The Galveston Daily News from Galveston, Texas • Page 20

4-B $bt latlQ Thursday Morning, January 23,1986 Slowing Bears defense tough chore for Pats The award winners from the Santa Fe football banquet held Monday include (left to right): Bobby McLawchlin, Most Valuable Offensive Back; Steven Gehret, Fighting News photo by Jeff Sluder Heart; Jody Adamek, Most Valuable Offensive Lineman; John Marsh, Most Valuable Defensive Lineman; and Greg Brotherton, Most Valuable Defensive Back. Pats proud of their defense too NEW ORLEANS (AP) The Chicago Bears have the No. 1 defense in the National Football League, but the New England Patriots are pretty proud of their own. "Our defense is basically the same. We thrive on big plays, no matter how you get it done," said linebacker Andre Tippett.

The Patriots' defense is big on causing turnovers, and the Bears' offensive line prides itself on opening holes for Walter Payton and protecting quarterback Jim McMahon. "The Bears' offensive line is very good," Tippett said. "They are tough guys and they fight you. They will be hollering at us and we'll holler back at them. It should be a very physical match." Patriots' Coach Raymond Berry says Sunday's Super Bowl matchup will be even between the Patriots' defensive line and the Bears'offensive line.

"There are great players on both sides. Two tough units," said Berry. Patriot linebacker Larry McGrew claims "both teams are here because of strong defenses. Their offensive line is big and physical. They come at you, position you and try to cut off the angle of pursuit.

"They are not like Cincinnati's line, which is humongous," McGrew said. "They are big but quick and their center (Jay HUgenberg) can pull out." Steve Nelson doesn't expect to find any change in philosophy in dealing with the Bears' offense. "They'll give the ball to Walter Payton as they usually do," Nelson said. "Jim McMahon gives them another dimension because he is so mobile." Don Blackmon called the Bears "a very good offensive club and I can prove it. We looked back at some statistics and they topped the league in holding the ball more than any other team.

Walter Payton can run, pass and catch the ball. "They also have guys like (Willie) Gault and McMahon," Blackmon said. "We have to play a very sound football game." Nose tackle Lester Williams will be going up against HUgenberg but said it didn't bother him. "I go up against a good center every week," Williams said. "It's just another day at the office." End Garin Veris called the Bears' offensive line "one of the best we've played against.

They are big and strong. They'll start running the ball. We want to stop the run but they block well whether it's the pass or the run. "They keep McMahon from going down." said Veris, "and when he's pursued, that's when he's dangerous. And when someone makes a mistake, he makes up for it." Tackle Jimbo Covert, the mainstay of the Bears' line on offense, said the Patriots "do not pose any specific problems.

They're good. They rush the passer and we will have to protect McMahon. "But we're not a one-dimensional team." warned Covert. "The (Los Angeles) Rams shut down our running game, but we passed and won. We don't have to run to win.

We can pass and win." Covert, who plays next to Mark Bortz in the line, said, "Our two guards (Bortz and Tom Thayer) are the most underrated in the league. Mark is great; he can move people off the field." Keith Van Home, the other tackle, is having an outstanding season. "It's going to be a good game," Van Home said. "They have great linebackers and quick ends. They like to stunt and blitz.

We will have to establish the run." "They have a turnover defense." Bortz said. "They "have good people up front and their defensive ends are exceptional. It will be a dogfight. When it comes down to it, it will come down to our offensive line against their front seven. They're great and we are good." The Patriots have had 16 takeaways in three playoff games with seven interceptions and nine fumble recoveries.

The Bears have given up the bail only once in two playoff games and that was a fumble against the Los Angeles Rams. Hilgenberg likes to point out, "Thn New- York Giants led the league in sacks and we shut them out in sacks. These are the two best teams in the National Football league. "They are very strong, physical," Hilgenberg said. "They will do a lot of stunting and try to shut down our running game.

If we can run block, that will be a big part of the game but they are a very good defense against the run." NEW ORLEANS (AP) Overpowering Chicago's defenders is only part of the chore facing New England's offensive linemen in the Super Bowl. The Patriots also will have to out-think the Bears, and that could be the hardest part. Chicago's confusing scheme, which produced the NFL's top- rated defense the past two seasons, keeps those linemen guessing who will rush the passer. It requires instant adjustments in blocking assignments. "The Bear defense is good," said center Pete Brock, the hub of New England's solid forward wall.

"Nobody's really been able to slug at them effectively and that's one of our stronger points." But Chicago defensive end Richard Dent said, "We didn't come all the way here to get overpowered." Except for Bears' rookie defensive tackle William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the Patriots have a size advantage in the trench warfare. New England's starting offensive line averages 277.2 pounds. Chicago's defensive line averages 274.5 pounds, although Perry's 308 pounds inflates that. Brawn alone won't be enough for the Patriots. "You better study the way you've never studied before" to prepare for the Bears' defense, said Chicago offensive tackle Jimbo Covert.

Even if the Patriots overpower and out-think the Bears, they'll be out-numbered. Chicago sometimes rushes eight men after lining up in a wide variety of formations that frequently are changed before the ball is snapped. "Sometimes we send in four men and sometimes seven." Dent said. "When we're moving around on the line and a blocker doesn't know his assignment, he's going to blow a gasket." "In an eight-man front, they've got one more guy up there than you can block," said John Hannah, the Patriots' offensive left guard. "It's not that different from any other football game.

You just have to block." "It's tough on offensive linemen because not only do they have different they force you to man block so much," said offensive left guard Ron Wooten. "You might have four or five one-on-one blocks and, if we make 80 percent of those, there's still one man free." And the Bears like to blitz. They were third in the NFL this season with 64 sacks. SPORTS BRIEFS Saints release Phillips NEW ORLEANS (AP) The New Orleans Saints have released interim coach Wade Phillips and the rest of the club's coaching staff, officials announced Wednesday. A release from the Saints office said the men "are free to seek employment with other organizations," and added that Phillips is "no longer in contention for the Saints' head coaching job.

Saints owner Tom Benson and new General Manager Jim Finks are continuing their discussions with candidates for the position, the release said. Bills shake up staff BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) Buffalo BDls head coach Hank Bullough dropped two offensive assistant coaches from his staff Wednesday as an expected shake-up of the 2-14 National Football League team began. Kay Dalton, 53, who coached the Bills quarterbacks, and Art Asselta, 39, the tight-end coach, were released from their duties, said team spokesman Dave Senko. Bullough has made no secret he is seeking new offensive coaches, although he has not specifically discussed the future of offensive coordinator Jim Ringo.

The first-year head coach, however, has discussed the offensive coordinator's job with other coaches who might be interested in it. Brown voted top rookie alignments such as the Bears' six-man front before. He said the New York Jets lined up a linebacker and a strong safety outside the left defensive end. The critical difference, he added, is that the Bears use linebackers Otis Wilson and Wilber Marshall in those spots. "It's the same look, just bigger people," Dawson said.

"On the blitz pickup, you have lo see what they're doing and it may delay your (pass) pattern to get that read." If that happens, the Patriots may have difficulty putting to the test the theory that Chicago can be vulnerable to quick quarterback drops and short passes with as many as eight defenders playing close to the line of scrimmage. If the blockers hold off that cavalry charge long enough, Bear cornerbacks Mike Richardson and Leslie Frazier could have trouble handling speedy receivers like Stanley Morgan. Stephen Starring and Irving Fryar. "1 don't think we'll get quite that much pressure out of them because we have better receivers than most teams," Woolen said. "That same eight-man front opens them up to the entire spectrum of the passing game because everybody's (guarded) one-on- one.

In shutting out the New York Giants 21-0 and Los Angeles Rams 24-0 in their two playoff games, the Bears allowed an average of just 59 yards rushing and96.5 yards passing. New England gained only 27 yards on the ground in losing 20-7 in Chicago in the second game of the season. But the Patriots' offense has developed since then, and Hannah, an All-Pro who missed that game with a strained right calf, is playing at his best of the season. He customarily would go against an opponent's right tackle, a job handled by Perry. The more experienced Hannah, a 13-year veteran, would seem to have a substantial edge in that matchup.

"I don't think anybody relishes the idea of going against John Hannah." said Chicago Coach Mike Ditka. who didn't think the Hannah-Perry battle would be one-sided. Ditka also plans to have different people line up against Hannah "so he's not getting the same blocking pattern or the same feel for the same guy." Chicago likes to change its defensive alignments after seeing I Dophins hire Sekanovich MIAMI (AP) Dan Sekanovich, the assistant head coach for the Atlanta Falcons for the past three seasons, has been hired as defensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins, the National Football League club announced Wednesday'. Sekanovich replaces Mike Scarry, who retired earlier this month after spending 16 years with the Dolphins. Sekanovich', 52, was credited with developing the famed "New York Sack Exchange" during his six seasons with the New York Jets from 1977-82.

The Jets led the league in sacks in 1981 with 66. He also has coached at Susquehana, Connecticut, Pittsburgh, Navy and Kentucky, and his first professional job was with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League before joining the Jets in 1977. Moore out of hospital SAN ANTONIO (AP) San Antonio Spurs point guard Johnny Moore, suffering from non-contagious meningitis, was released from a hospital Wednesday, the Spurs General Manager Bob Bass said Moore is "feeling better but he is stiil out for the season unless a miracle NEW ORLEANS lAP) Wide receiver Eddie Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals was named the NFL's rookie of the year Wednesday by the Pro Football Writers of America. Brown, who was also named offensive rookie of the year by The Associated Press, caught 53 passes for yards and eight touchdowns. Thw PFWA also announced its all-rookie team, which was minus Chicago's William "The Refrigerator" Perry, the NFL's most publicized player this season.

He was beaten out at defensive tackle by Tim Newton of the Minnesota Vikings, who measure's a Perry-like 6-feet. 290 pounds. The all-rookie team also includes five offensive players who entered the NFL with prior professional experience. They were 34-year-old quarterback Dieter Brock of the Los Angeles Rams, who played 11 seasons in the Canadian Football League, and four refugees from the United States Football League running backs Kevin Mack of Cleveland and Gary Anderson of San Diego; guard Tom Thayer of the Bears Allen honored ST. LOUIS (AP) Los Angeles Raiders running back Marcus Allen, who led rushers with 1.759 yards, has been named Player of the Year in the National Football League by The Sporting News, the weekly publication announced Wednesday.

Allen is one of three Raiders selected to the all-NFL lineups by TSN editors. The Los Angeles Rams landed four berths, including three on special teams, and running back Walter Payton is part of a three-member Chicago Bears contingent. The Sporting News named Chicago's Mike Ditka coach of the year in voting by its NFL correspondents and wide receiver Eddie Brown of the Cincinnati Bengals its top rookie. and center Bart Gates of the New York Giants. The offensive squad includes Brock.

Mack. Anderson. Brown, Thayer. Dates, wide receiver Jerry Rice of San Francisco, tight end "Mark Bavaro of the Giants, tackles Lomas Brown of Detroit and Jim Lachey of San Diego, guard Bill Fralic of Atlanta, and kicker Kevin Butler of the Bears. The defense included Newton, ends Ray Childress of Houston and Garin Veris of New England, outside linebackers Duane Bickett of Indianapolis and Chris Doleman of Minnesota, inside linebackers Jack Del Rio of New Orleans and Brian Nobie of Green Bay.

cornerbacks John Hendy of San Diego and Derrick Burroughs of Buffalo, safeties Raphel Cherry of Washington and Lonnie Young of St. Louis, and punter Dale Hatcher. Tight end Lin Dawson has seen how the offense sets up. AUTO PARTS? DUPONT PAINT FRAM FILTERS GATES HOSES AND BELTS AEROQU1P HYDRAULIC HOSES AND FITTINGS AUTO AND INDUSTRIAL EQUIPMENT MACHINE SHOP BRING THIS AD IN FOR A DISCOUNT ON ANY CASH SALE! UMIT ONE Pit CUSTOMEft EXPIRES REPUBLIC PARTS CO. 3101 BROADWAY Open 8 A.M.-6 P.M.

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