ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, January 13, 1997 TAG: 9701140027
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: FOXBORO, MASS.
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ENGLAND DOES what it's told and ends Jacksonville's playoff run in the AFC championship game.
Bill Parcells was precise in his instructions: Do exactly what I say and I'll get you to the Super Bowl.
The New England Patriots did, and that's exactly where they're heading.
Inspired by a coach who won two NFL championships with the New York Giants, the Patriots beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-6 Sunday for the AFC title.
In two weeks, in New Orleans, they'll try to win their first NFL championship when they meet the Green Bay Packers, who routed the Carolina Panthers 30-13 in the NFC title game.
``The man knows what it takes,'' said guard William Roberts, who was on both Giants teams. ``He made sure the players understood that, understood the sacrifices and everything you need to do to be a champion.''
On this day, what the Patriots needed to do was shut down one of the league's most prolific attacks - exactly the kind of football Parcells preaches. They responded to their coach, who might be leaving after the trip to the bayou: his contract is up after the season.
``We heard a lot about other teams' great defenses [from Parcells],'' said defensive end Willie McGinest, who was more than former college teammate Tony Boselli could handle on the line. ``We got together and asked ourselves, `Why can't we do that? Why can't we stop people?' And we got together and started making big plays, too.''
New England's biggest plays came in the final four minutes, when the Patriots forced three turnovers.
Willie Clay intercepted a pass in the end zone with 3:43 to go after the Jaguars finally got moving, then Otis Smith grabbed a fumble and went 47 yards for the clinching touchdown with 2:24 remaining. Tedy Bruschi picked off another pass with 1:52 to go.
``We just had to be poised and patient,'' said Smith, signed during the season after being cut by the New York Jets. ``The plays started coming to us in the fourth quarter.''
Until then, it was a spotty performance for a pair of teams that looked sensational getting here. The offenses lacked spark, particularly after an 11-minute power failure at Foxboro Stadium in the second quarter.
But the Patriots made it through the darkness, just as they found their way through the fog a week earlier in routing the Pittsburgh Steelers. They've yielded nine points in the playoffs and only one touchdown in the last four games.
``I'm just very excited for the opportunity,'' said Parcells, whose team is a 13 1/2-point underdog to Green Bay. ``These players have given me everything.''
The Packers can't be too intimidated about facing the Patriots, who were nearly as inconsistent on offense as the Jaguars. But New England's defense was superb.
The Patriots kept constant pressure on Mark Brunell. The Jacksonville quarterback led the league in yards passing this season, but he rarely had time to set up and look downfield.
When the Jaguars tried to run, Natrone Means usually found nothing but blue jerseys in his way.
``At no time on the sidelines was there a feeling we were totally out of it,'' Means said. ``Everyone felt like it was a matter of time before we started making plays.''
The Jaguars seemed to be on their way when Brunell guided them 58 yards to the Patriots 5 late in the game, but Clay stepped in front of Derek Brown in the end zone for the big interception.
The Jaguars got the ball back at their 42 with 2:36 remaining, but Smith came up with James Stewart's fumble and went 47 yards for the clinching touchdown.
``We won, that was my feeling,'' Smith said. ``I knew we won the game at that point. That was my best feeling ever.''
For further defensive emphasis, there was Bruschi's interception.
``The things that have not plagued us hurt us today,'' Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin said of the turnovers.
It was the first conference crown for New England since 1985, when the Patriots lost 46-10 to Chicago in the Super Bowl.
New England's other scoring came on Curtis Martin's 1-yard run after an aborted Jacksonville punt, and field goals by rookie Adam Vinatieri of 29 and 20 yards.
It wasn't much, but the defense, ranked 19th in the NFL and 28th against the pass, made sure it was enough. It held Means to 43 yards rushing - he had 315 in the previous two playoff games - and limited Brunell to 190 yards while intercepting two passes.
Parcells joins Don Shula as the only coaches to take two different teams to the Super Bowl, and he would be the first to win with different teams. see microfilm for box score
LENGTH: Medium: 98 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: 1. AP Chris Hudson (37) of the Jaguars fumbles theby CNBfootball after being hit by Ray Lucas (15) and Marty Moore of New
England. color
2. AP Curtis Martin (28) of New England goes in for a touchdown as
Jacksonville's Travis Davis (45) tries to prevent the score. KEYWORDS: FOOTBALL