Show Same Xtl Hamid we win a Super Bowl I’m proba- bly going to hang it up' Kelly had offseason shoulder By Barry WSner APFooCbalWiH ' Tbe last three AFC — OK losers — in the gain The amazingly consistent Thomas now has n decent backup nt tackle John Finn and guard holes Free agency age and injuries even bad luck have made sure of that Tbe entire AFC is a jumble in which only one team the Baltimore Ravens appears to be truly Ruben Brown But it’s Smith who has gotten the most help in the past few years The Bills added Bryce Paup last season and the led the NFL with 17 12 sacks to be named Defensive Player of the Year This season the big addition is inside linebacker Chris Spiebnan monster against the run and a better team than the departed Cor- - Cincinnati Instead the old standbys in Buffalo seem ready for one last-gadrive for the elusive championship This time tbe Bills just ' player sp ’ The t Utah -- SB ers who got us to the Super BowL” nd awfiiL Those on tbe rise such as its-firs- Super Bowl Injuries and inconsistency hurt the Chargers but they produced when they had to They still have players who can come through in the conference’s most competitive division “We’ve been there before and we want to get back there to the top’ says one of those players star linebacker Junior Seau “We till have the foundation of play- Reed might be the Na 3 receiver behind free-agepickup Quinn Early and rookie Eric Moulds Hull the always reliable center has two solid players to his left in division crowns thisyear likely will be the Steclers Chargers and Bills Like every other team in the league however this trio has its u a year after going to in Darick Holmes if Holmes overcomes a tendency to fumble Diego and Buffalo The three teams who will win the AFC Jacksonville New York and Seattle aren’t quite ready to leap into the elite category such it is Wolford) San Diego needed a 5--0 run to qualify as a wild card last season surgery and is throwing well rcprcsenla-tive- a Super Bowl were Pittsburgh San Houston at center (Dermontti Dawson) and left guard (free agent Will Actually not that many But enough for another solid shot Scan is joined by dependable AP photo are aiming for The Pittsburgh a second straight trip to the Super Bowl this if cornerback secondary Jeff Burris keeps developing and he’d sdU be Bruce Smith” The Steelen have some players lie core cast of Jim Kelly stays healthy might be the best like that too Linebacker Greg the Bills have had Phfl Hansen Thurman Thomas Bruce Smith o on an outKent Hull and Andre Reed is Ted Washington and Jim Jeffcoat Lloyd is an are strong complements on the standing unit Cornerback Rod intact It’s okfci more banged-u- p but with enough experience and line for Smith around whom Woodson made the league’s still revolves greatest squad and is the remaining talent to get back to group le’s amazing that guy” anchor of another first-radie top “I’ve done just about everyPaup says “He could probably Pittsburgh’s defense will decide thing I can possibly do except just show up on Sunday and not But the offense will miss Neil win a Super Bowl' Hull says even look at anything until two “If it comes around the time that minutes before the game and O’Donnell more than anyone All-Pr- all-ti- te imagined O’Donnell’s last two seasons were terrific and Jim Miller has much to leam to reach Kurt Gouveia and unheralded Lewis Bush but the strength of San Diego’s defense is up front particularly if newcomer Marcus m nehugMi are confident averAaron Hayden’s 968-yar- d a in four starts last were age year breaks out of his funk to complement Erric Pegnun in the back-fiel- d Tbe receiving corps is deep and skilled and the offensive line Natrone Means as the workhorse back while standout Tony Martin (90 catches in ’93) is by far the best of a questionable lot of particularly if Jerome Bettis harbinger Searcy remains solid especially 1896 Coleman plays as he did for coach Bobby Ross at Georgia Ted where they won the nation- - P that level At least he has lots of support despite losing tackle Leon 29 Hayden replaces See AFC on Page 13 11 |