Thursday, September 5, 1996

Giants Downplay Dallas Woes
By TOM CANAVAN
AP Sports Writer
(Sept. 5, 1996)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) - It seems the timing couldn't be better for the New York Giants to play the Dallas Cowboys.

Michael Irvin and Jay Novacek are out. Emmitt Smith's status is somewhat of a question mark even though it appears he'll play Sunday. And the Cowboys appear shaky after a 22-6 loss to the Chicago Bears on Monday night.

It's the perfect scenario for the Giants to win their first meaningful game against the Cowboys in years.

Finding one of Dan Reeves' players willing to say that was impossible on Wednesday, even in the wake of a good performance in a 23-20 overtime loss to Buffalo.

"Everybody is always trying to say they are not the same team, but in the end they always show up to be that team," Giants linebacker Jessie Armstead said. "We can't go in there saying this isn't the Dallas Cowboys. It's the same team, the same players outside of Irvin and Novacek. They still have weapons."

The Cowboys also have the Giants' number in recent years, having won seven of the last eight. New York's only victory came in the final game of the 1994 season when Dallas rested most of its starters for the playoffs.

Only two recent games have been competitive, the second game last season in Dallas (21-20) and final game of the 1993 regular season when the Cowboys posted a 16-13 overtime decision to win the NFC East from New York.

What makes the '93 game so memorable was Smith carried Dallas to the title playing the entire second half with a slight shoulder separation.

Smith sustained a neck injury on Monday. A team doctor immediately said he would miss this weekend's game, but Smith on Wednesday said he'd be in the lineup.

"He's a competitor and he wants to be there and compete," Giants linebacker Corey Miller said. "He's had big games against us in the past and I know he'll be ready to come out Sunday and play."

No one on the Giants is reading too much into the Cowboys' dismal performance Monday.

As far as they're concerned, Dallas' defense played well and only got beaten on a couple of trick plays. While the Cowboys' passing game wasn't the same without Novacek and Irvin, having Troy Aikman and Smith in the backfield for a full game has never failed against New York in recent years.

"I don't think they played as well as they can and they are a better team than they showed," Giants center Brian Williams said. "Some of their guys are out of shape and it showed. They had to pull them out a few times and put in second-team players."

Miller expects Dallas to try to establish its running game in its home opener, giving Aikman more opportunity to throw to Deion Sanders and Kevin Williams.

Running would also negate the Giants' blitz, which sacked Bills quarterback Jim Kelly seven times on Sunday night.

"People can say they are hurt and don't have Novacek and Irvin," Miller said. "They still have a lot of good players and you still have to play well to beat them."

And never underestimate them, cornerback Phillippi Sparks added.

"The timing was a little off last week but never take Dallas lightly," Sparks said. "Never, never, never, never."

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