Kramer threw touchdown passes of 31, 9 and 7 yards, the last one to former University of Virginia wide receiver Herman Moore. "They didn't give me much respect," Kramer said. Today, linebacker Jack Del Rio talked trash to Kramer all afternoon. Kramer also was a strike replacement for the Atlanta Falcons and even played a little in the Canadian Football League.Īll this week the Cowboys ran their mouths about how Kramer wasn't good enough to beat them. When Kramer graduated from North Carolina State he tried out for two NFL teams and was cut by both. The most Dallas could manage offensively were two 28-yard field goals by Ken Willis.Īs for Kramer, he is someone Sunday night movies are made of. Troy Aikman was supposed to be the spark off the bench, but he threw an interception and fumbled two snaps. It's just a matter of we couldn't adjust to what they were doing."ĭallas quarterback Steve Beuerlein started the game, but completed only seven of 13 passes for 91 yards and one interception before being yanked just before halftime. "Not to make excuses, they had a great game plan. "They kind of kept us off balance as far as passing underneath with short passes," said Cowboys defensive tackle Russell Maryland. "We killed them in the first half," said running back Don Overton, "and they didn't change anything. The Lions were stunned to see the Cowboys play almost the same defense in the third quarter. Dallas didn't adjust defensively in the second half after Detroit built a 17-6 halftime lead. "It's a disappointing way to finish," Coach Jimmy Johnson said, "but I told the players this doesn't take away from having an outstanding season."īut it was a poorly played - and coached - game on both sides of the ball for the Cowboys. The loss ended a magnificent year for the Cowboys, a team few thought would ever get this far. "We can play with any football team in the NFL - and that includes the Washington Redskins. Said tackle Lomas Brown: "No one gives us respect. He added: "They say we can't win in Washington, though we have to go. Is revenge on the Lions' minds? "Don't even put that in the paper," said Fontes. Detroit has used that spanking to mend its ways. Only this will be a much different Lions team. The game will be a rematch of the season opener when the Lions were hammered by the Redskins at RFK 45-0. "I think I said 'Super Bowl' six weeks ago and people didn't think I knew what I was talking about," said Detroit Coach Wayne Fontes. The Lions, however, will play in their first since 1957. On Sunday, the Redskins will play in their fifth NFC title game in 10 years. "From the first series on I was kind of in my zone," said Kramer. But he completed a team-playoff-record 29 passes in 38 attempts for 341 yards. In essence, the Cowboys offered their neck on a chopping block thinking Kramer couldn't handle the ax. When the Cowboys stubbornly stuck with a defense that put seven men on the line of scrimmage to stop running back Sanders - a sign they were scared out of their minds of Sanders and didn't think Kramer could beat them - Kramer beat them. When the Cowboys played their ultra-soft zone, Kramer scorched them with deadly accurate passes to receivers underneath it. Kramer had the poise of someone who has been in the NFL for a dozen years. The Cowboys gave Kramer little respect before or during today's game, and they were burned for three touchdown passes in the biggest blowout of the playoffs. Now, Kramer is someone the Washington Redskins must not ignore when the teams meet next Sunday for the NFC championship at RFK Stadium. Quarterback Erik Kramer, a one-time NFL reject, a replacement player during the NFL players strike in 1987, amended the theory. But the theory, at least for today, was flawed, as the Dallas Cowboys discovered in the most painful of ways - a 38-6 drubbing by the Lions in an NFC divisional playoff game before a roaring 78,290 at the Silverdome. 5 - The theory was this: Stop Barry Sanders and you stop the offense of the Detroit Lions.
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