Remember The 90's?: Re-Living Greatness

[young2rice]

Can Marino Return to Form?

AP - Later today the Miami Dolphins will be taking on the Atlanta Falcons in their week 1 contest. However much more is at stake then a simple win in this game. Last season the Miami Dolphins struggled, much to the surprise of many people around the league. And who was the cause of this struggle that led the Dolphins to a bottom-of-their-division 6-10 record? Was it their lack luster running game? Not really, Sammie Smith, Tony Collins, and Tony Paige combined for 1207 yards and 7 touchdowns. Then what was it? .... It was Dan Marino.

Last season was a career worst for Dan Marino. The lauded quarterback threw 283 completions on 521 attempts (54%) for a solid 3,111 yards. However he only threw 11 touchdowns on the entire season to his 24 horrible interceptions. This left Marino with a 60.1 quarterback rating, hardly the league's best passer as many had come to expect from him. Marino's lack of focus last season cost the Dolphins many of their 10 losses. Marino spoke out against his performance last year.

"I'd just like to apologize to all the fans about what I did on the field last season. That's not what people have come to expect from me and I want to change those ways. Last season was just an off year, it was the type of year where nothing ever went right. That's not going to happen this season, we're going to really make some strides and become the team that our fans wanted us to be in 1990. It all starts today too against the Atlanta Falcons. I promise the fans that I'll do my best to cut right through the Falcons defense, you can count on it."

However those words by Dan Marino did not sit well with Atlanta Falcons cornerback, Deion Sanders. Sanders was quick to rebuttle in the pre-game press conference.

"You can count on it? The only thing Dan Marino should be saying the fans can count on is Deion jumping up and picking off one of his lame duck passes. We ain't no slouch on defense and we're not going to let Marino kill us on the field."

Either way the Dolphins verse Falcons game later today should be rather interesting as Marino and Sanders have added a little flair to the game. Can Marino return to his previous form as one of the best quarterbacks in the league? Or will he slink his way to another 24 interception season? Will Deion Sanders be the first to pick off Marino in 1991 and start the downward spiral? Or will Sanders be the first to be burned by a Dolphins receiver on his way to a Marino touchdown pass? We'll find out later today!

[young2rice]

Week 1 Games
================================================== ===

Miami Dolphins (0-0)
Vs.

Atlanta Falcons (0-0)


Game Weather
Forecast: Fair
Wind: 0 MPH
Temp: 78 Degrees


Team Ratings (Matchup Leader In Italics)
====================
Miami Dolphins
Overall: 85
Offense: 86
Defense: 83
Special Teams: 86

Atlanta Falcons
Overall: 86
Offense: 84
Defense: 87
Special Teams:85


Team Injuries
===================================
Miami Dolphins
HB - Mark Higgs - 69 Ovr - Strained Shoulder - Will Not Play
RE - Rod Saddler - 83 Ovr - Torn Bicep - Will Not Play

Atlanta Falcons
RT - Chris Hinton - 92 Ovr - High Ankle Sprain - Will Play
MLB - Tim Green - 82 Ovr - Broken Hand - Will Not Play
CB - Lewis Billups - 86 Ovr - ACL Sprain - Will Not Play


Drive Summary
================================================== ====
1st Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Falcons - Scott Fulhage - Punt - (9:40)
Drv 2 - Dolphins - Pete Stoyanovich - 43yd FG att - Good - Score: 3-0 MIA - (5:53)
Drv 3 - Falcons - Steve Broussard - 1yd TD Run - Score: 7-3 ATL - (0:00)


2nd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Dolphins - Reggie Roby - Punt - (7:42)
Drv 2 - Falcons - Scott Fulhage - Punt - (6:55)
Drv 3 - Dolphins - D.Marino to M.Duper - 31yd TD Rec - Score: 10-7 MIA - (4:22)
Drv 4 - Falcons - John Kasay - 27yd FG att - Good - Score: 10-10 TIE - (1:51)
Drv 5 - Dolphins - Dan Marino - INTERCEPTED (M.Gann, 5yd rtrn) - Atl 38yd ln - (1:05)
Drv 6 - Falcons - End Half

3rd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Dolphins - Mike Rozier - 2yd TD Run - Score: 17-10 MIA - (5:41)
Drv 2 - Falcons - Scott Fulhage - Punt - (4:57)
Drv 3 - Dolphins - Reggie Roby - Punt - (4:10)
Drv 4 - Falcons - John Kasay - 24yd FG att - Good - Score: 17-13 Mia - (0:00)


4th Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Dolphins - Reggie Roby - Punt - (8:26)
Drv 2 - Falcons - B.Favre to S.Collins - 7yd TD rec - Score: 20-17 ATL - (3:51)
Drv 3 - Dolphins - Dan Marino FUMBLE - FF (M.Gann) - FR (D.Sanders, 0yd rtrn) - Atl 38yd ln - (1:53)
Drv 4 - Falcons - Scott Fulhage - Punt - (1:06_
Drv 5 - Dolphins - Pete Stoyanovich - 29yd FG att - Good - Score: 20-20 TIE - (0:00)


Overtime
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Dolphins - Pete Stoyanovich - 40yd FG att - Good - Score; 23-20 MIA - (7:15)

Game Box Score
================================================== ======

Team               Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT      FINAL
Dolphins            3    7    7    3    3         23
Falcons             0   10    0   10    0         20

Individual Player Statistics
================================================== =====
Miami Dolphins
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Dolphins
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Dan Marino                      18   34  260   52   7.6    2    1    1   31   75.6

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Mike Rozier                     22  131   5.9   22    1    0
Sammie Smith                     1    1   1.0    1    0    0
Dan Marino                       3  -20  -6.6    0    0    2

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Ferrell Edmunds                  4   59  14.7   24    0    1    6
Jim Jensen                       3   53  17.6   26    0    0   16
Tony Martin                      4   51  12.7   15    0    0   12
Mark Duper                       2   45  22.5   31    1    0   14
Mike Rozier                      2   30  15.0   18    0    1   16
Mark Clayton                     2   13   6.5    7    0    1    0
Greg Baty                        1    9   9.0    9    0    0    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Pete Stoyanovich                 3    3  100          0    2    2  100          0        5          1

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Reggie Roby                      3  136  45.3   51      0    1          2

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Tony Martin                      6  177  29.5    0   39

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Tony Martin                      3   18   6.0    8    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Liffort Hobley                   7    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           3        0
Jarvis Williams                  7    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
J.B. Brown                       6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
David Griggs                     6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
John Offerdahl                   6    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Shawn Lee                        5    2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Hugh Green                       3    1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Louis Oliver                     2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jeff Cross                       2    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Michael Sinclair                 2    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Richmond Webb                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Alfred Oglesby                   1    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jim Jensen                       1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Kerry Glenn                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Tim Hauck                        1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Tony Paige                           6             0
Ferrell Edmunds                      5             0
Keith Sims                           3             1
Richmond Webb                        2             0
Jeff Dellenbach                      2             0
Mark Dennis                          1             0
Mike Rozier                          1             0

Atlanta Falcons
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Falcons
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Brett Favre                     20   34  281   58   8.2    4    1    0   33   95.3

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Steve Broussard                 20   35   1.7    9    1    0
John Settle                      3   11   3.6    6    0    0
Brett Favre                      1   -4  -4.0    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Andre Rison                      7  137  19.5   33    0    2   26
Michael Haynes                   6   77  12.8   22    0    0    1
Keith Jones                      3   31  10.3   17    0    0   20
Gary Wilkins                     3   29   9.6   18    0    1    1
Shawn Collins                    1    7   7.0    7    1    0    2
Steve Broussard                  0    0   0.0    0    0    1    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
John Kasay                       2    2  100          0    2    2  100          0        6          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Scott Fulhage                    4  157  39.2   41      0    0          0

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Deion Sanders                    4   86  21.5    0   25

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Deion Sanders                    1    4   4.0    4    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Scott Case                      11    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jessie Tuggle                    6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Brian Jordan                     6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Michael Reid                     5    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Bobby Butler                     4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Darion Conner                    4    0    0    1    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Deion Sanders                    2    0    0    0    1    0    0    0    0   0.0           4        0
Aundray Bruce                    2    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Mike Gann                        2    1    1    1    0    0    0    1    4   4.0           1        0
Elbert Shelley                   1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Keith Jones                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Shawn Collins                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Blaise Winter                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Oliver Barnett                   1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Eric Bergeson                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Tory Epps                        1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
John Rade                        1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Michael Haynes                   0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Chris Hinton                         5             0
Jamie Dukes                          4             1
Keith Jones                          3             0
Chris Gambol                         3             2
Mike Kenn                            3             0
Bob Mrosko                           1             0
John Hunter                          1             0
Gary Wilkins                         1             0
John Settle                          0             1

Player Of The Game
================================================== ========
Dolphins - HB - Mike Rozier - 22 Att - 5.9 Avg - 131 Yds - 1 TD - 2 Rec - 15.0 Avg - 30 Yds - 1 Drop - 1 Pancake

Performers & Slackers
================================================== ========
Miami Dolphins Performers
1. HB - Mike Rozier: In his first NFL game as a Miami Dolphin Mike Rozier commanded the field and earned player of the game honors. He averaged an amazing 5.9 yards per carry and finished with 161 total yards and a touchdown in the game. Rozier was the lead rusher for the AFC Champion Houston Oilers last season and despite only having 671 rushing yards that season he pulled out 10 touchdowns with it. This season is off to a good start as it apepears Rozier won't skimp on the touchdowns and will up his yardage if he keeps this up. This also helps the Dolphins passing game greatly as it takes some focus off of Marino, freeing him up.

2. QB - Dan Marino: Marino managed to live up to his hype coming into this game. While he did not "cut through" the Falcons defense, he did a solid 75.6 rating job of throwing for 260 yards and a touchdown. He did throw one interception to Mike Gann but it wasn't his fault as it was a deflected pass at the line that bounced high and ended up in Gann's hands. The only downside of this game was Marino's 52% completion percentage which was a little bit below his norm, and he did fumble the ball twice, but otherwise he had a solid game to help the Dolphins set off on the right foot in 1991.

3. K - Pete Stoyanovich: Stoyanovich is the reason the Dolphins won with his clutch kicking so he definately deserves mention. Stoyanovich knocked in two field goals during regulation from 43 yards and 29 yards respectively. The 29 yarder was in the final 2 seconds on the game and allowed the Dolphins to go into overtime when it was tied up at 20. He then followed it on the very first overtime drive with a clutch 40 yard field goal to win the game.

Miami Dolphins Slackers
1. WR - Mark Clayton: Clayton certainly didn't have a solid first game of the season against the Atlanta Falcons. He caught only 2 passes for 13 yards, a horrendous 6.5 average, and also dropped a pass. Which makes Marino's performance even better as he two top receivers only combined for 4 catches for 75 yards and 1 touchdown.

2. S - Louis Oliver: Sometimes your safety not having a big game can be a good thing as it shows that the opposiung teams offense was unable of getting to the second level on defense. But when you have a guy like Oliver he should be all over the field making plays. Instead Oliver fizzled to a 2 tackles performance, and was otherwise just a body on the field.

3. CB - Liffort Hobley: While Liffort Hobley did have a solid 7 tackle 3 deflection stat line, his actual game was much worse. The stats can be deceiving but Hobley certainly didn't look like a pro bowl caliber corner in his first game as the true #1 in Miami. Hobley allowed Falcons wide receiver, Andre Rison, to blaze to 137 yards. Meanwhile Michael Haynes also managed to acrue 77 as well. Either way Hobley did not do the best job of shutting down the Falcons wide receiver corps.

Atlanta Falcons Performers
1. QB - Brett Favre: Rookie Brett Favre was announced as the teams starter at the last minute before the game started. Originally everybody thought the Falcons were going to play it safe and have Chris Miller return from his injury and play as the team's starter again, but apparently Falcon brass thought too highly of Favre's abilities to let him ride the pine. It turned out to be a solid decision as the rookie showed remarkable poise in his first nfl game as he threw 20 of 34 for a solid 58% completion rate. He also managed to nab 281 yards and a touchdown without throwing and interceptions or making and turnovers through fumbles. Favre's 95.3 quarterback rating is hopefully a sign of things to come for the young quarterback. The only negative of Favre's entire game was the simple fact that the Falcons ended up loosing in OT by a field goal.

2. DE - Mike Gann: Mike Gann was all over the field in his opening game in 1991. He may have only aquired 2 tackles but one of them was for a loss. He also managed to get into the backfield and sack Dan Marino. Not to mention he also managed to nail Marino a second time causing Marino to fumble the football. Gann also showed his prowess as he deflected a pass at the line and then late in the game intercepted a deflected Marino pass.

3. WR - Andre Rison: Rison had a solid game despite going touchdown-less. He helped rookie quarterback Brett Favre greatly as he was trying to ease into the starting role. Rison's 7 catches for 137 yards were good for a 19.5 yard per catch average. The only downside being that Rison dropped 2 passes throughout the night.

Atlanta Falcons Slackers
1. HB - Steve Broussard: Steve Broussard was probably one of the biggest surprise in 1990 when he ran for 1,189 yards and 7 touchdowns as well as caught 352 yards and 4 touchdowns. Nobody was expecting him to do that well in the starting role. So he returns to it in 1991, but in a rather lackluster way. Broussard's first game was horrible as he averaged only 1.7 yards per carry with 35 total on 20 attempts. He did managed to punch in a touchdown run, but that couldn't hide the horrible performance he had.

2. OL - Chris Gambol: Chris Gambol was the only liability on the offensive line against the Dolphins. He had 3 pancakes early in the game but allowed 2 sacks throughout the night, which is definatly not the way to make your name.

3. CB - Deion Sanders: For a guy who just ran his mouth earlier Sanders didn't deliver on what he said. Sanders did not come up with an interception this week. He did play well as he shut down the Dolphins main receivers, and had 4 deflections with 2 sacks and a fumble recovery, but if you say you're going to do something, then you have to do it come game time.

Game Pictures
================================================== =======

Top Left: Steve Broussard makes the first touchdown of the game, by barely crossing the plane. He dives forward and just slgihtly gets the ball across the line to make it 7-3 Atlanta at the end of the 1st quarter.
Top Right: Dan Marino shows his poise in the pocket as he drops back and rifles this ball to Mark Duper.
Bottom Left: Mark Duper makes the grab and then scampers forward for a 31 yard touchdown catch from Marino and gives the Dolphins the 10 to 7 lead.
Bottom Right: Mike Gann is given a gift from Marino as he reaches up and picks this pass out of the air. This would halt a late 2nd quarter drive by Miami and end the opening half.



Top Left: Mike Rozier shrugs off a defender on his way to the end zone from 2 yards out. This touchdown in the opening 3rd quarter drive would giv ethe Dolphins a 17 to 10 lead.
Top Right: Falcons rookie kicker, John Kasay kicks his first NFL field goal from 27 yards out.
Bottom Left: Rookie quarterback, Brett Favre tosses his first nfl touchdown to fellow Falcon reciever, Shawn Collins from 7 yards out. The touchdown would put Atlanta back into the game as they took the lead 20 to 17 with only 3:51 remaining in the 4th.
Bottom Right: In overtime Pete Stoyanovich nails this 40 yarder to give the Miami Dolphins the victory 23 to 20.


Game Notes
================================================== ==
- I upped the CPU run sliders again.

[young2rice]

Week 1 Games
================================================== ===

Denver Broncos (0-0)
Vs.

San Diego Chargers (0-0)


Game Weather
Forecast: Fair
Wind: 3 MPH
Temp: 70 Degrees


Team Ratings (Matchup Leader In Italics)
====================
Denver Broncos
Overall: 89
Offense: 87
Defense: 92
Special Teams: 93

San Diego Chargers
Overall: 89
Offense: 85
Defense: 93
Special Teams: 86


Team Injuries
===================================
Denver Broncos
CB - Le-Lo Lang - 82 Ovr - High Ankle Sprain - Will Not Play
HB - Eric Pegram - 76 Ovr - Strained Back - Will Not Play

San Diego Chargers
None


Drive Summary
================================================== ====
1st Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Chargers - John Kidd - Punt - (9:11)
Drv 2 - Broncos - Mike Horan - Punt - (7:17)
Drv 3 - Chargers - John Kidd - Punt - (5:57)
Drv 4 - Broncos - Mike Horan - Punt - (4:05)
Drv 5 - Chargers - M.Wilson to C.McEwen - 7yd TD Rec - Score: 7-0 SD - (0:00)


2nd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Broncos - Mike Horan - Punt - (6:30)
Drv 2 - Chargers - Marion Butts - 1yd TD Run - Score: 14-0 SD - (1:10)
Drv 3 - Broncos - David Treadwell - 20yd FG att - Good - Score: 14-3 SD - (0:00)


3rd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Broncos - John Elway - INTERCEPTED (S.Seale, 25yd rtrn) - Den 27yd ln - (9:02)
Drv 2 - Chargers - Ron Allegre - 36yd FG att - Good - Score: 17-3 SD - (7:47)
Drv 3 - Broncos - John Elway - INTERCEPTED (S.Seale, 35yd TD rtrn) - Score: 24-3 SD - (7:01)
Drv 4 - Broncos - John Elway - INTERCEPTED (D.Frank, 24yd rtrn) - SD 44yd ln - (4:01)
Drv 5 - Chargers - ROn Allegre - 29yd FG att - Good - Score: 27-3 SD - (0:00)


4th Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Broncos - Turnover On Downs - SD 16 yd ln - (6:26)
Drv 2 - CHargers - Marion Butts - 14yd TD Run - Score: 34-3 SD - (0:49)
Drv 3 - Broncos - End Game



Game Box Score
================================================== ======

Team               Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT      FINAL
Chargers            0   14   10   10    0         34
Broncos             0    3    0    0    0          3

Individual Player Statistics
================================================== =====
Denver Broncos
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Broncos
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
John Elway                      18   32  177   56   5.5    1    0    3   25   32.9

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Bobby Humphrey                  19   74   3.8   22    0    0
Leroy Thompson                   2    6   3.0    5    0    0
John Elway                       1    3   3.0    3    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Mark Jackson                     7   70  10.0   25    0    0    4
Vance Johnson                    5   44   8.7   20    0    0    6
Clarence Kay                     4   43  10.7   14    0    1    8
Ricky Nattiel                    1   20  20.0   20    0    0    1
Bobby Humphrey                   1    0   0.0    0    0    0    2

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
David Treadwell                  1    1  100          0    0    0    0          0        0          0
Mike Horan                       0    0    0          0    0    0    0          0        2          1

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Mike Horan                       3  115  38.3   40      0    1          1

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Tyrone Braxton                   7  118  16.8    0   26

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Tyrone Braxton                   1    4   4.0    4    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Wymon Henderson                  8    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Dennis Smith                     7    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Simon Fletcher                   6    3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Karl Mecklenburg                 5    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Tyrone Braxton                   5    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Steve Atwater                    5    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Michael Brooks                   4    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Steve Jackson                    3    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Warren Powers                    2    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Greg Kragen                      2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Andre Townsend                   1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Ron Holmes                       1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Kevin Clark                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Tim Lucas                        1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jim Juriga                       0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Dave Widell                          3             0
Jim Juriga                           3             0
Sammy Winder                         1             0
Clarence Kay                         1             0
Orson Mobley                         1             0
Keith Kartz                          1             0
Ken Lanier                           1             0
Mark Jackson                         1             0
Doug Widell                          0             1

San Diego Chargers
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Chargers
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Marc Wilson                     16   19  149   84   7.8    1    1    0   24  116.8

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Marion Butts                    27   92   3.4   14    2    0
Ronnie Harmon                    3   21   7.0   17    0    0
Tim Spencer                      3    9   3.0    4    0    0
Marc Wilson                      2   -1  -0.5    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Anthony Miller                   5   59  11.7   18    0    0   11
Craig McEwen                     3   33  11.0   24    1    0    3
Walter Wilson                    2   23  11.5   12    0    0    0
Nate Lewis                       2   14   7.0   10    0    0    0
Ronnie Harmon                    1    8   8.0    8    0    0   12
Marion Butts                     2    7   3.5   13    0    0    2
Tim Spencer                      1    5   5.0    5    0    0    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Raul Allegre                     2    2  100          0    4    4  100          0        7          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
John Kidd                        2  108  54.0   64      0    0          1

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Nate Lewis                       1   30  30.0    0   30

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Nate Lewis                       1    6   6.0    6    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Thane Gash                       8    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Sam Seale                        7    0    0    0    0    0    1    2   59  29.5           2        0
Junior Seau                      7    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Leslie O'Neal                    5    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Joe Phillips                     4    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Burt Grossman                    3    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Eric Turner                      3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Gary Plummer                     2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Felix Wright                     2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Lee Williams                     2    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Gill Byrd                        2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Scott Kowalkowski                1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Donald Frank                     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    1   23  23.0           1        0
Billy Ray Smith Jr.              1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Eric Floyd                           4             0
David Richards                       3             0
Craig McEwen                         2             0
Bubba Paris                          2             0
Mark Rodenhauser                     1             0

Player Of The Game
================================================== ========
Chargers - CB - Sam Seale - 7 Tak - 2 Deflect - 2 Int - 1 TD

Performers & Slackers
================================================== ========
Denver Broncos Performers
1. K - David Treadwell: When Treadwell is your best player in the game after kicking one field goal, and knocking 2 kickoffs, that's a problem.

2. WR - Mark Jackson: Mark Jackson started back where he left off last season before he went down with an injury. Jackson and teammate Vance Johnson were teaming up into one of the best WR duos in the league until Jackson's season was cut short at 49 catches for 646 yards and 10 touchdowns, there's no telling what he could've done had he stayed healthy. His first game back since was a solid one tonight as he had 7 catches for 70 yards.

3. DE - Simon Fletcher: Simon had a good start with Denver in 1991 as one of the few brighter spots on defense against the Chargers. Fletcher had 6 tackles on the night, 3 of which where he brought Chargers runningback, Marion Butts, down in the backfield.

Denver Broncos Slackers
1. QB - John Elway: If any one player could be pinpointed for the cause of a loss, it was John Elway in today's game against the San Diego Chargers. Elway played two solid opening quarters, before throwing 3 interceptions, all in the 3rd quarter of the game. He ended the night with only 177 yards and the 3 picks giving him a horrendous 32.9 qb rating, which is a far cry from last seasons 74.2

2. Broncos Secondary: That's right, the entire Denver Broncos secondary had a horrible opening game in 1991. This is definately something that the Broncos are going to have to look at in the coming practices if they hope to get back to playoff form. Not a single member had a single deflection in the entire game. The Chargers may have only thrown for 19 passes, but when 16 them are completed, it becomes a problem.

3. P - Mike Horan: In a game where the offense is struggling one of the most important aspects becomes field position, and Horan certainly did not help their case in this game against the Chargers. A 38 yard average won't keep the team back from your own endzone for too long.

San Diego Chargers Performers
1. CB - Sam Seale: Sam Seale had a great opening game against the Broncos. He picked off John Elway twice in the game, one of which he brought back 35 yards for the touchdown to make it 24-3 Chargers. Seale ended the game with 7 tackles, 1 short of the lead, 2 interceptions and 2 deflections. This game alone gave Seale a huge boost compared to all of last year. In 1990 Seale finished with 24 tackles, 3 interceptions. He's already starting off 1991 with 7 Tackles and 2 picks!

2. HB - Marion Butts: Last Year Marion Butts made a case for himself as one of the league's best runningbacks. He did so with a 1,864 total yard (1,565 rush, 299 rec) season with 13 touchdowns. And this year he started it off with another great game to help solidify that he wasn't a one year wonder. While he fell just short of a hundred with 92 yards on 27 carries, 2 of them were brought into the endzone for key touchdowns.

3. QB - Marc Wilson: Many criticized the Chargers for releasing Marc Vlasic and picking up Marc Wilson as a supposed 'improvement'. Well Wilson proved that he may just be an improvement in his first game as a San Diego Charger. Wilson threw only 19 passes, but complted 16 of them for an astonishing 84% completion rate, and all for 149 yards and a touchdown. Wilson's quarterback rating of 116.8 really showed his capabilities and caught the interest of many San Diego faithful.

San Diego Chargers Slackers
1. LB - Billy Ray Smith Jr.: Smith had 107 tackles, 9 sacks, and 13 deflections in 1990, and in this game he was only deflecting. He had a single tackle and 2 deflections all night long, not exactly stellar.

2. FB - Tim Spencer: 3 carries, 9 yards, 1 catch, 5 yards. Pro Bowl numbers? No way. Tim Spencer has to live up to his solid 1990 season that saw him go to the AFC team in the Pro Bowl. Spencer will need to pick up his numbers if he hopes to achieve that again this season.

3. S - Felix Wright: 2 Tackles for a guy that was supposed to team up with Eric Turner and really bring an all-star tackling duo to the Chargers secondary. Wright will need to improve those numbers to make Chargers fans forget about Vencie Glenn

Game Pictures
================================================== =======

Top Left: Lee Williams starts 1991 off right with a sack on Broncos quarterback, John Elway, on the Broncos opening drive.
Top Right: Marc Wilson throws his first touchdown pass as a San Diego Charger to tight end, Craig McEwen. McEwen caught the 7 yard reception and stumbled into the endzone to make it 7-0 at the end of the 1st quarter.
Bottom Left: Marion Butts shows his star moves as he leaps over a defender and scoots into the endzone from 1 yard out to give the Chargers an early commanding 14 to 0 lead.
Bottom Right: Broncos kicker, David Treadwell didn't realized he would be scoring the only points for Denver all game long on this 20 yard field goal attempt to end the first half, 14 to 3.



Top Left: John Elway throws his 1st interception of the night to Sam Seale, Seale returned this 25 yards to the Broncos 27 yard line in the start of the 2nd half.
Top Right: IN a bad case of deja vu Sam Seale picks John Elway off on the very next Bronco drive, except this time Seale returns it 35 yards to paydirt to give the Chargers a 24-3 lead with 7:01 remaining in the 3rd.
Bottom Left: John Elway goes for the hat trick with this thrown interception to nickle corner, Donald Frank. Frank would return it 24 yards.
Bottom Right: Marion Butts continued to jump his way to the end zone today as he leaps over defenders on his way to a stunning 14 yard touchdown run to bring the final score of the game to 34-3, San Diego.


Game Notes
================================================== ==
- I upped CPU pass accuracy just slightly as I think Elway could've done slightly better.
-I upped CPU punting distance slightly.

[young2rice]

New Faces Set to Lead the Giants!

AP - Last season the New York football Giants struggled to a 9-7 winning season that, due to dominance by the Eagles in their division as well as the same record achieved by the Redskins, a lack of a playoff birth for the Giants. However the biggest surprise came when the season ended and two of the Giants stars announced their retirements.

Phil Simms, the savior of New York who led the Giants to a Super Bowl victory against the Denver Broncos in 1986, with a 268 yard, 3 touchdown performance, left the Giants this off-season at the ripe age of 36. It came unexpectedly early (in real life Simms last 3 more seasons) after a 2,672 yard, 20 touchdown, 19 int 1990 season tallyed up his final NFL performances. With that said Simms passed the torch to a not-so-young backup that is looking forward to his first real chance to start after spending 5 season with the Giants riding the pine, Jeff Hostetler. Hostetler is a 30 year old quarterback from West Virginia who is looking to make a splash with his first opportunity as a New York Giant. Will the Giants passing game faulter with this drastic change from a Super Bowl quarterback to an already aged backup? Just one of the many questions that need to be answered this season.

The offensive changes didn't start there as soon after another star surprised the Giants with his retirement notice, Ottis Anderson. Ottis Anderson retired early at 34 (2 more years in real life) after a pro bowl season in 1990 where he had 1,406 yards and 8 touchdowns rushing. Anderson was the backbone of the Giants offense in 1990 as he plowed his way to his 7th 1,000+ yard season with his hard running. However Anderson passed the torch to a solid looking youngster in Rodney Hampton.

Hampton was a rookie last season but still managed to get 133 attempts behind Anderson for 384 yards. His 2.8 yard per carry average left much to be desired but he did show promise as he did have 4 rushing touchdowns. The Giants are eager to see what he's capable of doing if given a starting role. He'll need to brush up on his average to meet expectations, and expectations are definately high.

The New York Giants will take on the San Francisco 49ers in their season opener. It will be a tough call for the Giants to take them down as the 49ers are returning this season in healthy form. With Montana back behind center the 49ers may not even give the Giants time to do much offensively in their first game, but we shall see.

[young2rice]

Week 1 Games
================================================== ===

New York Giants (0-0)
Vs.

San Francisco 49ers (0-0)


Game Weather
Forecast: Fair
Wind: 9 MPH
Temp: 55 Degrees


Team Ratings (Matchup Leader In Italics)
====================
New York Giants
Overall: 86
Offense: 82
Defense: 90
Special Teams: 92

San Francisco 49ers
Overall: 89
Offense: 90
Defense: 87
Special Teams: 86


Team Injuries
===================================
New York Giants
SS - Greg Jackson - 89 Ovr - Strained Knee - Will Play
SS - Ralph Brown - 68 Ovr - Torn Pectoral - Will Not Play

San Francisco 49ers
None


Drive Summary
================================================== ====
1st Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - 49ers - Ralph Mojsiejenko - Punt - (9:07)
Drv 2 - Giants - Matt Bahr - 55yd FG att - Good - Score: 3-0 NYG - (4:05)
Drv 3 - 49ers - Joe Montana - INTERCEPTED (M.Collins, 40yd TD rtrn) - Score: 10-0 NYG - (2:18)
Drv 4 - 49ers - Mike Cofer - 52yd FG Att - Good - Score: 10-3 NYG - (0:00)


2nd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Giants - Sean Landeta - Punt - (8:29)
Drv 2 - 49ers - Ralph Mojsiejenko - Punt - (6:57)
Drv 3 - Giants - Sean Landeta - Punt - (5:10)
Drv 4 - 49ers - J.Montana to J.Rice - 18yd TD Rec - Score: 10-10 tie - (1:53)
Drv 5 - Giants - Sean Landeta - Punt - (1:40)
Drv 6 - 49ers - J.Montana to J.Rice - 35yd TD Rec - Score: 17-10 SF - (1:18)
Drv 7 - Giants - J.Hostetler to S.Baker - 62yd TD Rec - Score: 17-17 tie - (0:53)
Drv 8 - 49ers - J.Montana to J.Taylor - 38yd TD Rec - Score: 24-17 SF - (0:15)
Drv 9 - Giants - End Half - (0:00)

3rd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Giants - Rodney Hampton - 18yd TD Run - Score: 24-24 tie - (6:02)
Drv 2 - 49ers - Ralph Mojsiejenko - Punt - (4:39)
Drv 3 - Giants - Sean Landeta - Punt - (3:18)
Drv 4 - 49ers - J.Montana FUMBLE - FF (L.Marshall) - FR (M.Fox, 4yd rtrn) - SF 38yd ln - (0:11)
Drv 5 - Giants - Matt Bahr - 50yd FG att - Good - Score: 27-24 NYG - (0:00)


4th Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - 49ers - Turnover On Downs - NYG 41yd LN - (6:37)
Drv 2 - Giants - Jeff Hostetler INTERCEPTED (K.Delong, 3yd rtrn) - SF 40yd ln - (5:21)
Drv 3 - 49ers - Ralph Mojsiejenko - Punt - (3:01)
Drv 4 - Giants - Sean Landeta - Punt - (1:23)
Drv 5 - 49ers - Mike Cofer - 33yd FG att - Good - Score: 27-27 tie - (0:22)
Drv 6 - Giants - Sean Landeta - Punt - (0:11)
Drv 7 - 49ers - End Game - (0:00)


Overtime
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Giants - Matt Bahr - 47yd FG att - Good - Score: 30-27 NYG - (5:41)

Game Box Score
================================================== ======

Team               Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT      FINAL
Giants             10    7    7    3    3         30
49ers               0   24    0    3    0         27

Individual Player Statistics
================================================== =====
New York Giants
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Giants
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Jeff Hostetler                  14   29  175   48   6.0    1    1    1   62   64.6

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Rodney Hampton                  29   99   3.4   18    1    0
Maurice Carthon                  5   18   3.5    7    0    0
Mark Ingram                      1    0   0.0    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Stephen Baker                    4   88  22.0   62    1    1   37
Mark Ingram                      3   23   7.6   15    0    0    3
Rodney Hampton                   1   18  18.0   18    0    0    5
Keenan McCardell                 1   16  16.0   16    0    1    0
Maurice Carthon                  3   12   4.0    8    0    0    3
Odessa Turner                    1    9   9.0    9    0    1    0
Mark Bavaro                      1    9   9.0    9    0    0    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Matt Bahr                        3    3  100          0    3    3  100          0        0          0
Sean Landeta                     0    0    0          0    0    0    0          0        5          1

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Sean Landeta                     6  237  39.5   43      0    0          0

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Dave Meggett                     4   87  21.7    0   25

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Dave Meggett                     1    2   2.0    2    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Everson Walls                   14    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Pepper Johnson                   6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Mark Collins                     5    0    0    0    0    0    1    1   40  40.0           1        0
Leonard Marshall                 4    0    2    1    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Greg Jackson                     3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Carl Banks                       3    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           3        0
Vince Newsome                    3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Eric Dorsey                      2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Bobby Abrams                     2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Odessa Turner                    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Eric Moore                       1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Maurice Carthon                  1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
John Washington                  1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Lawrence Taylor                  1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Perry Williams                   1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Mike Fox                         1    0    0    0    1    3    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Steve Deossie                    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Maurice Carthon                      5             0
Doug Riesemberg                      5             0
Jumbo Elliott                        4             0
Bart Oates                           2             1
Howard Cross                         1             0
Mark Ingram                          1             0
Mark Bavaro                          1             0

San Francisco 49ers
--------------------------

Individual Stats: 49ers
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Joe Montana                     25   50  382   50   7.6    3    3    1   38   87.2

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
John L. Williams                19   68   3.5   14    0    0
Joe Montana                      1  -15 -15.0    0    0    1

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Jerry Rice                      11  175  15.9   35    2    0    7
John Taylor                      6  113  18.8   38    1    0   35
Brent Jones                      3   39  13.0   17    0    2    2
Yancey Thigpen                   2   29  14.5   19    0    3    0
Tom Rathman                      3   26   8.6   12    0    1   11

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Mike Cofer                       2    2  100          0    3    3  100          0        7          3

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Ralf Mojsiejenko                 4  182  45.5   54      0    0          2

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Dexter Carter                    4   82  20.5    0   30

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Dexter Carter                    3   19   6.3    8    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Dave Waymer                      9    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Darryl Pollard                   6    3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Charles Haley                    5    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Matt Millen                      5    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Don Griffin                      4    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           3        0
Ronnie Lott                      4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Bill Romanowski                  4    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Michael Carter                   3    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Pierce Holt                      3    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Keith DeLong                     3    0    0    0    0    0    0    1    2   2.0           1        0
Martin Harrison                  1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Kevin Lewis                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jeff Donaldson                   1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
John L. Williams                 1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Kevin Fagan                      1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Eric Davis                       1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Mike Walter                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Guy McIntyre                         4             2
Jesse Sapolu                         4             0
Harris Barton                        4             0
Steve Wallace                        4             0
Tom Rathman                          2             0
Yancey Thigpen                       1             0
Tom Ackerman                         1             0

Player Of The Game
================================================== ========
Giants - CB - Mark Collins - 5 Tak - 1 Deflection - 1 Int - 1 TD

Performers & Slackers
================================================== ========
New York Giants Performers
1. DE - Leonard Marshall: Marshall, despite his age, continues to show why he is one of the most feared defensive lineman in the game. He may have had only 4 tackles in today's game but he managed to bring Montana down 2 times, and also forced a fumble in the game.

2. HB - Rodney Hampton: Sophmore year man, Rodney Hampton, played well above expectations in his first ever start as the full-time starter for the Giants at runningback. He fell just 1 yard short of having 100 on the game with 99 yards on 29 carries (3.4 average) including an 18 yard touchdown scamper. He also caught a pass for 18 yards as well. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come for Hampton as he's trying to become the bonafide starter at runningback for the Giants.

3. WR - Stephen Baker: Baker has never been able to solidify himself as a true #1 reciever in the NFL, at least not while Phil Simms was his quarterback. Simms spread the ball around so much that Baker usually put up decent #2 WR numbers as the Giants #1, which has led to the Giants drafting some solid WR talent in Keenan McCardell, however that seems to have a lit a fire underneath Baker. Baker showed he could be a #1 today against the vaunted 49er defense as he caught 4 balls for 88 yards and touchdown, a remarkable 22 yard per catch average. He did drop one football however, but was head over heels better than any other Giant receiver on the field today in their narrow victory. If Baker keeps it up with quarterback Jeff Hostetler, he may finally put up those #1 wide receiver numbers in 1991.

New York Giants Slackers
1. S - Vince Newsome: Newsome had 3 tackles on the night but that was pretty much it, he was unable to cover the 49er combination of Jerry Rice and John Taylor as he was burned twice on the night for touchdowns. Walls getting burned for the 3rd. Newsome will have to step his game up if he wants to keep his job with the Giants.

2. LB - Lawrence Taylor: Lawrence Taylor is considered to be the best linebacker in the league, so why is it that he barely showed it today against the 49ers offense? Taylor had only a single tackle all night and knocked down 2 Montana passes. Other than that it was hard to tell that Taylor was even on the same field. That is certainly out of character for him and the Giants hope that his age is not finally catching up with him in 1991.

3. WR - Mark Ingram: Ingram is fighting to keep the #2 spot away from the likes of rookie Keenan McCardell and veteran Odessa Turner. However if he continues to perform the way he did today he may not have that #2 spot for long. Ingram did make 3 catches on the night but for only 23 yards, a lackluster 7.6 yard per catch average.


San Francisco 49ers Performers
1. WR - Jerry Rice: Jerry Rice added another perfect game to his career in the 1991 season opener against the New York Giants. The only flaw of the game was that they did not win, but he had an outstanding 11 catch, 175 yard, 2 touchdown performance to start the year off with a bang. Last year Rice led the team with 72 catches, 888 yards, and 10 touchdowns, but that was a very bad year for the best wide receiver to play the game, according to some. Rice said the fact that he didn't crack the 1,000 yard mark or the 80 catch mark did irk him, and that he had been playing most of the year with an injured hand, but did't want to use that as an excuse. Well if today's game is any indication he's right back where he left off in 1989 as he's looking at a solid 1991 season.

2. QB - Joe Montana: Montana was hurt late last season, which caused the 49ers to tank in the playoffs as Steve Young was unable to take the reigns. But now that Montana is healthy again the 49ers were wondering if he'd come back the same, and boy did he ever. Montana threw 50 passes against the Giants, and completed 25 of them for 382 yards and 3 touchdowns. His only mark on the night being the 1 interception which Collins returned for the touchdown, making his quarterback rating read 87.2 instead of 100+.

3. CB - Daryl Pollard: Pollard was given the duty of covering the Giants #2 all night long, and he did a good job of holding Ingram to only 7.6 yards per catch on 3 catches. He also did well statistically as he had 6 tackles, 3 of which were for a loss, and a deflection on the night.

San Francisco 49ers Slackers
1. G - Guy McIntyre: McIntyre is considered one of the best guards in the league, so it's unlike him to have a lackluster opening game where he had 4 solid pancakes, but also allowed Leonard Marshall to zip by him for 2 sacks on the night.

2. HB - John L. Williams: Williams has some large shoes to fill for the 49er-departed Roger Craig runningback. Hopefully this isn't indicative of the future 49er run game situation as he had 19 carries for only 68 yards. Granted it was a 3.5 average but Williams seem underwhelming all night long in terms of his performance, something the 49er offense is not used to having at the runningback position.

3. CB - Eric Davis: Davis was in on a nickle play and ended up letting Rodney Hampton plow through him for an 18 yard touchdown run. Davis will need to make better of his minimal opportunities if he hopes to remain in San Francisco.

Game Pictures
================================================== =======

Top Left: Mark Collins intercepts this Joe Montana pass and then returns it 40 yards to paydirt for the 1st touchdown of the night.
Top Right: Jerry Rice burns a cornerback and then leaps over saftey Everson Walls on his way to an 18 yard touchdown pass from Joe Montana. The score would tie the game up at 10 a piece.
Bottom Left: Joe Montana goes right back to his favorite target as he hits Jerry Rice for this 35 yard touchdown reception that gave the 49ers the 17-10 lead.
Bottom Right: Stephen Baker catches the 49er secondary off guard as Lott attempted to move in for the Interception instead of the coverage, resulting in this 62 yard touchdown bolt by Baker from Giant quarterback, Jeff Hostetler.



Top Left: Joe Montana finds a mis-match on the left side as he hits veteran wide receiver, John Taylor, for this 38 yard touchdown pass.
Top Right: The Giants started to rest their laurels on the run game as they found the smaller, but fast, 49er defense was unable to tackle the bruising Rodney Hampton.
Bottom Left: The Giants stratedgy paid off as Hampton pounced for an 18 yard touchdown run that tied the game back up at 24-24.
Bottom Right: In overtime Matt Bahr knocked in this 47 yard field goal that gave the Giants the upset win over the 49ers 30 to 27.


Game Notes
================================================== ==
- None

[young2rice]

New Seahawk Soaring to Stardom!

AP - The Seattle Seahawks may have a brand new dimension added to their offense in 1991 as they have high hopes for their new starting runningback.

With last years starter, John L. Williams (81 Ovr) leaving the team in the off-season for the San Francisco 49ers to take over Roger Craig's job, the Seahawks were left with 1990 rookie Chris Warren at the starting job. Last year Williams had 125 carries for 414 yards and 2 touchdowns before getting knocked out with an injury. Chris Warren, as a rookie, filled in nicely with a 235 attempt, 763 yard, 4 touchdown performance in a pass-heavy (529 attempt) offense of the Seahawks. But the Seahawks are looking forward to incorporating Warren more in their offense in 1991.

"I believe that Chris Warren has what it takes to be the starting running back for our team for years to come. That's the reason we initially drafted him last year. In fact that's why we gave him the clear cut start over Derek Loville for the job when Williams was hurt. He proved he could play and this year we want to see how he does taking a full load, and there's no doubt in my mind that he'll be successful at it."Chuck Knox, Seattle Head Coach

Chris Warren was picked from little known Ferrum college in 1990 by the Seahawks to play backup. They were surprised at his solid mix of both power and speed, and appeared to be exactly what Seattle needed to round out their offense. With Dave Krieg and Brian Blades hooking up for 15 touchdowns together, it's becoming more apparent that the Seahawks need a man like Warren to help spread the ball around, in order to avoid becoming one-dimensional. Will Chris Warren be the next big thing at running back in the NFL? Will he be the answer that the Seahawks are looking for to take them where they want to be on offense? Hopefully these questions are answered for Seattle this season, and they'll get their first glimpse at it later this evening when the Seahawks face the Washington Redskins in their season opener.

[young2rice]

Week 1 Games
================================================== ===

Washington Redskins (0-0)
Vs.

Seattle Seahawks (0-0)


Game Weather
Forecast: Fair
Wind: 5 MPH
Temp: 53 Degrees


Team Ratings (Matchup Leader In Italics)
====================
Washington Redskins
Overall: 89
Offense: 86
Defense: 91
Special Teams: 95

Seattle Seahawks
Overall: 86
Offense: 85
Defense: 88
Special Teams: 80


Team Injuries
===================================
Washington Redskins
LOLB - Ravin Caldwell - 85 Ovr - Broken Wrist - Will Not Play

Seattle Seahawks
LE - Eric Hayes - 68 Ovr - Broken Fibula - Will Not Play

Drive Summary
================================================== ====
1st Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Redskins - Chip Lohmiller - 44yd FG att - Good - Score: 3-0 Wsh - (6:46)
Drv 2 - Seahawks - Dave Krieg - INTERCEPTED (E.Lockhart, 12yd rtrn) - Wsh 39yd Ln - (2:55)
Drv 3 - Redskins - Chip Lohmiller - 37yd FG att - Good - Score: 6-0 Wsh - (0:00)


2nd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Seahawks - Dave Krieg - INTERCEPTED (D.Green, 14yd rtrn) - Sea 34yd Ln - (9:02)
Drv 2 - Redskins - Ernest Byner - FUMBLE - FF (N.Glasgow) - FR (P.Hunter, 0yd rtrn) - Sea 15yd LN - (8:17)
Drv 3 - Seahawks - D.Krieg to D.Fenner - 76 yd TD Rec - Score: 7-6 Sea - (6:51)
Drv 4 - Redskins - Mark Rypien - INTERCEPTED (M.Mack, 0yd rtrn) - Sea 39yd Ln - (5:40)
Drv 5 - Seahawks - D.Krieg to C.Warren - 23 yd TD Rec - Score: 14-6 Sea - (2:48)
Drv 6 - Redskins - Dave Zastudil - Punt - (2:37)
Drv 7 - Seahawks - Rick Donnelly - Punt - (2:00)
Drv 8 - Redskins - Mark Rypien - INTERCEPTED (P.Hunter, 9yd rtrn) - Wsh 22yd Ln - (1:49)
Drv 9 - Seahawks - Al Del Greco - 32yd FG att - Good - Score: 17-6 Sea - (1:15)
Drv 10 - Redskins - M.Rypien to E.Byner - 3yd TD Rec - Score: 17-13 - (0:45)
Drv 11 - Seahawks - Rick Donnelly - Punt - (0:20)
Drv 12 - Redskins - End Half

3rd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Seahawks - Al Del Greco - 21yd FG Att - Good - Score: 20-13 Sea - (4:04)
Drv 2 - Redskins - Dave Zastudil - Punt - (2:10)
Drv 3 - Seahawks - Chris Warren - 58yd TD Run - Score: 27-13 Sea - (0:08)
Drv 4 - Redskins - Turnover On Downs - Sea 43yd ln - (0:00)


4th Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Seahawks - Rick Donnelly - Punt - (4:40)
Drv 2 - Redskins - M.Rypien to G.Clark - 73yd TD Rec - Score: 27-20 Sea - (2:45)
Drv 3 - Seahawks - Rick Donnelly - Punt - (1:53)
Drv 4 - Redskins - Mark Rypien - INTERCEPTED (D.Wyman, 7yd rtrn) - Wsh 48yd ln - (1:29)
Drv 5 - Seahawks - End Game - Wsh 29yd Ln - (0:00)


Game Box Score
================================================== ======

Team               Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT      FINAL
Redskins            3   10    0    7    0         20
Seahawks            0   17   10    0    0         27

Individual Player Statistics
================================================== =====
Washington Redskins
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Redskins
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Mark Rypien                     24   46  356   52   7.7    1    2    3   73   65.1

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Earnest Byner                   10   47   4.6   23    0    1
Gerald Riggs                     2    4   2.0    3    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Gary Clark                       9  180  20.0   73    1    3   62
Earnest Byner                    4   57  14.2   34    1    0   35
Jimmie Johnson                   4   51  12.7   17    0    1    7
Ricky Sanders                    3   38  12.6   16    0    0    2
Stephen Hobbs                    1   13  13.0   13    0    0    1
Gerald Riggs                     2   13   6.5    7    0    1    1
Ron Middleton                    1    4   4.0    4    0    0    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Chip Lohmiller                   2    2  100          0    2    2  100          0        5          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Dave Zastudil                    3  103  34.3   41      0    0          0

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Brian Mitchell                   6   83  13.8    0   17

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Brian Mitchell                   0    0   0.0    0    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Bobby Houston                    9    2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Todd Bowles                      5    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Fred Stokes                      5    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Charles Mann                     4    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Wilbur Marshall                  4    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Keith Millard                    4    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Darrell Green                    4    0    0    0    0    0    0    1   13  13.0           1        0
Eugene Lockhart                  4    0    0    0    0    0    0    1   11  11.0           1        0
Martin Mayhew                    3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Leon Lett                        3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
A.J. Johnson                     2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Vencie Glenn                     2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Stephen Hobbs                    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Earnest Byner                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Alvin Walton                     1    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Markus Koch                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Brad Edwards                     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Andre Collins                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Gary Clark                       1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Art Monk                         1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Gerald Riggs                         4             0
Jim Lachey                           4             0
Russ Grimm                           2             1
Jeff Bostic                          2             0
Mo Elewonibi                         1             0
Mark Schlereth                       1             0
Joe Jacoby                           1             0

Seattle Seahawks
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Seahawks
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Dave Krieg                      15   26  259   57   9.9    3    2    2   76   85.2

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Chris Warren                    31  144   4.6   58    1    0
Dave Krieg                       2   13   6.5   12    0    0
Derrick Fenner                   1    3   3.0    3    0    0
Derek Loville                    1   -3  -3.0    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Derrick Fenner                   1   76  76.0   76    1    0   75
Brian Blades                     5   74  14.7   32    0    0   11
Chris Warren                     4   46  11.5   23    1    1   26
Jeff Chadwick                    2   28  14.0   16    0    0   15
Tommy Kane                       2   21  10.5   12    0    0    1
Ron Heller                       1   14  14.0   14    0    0    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Al Del Greco                     2    2  100          0    3    3  100          0        6          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Rick Donnelly                    4  187  46.7   59      0    2          2

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Tommy Kane                       5  118  23.5    0   30

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Tommy Kane                       0    0   0.0    0    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Cedric Mack                     11    0    0    0    0    0    0    1    0   0.0           4        0
Darren Comeaux                   7    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Terry Wooden                     3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Joe Nash                         3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Eugene Robinson                  3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Travis McNeal                    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jeff Bryant                      2    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Tony Woods                       2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Rufus Porter                     2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Louis Clark                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
David Wyman                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    1    6   6.0           2        0
Patrick Hunter                   1    0    0    0    1    0    0    1    9   9.0           3        0
Nesby Glasglow                   1    0    0    1    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Jacob Green                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Pat Tomberlin                        4             0
Brian Blades                         2             0
Andy Heck                            2             0
Bryan Millard                        2             1
Derrick Fenner                       1             0
Ron Heller                           1             0
Grant Feasel                         1             0

Player Of The Game
================================================== ========
Seahawks - HB - Chris Warren - 31 Att - 4.6 Avg - 144 Yds - 1 TD - 4 Rec - 11.5 Avg - 46 Yds - 1 TD - 1 Drop

Performers & Slackers
================================================== ========
Washington Redskins Performers
1. WR - Gary Clark: Gary pulled out right where he left off in 1991 during the Redskins season opener against the Seahawks. He managed to lead the team with 9 catches for 180 yards and a touchdown. His 20 yard per catch average destroyed all other receiver averagas, proving that he is indeed a legitamet deep-ball threat. The only downside of Clark's performance was that he did drop 3 passes.

2. LB - Bobby Houston: Houston stepped up big-time as the team's newly starting linebacker as he covered Seattle's offense well. He also managed to account for 9 tackles, 2 for losses, including 1 sack on Dave Krieg. He also deflected a pass, proving he has what it takes to be an all-around linebacker.

3. CB - Darrell Green: The fastest man in the NFL proved that he still has what it takes in 1991 as he was given the hard task of covering last years Receiver of the Year, Brian Blades. Green's stat line was decent with 4 tackles, 1 interception and a deflection. But it was what he made Blades not do is what got him recognition. Green managed to hold Blades to only 5 catches for 74 yards on the night, not letting him slip into the endzone at all. In fact none of the Seahawks receivers made it to the endzone. But fullback Derrick Fenner and runningback Chris Warren did however catch touchdown passes.

Washington Redskins Slackers
1. WR - Art Monk: Monk did not catch a single pass in the game. It's a shame to see such a talented reciever unable to live up to his expectations. Monk's slack was picked up by his teammates Gary Clark and Ricky Sanders though. But Monk will definately need to improve his ability to get open throughout the season to help the Redskins get back on top as a team.

2. S - Vencie Glenn: Glenn allowed the touchdown by Derrick Fenner as he was burned on the catch by the Seahawks fullback. Glenn only had 2 tackles on the night, hardly living up to the high-priced expectations that the Redskins had set up for him.

3. QB - Mark Rypien: Rypien had a solid game where he completed 24 passes for an amazing 356 yards and 2 touchdowns. But his 3 interceptions are what cost the Redskins the game in the end. After those 3 crucial interceptions the Seahawks managed to capitalize on 10 of their 27 total points, which factored into their 27-20 victory.


Seattle Seahawks Performers
1. HB - Chris Warren: All questions about the high-risk trust that Seattle put into runningback Chris Warren this season were answered last night against the Redskins. The runningback made the most of his full-fledged starting debut as he pounded the ball 31 times for 144 yards and a touchdown. While also catching 4 passes for 46 yards and another touchdown. Warren's workhorse ability opened up the Seahawks offensive scheme, not making them as one-dimensional a passing team as they have been perceived in previous seasons. If Chris Warren keeps up his pace he could end up being a top back in the league with his numbers.

2. CB - Cedrick Mack: Mack pulled out a great season opener for the Seahawks as he led the team with 11 tackles on the night. He also managed to pick off Mark Rypien once, and proved his coverage capabilities by deflecting a team leading 4 passes.

3. CB - Patrick Hunter: Last years interception leader and breakthrough player for the Seahawks, Patrick Hunter, seemed to pick things right up in 1991 as he may have only had 1 tackle. But he also managed to account for 1 interception and recovered an Ernest Byner fumble. He also did well in coverage as he deflected 3 pass attempts.

Seattle Seahawks Slackers
1. OL - Bryan Millard: Millard filled in with 2 pancakes on the night but did allow Keith Millard, to blow right by him and nail Dave Krieg on the night.

2. LB - Rufus Porter: Porter didn't wow with his on-field prowess as he only managed to fall into 2 tackles on the night. The Seahawks struggled to defend Ernest Byner who averaged 4.6 yards per carry, but it didn't affect them too much as the Redskins abandoned the run later in the game.

3. WR - Tommy Kane: While Brian Blades did average, not getting a touchdown, Tommy Kane did not exactly pick up the slack. Kreig struggled all night with his receivers and ended up finding his runningbacks to be more successful in the passing game today. Kane only caught 2 passes on the night for 21 yards. He'll need to improve that to help take coverage off of Blades this year.

Game Pictures
================================================== =======

Top Left: Newly aquired Ex-Cowboy middle linebacker, Eugene Lockhart, makes an impact with the Redskins on his opening defensive drive as he picks off Dave Krieg.
Top Right: Cedrick Mack returns the favor a few drives later as he intercepts Mark Rypien midway through the 2nd quarter.
Bottom Left: Chris Warren celebrates after making this 23 yard touchdown catch off of Dave Krieg. The score would read 14-6 Seattle as the Seahawks began to take their lead.
Bottom Right: Mark Rypien follows up in drive 8 of the 2nd quarter with another duck, this time to cornerback Patrick Hunter who easily picks it off with 1:40 remaining in the half.



Top Left: Al Del Greco hits one of the two field goals he made on the night for the Seahawks. Greco appears to be accilmating pretty well to his new surroundings in Seattle.
Top Right: Ernest Byner stiff arms his way to the endzone on this 3 yard touchdown screen to make it 17 to 13, Seattle as the Redskins try to close in late at the half.
Bottom Left: Chris Warren shoves a defender out of his way and then it's nothing but paydirt after that as he barrelled his way 58 yards for the touchdown to put a seal on the game giving the Seahawks a 27 to 13 lead at the end of the 3rd quarter.
Bottom Right: As the Redskins are attempting to comeback Glasglow jumps up and bats the ball down, only to have it end up in teammate David Wyman's hands on a deflecting interception play that would fizzle out the Redskins last minute hopes.


Game Notes
================================================== ==
- None

[young2rice]

New Opportunities For Raiders & Eagles

AP - The Los Angeles Raiders were woefully disappointed with last years 7-9 season. Due to offensive woes in both the passing and rushing game, the Raiders were unable to mount a playoff team, leaving many Los Angeles natives disappointed. Meanwhile the Philadelphia Eagles were on the opposite end of the spectrum in 1990 as they became the Super Bowl champions with an amazing victory over the Houston Oilers. Not to mention the Eagles are ready for 1991 as they did not loose a single starter on the team, boding badly for all other NFL franchises.

Last year the Los Angeles Raiders struggled in the passing game. Jay Schroeder did not live up to expectations as he threw for 2,640 yards and 13 touchdowns with 21 interceptions. His horrendous 64.3 quarterback rating was possibly the worst in the league. His backup, Steve Beuerlein only got to shine in one game as he threw 344 yards and 3 touchdowns with no interceptions giving him a 104.4 rating, and the Raiders some hope that Schroeder may have been the weakest link in their offense.

However in 1991 the Los Angeles Raiders are attempting to fix their quarterback woes with the signing of free agent Billy Joe Tolliver. Tolliver was holding out as the (start of the season) starter for the San Diego Chargers. However due to the Chargers backup quarterback Mark Vlasic's success Tolliver was not signed to his demands. As a result he angrily left San Diego in hopes of a brighter future with the Raiders. He still has to fight the job away from Schroeder, who as of the end of pre-season is still the starter for the Raiders. Although don't be surprised if at the first sign of fault the Raiders pull Schroeder and bring in their stud free agent. The Raiders also managed to solidify their running situation as they decided to release injury prone, but outstanding, Bo Jackson (signed by the Oilers) in favor of Marcus Allen. Who oddly enough was also hurt for the season last year but his 5.0 average showed he had what it takes when Jackson only averaged 3.5 over their short 1990 outputs. Marcus Allen will be trying to prove, as he has been voicing for an extended time, his ability to carry the full load for the Raiders.

On the other hand the Philadelphia Eagles are making a controversial change due to a young rookie star coming out of college. That youngster is middle linebacker Bryce Paup. Paup (78 Ovr) is a highly touted rookie that is going to try and help an already outstanding Philadelphia defense. The Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan had the following to say about their changes.

"Well we decided to switch up our hard-hitting defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Now that we have some great talent behind Jessie Small at the middle linebacker spot in Paup we're looking forward to seeing what the kid can do in this experimental defensive scheme. Hopefully we won't be making a mistake here and will still come out in the Super Bowl again."Buddy Ryan, Philadelphia Head Coach

Last year the Philadelphia Eagles ran a 4-3 defense because of their solid defensive tackles Clyde Simmons and Jerome Brown. However it appears they're sacrificing Jerome Brown's playing time in order to give rookie Bryce Paup some time in the game. Last years leading tackler was a disappointing 86 tackles (Seth Joyner) compared to previous multiple 100+ tackle player seasons. In fact starting MLB Jessie Small had only 62 all season long. So Bryce Paup could easily find himself pulling away if he can live up to expectations in the 1991 season.

These two contrasting teams will be meeting head to head later tonight for their season openers. This brand new year however may lead to very different results.

[young2rice]

Week 1 Games
================================================== ===

Los Angeles Raiders (0-0)
Vs.

Philadelphia Eagles (0-0)


Game Weather
Forecast: Fair
Wind: 6 MPH
Temp: 62 Degrees


Team Ratings (Matchup Leader In Italics)
====================
Los Angeles Raiders
Overall: 87
Offense: 85
Defense: 89
Special Teams: 85

Philadelphia Eagles
Overall: 93
Offense: 90
Defense: 95
Special Teams: 87


Team Injuries
===================================
Los Angeles Raiders
Unk - (Can't find my xl file, i'll do some diggin' later)

Philadelphia Eagles
QB - Randall Cunningham (Can't find my xl file, i'll do some diggin' later)

Drive Summary
================================================== ====
1st Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Raiders - Jeff Gossett - Punt - (10:14)
Drv 2 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (8:30)
Drv 3 - Raiders - Jeff Gossett - Punt - (5:34)
Drv 4 - Eagles - Roger Ruzek - 33yd FG att - Good - Score: 3-0 Phi - (0:00)


2nd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Raiders - Marcus Allen - 5yd TD run - Score: 7-3 LA - (5:37)
Drv 2 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (4:20)
Drv 3 - Raiders - Jeff Jaeger - 49yd FG att - Good - Score: 10-3 LA - (1:55)
Drv 4 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (1:19)
Drv 5 - Raiders - Jeff Gossett - Punt - (0:57)
Drv 6 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (0:00)

3rd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (9:15)
Drv 2 - Raiders - Jeff Jaeger - 24yd FG att - Good - Score: 13-3 LA - (7:54)
Drv 3 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (7:39)
Drv 4 - Raiders - Jeff Gossett - Punt - (6:49)
Drv 5 - Eagles - Anthony Toney - 7 yd TD Run - Score: 13-10 LA - (1:25)
Drv 6 - Raiders - Jeff Gossett - Punt - (0:00)

4th Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (8:38)
Drv 2 - Raiders - Jeff Gossett - Punt - (6:13)
Drv 3 - Eagles - Jeff Feagles - Punt - (3:55)
Drv 4 - Raiders - Jeff Gossett - Punt - (2:20)
Drv 5 - Eagles - Turnover On DOwns - Phi 46 yd Ln - (1:57)
Drv 6 - Raiders - End Game - Phi 28 yd ln - (0:00)


Game Box Score
================================================== ======

Team               Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT      FINAL
Eagles              0    3    7    0    0         10
Raiders             0   10    3    0    0         13

Individual Player Statistics
================================================== =====
Los Angeles Raiders
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Raiders
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Jay Schroeder                   16   34  253   47   7.4    4    0    0   64   72.3

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Marcus Allen                    22   41   1.8   12    1    0
Jay Schroeder                    1   -3  -3.0    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Mervyn Fernandez                 4  110  27.5   64    0    0   47
Ethan Horton                     3   50  16.6   22    0    0   13
Tim Brown                        2   33  16.5   24    0    1   11
Willie Gault                     4   31   7.7   12    0    3    6
Jake Reed                        2   19   9.5   10    0    1    5
Steve Smith                      1   10  10.0   10    0    0    7

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Jeff Jaeger                      2    2  100          0    1    1  100          0        0          0
Jeff Gossett                     0    0    0          0    0    0    0          0        4          1

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Jeff Gossett                     7  315  45.0   58      0    1          3

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Tim Brown                        2   39  19.5    0   24

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Tim Brown                        0    0   0.0    0    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Ervin Randle                     8    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Eddie Anderson                   7    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Lionel Washington                5    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Solomon Wilcots                  5    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Tom Benson                       3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jerry Robinson                   3    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Ricky Hunley                     3    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           3        0
Greg Townsend                    3    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Scott Davis                      2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Garry Lewis                      2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Howie Long                       1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Riki Ellison                     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Henry Jones                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Aaron Wallace                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Terry McDaniel                   0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Steve Smith                          6             0
Rory Graves                          2             1
Ethan Horton                         1             0
Steve Wisniewski                     1             0
Don Mosebar                          1             0
Bruce Wilkerson                      1             1
Marcus Allen                         0             2

Philadelphia Eagles
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Eagles
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Jim McMahon                     19   35  180   54   5.1    1    0    0   20   68.7

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Anthony Toney                   23   72   3.1    9    1    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Calvin Williams                  6   83  13.8   20    0    0    7
Keith Jackson                    5   40   8.0   13    0    1    6
Keith Byars                      3   18   6.0   13    0    0   13
Mike Quick                       2   16   8.0    9    0    2    2
Fred Barnett                     2   15   7.5    9    0    2    2
Anthony Toney                    1    8   8.0    8    0    0    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Roger Ruzek                      1    1  100          0    1    1  100          0        2          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Jeff Feagles                     7  258  36.8   47      0    2          0

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Eric Allen                       3   72  24.0    0   31

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Eric Allen                       2    8   4.0    5    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Byron Evans                      8    3    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Andre Waters                     5    1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Reggie White                     4    1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Wes Hopkins                      4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Eric Allen                       4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           3        0
Merton Hanks                     3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Bryce Paup                       3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Mike Golic                       3    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Clyde Simmons                    2    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Izel Jenkins                     2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Seth Joyner                      2    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Ben Smith                        1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Lonnie Young                     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Dixon Edwards                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Matt Darwin                          7             0
Keith Byars                          4             0
David Alexander                      2             0
Ron Solt                             1             0
Fred Barnett                         1             0
Ron Heller                           1             0
Mike Quick                           1             0

Player Of The Game
================================================== ========
Raiders - WR - Mervyn Fernandez - 4 Rec - 27.5 Avg - 110 Yds - 0 TD - 0 Drop

Performers & Slackers
================================================== ========
Los Angeles Raiders Performers
1. LB - Ervin Randle: Randle was an off-season much-needed addition to the Raiders defensive squad. In 1991's season opener he proved his worth by leading the team with 8 tackles on the night, including 2 of them for losses. Randle set the pace for the defensive struggle of a game between two touted offenses.

2. WR - Mervyn Fernandez: Coming off an injury Fernandez played well in his first game back in 1991 as he led the team with Willie Gault with 4 catches on the night. He demolished the competition with a 27.5 yard per catch average that netted him 110 yards. Fernandez is trying to prove he can still be the #1 receiver on the team with guys like WIllie Gualt, Tim Brown, and Jake Reed all vying for his position.

3. S - Solomon Wilcots: Solomon Wilcots played a tough game for the Raiders against the Eagles as he racked up 5 tackles, and was the only player on the team to record a sack on quarterback Jim McMahon. Wilcots also managed to deflect a pass, as he proceeded to cause trouble for the Eagles quarterback all night long.

Los Angeles Raiders Slackers
1. HB - Marcus Allen: For a guy who has been complaining about not being given the full-time starting job, when he finally gets his chance in 1991, he didn't exactly impress. In the season opener Allen had 22 attempts for a horrible 1.8 yard per run average, giving him 41 yards on the night. He did manage to stumble into the endzone on a 5 yard touchdown, the only touchdown on the night for the Raiders. But that doesn't overshadow his lackluster run game. Not to mention he became a liability to Jay Schroeder as he allowed 2 sacks on the night as well.

2. S - Henry Jones: Rookie saftey, Henry Jones, couldn't have been more invisible on the field tonight if his name was Sue Storm. Jones had only 1 tackle all night, hardly proving his worth as the Los Angeles Raiders draft pick. The Raiders have high expectations for Jones and hope his play definately improves over the course of the next couple of weeks.

3. WR - Willie Gault: Willie Gault did have a half decent game where he caught 4 passes. But he only average 7.7 yards on those catches for a total of 31 yards on the night. To top that off he also let a few opportunities slip through his fingers as he dropped 3 passes, leading the team.

Philadelphia Eagles Performers
1. LB - Byron Evans: Evans proved his worth in the season opener as he led the talented Eagles defense in tackles with 8. However 3 of those were hits behind the line of scrimmage on Marcus Allen. He also managed to wrangle down quarterback Jim McMahon for a sack late in the 2nd quarter. If he can continue this level of play the Eagles may have naturally filled a hole.

2. HB - Anthony Toney: Many people are wondering whether Anthony Toney's season last year was for real of if it was just a fluke. His season including 974 total yards for 7 total touchdowns, in a split back situation with Heath Sherman and fullback Keith Byars. IN today's game he bursted for 72 yards on 23 carries and the Eagles only touchdown of the night.

3. WR - Calvin Williams: Williams picked up where he left off by leading the Eagles in all categories on opening night with a 6 catch, 13.8 average, 83 yard performance. He also caught every ball that came his way without a single drop. Williams could solidify himself as a true #1 receive with another good performance this season.

Philadelphia Eagles Slackers
1. LB - Seth Joyner: Joyner is usually so talented that he is all over the field making big play after big play but he was hardly noticeable in this years season opener. Joyner had only 2 tackles on the night, which he will hopefully improve in the coming weeks if he wants to compete.

2. WR - Fred Barnett: Fred Barnett struggled all night against Lionel Washington, Garry Lewis, and Terry McDaniel in the Raiders secondary. Barnett only managed to make 2 short catches for 15 combined yards. He also dropped the football twice, leading the team along with fellow WR, Mike Quick. Barnett will need to improve those numbers to help open up the Eagles offense.

3. QB - Jim McMahon: While Jim McMahon is certainly not the main man in Philadelphia, as that honor goes to quarterback Randall Cunningham. Cunningham's injury required McMahon to come in for the season opener as the Eagle's starter. The veteran super bowl quarterback was expected to at least show some semblance of stardom in the game tonight, but it was his lack of big plays that earned him this honor. In tonight's game McMahon simply played a safe uneventful game. He completed 54% of his passes for 180 yards, did not throw an interception, but also did not throw a touchdown, earning him a quarterback rating of 68.7. It was this lack of explosiveness that may have caused the Eagles to drop the game 13-10.

Game Pictures
================================================== =======

Top Left: Young rookie wide receiver, Jake Reed, makes his first official NFL reception.
Top Right: Los Angeles Raider saftey, Solomon Wilcots, comes flying into the backfield and sacks veteran Eagles backup quarterback, Jim McMahon, who is starting the game due to an injury to Randall Cunningham.
Bottom Left: Roger Ruzek kicks the early field goal to give the Eagles the 1st points of the game.
Bottom Right: Marcus Allen shows his hard-nose running and drive for the goal line as he pushes through Eric Allen on this 5 yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 7-3 lead mid-way through the 2nd quarter.



Top Left: The amazing Reggie White wraps up Raiders quarterback Jay Schroder for his first sack of the season.
Top Right: Jeff Jaeger hits a 49 yard long filed goal to give the Raiders a 10-3 lead.
Bottom Left: Jeff Jaeger knocks in this field goal from 24 yards out to give the Raiders a commanding 13-3 lead with 7:54 leaft in the 3rd quarter
Bottom Right: Anthony Toney gives a stiff-arm and then scampers his way 7 yards for the touchdown run. This would be the only touchdown for the Eagles all day long, at 1:25 left in the 3rd, making it 13-10, LA.


Game Notes
================================================== ==
- None

[young2rice]

Can The Bills Triplets Succeed This Year?

AP - Last Year the Buffalo Bills stars flooded the field with their excellence which led them to a 12-4 season, following up last years loss in the conference championship game. Whether it was Jim Kelly launching the football for 3,687 yards and 31 touchdowns, Thurman Thomas rushing for 1,699 yards making 72 catches for 636 and scoring 15 total touchdowns, or Andre Reed leading the team's receiving corps with 88 catches for 1,297 yds and 11 touchdowns, the Bills stars no-doubt were top notch in the league. So why is it that once again they failed in the playoffs?

Last Year the Buffalo Bills lost in the divisional round against the Houston Oilers 27 to 28. Thurman Thomas may have been to blame last year. In the tough game against the Oilers Kelly threw for 313 yards and 2 touchdowns, with Andre Reed having an outstanding 12 catch, 185 yard 2 touchdown performance, but Thurman Thomas fell short. HIs 55 yards on 22 carries was a horrible 2.5 average against an Oilers defense. Not to mention kicker Scott Norwood also missed a field goal that would've otherwise given them the 2 point victory.

However in 1991 the Buffalo Bills are looking forward to redeeming this situation. Thurman Thomas is said to be running on all cylinders even better than his near MVP-worthy 1990 results showed. If he can keep it up all year long the Bills may once again find themselves deep in the playoffs. A few recent additions to the Bills squad may also give them that slight push over the edge they need to get into the Super Bowl.

In order to alleviate a fatigued Thurman Thomas the Bills drafted rookie halfback, Harvey Williams who will be the #2 ahead of Ricky Ervins. The Bills also did they're best to find a solid replacement for retiring James Lofton by brining in a young rookie to be the #2 next to Andre Reed. His compliment will be one of numerous rookies in Raghib Ismail, Mike Pritchard, or Jeff Graham. Veteran defensive end, Dexter Manley (81) was added behind Leon Seals (84) as an insurance policy, and may see some playing time as well. And finally the Bills signed a new punter in Joe Prokop to help kick it farther back than previously.

Only time will tell whether the triplets in Buffalo can fight their way into the Super Bowl. The Bills are certainly giving it their best shot by signing and drafting solid players to fill any needs on their quest.

[young2rice]

Week 1 Games
================================================== ===

Buffalo Bills (0-0)
Vs.

New York Jets (0-0)


Game Weather
Forecast: Fair
Wind: 14 MPH
Temp: 47 Degrees


Team Ratings (Matchup Leader In Italics)
====================
Buffalo Bills
Overall: 91
Offense: 91
Defense: 90
Special Teams: 90

New York Jets
Overall: 86
Offense: 85
Defense: 87
Special Teams: 87


Team Injuries
===================================
Buffalo Bills
FS - Leonard Smith - Torn Quadricep - 1 Week - Will Not Play

New York Jets
None

Drive Summary
================================================== ====
1st Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Bills - Joe Prokop - Punt - (10:15)
Drv 2 - Jets - T.Eason to T.Mathis - 3yd TD Rec - Score: 7-0 Jets - (5:46)
Drv 3 - Bills - Thurman Thomas - 63yd TD Run - Score: 7-7 tie - (4:25)
Drv 4 - Jets - Fuad Reviez - 28yd FG att - Good - Score: 10-7 NYJ - (0:00)


2nd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Bills - Joe Prokop - PUnt - (8:21)
Drv 2 - Jets - Chris Gardocki - Punt - (6:30)
Drv 3 - Bills - Thurman Thomas - 20yd TD Run - Score: 14-10 Buf - (5:09)
Drv 4 - Jets - Chris Gardocki - Punt - (1:50)
Drv 5 - Bills - Scott Norwood - 29yd FG att - Good - Score: 17-10 Buf - (1:08)
Drv 6 - Jets - Fuad Reviez - 54yd FG att - No Good - (0:00)

3rd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Jets - Fuad Reveiz - 44yd FG att - No Good - Buf 34yd Ln - (4:30)
Drv 2 - Bills - Jim Kelly - FUMBLE - FF (M.Washington) FR (J.Lageman, 0yd rtrn) - NYJ 42yd ln - (3:41)
Drv 3 - Jets - Chris Gardocki - Punt - (1:50)
Drv 4 - Bills - Thurman Thomas - 7yd TD run - Score: 24-10 Buf - (0:00)

4th Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Jets - Chris Gardocki - PUnt - (10:13)
Drv 2 - Bills - Jim Kelly - INTERCEPTED (M.Lewis, 14yd rtrn) 50yd ln - (8:42)
Drv 3 - Jets - Tony Eason - INTERCEPTED (S.Conlan, 23yd rtrn) - NYJ 30yd ln - (8:28)
Drv 4 - Bills - J.Kelly to J.Graham - 3yd TD rec - Score: 31-10 Buf - (7:22)
Drv 5 - Jets - Tony Eason - INTERCEPTED (S.Conlan, 26td rtrn) - NYJ 46yd ln - (4:26)
Drv 6 - Bills - Joe Prokop - Punt - (3:00)
Drv 7 - Jets - Chris Gardocki - Punt - (2:07)
Drv 8 - Bills - End of Game - (0:00)


Game Box Score
================================================== ======

Team               Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT      FINAL
Bills               7   10    0   14    0         31
Jets                7    3    0    0    0         10

Individual Player Statistics
================================================== =====
Buffalo Bills
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Bills
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Jim Kelly                       16   25  158   64   6.3    0    1    1   25   78.4

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Thurman Thomas                  22  202   9.1   63    3    0
Harvey Williams                  2   10   5.0    7    0    0
Jim Kelly                        1   -8  -8.0    0    0    1

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Andre Reed                       4   65  16.2   25    0    1    6
Keith McKeller                   4   33   8.2   16    0    0    7
Jeff Graham                      3   22   7.3   10    1    1    0
Steve Tasker                     1   17  17.0   17    0    0    0
Jamie Mueller                    1   10  10.0   10    0    0    6
Mike Pritchard                   1    7   7.0    7    0    0    3
Raghib Ismail                    1    2   2.0    2    0    0    1
Thurman Thomas                   1    2   2.0    2    0    0   10

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Scott Norwood                    1    1  100          0    4    4  100          0        0          0
Joe Prokop                       0    0    0          0    0    0    0          0        6          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Joe Prokop                       3  114  38.0   51      0    1          0

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Raghib Ismail                    3   61  20.3    0   33

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Raghib Ismail                    1   13  13.0   13    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Kirby Jackson                    9    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Shane Conlan                     8    3    1    0    0    0    0    2   48  24.0           3        0
Cornelius Bennett                8    4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Bruce Smith                      6    1    2    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Darryl Talley                    5    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Mark Kelso                       4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Leon Seals                       3    0    2    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
James Williams                   3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Nate Odomes                      3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
John Hagy                        2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Mike Lodish                      2    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jim Kelly                        1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Quintin Jones                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Kent Hull                        1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Ray Bentley                      0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Jamie Mueller                        7             0
Jim Ritcher                          4             0
Howard Ballard                       3             0
Keith McKeller                       1             0
Andre Reed                           1             0
Will Wolford                         1             0
John Davis                           1             0
Kent Hull                            1             0

New York Jets
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Jets
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Tony Eason                      17   31  211   54   6.8    6    1    2   26   60.0
Ken O'Brien                      0    1    0    0   0.0    0    0    0    0   39.6

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Blair Thomas                    24   59   2.4   10    0    0
Freeman McNeil                   2    9   4.5    6    0    0
Brad Baxter                      1   -3  -3.0    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Terance Mathis                  10  128  12.7   26    1    1    3
Al Toon                          2   27  13.5   21    0    0    0
Chris Burnett                    2   23  11.5   18    0    0    0
Mark Boyer                       2   18   9.0   11    0    0    1
Rob Moore                        1   15  15.0   15    0    0    4

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Fuad Reveiz                      1    3   33          0    1    1  100          0        0          0
Chris Gardocki                   0    0    0          0    0    0    0          0        3          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Chris Gardocki                   5  162  32.3   39      0    0          0

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Terance Mathis                   6  111  18.5    0   26

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Terance Mathis                   2    8   4.0    6    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
James Hasty                      8    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Brian Washington                 6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Joe Kelly                        6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Mo Lewis                         4    2    0    0    0    0    0    1   13  13.0           1        0
Erik McMillan                    3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Don Odegard                      2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Tony Stargell                    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Marvin Washington                2    0    0    1    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Kyle Clifton                     2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Darren Carrington                2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Scott Mersereau                  1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Brad Baxter                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Darrell Davis                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
John Galvin                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Jeff Lageman                     0    0    0    0    1    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Jeff Criswell                        6             1
Trevor Matich                        5             1
Jim Sweeney                          5             0
Brad Baxter                          1             0
Mark Boyer                           1             0
Paul Fairchild                       1             0
Dave Cadigan                         1             1
Mike Haight                          0             3

Player Of The Game
================================================== ========
Bills - HB - Thurman Thomas - 22 Att - 9.1 Avg - 202 Yds - 3 TD - 1 Rec - 2 Yds

Performers & Slackers
================================================== ========
Buffalo Bills Performers
1. HB - Thurman Thomas: Thurman Thomas had a mediocre end to last season in the playoffs as the Bills dipped out early. However he made up for it in the season opener for the 1991 season with an outstanding 202 yard 3 touchdown performance. Thurman Thomas joins an elite group of runningbacks that have achieved 200+ rushing yards in a single game, and ties his own record of 3 touchdowns on the ground in a single game for the team. Thomas broke a big 63 yarder to help inflate his numbers early and then pounded the Jets defense for 127 yards in the next 3 1/2 quarters.

2. LB - Shane Conlan: Conlan had a great all-around game today against the New York Jets. He pulled the 2nd highest total only to Kirby Jackson with an 8 tackle game, including 3 tackles for a loss. Not to mention he managed to drag down Tony Eason for a sack. He also helped nullify the Jets offensive game by intercepting the ball 2 times on the night, cutting Jet drives short and not allowing them to gain any momentum. He also proved even more aptitude against the passing game as he deflected 3 passes.

3. DE - Bruce Smith: The great Bruce Smith pulled out a solid season opener as he tackled 6 Jet players on offense, including 1 for a loss in the backfield. To add to his career totals he tallied up 2 sacks on Jet quarterback Tony Eason, completing his night on top.

Buffalo Bills Slackers
1. CB - Nate Odomes: Probably the most glaring omission in the Bills defense in today's game was the lack of solid play by their cornerbacks, namely Nate Odomes who was assigned to cover youngster Jet WR, Terence Mathis. Mathis had over 100 yards and a touchdown on the night, dooming it a failure as far as coverage went for Odomes. He did have 3 tackles and a deflection but his lack of coverage skills showed a glaring hole on defense for the Bills that will need to be fixed if they want to advance during the regular season.

2. P - Joe Prokop: Joe Prokop was an off-season free agent signing by the Bills to fill a need at the position. But in the season-opener he had a relatively lackluster performance on his 3 punts that averaged only 38 yards per punt. He will need to extend his range if he wants to help the Bills push offenses farther back.

3. S - John Hagy: A mediocre 2 tackle game from John Hagy didn't help the Buffalo bills defensively. But luckily due to the outstanding performance by their offense, as well as the other defensive players the Bills easily siphoned his responsibilities.

New York Jets Performers
1. WR - Terance Mathis: Young receiver, Terance Mathis had a solid rookie season for the Jets in 1990 where he had 63 catches for 652 yards and 2 touchdowns, proving that he may have what it takes to be a solid co-headliner with Al Toon. Well all those expectations showed signs of being met in the 1991 season opener when he an outstanding 10 catch, 128 yards and a touchdown, as well as returning for a total of 119 yards. If Mathis keeps this up Al Toon may have found his heir apparent, and the Jets might...win next time.

2. CB - James Hasty: James Hasty had a solid game against one of the better passing attacks in the league. He helped the Jets manage Jim Kelly and contained Andre Reed to only 4 catches for 65 yards, which is an accomplishment. Hasty also deflected away a pass and managed to make 8 tackles on the night as he used his speed to fly across the entire field.

3. LB - Mo Lewis: Mo Lewis had a very successful first game in the NFL. The 1st round draft pick had 4 tackles on the night, 2 for a loss, and also managed to record the first interception of the 1991 season for the New York Jets. The Jets will hope to see even more progression from this young talent in the near future to help bolster their defensive corps.

New York Jets Slackers
1. HB - Blair Thomas: Blair Thomas was the front-runner for the offensive rookie of the year last season before he got injured a few weeks into the season. Thomas had 116 carries for 540 yards and 6 touchdowns, which showed amazing promise to finally bring a run game to a struggling Jets offense. However this being his first game in practically a year, it was understandable, but still disappointing, that Thomas performed a 2 carry, 59 yard night for a 2.4 yard per carry average. Hopefully he can return to rookie form and stay injury-free for the remainder of the Jets 1991 season.

2. WR - Al Toon: Al Toon did not have the best game in his season opener as he was shut down, but the fact that the Bills focused on Toon allowed Mathis to have the big game that he did, so all in all Toon's 2 catch 27 yard performance had a balancing act effect that turned into a positive, but Toon hopefully won't be making a habit of this as the season goes on.

3. LG - Mike Haight: Mike Haight had a struggling opener to the 1991 season against the Buffalo Bills. He did not have a single pancake, going up against Bruce Smith and company. But he also allowed 75% of the total sacks he allowed all year last season (4) in this one game, with 3 sacks allowed. Haight will definitely need to improve this in order to protect the blind side of either Ken O'Brien or Tony Eason, depending on if O'Brien can not get injured again at the start of the game.

Game Pictures
================================================== =======

Top Left: Thurman Thomas busts through the Jets defense for a 63 yard touchdown run to tie the game up 7-7 with 4:25 left in the 1st quarter.
Top Right: Fuad Reveiz hits 1 of 3 field goal attempts on the night with this 28 yarder to give the Jets the early 10-7 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Bottom Left: Thurman Thomas barrels through a Jet tackle on his way to a 20 yard touchdown run that returns the lead to the Bills 14 to 10.
Bottom Right: Bruce Smith was giving Tony Eason headaches all night long as evident here by this leaping sack.



Top Left: The New York Jets left a hole the size of a airplane as Thomas glided easily to his 3rd touchdown run from 7 yards out to make it 24-10 Bills.
Top Right: Rookie linebacker Mo Lewis makes the 1st interception of the season for the New York Jets by picking off one of the best, Jim Kelly.
Bottom Left: Rookie wide receiver Jeff Graham catches his 1st NFL touchdown from Jim Kelly on this 3 yard touchdown later in mid-way through the 4th quarter making the score 31 to 10, Bills.
Bottom Right: Shane Conlan helped to douse any flame that the Jets still had by picking off, for the 2nd time, Tony Eason with 4:26 left in the game.


Game Notes
================================================== ==
- Ken O'Brien was hurt on his 2nd pass play, he threw 1 incomplete pass and and then was knocked out for the rest of the game, which is why Tony Eason stepped in.

[young2rice]

Boomer Esiason Reflects On 1990 Season

AP - Entering into the 1991 season Boomer Esiason eclipses a key point in an NFL players career, as he turns 30 years of age. Boomer Esiason was originally drafted by the Bengals back in 1984 in the 2nd round, and has turned into one of the top quarterbacks in the league. With the Bengals, now entering his 8th season, he has already accumulated 21,422 yards, 152 touchdowns, and 94 interceptions. He is easily rivaling Ken Anderson for the most glorified Bengal quarterback in team history. However will that legacy be marred by his performance in the 1988 Super Bowl where he failed to defeat the Montana led 49ers, just like Anderson, or does Esiason still have what it takes?

Last year Cincinnati Bengals snuck into the playoffs with a 10-6 record after skipping them in the 1989 season. The Bengals were kicking on all cylinders during the regular season and appeared to be back in 1988 Super Bowl-Caliber form. Esiason threw 3,072 yards and 26 touchdowns on the year, and the runningback tandem of James Brooks (829 yards, 3 tds) and Ickey Woods (679 yards, 3 tds) was having success in the ground game. Tim McGee managed to haul in 74 catches for 948 yards and 9 touchdowns on the season with his #2 man, Eddie Brown racking in 61 catches for 720 yards and 8 touchdowns. 9th year tight end, Rodney Holman really impressed with a career high 66 catch season. However his range dropped as he only garnered 431 yards and 3 touchdowns on those catches compared to last years 736 yards and 9 touchdowns. Either way the Bengals offense was certainly looking dangerous heading into the playoffs, that is until Week 17.

In the final week of the 1990 regular season the Cincinnati Bengals were set to take on the Philadelphia Eagles in a game that had no consequence as both teams would easily be heading to the playoffs. However just seven plays into the Bengals opening drive, quarterback Boomer Esiason went down with an injury. The injury would later be diagnosed as multiple weeks and he would thusly miss the playoffs. As if things couldn't get any worse for the Bengals, in the 3rd quarter on a rough tackle by Clyde Simmons, Bengals runningback, James Brooks was injured as well. His foot contusion would also be keeping him out of the Bengals playoff run before they would heal. Erik Wilhelm stepped in at quarterback for Esiason and finished out the game with 131 yards and a touchdown to give them the 15-10 victory, and Ickey Woods was definitely a serviceable backup to Brooks, but the Bengals could already feel their offensive explosiveness dying before their first playoff game of 1990.

In the wild card round the Bengals had the unfortunate chance of meeting with the red hot San Diego Chargers. The good news? The Chargers were also missing their starting quarterback as breakout sensation Marc Vlasic was hurt and rookie backup John Friesz was going to take his chances. However a 174 yard performance by Charger runningback Marion Butts, and 2 touchdowns from Friesz, proved just enough to squeak by the Bengals 21 to 14. Erik Wilhelm did his best with a 267 yard 1 touchdown performance but 2 interceptions proved costly late in the game. Not to mention Ickey Woods struggled all night with only 51 yards on 32 carriers, for a horrendous 1.5 average. With the Bengals offense stifled the Chargers easily advanced and once again Cincinnati went home disappointed in the playoffs. Boomer Esiason made the following comments earlier today about reflecting back on the events of the 1990 season.

"As much as I was saddened by what happened last year it also made me stronger I think. Watching my team fall short just made me want to heal faster, and play better when I get my chance this season. We've had some rough spots these past few years here, and I'm not getting any younger, and in no way should last years loss fall on Erik's hands or even Ickey's as you have suggested. This is a team sport, and in so, I'm hoping to do my part this year and get us back to the top."Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Quarterback

Boomer Esiason has since fully recovered from his injury, as well as runningback James Brooks. The Bengals did unfortunately loose a few key players in the off-season however, they did their best to fill those wholes as well. The additions of defensive end Daniel Stubbs (89), rookie DT Chris Zorich (72), ex-Packer cornerback Mark Lee (91), and rookie upstart safety, Aeneas Williams (84) all bring hope to the Bengals defense as well. If the Bengals can continue through 1991 with the ability they showed in 1990, but remain healthy when it comes to crunch time, the league may once again be very surprised by this franchises ability to fight in the playoffs. If not now then Boomer Esiason may end up being lost in history, for his window of opportunity is almost closed shut.

[young2rice]

Week 1 Games
================================================== ===

Cincinnati Bengals (0-0)
Vs.

Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0)


Game Weather
Forecast: Fair
Wind: 3 MPH
Temp: 51 Degrees


Team Ratings (Matchup Leader In Italics)
====================
Cincinnati Bengals
Overall: 89
Offense: 91
Defense: 87
Special Teams: 88

Pittsburgh Steelers
Overall: 88
Offense: 87
Defense: 88
Special Teams: 95


Team Injuries
===================================
Cincinnati Bengals
No Injuries

Pittsburgh Steelers
FS - Thomas Everett - Torn Quadricep - 8 Weeks - Will Not Play

Drive Summary
================================================== ====
1st Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Steelers - Gary Anderson - 21yd FG att - Good - Score: 3-0 Pit - (5:02)
Drv 2 - Bengals - B.Esiason to K.Smith - 73 yd TD Rec - Score: 7-3 Cin - (4:14)
Drv 3 - Steelers - Dan Stryzinski - Punt - (2:22)
Drv 4 - Bengals - Lee Johnson - Punt - (0:00)


2nd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Steelers - Dan Stryzinski - Punt - (7:58)
Drv 2 - Bengals - Lee Johnson - Punt - (5:31)
Drv 3 - Steelers - Dan Stryzinski - Punt - (4:18)
Drv 4 - Bengals - Boomer Esiason - INTERCEPTED (B.Hinkle, 34yd rtrn) Pit 36yd ln - (1:35)
Drv 5 - Steelers - Bubby Brister - INTERCEPTED (A.Williams, 4yd rtrn) Pit 39yd ln - (1:32)
Drv 6 - Bengals - Lee Johnson - Punt - (1:10)
Drv 7 - Steelers - Gary Anderson - 46 yd FG att - Good - Score: 7-6 Cin - (0:42)
Drv 8 - Bengals - Boomer Esiason - INTERCEPTED (A.Jones, 19yd rtrn) Pit 42yd ln - (0:08)
Drv 9 - Steelers - Bubby Brister - INTERCEPTED (M.Lee, 44yd rtrn) Pit 9yd ln - (0:01)
Drv 10 - Bengals - Jim Breech - 26 yd FG att - Good - Score: 10-6 Cin - (0:00)

3rd Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Bengals - James Brooks - 39 yd TD run - Score: 17-6 Cin - (7:50)
Drv 2 - Steelers - Merril Hoge - 1 yd TD run - Score: 17-13 Cin - (2:34)
Drv 3 - Bengals - James Brooks - 6 yd TD run - Score: 24-13 Cin - (0:00)

4th Quarter
---------------------------------
Drv 1 - Steelers - Dan Stryzinski - Punt - (6:46)
Drv 2 - Bengals - Jim Breech - 37 yd FG att - No Good - (2:33)
Drv 3 - Steelers - Dan Stryzinski - Punt - (2:17)
Drv 4 - Bengals - Lee Johnson - Punt - (1:50)
Drv 5 - Steelers - Turnover on Downs - Pit 21yd ln - (1:00)
Drv 6 - Bengals - End Game


Game Box Score
================================================== ======

Team               Q1   Q2   Q3   Q4   OT      FINAL
Bengals             7    3    7    7    0         24
Steelers            3    3    7    0    0         13

Individual Player Statistics
================================================== =====
Cincinnati Bengals
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Bengals
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Boomer Esiason                  16   28  228   57   8.1    3    1    2   73   65.7

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
James Brooks                    25  147   5.8   39    2    0
Harold Green                     3   14   4.6   10    0    0
Ickey Woods                      2    7   3.5    7    0    0
Boomer Esiason                   2   -2  -1.0    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Kendal Smith                     3  105  35.0   73    1    0   53
Eddie Brown                      4   45  11.2   20    0    0    3
Harold Green                     3   28   9.3   22    0    0   12
James Brooks                     3   25   8.3   17    0    1    9
Tim McGee                        2   17   8.5   13    0    0    2
Rodney Holman                    1    8   8.0    8    0    0    0

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Jim Breech                       1    2   50          0    3    3  100          0        0          0
Lee Johnson                      0    0    0          0    0    0    0          0        4          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Lee Johnson                      4  182  45.5   59      0    2          2

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Kendal Smith                     4   90  22.5    0   33

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Kendal Smith                     4   15   3.7   11    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Kevin Walker                     8    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Jimmy Spencer                    6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0
Daniel Stubbs                    4    1    3    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
David Fulcher                    4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Aeneas Williams                  3    1    0    0    0    0    0    1    4   4.0           1        0
Rod Jones                        3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Leon White                       3    2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Mike Hammerstein                 1    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Kendal Smith                     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
James Francis                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Mark Lee                         1    0    0    0    0    0    0    1   42  42.0           1        0
James Brooks                     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Rodney Holman                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Harold Green                     1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Tim Krumrie                      1    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Barney Bussey                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Skip McClendon                   1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
David Grant                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           2        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Harold Green                         6             0
Anthony Munoz                        5             1
Ken Walter                           4             0
Rodney Holman                        2             0
Bruce Kozerski                       2             0
James Brooks                         1             0
Eddie Brown                          1             0
Mike Brennan                         1             0
Brian Blados                         0             1
Bruce Reimers                        0             1

Pittsburgh Steelers
--------------------------

Individual Stats: Steelers
PASSING                        CMP  ATT  YDS  PCT   YPA SACK   TD  INT LONG RATING
Bubby Brister                   19   34  243   55   7.1    5    0    2   32   53.9

RUSHING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD  FUM
Merril Hoge                     14   14   1.0    5    1    0
Barry Foster                     1   -2  -2.0    0    0    0

RECEIVING                      REC  YDS   AVG LONG   TD DROP  YAC
Louis Lipps                      8  121  15.1   27    0    2    9
Lorenzo Davis                    3   48  16.0   32    0    0   12
Eric Green                       2   30  15.0   16    0    0    4
Derek Hill                       2   18   9.0   10    0    1    1
Chris Calloway                   2   18   9.0   16    0    1    3
Merril Hoge                      1    8   8.0    8    0    0    2

KICKING                        FGM  FGA  PCT FGSBLOCKED  XPA  XPM  PCT XPSBLOCKED KICKOFFS TOUCHBACKS
Gary Anderson                    2    2  100          0    1    1  100          0        4          0

PUNTING                        ATT  YDS   AVG LONG BLOCKS IN20 TOUCHBACKS
Dan Stryzinski                   5  190  38.0   43      0    0          0

KICK RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG   TD LONG
Rod Woodson                      4   59  14.7    0   18

PUNT RETURNS                   ATT  YDS   AVG LONG   TD
Rod Woodson                      1    0   0.0    0    0

DEFENSE                        TOT LOSS SACK   FF FREC  YDS   TD  INT  RET   AVG DEFLECTIONS SAFETIES
Dwayne Woodruff                  6    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Larry Griffin                    6    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Carnell Lake                     5    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           1        0
Hardy Nickerson                  5    0    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
David Little                     4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Rod Woodson                      4    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           3        0
Bryan Hinkle                     4    1    1    0    0    0    0    1   33  33.0           1        0
D.J. Johnson                     3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Greg Lloyd                       3    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Keith Willis                     3    1    1    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Richard Shelton                  2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Alfred Williams                  2    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Aaron Jones                      2    0    0    0    0    0    0    1   18  18.0           1        0
Kenny Davidson                   1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Delton Hall                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Merril Hoge                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Louis Lipps                      1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Tim Worley                       1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0
Lorenzo Davis                    1    0    0    0    0    0    0    0    0   0.0           0        0

BLOCKING                      PANCAKES SACKS ALLOWED
Tunch Ilkin                          5             0
Eric Green                           3             0
Tom Ricketts                         2             2
Tim Worley                           2             0
Dermontti Dawson                     2             1
Merril Hoge                          1             0
John Rienstra                        1             1
Terry Long                           1             1

Player Of The Game
================================================== ========
Bengals - HB - James Brooks - 25 Att - 5.8 Avg - 147 Yds - 2 TD - 3 Rec - 25 Yds - 1 Drop

Performers & Slackers
================================================== ========
Cincinnati Bengals Performers
1. HB - James Brooks: James Brooks was one of the question marks coming into the 1991 season. After ending last year with an injury that saw him miss the Bengals playoff game, the Bengals were wondering how long it would take Brooks to get acclimated to the starting role again. Apparently it wouldn't take long as Brooks had an outstanding 147 yard 2 touchdown performance, including a 39 yard break out run in the 3rd quarter against a talented Pittsburgh Steelers defense. He also managed to make 25 yards in the air as well proving his versatility. If Brooks keeps this up Ickey Woods may end up being phased out of the two-headed runningback system in Cincinnati.

2. DE - Daniel Stubbs: Daniel Stubbs was a big free agent acquisition for the Cincinnati Bengals defense this off-season. He played well last year and was hoping to bring much needed intensity to the Bengals defensive line. Stubbs exploded in his first game in a Bengal uniform as he tallied 3 sacks against Steelers quarterback, Bubby Brister. The 3 sacks would tie Daniel Stubbs with Anthony Pleasant of the Cleveland Browns for the current league lead in sacks.

3. CB - Aeneas Williams: First round draft pick, Aeneas Williams had a solid opening performance for his NFL debut. He managed to make 3 tackles on the night, including one for a loss. He also added his own personal historic event as he intercepted a Bubby Brister pass late in the 2nd quarter for his first in his hopefully solid NFL career.

Cincinnati Bengals Slackers
1. WR - Tim McGee: McGee struggled in the first game of the 1991 season as he only caught 2 passes for 17 yards on the night. Those hardly look like number one wide receiver caliber numbers. McGee will have to improve those if he actually wants to keep his top spot as a slightly younger Eddie Brown is creeping up behind him, and he actually had about double the performance that McGee did in the opener. Some mediocre play by Boomer Esiason was also a contributing factor to the lack of numbers McGee put up, but is still no excuse for a decidedly forgettable game.

2. LB - James Francis: James Francis struggled to make tackles all night as he was shaken free 4 times throughout the game. These missed tackles ended up giving the Steelers a few key first downs, as well as dropping Francis' morale for the remainder of the game. As a result Francis ended with only 1 tackle on his stat sheet for the entire game, something that needs to be worked on to help vault the Bengals linebacker corps into stardom.

3. TE - Rodney Holman: When the top receiver, Tim McGee, is struggling to get things done offensively it is usually the job of the tight end, Rodney Holman, to bail him out of the situation and put up compensatory numbers. However in the 1991 season opener for the Bengals Holman did not do what was expected. Holman is coming off a career high 66 catch season in 1990, and he opened this year's season with a single catch for 8 yards on the entire night. These numbers will need to be improved before chants of aging are thrown at the veteran tight end.

Pittsburgh Steelers Performers
1. LB - Bryan Hinkle: Bryan Hinkle is often over-shadowed in the Steelers linebacker corps because of the young talent he hast surrounding him in Gary Lloyd and Hardy Nickerson. However he proved himself by outshining both of them in the 1991 opener against the Bengals. He put up 4 tackles on the night, one of which was a tackle for a loss. Not to mention he also managed to wrangle Boomer Esiason for a single sack and an interception in the 2nd quarter, as well as deflecting a pass. Hinkle proved his versatile nature by garnering a statistic in just about every category.

2. LB - Hardy Nickerson: While not quite as solid as his fellow teammate, Bryan Hinkle, linebacker Hardy Nickerson had a solid opener to the year with a 5 tackle 1 sack performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.

3. WR - Louis Lipps: Louis Lipps proved that as a veteran wide receiver his age wasn't going to affect him as he soared above all other Steelers wide receivers, once again, in this years debut. His 8 catches for 121 yards easily were the best. However 2 drops prevented his numbers from looking stellar. Lipps will need to continue this until the Steelers can find a suitable solid number two receiver to compliment him, as they seem to have yet to be able to locate.

Pittsburgh Steelers Slackers
1. HB - Merril Hoge: Merril Hoge has a young runningback breathing down his neck in Barry Foster, and if things don't improve from his performance in tonights game, then he will very quickly be replaced. Hoge had one single bright spot in today's game, and that was that he scored a 1 yard touchdown run, by falling into a huge hole in the line. However on his 14 carries he had a horrendous, 14 yards. He made a single catch for 8 yards as well. These numbers hardly look like starting runningback numbers for a playoff caliber team, and they'll need to change as soon as possible.

2. QB - Bubby Brister: Bubby Brister struggled in his first game of the 1991 sason. He completed 55% of his passes for 243 yards, but did not throw a single touchdown. He also threw 2 interceptions throughout the game which gave him a total 53.9 quarterback rating, leaving much to be desired. The Steelers will need their leader to pick up his play in the near future if they want to remain in contention as a playoff team.

3. OL - Tom Ricketts: Tom Ricketts did have 2 pancakes on the night but that was overshadowed by his allowing of 2 sacks on quarterback Bubby Brister. Ricketts was dominated by Bengals free agent DE, Daniel Stubbs, throughout the entire game, and became a glaring weak spot on the Steeler's offensive line. Hopefully he can improve his play in the next few games or it may be Bubby Brister that feels the repercussions of Rickett's less than stellar performances.

Game Pictures
================================================== =======

Top Left: Bubby Brister would soon get used to this image as Daniel Stubbs was in the Steelers backfield for the majority of the game.
Top Right: Kendal Smith takes this perfectly thrown pass from Boomer Esiason and then turns on his afterburners as he races down field for a 73 yard touchdown reception to make it 7-3 Bengals early in the 1st quarter.
Bottom Left: Bryan Hinkle catches Boomer Esiason by surprise as he lurks in the shadows and then nips this pass out of the air for a key interception.
Bottom Right: Rookie defensive back, Aeneas Williams shows his much touted leaping ability as he extends beyond belief on this pass to pick Brister's throw out of the air for his first NFL interception.



Top Left: Free agent acquisition and ex-Packer veteran, Mark Lee, intercepts a Bubby Brister pass and is brought down by Steelers runningback, Merril Hoge.
Top Right: James Brooks blows through a weak Rod Woodson tackle and then sprints his way 39 yards for a spectacular touchdown run that makes the score 17-6 Bengals with 7:50 remaining in the 3rd quarter.
Bottom Left: Merril Hoge manages to shake off this Bengal defender and then collapse 1 yard into the end-zone for his first rushing touchdown of the season, and inching the Steelers closer 17-13, Bengals, with 2:34 left in the 3rd.
Bottom Right: James Brooks shoots to the outside around the Steelers defenders and easily walks in this 6 yard touchdown run at the end of the 3rd quarter to make it 24 to 13, Bengals.


Game Notes
================================================== ==
- I upped the CPU run sliders once again. I also dropped Human Interception slider, and lowered Human break block.

[young2rice]

1991 - Week 1 Wrap up
==========================================

Week 1 Games
-----------------------------------------------------
Broncos (0-1) - Vs - Chargers (1-0) - (3-34) - P.O.T.G. - CB - Sam Seale (7 Tak - 2 Deflect - 2 Int - 1 TD)
Giants (1-0) - Vs - 49ers (0-1) - (30-27 OT) - P.O.T.G. - CB - Mark Collins (5 Tak - 1 Deflection - 1 Int - 1 TD)
Chiefs (1-0) - Vs - Patriots (0-1) - (59-27) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Christian Okoye (29 Att - 9.5 Avg - 277 Yds - 5 TD - 1 Rec - 0 Yds - 0 TD)
Saints (0-1) - Vs - Bears (1-0) - (24-34) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Neal Anderson (18 Att - 8.6 Avg - 155 Yds - 2 TD - 1 Fum - 5 Rec - 44 Yds)
Cowboys (1-0) - Vs - Vikings (0-1) - (21-20) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Emmitt Smith (22 Att - 3.4 Avg - 76 Yds - 2 TD)
Browns (0-1) - Vs - Lions (1-0) - (14-23) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Barry Sanders (26 Att - 6.5 Avg - 169 Yds - 1 TD - 2 Rec - 16.5 Avg - 33 Yds - 1 Drop)
Oilers (1-0) - Vs - Rams (0-1) - (34-13) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Bo Jackson (27 Att - 3.0 Avg - 83 Yds - 2 TD)
Dolphins (1-0) - Vs - Falcons (0-1) - (23-20) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Mike Rozier (22 Att - 5.9 Avg - 131 Yds - 1 TD - 2 Rec - 30 Yds - 1 Drop - 1 Pancake)
Redskins (0-1) - Vs - Seahawks (1-0) - (20-27) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Chris Warren (31 Att - 4.6 Avg - 144 Yds - 1 TD - 4 Rec - 46 Yds - 1 TD - 1 Drop)
Raiders (1-0) - Vs - Eagles (0-1) - (13-10) - P.O.T.G. - WR - Mervyn Fernandez (4 Rec - 27.5 Avg - 110 Yds - 0 TD - 0 Drop)
Bills (1-0) - Vs - Jets(0-1) - (31-10) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Thurman Thomas (22 Att - 9.1 Avg - 202 Yds - 3 TD - 1 Rec - 2 Yds)
Bengals (1-0) - Vs - Steelers (0-1) - (24-13) - P.O.T.G. - HB - James Brooks (25 Att - 5.8 Avg - 147 Yds - 2 TD - 3 Rec - 25 Yds - 1 Drop)

News & Notes
========================================
Career Firsts
-------------------
-Bengals - FS - Aeneas Williams achieved his 1st career interception.
-Cowboys - DT - Eric Swann achieved his 1st career sack.
-Dolphins - RE - Michael Sinclair achieved his 1st career sack.
-Falcons - QB - Brett Favre achieved his 1st career passing touchdown.
-Packers - HB - Leonard Russel achieved his 1st career rushing touchdown.

Complaining About Not Starting
-----------------------------------
-Browns - LE - Al Baker (82 Ovr, 35 Yrs) is complaining about how management ditched his veteran leadership for young Rob Burnett (79 Ovr, 22 Yrs) and wants to fight for his starting job.
-Browns - HB - Barry Word (82 Ovr, 27 Yrs) is complaining about his situation with Cleveland as soon as the season starts. Barry has stated that he is demanding to be traded to another team. People wonder if he understood the situation coming into Cleveland as he is fighting for the #2 spot at the HB position as Leroy Hoard (88 Ovr, 23 Yrs) is the starter and Eric Metcalf is #2 (83 Ovr, 23 Yrs).
-Buccaneers - FS - Dave Duerson (85 Ovr, 30 Yrs) has stated that he wishes to start for Tampa Bay as he knows he's aging and wants to get as much playing time in as he can before he may end up calling it a career. Duerson is playing a backup role to Harry Hamilton (92 Ovr, 28 Yrs) Duerson still has 3 years left on his contract with the Buccaneers.
-Buccaneers - HB - Gary Anderson (84 Ovr, 30 Yrs) a veteran runningback in the NFL feels that the signing of Roger Craig was uncalled for, due to his solid play last season. He has stated he is unhappy with the lack of respect the Buccaneers franchise showed the veteran and is demanding to either be traded or released from his 3 year contract at the end of the season.
-Falcons - QB - Chris Miller (84 Ovr, 26 Yrs) is unhappy that the Falcons decided to go with rookie quarterback Brett Favre (83 Ovr, 22 Yrs) over him as the starter. Miller feels he is entering the prime of his career and wants his playing time upped.
-Lions - HB - Rueben Mayes (82 Ovr, 28 Yrs) wants to get more carries instead of strictly being 'the backup' to Barry Sanders (96 Ovr, 23 Yrs).
-Oilers - HB - Lorenzo White (82 Ovr, 25 Yrs) feels that his talent is being wasted on the bench. He was pumped to earn the starting role this season for the Oilers when Mike Rozier departed, but with the pickup of Bo Jackson (93 Ovr, 28 Yrs), White is seeing his chances close.
-Patriots - LB - Johnny Rembert (94 Ovr, 30 Yrs) was baffled when the Patriots head coach benched him this week. Rembert is easily the most skilled linebacker on the squad, but due to an altercation at practice the head coach penalized him for the week 1 game, and he was definitely not happy about that.
-Rams - HB - Curt Warner (82 Ovr, 30 Yrs) feels that he has earned himself the right to start over Cleveland Gary (83 Ovr, 25 Yrs) and rookie Rickey Watters (81 Ovr, 22 Yrs) however the Rams went with young Watters for game one, and plan on having him split carries with Cleveland Gary.
-Redskins - FS - Alvin Walton (85 Ovr, 27 Yrs) is having a hard time acclimating to the fact that free agent aquisition, Vencie Glenn (96 Ovr, 27 Yrs) is the new starter for the Redskins. Walton was fine with it initially but his lack of playing time is starting to test his nerves.


Players of the Week
---------------------------------------------------
Offensive Player of the Week
Chiefs - HB - Christian Okoye - 29 Att - 9.5 Avg - 277 Yds - 5 TD - 1 Rec - 0 Yds - 0 TD

Defensive Player of the Week
Chargers - CB - Sam Seale - 7 Tak - 2 Deflect - 2 Int - 1 TD

Top 3 Performances
================================
QB
========
1. 49ers - Joe Montana - 25 of 50 Att - 50% - 382 Yds - 3 TD - 1 Int - 87.2 Rat
2. Chiefs - Steve Pelluer - 13 of 18 Att - 72% - 208 Yds - 2 TD - 0 Int - 147.4 Rat
3. Bears - Mark Vlasic - 22 of 31 Att - 70% - 238 Yds - 2 TD - 1 Int - 101.2 Rat

HB
=========
1. Chiefs - Christian Okoye - 29 Att - 9.5 Avg - 277 Yds - 5 TD - 1 Rec - 0 Yds
2. Bills - Thurman Thomas - 22 Att - 9.1 Avg - 202 Yds - 3 TD - 1 Rec - 2 Yds
3. Bears - Neal Anderson - 18 Att - 8.6 Avg - 155 Yds - 2 TD - 1 Fum - 5 Rec - 44 Yds

WR
=========
1. 49ers - Jerry Rice - 11 Rec - 15.9 Avg - 175 Yds - 2 TD - 0 Drop
2. Jets - Terance Mathis - 10 Rec - 12.7 Avg - 128 Yds - 1 TD - 1 Drop
3. Redskins - Gary Clark - 9 Rec - 20.0 Avg - 180 Yds - 1 TD - 3 Drop

DL
=========
1. Browns - Anthony Pleasant - 6 Tak - 3 Sack
2. Bengals - Daniel Stubbs - 4 Tak - 1 Loss - 3 Sack
3. Vikings - Al Noga - 6 Tak - 3 Loss - 2 Sack

LB
=========
1. Bills - Shane Conlan - 8 Tak - 3 Loss - 1 Sack - 2 Int - 3 Deflect
2. Cowboys - Roman Phifer - 11 Tak - 1 Loss
3. Eagles - Byron Evans - 8 Tak - 3 Loss - 1 Sack

DB
=========
1. Chargers - Sam Seale - 7 Tak - 2 Int - 1 TD - 2 Deflect
2. Giants - Mark Collins - 5 Tak - 1 Int - 1 TD - 1 Deflect
3. Seahawks - Cedric Mack - 11 Tak - 1 Int - 4 Deflect



Injuries
===================================

[young2rice]

1991 - Week 2 Wrap up
==========================================

Week 2 Games
-----------------------------------------------------
49ers (0-1) - Vs - Cowboys (1-0) - (10-21) - P.O.T.G. - QB - Troy Aikman (13 of 23 - 56.5% - 132 Yds - 2 TD)
Bears (1-0) - Vs - Bengals (1-0) - (27-16) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Neal Anderson (32 Att - 145 Yds - 2 TD - 2 Rec - 13 Yds)
Cardinals (1-0) - Vs - Rams (0-1) - (24-17) - P.O.T.G. - SS - Tim McDonald (4 Tak - 1 Int - 1 TD - 2 Deflect)
Patriots (0-1) - Vs - Buccaneers (1-0) - (17-22) - P.O.T.G. - LB - John Grimsley (8 Tak - 1 Sack - 1 FF)
Chargers (1-0) - Vs - Bills (1-0) - (32-17) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Marion Butts (22 Att - 5.0 Avg - 111 Yds - 1 TD - 1 Rec - 20 Yds)
Oilers (1-0) - Vs - Colts (1-0) - (26-17) - P.O.T.G. - K - Norm Johnson (4 of 4 FG - 100% - 53 Lg - 2 of 2 XP - 100%)
Eagles (0-1) - Vs - Redskins (0-1) - (10-34) - P.O.T.G. - QB - Mark Rypien (18 of 32 Att - 56.3% - 160 Yds - 3 TD - 1 Int)
Saints (0-1) - Vs - Dolphins (1-0) - (23-6) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Dalton Hillard (27 Att - 4.0 Avg - 109 Yds - 1 TD - 1 Fum - 2 Rec - 26 Yds)
Packers (1-0) - Vs - Seahawks (1-0) - (22-31) - P.O.T.G. - WR - Tommy Kane (4 Rec - 9.5 Avg - 38 Yds - 1 TD - 5 KR - 18.2 Avg - 91 Yds - 3 PR - 22.3 Avg - 67 Yds - 1 TD)
Chiefs (1-0) - Vs - Broncos (0-1) - (10-6) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Christian Okoye (24 Att - 4.3 Avg - 102 Yds)
Falcons (0-1) - Vs - Giants (1-0) - (31-10) - P.O.T.G. - LB - Lawrence Taylor (15 Tak - 1 Sack - 1 FF - 1 Deflect)
Lions (1-0) - Vs - Vikings (0-1) - (19-0) - P.O.T.G. - HB - Barry Sanders (28 Att - 4.2 Avg - 117 Yds - 1 TD - 1 Rec - 22 Yds)

News & Notes
========================================
Career Firsts
-------------------
-Bills - WR - Mike Pritchard achieved his 1st career touchdown reception.
-Chargers - WR - REggie Barrett achieved his 1st career touchdown reception.
-Chiefs - RE - Phil Hansen achieved his 1st career sack.
-Oilers - RE - Robert Young achieved his 1st career sack.
-Redskins - DT - Leon Lett achieved his 1st career sack.

Complaining About Not Starting
-----------------------------------
-Packers - DT - Shawn Patterson (82 Ovr, 24 Yrs) feels that he is entering into a key part of his career and wants to be the starter on the team, but Tony Casillas (91 Ovr, 27 Yrs) is stunting that growht.
-Patriots - CB - Rod McSwain (84 Ovr, 29 Yrs) feels that he is not being utilized well as a nickle corner in New England's scheme. With talent like Ronnie Lippett (93 Ovr, 30 Yrs), and Maurice Hurst (90 Ovr, 23 Yrs) in front of him McSwain wants to talk about a potential trade with other teams, or an increased role in New England.


Players of the Week
---------------------------------------------------
Offensive Player of the Week
Bears - HB - Neal Anderson - 32 Att - 4.5 Avg - 145 Yds - 2 TD - 2 Rec - 13 Yds - 0 TD

Defensive Player of the Week
Cardinals - SS - Tim McDonald - 4 Tak - 1 Int - 1 TD - 2 Deflect

Top 3 Performances
================================
QB
========
1. Redskins - Mark Rypien - 18 of 32 Att - 56.3% - 160 Yds - 3 TD - 1 Int
2. Cowboys - Troy Aikman - 13 of 23 Att - 56.5% - 132 Yds - 2 TD - 0 Int
3. Bills - Jim Kelly - 16 of 32 Att - 50% - 159 Yds - 2 TD - 0 Int

HB
=========
1. Bears - Neal Anderson - 32 Att - 4.5 Avg - 145 Yds - 2 TD - 0 Fum
2. Colts - Eric Dickerson - 21 Att - 5.3 Avg - 111 Yds - 1 TD - 0 Fum - 6 Rec - 53 Yds - 1 TD
3. Cowboys - Emmitt Smith - 26 Att - 4.8 Avg - 126 Yds - 1 TD - 0 Fum - 1 Rec - 14 Yds

WR
=========
1. 49ers - John Taylor - 7 Rec - 14.9 Avg - 104 Yds - 1 TD - 0 Drop
2. Chargers - Anthony Miller - 7 Rec - 12.3 Avg - 86 Yds - 1 TD - 0 Drop
3. Saints - Quinn Early - 5 Rec - 16.2 Avg - 81 Yds - 1 TD - 0 Drop

DL
=========
1. Bengals - Tim Krumrie - 3 Tak - 2 Sack - 1 FR - 1 Deflect
2. Oilers - Sean Jones - 6 Tak - 1 Sack - 1 FR
3. Bears - William Perry - 5 Tak - 1 Sack

LB
=========
1. Cardinals - Ken Harvey - 12 Tak - 3 Sack - 1 FR - 2 Deflect
2. Bills - Cornelius Bennett - 10 Tak - 3 Sack - 1 Deflect
3. Giants - Lawrence Taylor - 15 Tak - 1 Sack - 1 FF - 1 Deflect
DB
=========
1. Cardinals - Tim McDonald - 4 Tak - 1 Int - 1 TD - 2 Deflect
2. 49ers - Ronnie Lott - 8 Tak - 2 Sack - 1 FF - 1 FR - 1 Deflect
3. Vikings - Joey Browner - 7 Tak - 1 Sack - 1 Int - 1 Deflect



Injuries
===================================