European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 03, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday september 31994 sports the stars and stripes Page 29 pfc Central preview Sybil Plaschke the los Angeles times a look at the National football conference Central in predicted order of finish Green Bay packers last year 9-7, lost to cowboys in conference Semi finals.  Yean 12-4, defeat cardinals in wild card playoff defeat cowboys in conference semifinals lose to 49ersin conference championship game. Looking Good most of the team s Best players Are in their prime. Quarterback Brett Favre despite his mis takes has thrown for More touchdowns and yardage in each of the last two years. Receiver Sterling Sharpe has caught More than 100 passes for a league record two consecutive years and 24 touchdown passes in the last two seasons after catching 24 in his first four sea sons. ". Reggie White and new Comers Steve Mcmichael and Sean Jones form one of the league s Best defensive lines and there May be no better Young safety tandem than Leroy Butler and George Teague. Don t look where have you gone Terdell Middle ton the packers have not had a 1,000-Yard rusher in 16 years. They signed Reg Gie Cobb from the Tampa Bay buccaneers this Spring hoping he would end that. Drought but leg injuries last year have apparently Cost him a step. They drafted notre Dame guard Aaron Taylor in Hopes that he could open the holes but Tay Lor has already suffered a season ending knee injury. It figures in the last two years when Favre has committed fewer than two turnovers a game the packers Are 12-3. In his mistake filled games they Are 5-9. Minnesota Vikings last Yean 9-7, lost to giants in wild card playoff. This Yean 9-7, defeat eagles in wild card playoff lose to 49ers in conference semifinals. � looking Good after missing a year because of his second major knee surgery Terry Allen has stormed Back Rushing for 68 Yards in 11 carries against the Miami dolphins in the final exhibition game. With an improved offensive line led by a Chris Hinton a pro Bowler with the Atlanta Falcons and steady Randall Mcdaniel the holes should be bigger than Ever. Don t look How Well can aging Warren Moon adjust to a new offence and new conference distinctly lacking any team that resembles the Cincinnati bengals pro bowl receiver Cris Carter will need to be even More spectacular. And the brutal Rushing defense that allowed the few est passing touchdowns in the nil last season suddenly looks beatable. There was the Trade of pro bowl line Man Chris Doleman to the Falcons which will Hurt no matter what fans of John Randle and Henry Thomas say. -.-. It figures a Viking Booster club Kickoff luncheon was held this summer amid falling ticket sales and growing scepticism. As either a tribute to Warren Moon or an Omen for everyone else the affair was sponsored by advil. Chicago bears last Yean 7-9. This Yean 9-7. Looking Good yes we know that 26 quarterbacks threw More passes last season than quarterback Erik Kramer has thrown in the last two seasons combined. No that does t sound like a proper resume for a Guy who was paid millions to make the bears care about n Bay to pack u a Crown Bookend defensive ends Reggie White left and scan Jones happily contemplate this year s Green Bay pass  january again. But Kramer has proven by leading two late season charges in the last three seasons for the Detroit Lions that he knows How to win when it counts. And yes we know that Richard Dent and Steve my Michael have skipped town. But any defense of coach Dave Wannstedt is Good enough for us especially with two of the game s unknown stars defensive end Trace Armstrong and cornerback Donnell Woolford. Don t look How bad Are the receivers who contributed to a passing game that was ranked last in the league last season the bears attempted to upgrade it with acquisitions from the Pittsburgh Steeles Merril Hoge and Jeff Graham new England patriots Marv Cook and los Angeles rams Nate Lewis and Greg Mcmurtry. Last year none of those teams ranked higher than 12th in passing. It figures last year s Bear defense scored 24 Points two More than the franchise s record setting defense scored during the super bowl championship season of 1985. V Tampa Bay buccaneers last Yean 5-11.thisyear.7-9. Looking Good fantasy league players would have a late round steal in Jackie Harris the former Packer tight end who used free Agency to join a coach who likes tight ends like no other. Harris could catch 70 passes this season. It would nicely complement one of the game s top Young wide receivers Horace Copeland who averaged 21.1 Yards a catch last season. Both could be an even nicer complement to Rookie running Back Derrict Rhett who might run hard enough to make those hot september afternoons at Tampa stadium bearable. Don t look forget even those 3,054 Yards and 18 touchdown passes. The buccaneers cannot win wit Craig Erickson at quarterback. He was the league s lowest rated Veteran quarterback 66.4 last year to keep his starting Job. Only Favre and Moon threw More interceptions than Erickson s 21, but something tells us those Guys Are Good enough to get away with it. If Only Rookie quarterback Trent differ had bothered to show up at training Camp on time. It figures the buccaneers have thrown More interceptions than any other team in four of the last six sea sons. ,.-.v.v Detroit Lions last Yean 10-6, lost to packers in wild card playoff. This Yean 6-10. Looking Good the last time we saw Barry Sanders he was Rushing for 169 Yards in a 28-24 loss to the pack ers in the wild card game on Jan. 8. Not bad consid ering it was his first game since thanksgiving. Knee injuries like tacklers can Only slow Sanders. In his career he has consistently averaged More Yards in his final 50 carries of the season than in the first 50 car Ries. Don t look facing the league s second toughest schedule this is the year the Lions Are finally exposed for what they Are Nice Guys who can finish last. We like coach Wayne Fontes but he May not last until december. We like the idea of quarterback Scott Mitchell taking advantage of free Agency to emerge from Miami but we Don t like him under pressure. / it figures the Best Middle linebacker in football playing the Middle in a 4-3 defense last season Chris Spielman recorded More than half of his 149 tackles away from the Center of the Field. This includes 39tackles on passing plays in other defenders zones. Some oth Twatt Stltt in this Story were Courtesy of stats inc. Tomorrow pfc West. Contenders Stock up on bargain basement rookies by Dave Goldberg a football writer is the nil going for cheaper players think of it this Way of the 224 players drafted this year 222 in the regular draft and two More in the supplemental 173 made teams. And 47 Rookie free agents made it most at the Rookie minimum salary of $108,000. So while Reggie Langhorne Phil Simms Charles Mann and Jay Schroeder Are out of jobs de Philion is starting at nose tackle for the Bills Irving spikes i returning kicks for the dolphins and Chris Boniol is kicking for the cowboys. Those teams of course Are All con tenders. The team with the fewest rookies is Tampa Bay going for its 12th straight season of double digit losses. Some stats on draft picks of the first 77 players drafted Only one was Cut defensive lineman Bruc Walker taken by the eagles with the .39th pick. Of the 103 players taken in the first three rounds Only five were Cut. One guard Alai Kalaniuvalu of Atlanta was picked up by Washington another wide receiver Cory Fleming was Cut Early by the 49ers and made the cowboys at least half the first rounders led by Cincinnati s Dan Wilkinson and Indiana Polis Marshall Faulk nos. 1 and 2, will Start or make major contributions on opening Day