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I—FORSYTH COUNTY NEWS—SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 1985
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Associated Press
Coach Tom Landry oversees Cowboys’ preparations
Bitter memories
may aid Falcons
By Steve Brunner
Gwinnett Daily News
For the few that remain, the
memory of Jan. 4,1981, lingers but
the bitterness has faded
slightly.
On that day, the Dallas Cowboys
tore the heart out of the best team
in Atlanta Falcons history.
“Everybody knew we were
going to win that game,” said
tackle Mike Kenn. “We really
believed that we were going to go
all the way to the Super Bowl.”
The NFC West champions built
a 24-10 lead entering the fourth
quarter of the first-round playoff
game and were ahead 27-17 with
five minutes left.
Dallas quarterback Danny
White took the Cowboys 62 yards
in five plays, hitting Drew Pear
son on a li-yard touchdown to cut
it to 27-24. On the ensuing posses
sion, the Falcons were grounded in
four plays, giving White time to
work a Staubachian miracle.
He did, using six plays to drive
the Cowboys 70 yards, hitting
Pearson with the winning touch
down pass, a 23-yarder, with just
52 seconds left.
The Falcons had lost, 30-27, in
front of 60,022 rabid fans in At
lanta-Fulton County Stadium. Nei
ther the team nor the fans have
been the same since.
“I’ll remember that game for
ever,” said Kenn. “It was an un
fortunate end to a great year. It
came as a shock. Everybody took
it real hard. I was rather per
turbed at that situation for a long
time. It left a bad taste in my
mouth.”
It also brought a quick end to
what was being referred to the
“Dynasty of the ’Bos,” which
according to more than one na
FALCONS-COWBOYS SCOUTING REPORT
COWBOYS OFFENSE: Danny White will return as the starting quarterback after missing the
Philadelphia game with sore ribs. White could have played against Philadelphia, but Tom Landry
decided he needed a rest for the ribs to finally heal Four Cowboy players, including White, are
having their best career years At this rate, Tony Hill will catch 85 passes The offensive line is
playing much better and Tony Dorsett already has three 100-yard games He had only two 10O
plus games last season Dallas should have won the Philadelphia game, but Gary Hogeboom
threw two interceptions in the end zone and Dorsett fumbled twice
FALCONS OFFENSE: The best offensive weapon is kicker Mick Luckhurst, who is 13-of-13 on
field goals this season, including seven of more than 40 yards The Falcon offense is a
combination of youth and age Dave Archer replaced Steve Bartkowski three weeks ago
because he is more mobile Archer is completing 59.8 percent of his passes, but is less likely to
make the big play Billy "White Shoes" Johnson, 34, is the team's leading receiver with 37
catches for 477 yards. Gerald Riggs has 632 yards and is the NFC's No 3 rusher. The biggest
assignment for the Falcon line will be protecting Archer from the Dallas blitz.
COWBOYS DEFENSE: For the first time this season, the Cowboy defense didn’t get a turnover
in the Philadelphia game The Cowboy defense has relied all season on sacks and interceptions
and still leads the league in the latter category with 18 It is rare that the Cowboy defense gives
up a fourth quarter lead But Eagle quarterback Ron Jaworski rallied his team from a 14-3 deficit
to win 16-14 Cornerback Everson Walls is having another Pro Bowl season with four
interceptions Jeff Rohrer has played well in his first season as the right outside linebacker
FALCONS DEFENSE: Injuries have led to a constant shuffle in the defensive secondary. The
result is that the Falcons are 26th in total defense and 27th against the pass If they don’t get
consistent pressure on Danny White, it should be an easy day for the Cowboy quarterback
KEY MATCHUPS
THE TEAMS vs. THE SPREAD: Atlanta has won against the line the past two weeks after
starting 0-5 But they are 1-2 against the line on the road. The Cowboys are 3-0 against the line
at home and 27-12-1 in their last 40 games at Texas Stadium
FALCON DE MIKE GANN vs. COWBOY T CHRIS SCHULTZ: Gann, the team's best pass
rusher, returned a fumble 42 yards against New Orleans This will be Schultz' fourth start and
he continues to improve.
FALCON G BILL FRALIC vs. COWBOY DT RANDY WHITE: Fralic has received good grades as
a rookie, but he hasn't faced somebody like White, who is having another All-Pro season. The
Falcons will need two blockers to stop White.
FALCON 06 DAVE ARCHER vs. COWBOY SECONDARY: Starting his third game, Archer
might have trouble with the baU-hawkmg Dallas secondary, especially if he gets pressure from
the Dallas blitz.
COWBOY CB RON FELLOWS vs. FALCON WR STACEY BAILEY: Fellows, who has not
completely recovered from a knee injury, has been getting burned Bailey might take advantage
of Fellows with his speed.
Pro Football
falcon vs. Cowboy
TODAY’S GAME: 1 p.m. (local)
□ SITE: Texas Stadium, Dallas.
□ RECORDS: Falcons 1 -6, Cowboys
5-2.
□ LAST WEEK’S RESULTS: Falcons
31, Saints 24; Eagles 16, Cowboys
14.
□ SERIES: Cowboys lead, 7-1.
□ COACHES: Falcons, Dan Henning
(12-27, 3rd season); Cowboys, Tom
Landry (248-143-6, 26th season).
□ BROADCAST INFO: Television -
Ch.s. Radio WSB-AM (750).
tional sports publication was
supposed to rise on the shoulders
of coach Leeman Bennett, quar
terback Steve Bartkowski and
running back William Andrews in
Atlanta.
When the teams meet for the
first time since that playoff game
Sunday in Texas Stadium, none of
those three will take the field for
Atlanta. Bennett was fired follow
ing the 1982 season and both An
drews and Bartkowski are
injured.
Most of the Falcons are too
young to remember the disap
pointment. Only a few Kenn,
Jeff Van Note, A 1 Richardson,
Tom Pridemore and Buddy Curry
are still on the active roster.
For White, that game was a
significant step in his career. It
was his first season as Roger
Staubach’s successor, and the win
helped make him a success with
the ever-critical Cowboy fans.
“That was the kind of confi
dence-builder I really needed
early in my career,” said White.
NFC
Giants (4-3) at Saints (3-4)
What happens when an immoveable object meets a stoppa
ble force?
Ugh
Tune in when the New York Giants and their immoveable
defense meet the New Orleans Saints and their stoppable
offense.
It shouldn't be pretty, but it might be interesting.
For example, how many times will Leonard Marshall meet
Dave Wilson facemask-to-facemask?
How many times will Saints center Joel Hilgenberg be forced
to hold against Gaints nose tackle Jim Burt and linebacker Harry
Carson?
And, of course, how many ways will the Saints find to avoid
Lawrence Taylor?
It's the classic mismatchup: unstoppable force vs. moveable
object
NFC WEST
49ers (3-4) at Rams (7-0)
The Rams are undefeated as they greet the San Francisco
49ers at a midseason crossroads in Anaheim, but you can
ignore the records. This is a showdown for surpemacy in the
NFC West
The Rams once dominated the
division, especially the 49ers. In the
70s, they won seven consecutive
titles and took 21 of 24 decisions
from their upstate rivals over a span of
12 seasons. That changed when
Chuck Knox left Los Angeles and Bill
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Walsh arrived in San Francisco. The 49ers have won six of the
last eight matches while winning two Super Bowls.
Now the series may be turning again, like the Pacific tides
or is it just a rogue wave from the south that has caused a few
capsizes but is due to lap harmlessly against the northern
shore?
Nobody knows. Nobody believes the Rams are that good or
the 49ers are that bad. There may be a bit of truth both ways
The Rams’ defense has yielded only 89 points, low in the NFL,
but their offense has been a wet noodle. The 49ers' offense still
has its moments, but they seem to be suffering from that
common post-Super Bowl affliction characterized by untimely
lapses and errors, partially due to a lack of interest in anything
less than a playoff game.
The Rams should get their attention. A loss here not only
would destroy the 49ers hopes of winning a third straight
division title but would leave them adrift without an oar in the
playoff race
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Associated Press
49ers coach Bill Walsh
NFC CENTRAL
Vikings (4-3) at Bears (7-0)
The first time the Minnesota Vikings played the Chicago
Bears. Viking quarterback Tommy Kramer thought he was
having a pretty good game.
He was passing the Bears' defense silly and had the lead
Then injured Bear quarterback Jim McMahon came off the
bench and threw touchdown passes on his first, second and
seventh attempts.
The Bears won and have proceeded to take control of the
NFL Central Division race the way the Vikings used to grab it.
If the undefeated Bears can beat the Vikings a second time,
they will take another step toward becoming the first NFC
Central team to win back-to-back division titles since the 1977-
78 Vikings.
AFC
Seahawks (4-3) at Jets (5-2)
For a long time now the Jets have been in a quandry over the
Seattle Seahawks
They just haven't been able to beat them.
Seven times they tried, and seven times they failed. They've
lost to the Seahawks when they were losing to everybody else;
when they didn't have much of a defense or an offense, and
when their quarterback, Jim Zorn was hurt, and had to be
replaced by a second-year player from a tiny college that hardly
anybody ever heard of.
Those Jets shake at the memory of David Kreig from Milton,
who made his first start for the Seahawks three games from the
end of the 1981 season for an injured Zorn, and completed 20
of 26 passes for 264 yards and two touchdowns in a 27-23
victory *
The Jets haven't played the Seahawks since 1983 when
they tost, 17-10, at Giants Stadium But they remember the
hold that the Seahawks have over them, and are genuinely
concerned that the Seahawks will knock them out of first place
at Giants Stadium.
AFC WEST
Broncos (5-2) at Chiefs (3-4)
Three weeks ago, the Kansas City Chiefs were atone in first
place in the rugged AFC West.
Three tosses later, the Chiefs are in last place with Denver
now the front-runner.
The Chiefs have not only tost during the month of October,
they have deteriorated to the point of embarrassment.
They dropped consecutive games on the road to divisional
rivals Los Angeles and San Diego, but there's no shame in that
Then they tost last week to the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams
Normally there's no shame in that. Except the Chiefs were shut
out at home, 16-0, and looked bumbling in the process. They
committed seven turnovers that continually gave the Rams
good field position.
There is shame in that.
The Broncos, on the other hand, rebounded from a narrow
30-26 home loss to the Miami Dolphins to beat Houston,
Indianapolis and Seattle in succession to take command in the
AFC West.
Chargers (3-4) at Raiders (5-2)
Nothing seems to have changed much over the years. The
Los Angeles Raiders still are chasing championships and the
San Diego Chargers still are chasing rainbows.
The Raiders host the enigmatic
Chargers Monday night in the Col
iseum
And if the general script looks
lumiliar to you, it should. Through the
years, the Raiders always have
seemed a step ahead of their rivals
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from the south, and althought the personnel on the two teams
has changed drastically, the trend hasn't.
The Raiders come into the game with a four-game winning
streak after their most recent great escape at Cleveland
Typically, while L A. was winning in the waning moments,
San Diego was losing. A Tommy Kramer pass with 19
remaining helped Minnesota come from behind to knock off the
Chargers 21-17 last week.
As usual, the quarterbacks and their health will be a major
factor in this game The Raiders' Mark Wilson has been playing
with a slightly separated left shoulder. Although he remains in
some pain, he is expected to start.
Dan Fouts, who had undergone arthroscopic knee surgery
only three weeks ago, reappeared in Minnesota for a brief time
and now is listed as probable for the Raiders. Actually, it will be
a shock if he doesn’t start.
Tight end Kellen Winslow, another San Diego Pro Bowl star,
also made his first appearance against the Chargers since a
serious knee injury sidelined him last year against the Raiders
AFC CENTRAL
Steelers (3-4) at Bengals (2-5)
"This is a strange team," wide receiver Cris Collinsworth
understated while trying to explain how his Cincinnati Bengals
have roller-coastered their way to a 2-5 record
“Ninety percent of our fans are probably ready to throw in
the towel," Collinsworth added, "so it's back to huddling up
together Every time our backs are up against the wall, it seems
like we play a good game "
The Bengals nailed themselves against that wall again in
Houston last Sunday, playing absolutely horrid football on both
sides of the line of scrimmage in a 44-27 loss to the Oilers
Cincinnati had hoped to be playing Pittsburgh for a possible
share of first place in the AFC's woeful Central Division today,
but now the whole season may be on the line
Pittsburgh is only 3-4, with one of those losses coming at
home five weeks ago against the Bengals (37-24) But the
Steelers gave indications that they're back on track last week
with a victory over St Louis that snapped a three-game losing
streak
INTERCONFERENCE
Redskins (3-4) at Browns (4-3)
Nothing fancy about the meeting of the Washington
Redskins and Cleveland Browns Sunday in Ohio
The Browns and Redskins are two teams that like to get
down in the mud and slug it out.
Washington is the top rushing team in the NFL and the
Browns are No 2 Guess what they'll be doing when they meet
head-to-head.
The offensive philosophies of the two teams might be the
same, but the reasons for doing it are totally different
Washington runs the ball because it's taken the Redskins to
three straight division titles in the NFC East. They have John
Riggins, George Rogers and a massive line to run behind.
The Browns run because they can't do much of anything
else They have an inexperienced offensive line operating in
front of inexperienced rookie quarterback Bernie Kosar
Bills (1-6) at Eagles (3-4)
The last two times the Philadelphia Eagles have upset the
Dallas Cowboys, they've lost the following games, to the New
York Giants, in 1982, and the Oakland Raiders, in Super Bowl
XV.
Forewarned by history and last week's stunning win over the
Cowboys, the Eagles host the lowly Buffalo Bills, who finally
achieved their first win of the year with a solid defensive game
against Indianapolis.
The Eagles' game plan will be simple enough: Stop the Bills’
one-two running punch of Greg Bell and Joe Cribbs, who is
back after two years in the USFL Bills quarterback Vince
Ferragamo, once a hero in Los Angeles, already has thrown 14
interceptions and is the AFC’s lowest-rated passer
Buffalo's defense, overhauled by new coach Hank Bullough,
will see a lot of halfback Earnest Jackson, the ex-San Diego
Charger, and Ron Jaworski's receiving corps of Mike Quick,
John Spagnola and Kenny Jackson. Quick, a Pro Bowler, was
the Eagles' No. 1 draft pick in 1982, after the Bills, picking one
spot above, took receiver Perry Tuttle.
With the return of Jaworski, the Eagles' offense has
improved dramatically. It added another element last week.
NFL ratings
These computer ratings are based on a
formula that weighs and ranks 10 statistical
factors, including winning percentage, total
offense, total defense, points scored per
yards gained and points allowed per yards
allowed.
Team Rating
1. Chicago Bears (7-0) .959
2. Los Angeles Rams (7-0) .942
3. Miami Dolphins (5-2) .911
4. Denver Broncos (5-2) .909
5. Dallas Cowboys (5-2) .903
6. Los Angeles Raiders (5-2) .892
7. New York Jets (5-2) .886
8. New York Giants (4-3) .839
9. Seattle Seahawks (4-3) .831
10. Cleveland Browns (4-3) .800
11. San Francisco 49ers (3-4) .796
Weekend odds
(Overs-Unders in Parentheses)
Atlanta plus 13 at Dallas (47)
Buffalo plus 8 at Philadelphia (37)
Denver minus 2 at Kansas City (40)
Green Bay minus 2V» at Indianapolis (40)
Houston plus 7 at St. Louis (44)
Miami minus 4 at Detroit (45)
when .Kenny Jackson caught six passes for 134 yards after
catching only six others in the first six games
Oilers (2-5) at Cardinals (3-4)
During the week of the "Show Me" World Series, the
quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals football team would like
his teammates to show him some protection
Neal Lomax is being chased all over the state of Missouri
these days, and because his protection has been breaking
down, so has the Cardinals' season.
Before Houston and the Cardinals square off, Lomax should
get together with Warren Moon, the Oilers' quarterback
Warren has been sacked more than any other quarterback in
football. |
For St. Louis, expected to be a power in the NFC East, this is
a must-win situation. After three straight road losses, the
Cardinals remain in the chase with a 3-4 record. But a loss here
to the 2-5 Oilers could have a huge bearing on the remainder ol
the season
Dolphins (5-2) at Lions (4-3)
Now that the Detroit Lions have conquered the defending
Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers, they jump right
back into the arena with the Super Runnerup, Miami.
And if the 49ers didn’t look too
Super (the Lions bowled them over),
neither do the Dolphins.
Coach Don Shula's team, after
running up a four-game winning
streak, were absolutely horrid in los
ing to the New York Jets, and had all
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kinds of trouble edging in-state rival Tampa Bay (0-7).
The Miami offense finally got moving against the Bucca
neers, but the Killer Bees seemingly have lost their defensive
sting.
They are vulnerable to the run and guess who just re
discovered a running game? The Lions, naturally.
Fullback James Jones recorded his first 100-yard rushing
effort (116 yards) against the 49ers the Lions' first such
achievement since Billy Sims was injured exactly a year ago
Despite its defensive shortcomings, Miami remains tied for
the lead in the AFC East, where it was expected to be all along
But the Dolphins have lost once to the Jets so they can ill
afford to hit a snag against one of the NFL's lesser lights For
the Lions, the game is as close as a "must" as you can find in
October
— - --
Associated Press
Tampa Bay RB James Wilder
Patriots (4-3) at Buccaneers (0-7)
This week it is New England Patriot coach Raymond Berry's
turn to say something that has been heard too often lately in the
Tampa area
Okay, Raymond, let's hear it
Berry complies, saying: "The Tampa Bay Bucaneers don't
look like an 0-7 team "
Week after week, some coach says that about the Bucs, and
although tired of it, the team hasn't been able to change the
script
Last Sunday, on the heels of the Patriots' 20-13 win over the
New York Jets, the winless Bucs lost 41-38 at Miami when
Faud Reveiz kicked a 43-yard field goal with six seconds left
They are getting closer
That is their only consolation.
It worries Berry, of course as ahe prepares the Patriots for
today's game at Tampa Stadium
Packers (3-4) at Colts (2-5)
The Colts appear to be a disaster waiting to happen every
time they step onto foreign soil, but it's a different story in the
Hoosier Dome, where they host Green Bay Sunday
Indianapolis is 0-4 on the road in 1985 and 2-1 indoors at
home The lone loss was a 15-10 setback inflicted by Denver
and only some unusual play calling took the Colts out of
contention
The biggest mystery remains the quarterbacking situation
where Art Schlichter wlas released after being told he was the
starter Mike Pagel has Been mediocre at best and was terrible
in his last outing at Buffalo, completing just 7 of 22 for 78 yards
Green Bay has been neffective as the Colts-ori the road,
losing all three ot its games. The Packers come to town
limping after being battered Monday night at Chicago, 23-7
The Colts believe that will be to their advantage.
12. New England Patriots (4-3) .782
13. Minnesota Vikings (4-3) .771
14. Washington Redskins (3-4) .762
15. Detroit Lions (4-3) .758
16. Pittsburgh Steelers (3-4) .742
17. Philadelphia Eagles (3-4) .732
18. St. Louis Cardinals (3-4) .723
19. San Diego Chargers (3-4) .720
20. Green Bay Packers (3-4)' .709
21 New Orleans Saints (3-4) .700
22. Houston Oilers (2-5) .688
23. Kansas City Chiefs (3-4) .682
24. Atlanta Falcons (1-6) .651
25. Cincinnati Bengals (2-5) .641
26. Buffalo Bills (1-6) .623
27. Indianapolis Colts (1-6) .619
28. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-7) .611
Code .925-up: Excellent, .800-.924: Above
Average, .725-.799: Average, .625-.724: Below
Average, .625-Below: Terrible.
Minnesota plus .7 at Chicago (47)
New England minus 3 at Tampa Bay (46)
Seattle plus 3 at New York Jets (44)
Washington plus 2% at Cleveland (39)
Pittsburgh even at Cincinnati (48)
New York Giants minus 3 at New Orleans (38)
San Francisco plus 2% at L.A. Rams (41)
San Diego plus 7 at L.A. Raiders (48)