European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 17, 1995, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 28 the stars and stripes tuesday january 17,1995 san Diego defender Darren Carrington upends Pittsburgh receiver Eric Green following Green s third Quarter catch in acc final. Chargers Roar Back then slam the door by Timothy w. Smith the new York times Pittsburgh a it was t enough that Steeles defensive end Ray seals had assured a shutout against san Diego in sunday afternoons american football conference championship game at three Rivers stadium. Some Pittsburgh players had actually arranged to shoot a music video this week in anticipation of a trip to super bowl xxix in Miami. Too bad the Steeles did no to consult the san Diego chargers before they decided to shoot from the lip and have themselves immortalized in celluloid. The chargers absorbed what they deemed insults All week and waited until the game to inflict injury on the Steeles. And san Diego did it in the most demoralizing manner. Led by an inspired performance from linebacker Junior seau who had 16 tackles the chargers defense first took away Pittsburgh a Rushing attack which had led the league with 136,6 Yards a game and forced the Steeles to pass. Then they beat the steel Erst Blitz when chargers quarterback Stan Humphries exploited Pittsburgh a secondary on a pair of 43-Yard touchdown passes a one to a wide open Alfred Pupunu the other to Tony Martin. Finally they slammed the door on the Steeles at the goal line when Pittsburgh 3uarterback Neil of Donnell a fourth own pass to running Back Barry Foster was broken up by chargers linebacker Dennis Gibson with 64 seconds to play. With the realization that the defensive stand had sealed a 17-13 Victory and put the chargers in the super bowl san Diego defensive end Chris Mims pulled a Gold terrible Towel a the Steefer fans rally cloth a from his pants and wildly waved it before the stunned and silent crowd of 61,545. Then he threw it to the ground. In the insult game turnabout is fair play. A they were talking about the super bowl video talking about How they were going to walk through us to the super bowl a said chargers running Back a Trone Means. A no one walks through some of the Steeles took the loss hard. Cornerback Tim Mckyer who was beaten in Man coverage on the 43-Yard touchdown reception by Martin that put san Diego ahead with 5 minutes 13 seconds to play sobbed uncontrollably after the game and had to be helped from the Field to the locker room by two teammates. In the locker room he kept his head buried in both hands for half an hour. Now the acc sends a representative to the super bowl that was a heavy underdog in its own conference championship game. Pfc teams have beaten acc teams in 10 straight super bowls. The chargers head into Miami As accidental tourists. A a there a been no pressure on us All year a said Humphries. A we were picked to finish As Low As 25th this year. We just go out and play our game and have this was supposed to be the steel Erst return to the tradition of the Days of the steel curtain Era of the 1970s when the team won four super bowls. They were supposed to ride their aggressive defense and mistake free offence into the super bowl for a �?T90s-style run. It looked like that would be the Case from the opening drive when the Steeles went 67 Yards in 13 plays and 7 32 and scored a touchdown on a 16-Yard pass from of Donnell to running Back John l. Williams. Who knew it would be their Only touchdown of the game working from a game plan that called for him to pass of Donnell attempted a career High 54 passes completing 32 for 349 Yards. But it was All for naught. Besides the touchdown drive the Steeles had three drives that ended inside the chargers 20-Yard line. Twice they came away with Field goals and on their final Possession when they needed a touchdown they came away empty a handed. Meanwhile the chargers got off to their customary slow Start. In the 120 minutes of two playoff games in route to the super bowl the chargers have led for a total of 5 minutes and 48 seconds. They rallied from a 15-Point deficit to beat Miami last week. So at the half when they found themselves Down by just 7 Points to the Steeles they did no to even sweat. A by Richard Rosenblatt Pittsburgh a when Barry Foster ran left Junior seau was there to slam him into the soggy turf. When Foster went right seau was there again putting another crushing hit on the running Back who was supposed to carry the Pittsburgh Steeles to the super bowl. Seau had other ideas. The All pro linebacker almost single hand edly prevented the Steeles from blowing the chargers out of the acc championship game in the first half As san Diego rallied for the second week in a Row beating Pittsburgh 17-1t and earning its first trip to the super Bow. A i have nothing to save it for a Sale seau who finished with an amazing 16 tackles and played the second half with an aching left shoulder. A it was do or die. We go Back to san Diego a hero or we go Back As a seau Zero. And ill take the hero seau was the hero. He and the rest of the chargers defense forced the Steeles out of their in Ning came. Foster finished with a Mca Sley 47 Yards on 20 carries and Ned of Donnell threw an acc title game record 54 times completing a record 32 passes. Quot a a a a. A we knew they were altering their game plan and that was something to our advantage a seau said. A even before we stepped in the stadium the Issue was How to Stop their running so now a the chargers do it a we went out there and played smash Mouth football with the Pittsburgh ,�?� seau said. More specifically the chargers defense first in the acc against the Rush lived up to its reputation holding the a Fly a Best Rushing team to 66 Rushing Ards on 26 carries. The Steeles backed y Fosters 851 Yards during the season averaged 136.3 Yards per game on the ground. It was a courageous Effort by seau the 6-foot-3, 250-Pound inside linebacker who appeared to be the fastest player on the Fields on defense or offence. With about 20 seconds left in the half seau stuffed John l. Williams for no gain at the chargers 20-Yard-line. He got up holding his shoulder and the terrible Tower waving crowd of 61,545 began cheering perhaps sensing that the Best player on the Field this Day was finished. No Way. A i came out for about three minutes a seau said a and then went Back unsaid was that he never missed a play. After he. Went off the Steeles called time out and then kicked a Field goal for a 10-3 halftime Lead. Seau was pack in the second half stuffing Foster when he went left right and up the Middle. A a that a something that i had to Deal with a said seau who first injured the shoulder Back on nov. 20 in a loss at new England. A it Wasny to going to get any better i had to alter my hits in the sense of working on the right asked about his shoulder As he prepares for the super bowl on Jan. 29 against the pfc champions seau winced and said a a it a numb but its a Good numb. I done to want to think about then he took off his uniform put an acc championship to shirt on and went looking for someone else to congratulate. I
