me along with  Johnson said later a that performance should have convinced any critic watching that Troy Aikman is Quot a great  in his fourth year Aikman led the pfc in completions and was second behind the 49ers Steve Young in passing yardage and touchdown passes. In playoff victories Over Philadelphia and san Francisco airman has yet to turn the Ball Over. A Troy has been almost flawless a Johnson said. A the Hasni to pressed. He a taken what other teams have Given him. And he s made big plays when he had to make big  offensive coordinator Norv Turner arrived on the scene from the los Angeles rams the once shaky Aikman improved rapidly. Aikman who started out with a 1-15 team said a a Nerc were times when i questioned if i would be around when we the franchise got to the Point where we wanted to be. Feeling his career was on the line Aikman flourished under Turner s system which relies on Quick drops and timing patterns to receivers on the move. A my Confidence took off last year under Norv Quot Man said. A i believe in his system and my Progn kept building each  Turner said Aikman has improved dramatically this season.  a a a it a the second year of the system and he has mastered it a Turner said. A even bigger things Are ahead for him. He a been  Aikman ignores the pressure which hounds a quark Aik my Progress just Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman left will be looking for one of his favorite receivers in Light end Jay Novack. Filo 2 Turback in the nil. A i feel i Don t have anything to prove to anybody but myself a Aikman said. A i know there is a different Challenge for me out there every week. That a Good for me. I like  the Challenge sunday is Buffalo in the Rose bowl at Pasadena. A i think in a going to be comfortable a Aikman said. A we worked out at Urcla where i went to school. 1 have a lot of friends in the los Angeles area. I m going to feel like in a at home.�?�. Aikman has been bombarded for tickets and quipped a i May not end up with As Many friends in that area As i started out  wants to help Bills get the Job done by Randy Riggs Austin Texas american statesman los Angeles the Buffalo Bills roster lists Steve Tasker As a wide receiver because Well it has to list him As something. In eight. National football league seasons Tasker has caught a total of eight passes and never More than two in a year he a listed As a third Tamer on the depth Chart behind Andre Reed and Brad Lamb because Well everyone has to be listed somewhere. A Marv Levy does t like it when i go in at wide receiver a Tasker said of the Bills head coach. But Levy does like Tasker it when Tasker is in the game. What the roster and the depth Chart Don t show is that Only three of his High profile teammates have been to More pro bowls than the 5-foot-9, 185-Pound scholar from Northwestern with the choir boys face and the headhunters heart. Calling Tasker special is Only half right. He a a special Teamor deluxe earning his Way to four pro bowls including next week s gathering in Hawaii by performing the often unnoticed and exceptionally hazardous jobs that have earned his specially such quaint nicknames As a a suicide and a a Kamikaze Over the years. Any dreams Tasker has of eventually working his Way off the special teams and into the starting offence the natural progression of most players Are just that a dreams. Tasker knows it. More importantly he accepts it. A when i went to the pro bowl tie first time it kind of became etched in Stone that 1 was doomed to be a special team or a he said. Not that he a complaining., made him a Nice if unexpected living since the Houston oilers took him in the ninth round 226th pick Overall of the 1985 draft. A a it a what i do and it does no to bother me to be known just As a special teams Guy a Tasker said. A a it a my thing. Thurman Thomas is known As a great runner. I m known As a special Teamer. But for heavens Sake done to make it sound like pm trying to say i am to special teams what Thurman is to running backs. I done to mean that at  Tasker might not say it but others will. Although his special teams responsibilities have changed Over the years he remains one of the most effective of his Breed. His recovery of a Fumble on a Kickoff return by new England was the third of his career to go with six blocked punts five forced fumbles and 150 tackles. But it was Tasker s ability to return kicks not Stop them that originally got him in the nil at Northwestern where he was a teammate of Houston oilers receiver Curtis Duncan he took advantage of the Speed that made him a High school state sprint Champion in Kansas to set Wildcat records that still stand for Kickoff return average 24.3 Yards and total kick return average 17.9tasker averaged 26.3 Yards per kick return As an oilers Rookie in 1985. It was the highest average in the nil but he did no twin the title because he did no to have enough attempts to qualify. And that was because he Tore up his right knee seven games into the season. A whenever 1 look at films of some of my returns in Houston its like pm looking at someone else Quot said Tasker. A what i remember most about being with the oilers is that i was on crutches a lot. That included 1986, As Well. Two games into the season he lore up his Tell knee. After spending seven Wicks on injured Reserve Tasker was placed on waivers. Even though the Bills claimed him he Wasny to optimistic about carving out much of an nil career much less going to the pro bowl. A i thought it was a signal my career was coming to an end Quot he said. A Guys who get claimed on waivers usually Are Stopgap Guys. They usually Arentt around too  the knee injuries Cost Tasker a bit of his quickness a a my 100 Lime now about two weeks a he sighed a but he made up for it with a relentless Tena Cious Ness that has been rewarded with four pro bowl appearances As the of cd a sole special teams representative. �?o1 could never have envisioned it not for a minute Quot he said. A in fact i thought i was never going to the pro bowl even the first season 1 went. Guys told me 1 had a shot at going after i blocked a kick or so and made a lot of tackles. But i did no to know what it took to be a special teams pro