Rush to Judgment : Why Hasn't AFC Won Super Bowl Since Raiders in '84? Look at Ground

By BILL PLASCHKE

Jan. 24, 1996 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

TEMPE, Ariz. —

Some have theories, others have formulas, and everyone from the Dallas Cowboys’ limousine drivers to their manservants have educated guesses.

But to the most compelling NFL question of this era, Kenneth Davis has the only real answer.

And he has it in porcelain.

The figurine, bought in a Dallas-area souvenir shop, rests on the mantle of a friend’s house.

It is small and fragile, but strong enough to climb into a man’s mind and work on it.

“It’s a statue of the hit,” Davis said. “It shows Ken Norton holding me up at the goal line. It shows him stopping me.

“Only, he didn’t stop me.”

Yeah, and the AFC has not lost 11 consecutive Super Bowls to the NFC.

A streak of amazing numbers and strange coincidences can be filtered down to one image, one memory, one haunted running back.

It is of the Dallas Cowboys’ Norton stopping the Buffalo Bills’ Davis on the goal line in the second quarter of Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena.

If Davis scores, the Bill tie the score and have a chance to break the streak. But he is stopped, the Bills wind up with nothing, and eventually lose by 35 points.

“Sure, you think about it,” said Davis, now retired and living near Dallas. “How can you see a statue of it in some store and not think about it?

“I’m 33 years old, and all I ever wanted was a chance to be a star. I never got that chance.”

Stopped cold. Like the Miami Dolphins’ Tony Nathan in 1985. Like the New England Patriots’ Craig James a year later. Like the Denver Broncos’ Sammy Winder in three Super Bowl games in four years.

Stopped cold, like all 22 AFC running backs have been stopped during the conference’s drought.

The seemingly inexplicable NFC success is as easy to understand as that knot in Davis’ stomach.

The AFC running backs are jinxed.

In 11 years:

--The 22 backs have averaged 31 yards apiece per Super Bowl.

--Only three have scored touchdowns--Thurman Thomas, Natrone Means and . . . Don Smith?

--Only one has gained more than 100 yards, in Super Bowl XXV, when Thomas’ 135 yards should have been enough to carry the Bills over the New York Giants.

Except for that last-second missed 47-yard field goal by Scott Norwood.

--It took five years for the AFC running backs to combine for as many yards as the Raiders’ Marcus Allen gained the last time an AFC team won a Super Bowl--191.

Off the field, they have also suffered.

Two of the 22--Bobby Humphrey and Don Smith--have struggled with drug and alcohol problems.

Ickey Woods went from his failed shot at Super Bowl stardom with the Cincinnati Bengals to selling beef door to door, performing his shuffle for interested buyers.

Gerald Willhite was so bothered by, among other things, his Super Bowl experiences with the Denver Broncos, that he hasn’t watched a game since retiring seven years ago.

And who can forget Buffalo’s Thomas, who lost a helmet before one game, lost a critical fumble in another, and hobbled off with cramps in a third.

Davis certainly hasn’t been the only one haunted by memories.

Robert Weathers, Patriot fullback, remembers being quarantined in his hotel room for several days before Super Bowl XX.

“[Quarterback] Tony Eason got sick, so none of us on the same floor could be near anybody else on the floor,” Weathers said. “The [Chicago] Bears were out all night partying, and we were stuck.”

Willhite remembers, of all things, a ticket controversy.

“Our team basically gave up early, just quit,” he said of the Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants after the 1986 season. “We were mad because we got 10 tickets each, and had to buy 10 . . . while the Giants got, like, 30 tickets.

“You would think that would be a small thing. But from the coaching staff on down, we all gave up.”

Forget all the convoluted coachspeak about the Pittsburgh Steelers matching up with the Dallas Cowboys Sunday in Super Bowl XXX.

For the Steelers to break the AFC’s streak, running backs Erric Pegram and Bam Morris must break the running backs’ hex.

“Makes sense to me,” said defensive end Charles Mann, who played for three winning NFC Super Bowl teams. “I remember playing all year against NFC teams, and hardly being able to walk the next day.

“Then you play an AFC team, and later you can go to the disco.”

It also makes sense to the current generation.

“If we don’t run,” Pegram said of Sunday’s game, “we don’t win.”

And if they don’t win, well, Davis, who played in four Super Bowls and is now a student and owner of an auto-body shop, can speak to that.

“Once it’s over, you can’t put the people back in the seats,” he said. “You can’t turn the cameras back on. Man, it’s over.”

He said he even plans to buy one of those tiny monuments to failure one day.

One day.

“Just not yet,” he said.

STUNNED IN STANFORD

Setting: The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins, 38-16, at Palo Alto on Jan. 20, 1985.

Skinny: In an 11 minute 55 second span in the second quarter, the Dolphins recorded no first downs and one net yard of offense.

Statistic: Joe Montana, 49er quarterback, gained more than twice as many yards rushing, 59, as the entire Dolphin team.

Strategy: The 49ers used defensive line stunts that fooled the Dolphin offensive linemen. They were created by a little-known defensive coordinator named George Seifert.

Said it: “This is going to be tough to live with.” --Dolphin Coach Don Shula.

BASHED ON BOURBON STREET

Setting: The Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots, 46-10, at New Orleans Jan. 26, 1986.

Skinny: At halftime, the Patriots had minus-five yards rushing.

Statistic: Bear defensive tackle William Perry scored a touchdown rushing, which was one more than the Patriot runners got. In fact, their seven-yard rushing total was a Super Bowl record. This was a team that had rushed for 255 yards in the AFC championship game.

Strategy: Buddy Ryan, Bear defensive coordinator who was soon to become head coach in Philadelphia, was so emotional during a pregame speech that defensive tackle Steve McMichael picked up a chair and threw it against the blackboard.

Said it: “We’re America’s team.” --Patriot guard Ron Wooten.

PASADENA PUMMELING

Setting: The New York Giants defeated the Denver Broncos, 39-20, in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 25, 1987.

Skinny: Leading, 10-7, in the second quarter, the Broncos had a first down at the Giants’ one-yard line. Quarterback John Elway rolled out and was sacked for a one-yard loss. Willhite was held for no gain. Sammy Winder lost four yards on a pitch. Rich Karlis missed a 23-yard field-goal try.

Statistic: The Broncos, apparently spooked by that goal-line failure, did not run the ball once in the third quarter.

Strategy: Lawrence Taylor, Giant linebacker, said before the game that he wanted to literally knock the “snot” out of quarterback Elway and leave him “quivering” on the ground.

Said it: “How many times do you guess right on three straight plays?” --Bill Belichick, Giant defensive coordinator.

SLAPPED, BUT GOOD, IN SAN DIEGO

Setting: The Washington Redskins defeated the Broncos, 42-10, in San Diego on Jan. 31, 1988.

Skinny: After a surprising 32-yard pass completion from running back Steve Sewell to quarterback Elway, the Broncos had first down on the Redskin six-yard line with a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. In the next three plays, they lost a yard, and settled for a field goal, their last points of the game.

Statistic: Redskin running back Tim Smith gained nearly twice as many yards in the second quarter--122--as the Bronco running backs combined gained in the game.

Strategy: To fool potential Bronco spies, Redskin Coach Joe Gibbs ordered his players to wear the wrong uniform numbers during Super Bowl week practice.

Said it: “I’ll take a good physical team over a good finesse team nine out of 10 times”--Mark May, Redskin tackle.

JUST MISSED IN MIAMI

Setting: The 49ers defeated the Cincinnati Bengals, 20-16, in Miami on Jan. 22, 1989.

Skinny: The Bengals opened the third quarter of a 3-3 tie by marching to the 49er 22. But running back Woods gained only two yards in two carries and the Bengals settled for a field goal, costing themselves four points that proved to be the difference after the 49ers’ last-minute, game-winning drive.

Statistic: Woods, who became famous during the season for his “Ickey Shuffle” touchdown dance, did not set foot in the end zone.

Strategy: Claiming the 49er cornerbacks were the “Cover Brothers,” Tim McKyer wore a cap that said “Blanket” on the front, and teammate Don Griffin wore one that said, “Quilt.” You had to be there.

Said it: “By not trying to outthink them but just play solid defense, we didn’t get confused.” --Jeff Fuller, 49er safety.

DEEP-FRIED IN FRENCH QUARTER

Setting: The 49ers defeated the Broncos, 55-10, in New Orleans on Jan. 28, 1990.

Skinny: Bronco running back Humphrey was stripped of the ball in the second quarter with his team trailing, 7-3. The 49ers kept their ensuing possession alive with a fourth-down rush by Tom Rathman, and eventually scored to begin the rout.

Statistic: Sewell, one of two Denver starting running backs, never carried the ball.

Strategy: Finally figuring that the Bronco running backs were harmless, the 49ers concentrated on stopping Elway, who completed only 10 of 26 passes and threw two interceptions.

Said it: “I’m just trying to figure out how we can win one of these one of these days, or at least be in one.”--Elway.

TAMPA’S TOUGH BREAK

Setting: The Giants defeated the Buffalo Bills, 20-19, at Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 27, 1991.

Skinny: The Bills became the first AFC Super Bowl team in seven years to mount a rushing attack, and set up what should have been the winning field goal with 33 yards worth of runs by Thomas. But Norwood’s 47-yard field goal attempt was wide right.

Statistic: The Bills scored twice as many touchdowns rushing, two, as AFC teams had scored in the previous six Super Bowls.

Strategy: The Giants became the first NFC team in recent memory to win with an old AFC trick--luck.

Said it: “I’ll come back from this. It won’t scar me.”--Norwood, who has been hiding from the media the last three years.

MORONIC IN MINNEAPOLIS

Setting: The Redskins defeated the Bills, 37-24, in Minneapolis on January 26, 1992.

Skinny: During the week before the game, Thomas said he was the Michael Jordan of the Bills. He then missed the Bills’ first two offensive plays because he couldn’t find his helmet.

Statistic: Redskin defenders Brad Edwards and Kurt Gouveia gained more yards on interception returns, 79, than Thomas on handoffs, 13.

Strategy: The Redskins blitzed linebackers up the middle, fooling and then overpowering the league’s top-rated rushing offense.

Said it: “You have to understand Thurman. If you don’t know him, you’d think he was an idiot. We’ve known him for two or three years and now we know he’s an idiot.” --Will Wolford, Bill tackle.

ROSE BOWL RIP JOB

Setting: The Cowboys defeated the Bills, 52-17, in Pasadena on Jan. 31, 1993.

Skinny: Buffalo running back Davis was stopped by Norton on third and goal from the one-yard line early in the second quarter. Jim Kelly, Bill quarterback, threw an interception on fourth down and Bills never recovered.

Statistic: Leon Lett, Cowboy defensive tackle, gained more than three times as many yards on his infamously fumbled fumble return, 64, than Thomas gained rushing.

Strategy: The quicker Cowboy defense sped around the field with a variety of stunts while trying to strip the ball and intimidate the Bills’ running backs. It worked.

Said it: “My high school team never turned it over nine times.” --Kent Hull, Buffalo center.

PLAYED IT AGAIN IN ATLANTA

Setting: The Cowboys defeated the Bills, 30-13, in Atlanta on Jan. 30, 1994.

Skinny: On the first possession of the third quarter, with the Bills leading, 13-6, Thomas fumbled for the second time. James Washington returned it 46 yards for a Cowboy touchdown, and the rout was on.

Statistic: Backup Davis outrushed starter Thomas for a third consecutive Super Bowl.

Strategy: The Cowboys’ quick and deep defensive front four simply showed up. As with most AFC teams, the Bills weren’t used to it.

Said it: “I can’t run with two hands around the football, that’s just not my style” --Thomas.

MACABRE IN MIAMI

Setting: The 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers, 49-26, in Miami on Jan. 29, 1995.

Skinny: The Chargers fell behind early and never had a chance to establish a running game.

Statistic: 49er quarterback Steve Young outrushed Means, 49-33.

Strategy: What was to strategize? For once, the 49ers had so much Young, they needed no defense.

Said it: “I don’t feel any pressure, and no one else does, either.” --Means.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Ground Zero

The common thread of the AFC’s 11 consecutive losses in the Super Bowl has been the ineffectiveness of the running game. A look at the AFC entry’s leading rusher and his team’s total during the losing streak.

Tony Nathan (Miami ‘85)

Leading rusher: 18

Team total: 65

Tony Collins (New England ‘86)

Leading rusher: 4

Team total: 7

John Elway (Denver ‘87)

Leading rusher: 27

Team total: 52

Gene Lang (Denver ‘88)

Leading rusher: 38

Team total: 97