Tuesday, October 1, 1996

Eagles take fireworks too far
By John Smallwood
Knight-Ridder Newspapers
(Oct. 1, 1996)

PHILADELPHIA (KRT) - As long as the Hollywood Eagles decided they were going to turn Monday night's football game into the largest block party this side of Live Aid, somebody should have looked hard through the rock music archives and found a copy of "You Don't Mess Around With Jim," a tune by the late Jim Croce.

Then, perhaps, the boys in the midnight green pants would have recalled the dangers of tugging on Superman's cape, spitting into the wind, messing around with the ol' Lone Ranger, etc., etc., etc.
I don't have a problem with trying to generate crowd enthusiasm, but there's a limit to the things you should do.

The Eagles stepped way over the line and got bit in the tail feathers.

I don't know what possessed Eagles management to orchestrate that gaudy, overdone pregame smoke-and-light show, but after the unamused Dallas Cowboys responded by beating the Birds, 23-19, you can bet it will be a looong time before you see any more fireworks, line dances or boxing announcers again at Veterans Stadium.

"I've been in stadiums where they've had parachuters come in or jets flying over stadiums or whatever," Dallas safety George Teague said. "But what they did tonight was a big show.

"It was almost like they were leading up to the Super Bowl or something. I know it jacks them up, but at the same time, it helped get us fired up.

"To see Ricky Watters coming out . . . walking out and trying to boost the crowd up. The last time I saw that kind of stuff was in college. It kind of got us fired to want to go out and hit somebody, to get this team and clear everything out of those fireworks. It did a lot for us."

When famed boxing announcer Michael Buffer completed his overdrawn pregame introductions and shouted his signature line - "Llllllllllet's get ready to rummmmmmble!"- the Eagles must have thought this was only a three-round fight.

After the Birds poured it on early and took a 10-0 lead on Watters's 2-yard touchdown run, the Cowboys showed them there were still nine rounds to go.

Not surprisingly, it was the Eagles' special teams that floated out the lazy jab that left them open for a staggering counterpunch.

Former Eagle Herschel Walker - yes, the same Herschel Walker who was deemed too old to contribute to the Eagles before the start of last season - returned a kickoff 49 yards to give Dallas possession on the Eagles' 44.

Eight plays later, Troy Aikman hit tight end Eric Bjornson with a 5-yard touchdown pass and the Cowpokes were awake. They scored 20 consecutive points to lead by 10 at the half.

"The kickoff by Herschel was big," Dallas coach Barry Switzer said. "It gave us the spark we needed to get going."

Not that the prospect of falling to 1-4 and dropping three games behind the Eagles and the Washington Redskins wasn't motivation enough for the Cowboys, but when you're the defending Super Bowl champion and your epitaph is being written a quarter of the way through the season, you take it personally.

"I think this game was about respect tonight and that's what I talked to them about in the locker room," Switzer said. "This game was about respect, about who we are and what we've done. We were sitting here at 1-3, and people were saying the offensive line was too old, too fat, can't knock anybody's (butt) out of there anymore. All those things challenge us to show people they were wrong. We needed to show people who we are."

Eagles coach Ray Rhodes had taken great pains not to give Dallas any bulletin board material, but it would have been impossible for the Cowboys not to have noticed the way the city and Eagles fans were anticipating this game. The expectation was that this would be the Eagles' ascension to the top of the NFC throne over the battered bodies of the washed-up Cowboys.

"That was the talk all week long," Aikman said. "For myself, I've never quite understood all the talk that leads up to a ballgame. Everybody says they're going to do this and they're going to do that, but the games are played.

"This isn't boxing. We're not trying to go out and promote a game. We go out and play. We came in here tonight not feeling like we were getting the respect, and who knows, maybe we didn't deserve it. But we're still the world champions until proven otherwise. To come in here and win against an outstanding football team was big for us."

Those of you who were ready to put the dirt on the Cowboys' coffin should put your shovels away. Unless, of course, you are ready to also dig a plot for the Eagles, who suddenly are 3-2 and facing the prospect of having to find a quarterback to replace Rodney Peete, who suffered a season-ending knee injury late in the first half.

Off the critical list at 2-3 and with a bye week to get healthier, the Cowboys are in decent shape to turn things around.

And don't forget about a certain All-Pro receiver who now can return after completing his five-game drug suspension.

"We've got some help coming," Switzer said of the impending return of Michael Irvin. "Right after (ABC announcer) Al Michaels signed off of 'Monday Night Football,' Michael can come back. He'll be back this week, and that's going to help us.

"This win should give us momentum. We were going south and we've maybe got this thing turned around and headed north. I don't know what speed we're going now, but we're going to try and accelerate. This football team is one that can catch on fire and win a bunch of games in a stretch."

Watch out, NFL, because, if the Cowboys are back, some real fireworks will start.

(c) 1996, Philadelphia Daily News. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

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