THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 9, 1995 TAG: 9501090147
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
Don Shula riding to the Super Bowl on his motor scooter. Dan Marino doggedly limping onto his home turf at Joe Robbie Stadium to face the Cowboys or 49ers.
Enough of what we won't see this season.
What those with stamina and a flexible dinner hour finally did witness early Sunday evening was a scintillating finish to an NFL playoff game. Will wonders never cease.
The San Diego Chargers' 22-21 victory over the Miami Dolphins was a rare treat on a weekend when the NFL could have advertised itself as a sleeping aid.
If only the league would present a complete package of playoff games as taut as Emmitt Smith's left hamstring. Then, maybe there wouldn't be such a rush to get to the rematch of the rematch of the rematch between the Cowboys and 49ers - the true Super Bowl.
This is what everybody wanted, another sequel to the only bigger-than-life rivalry in pro football. I suppose we should be grateful to the Packers and Bears for following the script and rolling over.
To the Browns, too, who made life easy for the Steelers, probably the only AFC team with a chance to be competitive against the NFC.
Although three-fourths of the NFL's weekend schedule was a bore, I fought to keep my eyes open. Wouldn't want to be nodding when the zebras made another one of their colossal blunders.
Also, I became fascinated with the new look currently favored among NFL players. Where was I when players began wearing Band-Aids across the bridge of their nose?
It seems as if every fourth player, from elegant Jerry Rice to the mastodons in the pits, appears with the fashion accessory. Why didn't Dennis Rodman think of this?
There was another reason I remained upright in front of the tube. I was afraid I'd doze off and awaken to discover that the Buffalo Bills were still alive and in the playoffs.
Instead, I watched the Cowboys' offense come to life. Troy Aikman to Alvin Harper. Deep. Aikman to Michael Irvin. On the slant pattern. Aikman to Jay Novacek. Here, there and everywhere.
Guess Troy is back. He'd better be if Emmitt isn't able to go full speed at Candlestick Park.
Against the Packers, even without Smith, it looked all too easy for the Cowboys. Who do they think they are, the 49ers?
When Steve Young threw an incompletion against the Bears (he missed six times out of 22 attempts), it didn't call for a replay, but an investigation.
But despite the anticipated duel between Aikman and Young, the Niners-Cowboys game pivots on Smith's nagging hammy. That's what all the pregame huff and puff will be about.
If Aikman is forced to throw the ball more than he wants against the 49ers, San Francisco's superior pass defense becomes an even bigger factor.
With ballhawks like Deion Sanders and Merton Hanks tracking Aikman's passes, it's unlikely the Cowboys will move against the Niners the way they tore through the raggedy Pack.
Go with the home team.
As for the AFC title game, we've seen this before. Warm-weather team visits cold-weather city. Warm-weather team plays like a frozen carp.
The Steelers' defense is too confident, the home-field advantage too obvious to pick against them Sunday.
No surprises, then. Home teams win playoff games. Since when did the NFL promise surprises? by CNB