UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, December 5, 1996
3B
Broncos next in Packers fight
By Dave Goldberg AP football writer
Here is how the professionals look at Denver's trip to Green Bay.
When the line first came out, they treated it as a Super Bowl preview — the Packers were favored by six. Now that the Broncos have no reason to win the game, it's 8 1/2.
The original spread was three points (maybe four) for the frozen tundra of Lambau Field and a couple more because the odds-makers still think NFC teams generate more support than AFC teams.
But now that the Broncos have clinched home field for the AFC playoffs, who knows how they'll play? This game means nothing to Denver, so John Elway may rest his sore hamstring and some other banged-up Broncos may also sit.
Carmen Policy, the president of the San Francisco 49ers, would love to see the Packers lose, which would allow his team a good shot at wresting home field in the playoffs from Green Bay.
"From Denver's perspective, it would be a motivating thing to beat one of the top teams in the NFC at their home field, where they're thought to be invulnerable," Policy said.
That sounds like a pep talk.
Still, Elway wants to play, and the Broncos want to prove they are not just another soft AFC team.
So go with the first instinct of the pros.
PACKERS, 24-19.
Philadelphia (minus 4 1/2) at Indianapolis (Thursday night)
Paul Justin gets an education.
Paul Justin gets an education. EAGLES. 20-6.
Carolina (plus 9) at San Francisco Looks like the pros still don't take the Panthers seriously. Hey, they're two for three lifetime against the Niners. 49ERS 19-16
Dallas (minus 1.0) at Arizona Now that Leon Lett is gone, the Dallas offense is talking about picking up the defense. Why don't they just pick up the Cowboys and try again next year? CARDINALS, 31-30.
San Diego (plus 9 1/2) at Pittsburgh
Can things get any worse for the Chargers?
Not only are the Steelers angry about last
week's loss, but they also add Sean Salisbury
rather than Stan Humphries.
STEELERS. 24-6.
DOLPHINS.24-20.
Washington (mnus 3) at Tampa Bay The Redskins have lost four of five, but give them credit for the 10 days they've had to rest. REDSKINS 20-10
Minnesota (plus 2 1/2) at Detroit At this time of year, look at the team that's still alive. VIKINGS. 31-28.
Buffalo (minus 5) at Seattle
Buffalo (minus 5) at Seattle
Buffalo lost to a backup quarterback in a dome last week. Not twice in a row.
BILLS, 24-13.
Jacksonville (plus 6) at Houston The Oilers are 5-2 on the road and 2-4 at "home." LACUARS 24:23
JAGUARS.24-23
New York Jets (plus 1.3) at New England
The perception is that the Jets have packed it in for the season. Did they ever have it?
PATRIOTS, 41-13.
New York Glants (plus 7) at Miami How do you predict a game between two unpredictable teams? Go with Jimmy.
St. Louis (plus 6 1/2) at Chicago
All four of the Rams' wins have been in
domes. Not here.
BEARS, 27-10.
Baltimore (plus 3) at Cincinnati
The Baltimore Ravens never have won a road game.
BENGALS 44-41
Atlanta (plus 1) at New Orleans A game someone has to win? Or do they? TIE, 2-2 (overtime).
Kansas City (plus 2) st Oakland (Monday night)
The Chiefs have won seven straight from the Raiders. Why not one more?
CHIEFS, 16-13.
Suspension jolts Cowboys' defense
IRVING, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys survived without Michael Irvin. They think they can get back to the Super Bowl without their best defensive player, Leon Lett.
The Associated Press
Tony Casillas yesterday was plugged into the right tackle position Lett was suspended from, with Hurvin McCormack as backup.
"Obviously we'd love to have Leon, but we feel confident we can do the job despite the changes," defensive coordinator Dave Campo said. "We have a tremendous
amount of pride in our defensive unit. Tony Casillas is a good player."
The Cowboys, with Lett, have the No. 1 defense in the NFL.
Casillas, an 11-year veteran, has only 15 tackles and no sacks in limited playing time. McCormack has 18 tackles and has been credited with 1/12 sacks.
"I'm frustrated for Leon, and I feel badly for him because he is a good person," Campo said.
The Cowboys, tied with Washington and
Philadelphia in the NFC East, have three games left — Arizona, New England and Washington.
Lett was suspended for a year Tuesday for a second violation of the NFL's drug policy
Casillas was obtained from the free-agent ranks in the off-season as injury insurance in the defensive line. He said being a starter would make him a better plaver.
"You get a better feel of the game when you start," Casillas said. "It will be to my benefit."
The Cowboys won't depend only on Casillas and McCormack. Campo said the team was searching for someone who could provide more depth.
Dallas could have some salary cap money freed because the checks he had stopped on Lett's $150,000 per game payoff. Lett's suspension will cost him about $2 million.
Former Houston Oiler Ray Childress was under consideration, but Cowboys officials weren't sure if he would price himself out of the market.
Lett missed a month last year the first time he was suspended, and the Cowboys logged a 3-1 record without him.
Lett finished the year with 54 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks. He also had an impressive 20 quarterback pressures.
Ditka gives advice to Broncos
By Dave Goldberg AP football writer
Mike Ditka, the last coach in the National Football League to be in Denver coach Mike Shanahan's position, has some perspective on how the Broncos should play their three mean-ingless, regular season
ingless regular-season games: Go all out.
"I think the worst thing you can do is rest people," said Ditka, whose 1985 Chicago Bears clinched homefield advantage in the playoffs with three
games left, just as the Broncos did last Sunday. The Bears, who finished 15-1 and went on to beat New England 46-10 in the Super Bowl, were the only other team in the Super Bowl era to clinch the best conference record this early.
Chicago won its final three games after clinching a 38-24 defeat in Miami in the week of its only loss. The Dolphins were motivated by the prospect of keeping the 1972 Miami
team the only undefeated team in history.
Still, the Bears used all their important players down the stretch. Running back Walter Payton carried 26 times in a 17-10 victory against Indianapolis. He ran 28 times in a 19-6 victory against the New York Jets and 17 in a 37-17 victory against Detroit in the season finale.
Ditka wasn't telling Shanahan how to coach. But he suggested the Denver coach leave it up to John Elway, who has a sore hamstring, whether to start at quarterback against Green Bay on Sunday and in the final two games against Oakland and San Diego.
"You don't play people who are injured," he said. "We had no choice but to rest Jim McMahon. But I believe in playing all out. Buffalo is the worst example. They've rested their best guys after they've clinched, and they've lost four Super Bowls."
Not that the Bears didn't relax a bit.
On the Friday after they clinched home field in 1985, they taped the "Super Bowl Shuffle," the rap video impossible to avoid during their run to victory.
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