From: dggok@pbhyg.PacBell.COM (4E150M)
Subject: Re: Playoffs/the final answer/the Cowboys.
Reply-To: dggok@PacBell.COM (David G. Gok)
Organization: Pacific * Bell, San Ramon, CA
Date: Mon, 28 Dec 1992 18:17:27 GMT

In article <1992Dec28.094901.4751@admin1.memst.edu> jasmith@admin1.memst.edu (John) writes:
>          Week #17 proved to be fatal for some teams.  Starting quarterbacks
>       from a few key teams in the AFC could leave the AFC crown up for grabs.
>       Houston came on strong proving there ready for the playoffs.  Or did 
>       they.  The loss of Kelly for the Bills along with other standouts
>       injuried might prove to be the end of the Bills season.  Cinderalla,
>       Cinderalla, have you lost your fella.  A separated shoulder leaves 
>       San Diego longing in the midnight hour.  Washington loses its last
>       two games but still manages to get in the playoffs.  Minnesota leaves
>       a few unanswered questions after crushing Green Bay.  Are they for real?
>       Or was Green Bay a joke?  A late come back and an overtime field goal
>       give Miami the AFC east title.  Buffalo slipping in to the dog house.
>       A team that was one win away from clinching the home field advantage 
>       through out the playoff is now stuck in a wild card game.
>
>                              WILD CARD GAMES
>       National Football Conference        American Football Conference
>
>          Philadelphia     17                 Houston          31
>       at New Orleans      13              at Buffalo          10
>
>          Washington       13                 Kansas City      28
>       at Minnesota        24              at San Diego        17
>
>       Defense is the game and Philadelphia is the team.  New Orleans will have
>       to wait another season for there first playoff win.  A team that really 
>       doesn't want to defend there title, Washington, will crumble for the
>       last time this year in Minnesota.  The story in the AFC is injuries.
>       No Kelly, no Buffalo.  In week #17, Houston proved to be the better
>       team, and they prove to be a better team then a wobbling Bills' team.
>       Backup quarterbacks usually don't get the job done, and this should be
>       the case for San Diego.  Kansas City's defense should get the job done 
>       on the backup QB this week.
>        
>                             1ST ROUND GAMES
>
>          Philadelphia     24                 Houston          16
>       at San Francisco    28              at Pittsburgh       23
>
>
>          Minnesota        17                 Kansas City      35
>       at Dallas           34              at Miami            17
>
>       It's a big game and it hard for me to go against Philly since they lost
>       the last game between Philly-SF but Philly looks like they might just
>       going back into the slump.  Bad time to go into a slump, San Francisco 
>       is just too much for a slumping Philadelphia team.  Minnesota just
>       doesn't have enough offensive to score with the Cowboys.  The Cowboys
>       who by no doubt have the strongest offensive in the NFL this year.  

Excuse me.  By what yardstick?  49ers - #1 in points scored.  49ers - #1
in yardage gained?  Where are the Cowboys?  Remember, Dallas didn't have
to play the best defense in the NFL - New Orleans - TWICE.  (And for
those that disagree that NO is the best defense, read on below.)

>       San Francisco has the best passing offensive, but the Cowboys are a 
>       well balanced attack unlike the 49ers.  And the Cowboys statisically own

Well, Waters will gain his 1000+ yards tonight, after having missed most of
4 games.  Well balanced attack?  For most of the year the 49ers have been
the #1 RUSHING team in the NFL and the #3 passing team.  Gee, where is
Dallas???

>       the best defensive.  These factors will just be too much for Minnesota 
>       to handle.  Barry Foster and Pittsburgh.  In order for Pittsburgh to
>       control Houston, Foster is going to have to control the game. 
>       Pittsburgh in a tight one over Houston.  Miami a team that is up and
>       down, one week beating Buffalo the next week stealing a victory from
>       New England will have there hands full against the Kansas City defense.
>       In a crushing defeat, Kansas City will advance. 
>
>       NFC Championship Game             AFC Championship Game
>          Dallas         49                 Kansas City        16
>       at San Francisco  28              at Pittsburgh         19
>
>       Dallas who has been prone to give up points thru the air will give up 
>       four score in the air.  But San Francisco who has not faced an
>       offensive attack like the Cowboys will understand what real offensive

Excuse me.  "...has not faced an offensive attack like the Cowboys"?  I
don't have the final season's numbers in front of me, only the ones as of
12/9/92 (after 13 games played).  However, the 49ers have the #1 offensive,
whether measured by POINTS (Cowboys tied for 3rd) or YARDS (Cowboys 5th).
Who do you think the 49er defense practices against?  Anyway, we already
played Buffalo (gave up 34 points early in season) and Miami (gave up 3
points late in season), both ranked ahead of Dallas.  Unlike Dallas,
both of those teams have playoff tested quarterbacks.  We didn't play
Houston, who is also ranked ahead of Dallas offensively.

Dallas hasn't come close to 49 points this season.  Best was 41 (?)
against the Falcons.  Do you recall the 49er scores against Atlanta?
How about 56-17 and 41-3?  Who do you think you are, the 1986 Giants :-).

>       fire power is all about.  A pass defensive that is rank amoung the worse
>       in the NFL and rushing defensive that has not been test by the top
>       rusher in the league.  E.Smith will have a field day, so will Aikman and

Actually, I happen to believe that Thomas and Sanders are both better than
Smith (but obviously this is very subjective).  Thomas caused the niners
fits early in the season.  We will find out about Sanders tonight.  BTW,
if the Dallas and Pittsburgh games had been reversed, with Dallas playing
first and Pittsburgh playing last you would have seen Foster win
the rushing championship!  It all depended on who had already finished
rushing for the day.  Do you think Johnson would have left Smith in
to up his yards total in a meaningless (in playoff standings) game without
knowing what Foster was going to do?  If so, you think less of Johnson's
coaching abilities than I do :-).

>       S.Young.  Foster left, Foster right, screen pass to Foster.  This should
>       be the Barry Foster day, but Kansas City will have a lot to say about 
>       the Barry Foster day.  Pittsbugh advancnes on the legs of Foster.
>
>                               SUPERBOWL
>       Dallas Cowboys      41            Pittsburgh Steelers    13
>
>       OFFENSIVE, DEFENSIVE, COWBOYS.  That's the story.  The Cowboys have done

I also believe that the Cowboys' defense is overrated!  Have they played the
NFL's best offense - the 49ers?  Have they played the second best - the
Bills?  Have they played the third best - the Oilers?  Have they played the
fourth best - the Dolphins?  NO. NO. NO. NO.  (And by the way, NO (as in
NEW ORLEANS) has played these teams four times!!!!)  My stats (remember,
I only have through the first 13 games) show NO 2nd to Dallas.  Change the
teams they play.  Make Dallas play a GOOD offense.  Then come back and
say that Dallas is a dominate defensive team.  Actually, I hope you
play NO in round 2.  THEN you will find out if you have an offense.
Buffalo and San Francisco managed to beat them, can Dallas?

By the way, this is NOT a knock against Dallas.  The Cowboys have had
a great season and could well represent the NFC in the SB.  However,
there are 5 other teams that will have a say in that.  Besides, the
AFC representative could be stronger than any of us NFC bigots believe.

>       great all year long against the run.  And Foster will not make the
>       grade.  The real story is NFC versus AFC.  No match this year.  If it
>       were SF-Pitts, Minnesota-Pitts, or any other team in the NFC.  The AFC
>       is too weak to contend with the NFC this year.