NFL HISTORY, CHAPTER XXXI : GREEN BAY TAPS INTO ITS ICE AGE.Byline: Don Pierson Donald Grey Pierson (born October 11, 1925, died March 30, 1996 in Eastland, Texas) was a well-known business innovator, communications pioneer and civic leader. He became famous both as the founder of the British offshore radio stations Wonderful Radio London, Swinging Radio Chicago Tribune Chicago Tribune Daily newspaper published in Chicago. The Tribune is one of the leading U.S. newspapers and long has been the dominant voice of the Midwest. Founded in 1847, it was bought in 1855 by six partners, including Joseph Medill (1823–99), who made the paper The laying of new sod at Lambeau Field • • [ last week presents a symbolic green carpet for the Green Bay Packers, inviting them to walk into a new era. Like their daunting daunt tr.v. daunt·ed, daunt·ing, daunts To abate the courage of; discourage. See Synonyms at dismay. [Middle English daunten, from Old French danter, from Latin tradition, the setting already is frozen in time, perfect for preservation at a wind chill wind chill, the cooling effect of wind and temperature combined, expressed in terms of the effect produced by a lower, windless temperature, also called wind chill factor, wind chill temperature, wind chill equivalent temperature, wind chill index, wind chill well below zero. The cold truth of their mission is not to mess up the first NFC NFC abbr. National Football Conference title game here in 29 seasons. With so much in their favor against the upstart Carolina Panthers So far, they are the best team in the NFL NFL abbr. National Football League NFL (US) n abbr (= National Football League) → Fußball-Nationalliga , by all accounts. But fast-learning Carolina might be No. 2, carrying on an NFC tradition likely to continue through Super Bowl XXXI Super Bowl XXXI was the 31st championship game of the modern National Football League (NFL). The game was played on January 26, 1997 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana following the 1996 regular season. . That the Panthers stepped on the world-champion Dallas Cowboys To Reggie White and Brett Favre, two transplanted Southerners, this is why they make Green Bay home. ``He calls me a lot, wants to remind me the Super Bowl is coming up, like I would forget,'' Favre said. ``When I got here, two questions were asked of me,'' White said. ``One was did we have a chance to win the Super Bowl? And I said yes. The other was did I think Brett was better than Randall Cunningham? I said Brett had the potential to be better than any player in the league. ``We're one game from the Super Bowl and Brett has been MVP (Multimedia Video Processor) A high-speed DSP chip from Texas Instruments, introduced in 1994. Officially introduced as the TMS320C80, it combines RISC technology with the functionality of four DSPs on one chip. twice. I guess that makes me a prophet.'' Other players will help decide this game. The Panthers have more Pro Bowl players (seven) than the Packers (four), and more players who have played in Super Bowls (12) than the Packers (two). But the Packers' chances rest largely on the shoulders of White and Favre, the two cornerstones on which this team was built. ``Brett is going to dictate how far we'll go,'' White said. ``People say I can be the leader of this team. I don't agree with it; it's Brett.'' ``That's all flattering, but he really is the guy I think people rally around,'' Favre said. ``He's more of a vocal leader than I am.'' Defense and quarterback. Nobody gets paid more than the pass rushers and the passers, the cornerstones of any good team. White and Favre, acquired through free agency and trade, respectively, presented a blueprint for the building of the Panthers, who loaded up on veteran linebackers with Sam Mills, Lamar Lathon, Kevin Greene and Carlton Bailey, and drafted Collins No. 1 at their birth only two years ago. White and Favre are an odd couple, thrust together by chance and an astute Packers management team of Ron Wolf and Mike Holmgren - outsiders to the Lombardi legend that surrounds them. A year ago in this game in Dallas, Favre was jittery early and the Cowboys won. ``I don't think we really believed we could win that ballgame,'' Favre said. ``If we lose this week, everyone will say we didn't accomplish what we set out to do.'' Could the same mindset mind·set or mind-set n. 1. A fixed mental attitude or disposition that predetermines a person's responses to and interpretations of situations. 2. An inclination or a habit. doom Carolina? ``I don't believe so,'' Favre said. ``This team has played great against big teams. They beat San Francisco twice and Dallas the same year; we didn't do that. I know for a fact they're not scared.'' Weather will be a factor, but no one concedes it as the deciding factor. Running and stopping the run will determine whatever Favre and Collins can accomplish, unless conditions stop conventional running and passing altogether, leaving the game in the hands of improvising quarterbacks. In the Panthers, the Packers face a team with a remarkable story of statewide and community support and devotion, one playing in a stadium paid for by its fans. Sound familiar? ``All year long we've been of the mood, `Let's go show them what we're about,' '' said Mills. NFC Championship Game CAROLINA AT GREEN BAY 9:30 a.m., Channel 11 Radio: 610/690/1070 AM CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box Photo: (1--color) Green Bay's return to glory has hinged primarily on quarterback Brett Favre (4), who has won two NFL MVP awards. (2) Even with wind-chill factors expected to be well below zero, the Packers fans' enthusiasm isn't likely to cool. Associated Press Box: NFC Championship Game (see text) |
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