Old friends square off in NFC championship game
Steve Mariucci said bis
experience with Bret
Favre will not be an
advantage for the 49ers
By Dennis Georgatos
The Associated Press
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The
way Steve Mariucci sees it, he
and Brett Favre grew up together
in the NFL.
And what began as a working
relationship and evolved into a
friendship becomes a rivalry Sun
day.
“In his own way, he’s pulling
for me because we know each
other so well, and when we're not
playing them, I guess I'm pulling
for him,” Mariucci said. “But we
all know now that we’re on op
posing sidelines. We’re rivals in
every sense of the word. He wants
to beat me, I want to beat him. It
is very competitive right now.”
The bond between the two de
veloped during Mariucci’s four
year stay in Green Bay as quarter
backs coach. He arrived prior to
the 1992 season at about the same
time the Packers swung a trade
with Atlanta to acquire Favre and
helped the quarterback get
through his sometimes awkward
and painful formative years.
Mariucci left following the
1995 season, after Favre won the
first of his three straight MVP
awards, to become head coach of
the University of California. Favre
tried to convince Mariucci to stay
by offering to pay him the differ
ence between his quarterback
coach’s salary and his new job.
Mariucci spent one season at
Cal before becoming head coach
of the 49ers (14-3), who play
Favre and the Packers (14-3) Sun
day in the NFC championship
game at 3Com Park.
“I'm still close to him,” said
Favre, who had Mariucci over for
a couple days during the offsea
son at his Green Bay home, which
was decorated by Mariucci’s wife,
Gayle. “He’s a great friend and a
great coach. What he has done out
there is unbelievable. They’re a
great team, and it will be the
toughest game we’ve played all
year."
Perhaps no coach knows Favre
better than Mariucci. But the
49ers coach said neither his
friendship nor knowledge of the
quarterback give him any compet
itive advantage because of Favre’s
improvisational style of play.
"He's not a predictable guy,"
Mariucci said. "He is going to run
around and make it happen and
[the ball] could go anywhere. You
just never know what he’s going
to do.”
That includes Favre, who also
shrugged off suggestions Mariucci
might be able to come up with
certain insights that could throw
off his game.
“I don’t think anybody knows
anything about me, including my
self,” Favre said.
That's what makes defending
him so difficult, Mariucci said.
"Over the last few years, he has
probably made more big plays,
more sensational, run-around,
fling-it-up-there kind of plays for
touchdowns but also with that
goes certain risk," Mariucci said.
“So we have to stay in cover
age. We have to be perfect back
there all day. Not most of the day,
all day. We have to get to him —
we have to get people in his face.
And we have to get him improvis
ing so that maybe he throws one
to us.”
Favre has started for the Pack
ers since 1992, entering the line
up in the third game that season
after Don Majkowski was injured.
By no means was he an overnight
success, and Mariucci served not
only as coach and confidant to
Favre but as a buffer between the
quarterback and Green Bay coach
Mike Holmgren.
“As many times as [Favre] was
booed out of that stadium — and
there were many —and criticized
in the papers or in the [larking lot,
he knew I was in his corner, and
Mike stayed in his corner, too,”
Mariucci said.
“You hear the talk shows,
‘Change quarterbacks, put in
[Mark] Brunei!, put in Ty Detmer.
And there was some temptation
to do that. But Mike never did
and that proved to be the right
thing to do."
After throwing more intercep
tions (24) than touchdowns (19)
in 1993, Favre has come back to
throw for 145 TDs in the last four
seasons, leading the league in
each of the last three, including
35 this year. He has 46 intercep
tions in that span, including 16
this year.
“He and I really grew up in the
NFL," said Mariucci. "I had been
there before but my first real job
was with the Packers and he had
a redshirt year with the Atlanta
Falcons.
"He had a tough second year
and he had a tough beginning of
his third year. It wasn’t happen
ing the way he wanted it to so he
was a little bit at a crossroads. He
was very frustrated and he was ei
ther going to go into the tank or be
the best quarterback in the league.
He chose to let’er rip and he
played very well the rest of that
year and he hasn’t looked back.”
Denver confident after opening-round win over Chiefs
A win over the Chiefs
gave the Broncos
renewed confidence to
cany into Pittsburgh
By John Mossman
The Associated Press
DENVER — The Denver Bron
cos will hit the road this weekend
without some of their usual bag
gage.
Having at last proved capable of
winning a tough road game in the
playoffs, they are confident they
can do it again in Pittsburgh.
Denver’s 14-10 victory Sunday
in Kansas City — where the
Chiefs had been unbeaten this
season — helped erase a record of
road futility in the postseason.
The Broncos hadn't won on the
road in 11 years, since John El way
engineered “The Drive" to beat
Cleveland in the AFC champi
onship game on Jan. 11, 1987.
That was their only breakthrough
in six playoff games away from
Mile High Stadium.
“Going into Kansas City and
doing what we did, that was a big
confidence-booster,” Elway said.
“We hadn’t won a big game
against a good football team in a
tough situation in a long time. By
winning a big one on the road, we
were able to get over the hump.
“It kind of got another skeleton
out of the closet, got another mon
key off our backs.”
Two of Denver’s most memo
rable playoff victories have been
characterized as “The Drive” and
“The Fumble." Asked if he had an
appropriate nickname for the lat
est win, El way said, “The Relief.”
With a 9-1 start this season, the
Broncos were on the verge of
clinching both the AFC West title
and homefield advantage
throughout the playoffs.
But after losing three of five
games, including back-to-back
road losses to Pittsburgh and San
Francisco, the Broncos ceded the
division title to Kansas City.
"I knew we had the talent,” El
way said. “But it’s a little scary
when you're not playing well, es
pecially when you're not playing
well at the end of the year. We
didn’t play well against Pitts
burgh, and we didn’t play well
against San Francisco. So, yeah,
there was concern there.
"But we were able to bounce
back against San Diego (a 38-3
victory in the regular-season fi
nale), and then Jacksonville after
that (a 42-17 wild-card playoff
win). So we’re playing our best
football at the right time.”
To get to the Super Bowl for the
fifth time, the Broncos will have
to win another road game, on
Sunday in the AFC championship
at Pittsburgh, where they lost 35
24 on Dec. 7.
Emerald
CLASSIFIEDS
Call 346-4343
or stop by Suite 300 EMU
to place your ad today
095 PERSONALS
CONGRATULATIONS!
dflnne Amador
and
Oom OG'efsen
Anne, a Journalism major from
Eugene and Tom, the Head
Groundskeeper with the Eugene
Emeralds, will marry on Mar. 14,
1998. The wedding will be in
Eugene at '^st' iris’' in Church.
Place your FREE
WEDDING/ENGAGEMENT
ANNOUNCEMENT
in the Bridal Guide.
Wednesday, January 14.
Call 346-4343
for more info.
Deadline: January 12, 1 p.m.
Starting to plan your weekend?
Don't miss Laura Kemp (of Babes
with Axes tame) at January's First
Friday at Collier House. Opening lor
Laura will be Lael Alderman. The
music starts at 9 p.m. this Friday
night and goes until 1 a.m. See you
at the Collier House, 13th & Univers
ity Street.
105 TYPING/RESUME SERVICES
Pro/Edit
Editing • Writing Assistance • Typing
Graphics/Text Scanning • Resumes
741-7553
At 344-0759, ROBIN is GRAD
SCHOOL APPROVED. 20-year
thesis/dissertation background.
Term papers. Full resume service.
Editing. Laser pr. ON CAMPUS!
no INSTRUCTION/TUTORING
Learn ESL in California
• Safe and Friendly College town
• Smaller English school
• Warm weather
805-541-8060
http://www.callamer.com/cclausa
$$Give Me Five!$$
Run your “FOR SALE" ad (items
under $1,000) for 5 days. If the
item(s) doesn't sell, call us at
346-4343 and well run your ad
again for another 5 days FREE!
JStudent/Private Party Ads Only * No Refunds ^
Find plfiiif in the
Classifieds
346-4343
120 MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE
DRAWING TABLE & Chair, 31" x 42"
surface, great condition. $60.
FUTON, $30. Marty, 431-0632
WWW.SPORTSUPPLEMENTS.
COM Save up to 50% off GNC. We
carry EAS, Twinlab, all major
brands. Catalog on-line.
Wednesday is New Comic Day
at Emerald City Comics.
770 E. 13th. 345-2568.
Read the ODE Classifieds-'
ONLINE!
http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~owT
205 HELP WANTED
120 MISCELLANEOUS FOR SALE
We’ve transformed j
resale to refined, fl
come see us. {
The Clothes Horse
Buy, Sell, Trade
720 E. 15th • 345-5099
125 FURNITURE/APPLIANCES
20 couches, only 3 months old.
Navy blue. $400 each. Call Irene at
485-8757
205 HELP WANTED
Got Winter Bills?
Trying to Save $$$ For Spring Break?
Earn $7.50 per hour while working in a fun
& energetic atmosphere!
NOW HIRING
Student Fundraisers
University of Oregon
Annual Giving Program
Help ensure that your education
is the best it can be!
Agate Hall, room 124
applications available lpm - 9pm
Questions? Call 346-2059
125 FURNITURE/APPLIANCES
Full size futon, unfinished pine. Mat
tress, frame & cover. 5 months new.
$250/obo 683-1099 days, ask for
Rebecca or 895-2254 evening.
130 CARS/TRUCKS
88 Escort GL, 130.000 miles, 4 door,
automatic, runs well. $950/otfer
Marty 431-0632
SEIZED CARS from $175. Porsch
es, Cadillacs. Chevys, BMW’s, Cor
vettes. Also Jeeps, 4WD's. Your
Area. Toll tree 1(800)218-9000 ext.
A-2063 tor current listings.
1220 APARTMENTS (UNFURNISHED
130 CARS/TRUCKS
1989 Ford Taurus: Air, power
windows, seats, locks. Tilt, cruise,
am/fm, cassette. Great interior
and runs excellent. All records.
130,000 miles. Blue Books at
$4800, will sell for $3800. Call
Becky at 346-3712 days or 689
0138 evenings before 8 p.m.
145 COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS
Mac Powerbook 520 12 MB Ram,
160 MB hard drive. $800 683^1105
|220 APARTMENTS (UNFURNISHED
PAIR-A-DICE
Apartments
640 E. 15th Avenue
Brand New Campus Apartments
• One Bedroom, One Bath
• Two Bedroom, Two Bath
• Fully Applianced
• Washer/Dryer in Every Unit
• Off-street Parking Available
• Restricted Entry-Gated
• 1.5 Blocks toll of 0!
Call Scott 338-4197, or Barry 683-4219 to see.
683-2271
911 COUNTRY CLUB RD., SUITE ISO
JENNINGS & CO.