European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 26, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse I wednesday january 26. 1994 sports the stars and stripes Page 33 this r bowl will be different by Thomas George the new York times Atlanta repeat after me this super Bow will be different. Say it again. This super bowl will be different. Do you believe it will the Buffalo Bills and the dal Las cowboys give us a game instead of another 52-17 runaway will the Bills finally show Why they have won four consecutive american football conference championships Are the cowboys invincible most people seem to think so. Not Here. Sure the cowboys Are on a Roll and their weapons on offence make defences aggressiveness on defens makes offences shudder. Dallas is a finished product and exhibits it before games during games and after games. The cowboys have built a remarkable reputation. They Are being compared to the Best teams that have played in the National football league. Same teams. Same game. But this super bowl will be different. Here is Why the Buffalo game plan you can find some Bills who will Tell you they Haven t had a super bowl game plan they have liked. Marv Levy and his coaches have Learned their lessons the hard Way. Expect them to turn the Bills Loose and take More chances. On offence it has to Start with Thurman Thomas. He ran like a Man possessed against Kansas City on Sun Day and his offensive line blocked that Way too. Many elements of the game plan against the chiefs should have Success against Dallas. Especially misdirection. The cowboys have a first step a your face defense. Get pm going one Way and hit pm the other Way. We commentary should see plenty of that. On defense Buffalo will begin with an emphasis on thwarting Emmitt Smith and that Means an occasional eight Man front. The Bills have Long been a 3-4 defense that has been pushed around in super bowls. More beef up front is critical against Dallas so the Buffalo defensive game plan will feature a More physical presence at the line of scrimmage. Maturity believe me the Bills have All grown up. They have gone from being the bickering Bills to playing As a truly cohesive unit. Linebacker Darryl Tal Tey said it Best when you be been pushed and scraped and plastered up against the Wall like we have some of it Sticks. We re All stuck up there together the team that can t win a super bowl. We be fed off each other. We Are their three straight super bowl losses will provide them with even More Unity. This is a team that will pay at Tention to detail in preparation this week and will thrive off the world is. Bills theme. The Buffalo defense it has the personnel and the grit to keep the Dallas offence from blowing the game away. Bruce Smith is healthier than he has been in recent years and Talley is the heart and soul of the defense. Safety Henry Jones is a True player maker. The key is the matchup Between the Dallas receivers and the Buffalo cornerback. With so much attention placed on Emmitt Smith receivers Michael Irvin and a in Harper could turn the game upside Down. Here is where the Bills pass Rush comes in. Unlike most teams they will get to quarterback Troy Aikman. Bruce will help make sure of it. Turnovers Buffalo made nine of them in the last super bowl. Then it went out and led the league in turnovers gained this season. These Bills fully realize the importance of protecting the Ball and of taking it away. Expect them to win the turnover Battle. That said what May Hurt the Bills More than any other Factor is their no huddle offence. It hit snags Dur ing the regular season like All nil offences did but it regrouped and finished Strong. It is an offence that has got the Bills through the Ai a in each of the last four seasons. And then it kills them in super bowls. You re asking for trouble go three and out with the no huddle against a Strong pfc team. Especially against Dallas. The cowboys arc among the Best at Ball control even with the explosive Quick strike weapons they feature. Buffalo asks too much of its defense. What a boost they could give themselves if they were to open with a modified version of the no huddle and mix up their repertory taking a Little extra time in certain series throughout the game. Regardless of modifications you can count on a Strong showing by the Bills. This is an Opportunity that will not end like the Routs of their last two bowls. The Bills Are Battle tested and they have the players to compete strongly against Dallas from the top of the roster to the Bottom. They have the Post season experience. They have All of the motivation seen and unseen that is super bowl will be different. Especially for the Buffalo Bills. Different yes. Close yes. Now if they can just win the darn game. Atlanta from Page 32 of dropping the since the primary ingredients of the Bills Are unchanged from last year to this there is no reason to think Johnson has altered his opinion. Buffalo coach Mary Levy meanwhile declined to be drawn into a discussion of Johnson s year old thoughts. Somebody mentioned that to me Dur ing the season and i really did t pay at Tention Levy said in his first Public appearance after reaching Atlanta. I Don t read sports books. If i Nave time to read i d rather read something with More super bowl xxviii Marks the first time in the game s history that the same two teams have faced each other in consecutive years. And for the first time Ever a team is making its fourth straight trip to the super bowl. In winning their fourth straight acc title however the Buffalo Bills put them selves in position to continue their losing Streak in the season s final contest. Prior to the 1990s, no team had lost More than two straight super bowls. Now the Bills might double that. We might have fallen Down in the last three years said Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly. But you can t count us people who did t want us Here Well i m sorry. Nobody expected us to be Here but we re As the teams headed for Atlanta with sunny skies and mild temperatures await ing them they were prepared for the traditional ritual of super bowl week. Bot teams know it Well although this year s routine is altered by the fact there was no off week Between the conference championships and the super bowl itself. On tuesday both teams were to go through what the National football league Calls picture All players will put on their game uniforms and stand around in the Georgia dome site of sunday s game while members of the Media swarm around them. Additional interview sessions will be held wednesday and thursday before the players Are declared off limits to writ ers and broadcasters. But the super bowl hype will continue right up to Kickoff time 6 . In Atlanta sunday. Buffalo quarterback Jim Kelly Waves As he gets off the team s plane in Atlanta Mon t Day. The Bills meet the Dallas cowboys in sunday s super bowl. Bettors from Page 32 would not be surprised if we go to 13," Del Genio said. It has nothing to do with disrespect for Buffalo but with High respect for Del Genio said his Book posted an opening spread of 10 Points in Hopes of getting some Early Buffalo Money. Bet tors though were enamoured with the cowboys after their impressive performance against san Francisco. We wanted the first bet to be on Buffalo he said. But the first 15 bets were on the Magliulo said several $50,000 bets were made at the Caesars Palace Book sunday both on the Bills and the cow boys. The real Money though normally comes in on saturday and game Day when bettors stand in Long lines to put their wagers in. On sunday five and six figure wagers will be the Norm not the exception Magliulo said. At the Mirage which last year teamed with its sister resort the Golden Nugget to take in $11 million Worth of super bowl bets Vaccaro said the first Day of wagering had already brought in More than $500,000 in action. Though some books limited wagers Vaccaro said his Book was willing to accept almost any amount brought in. Well take just about what they want to bet he said. I d take a million on the game if they bet it
