[an error occurred while processing this directive]

Philly's Mr. Intensity is obsessed with Dallas

By MIKE BALDWIN

The Daily Oklahoman

The Eagles upset the defending Super Bowl champions last Sunday, but you couldn't tell by looking at Philadelphia coach Ray Rhodes.

"A whole lot of people look at me and say I'm not a happy person, I don't smile and stuff like that," Rhodes said. "I've never been one of those type of guys that went around and smiled and felt that every day is a great day, because it's not."

That's Ray Rhodes, who played at the University of Tulsa and was on San Francisco's coaching staff during all five trips to the Super Bowl. He's intense. Possibly too intense.

Rhodes, 45, has become obsessed with overtaking Dallas in the NFC East. The two teams meet again Monday night, and Rhodes admits he learned an important lesson the last time the Eagles played at Texas Stadium.

"From an emotional and physical standpoint, we put everything into it," Rhodes said of a 31-21 victory last November. "We came out of that game a little drained. It took us a few games to bounce back."

To reset the scene, the Cowboys trailed the Eagles 24-21 and had marched to the Philadelphia 3. The Cowboys were on the verge of winning, at worst forcing overtime. That's when Troy Vincent returned an interception 90 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

The Eagles were 7-2 after the win. The Cowboys were 5-4. Just when it appeared Philadelphia might end Dallas' NFC East stranglehold, the Eagles lost four of their next five games.

"When you beat Dallas, it kind of gives you credibility," said Eagles quarterback Ty Detmer. "Looking back on it, maybe we put too much emphasis on it. After Dallas, we let things slip away."

So Ty, tell us, is Ray Rhodes the most intense coach you've played for?

"He's pretty intense," Detmer said. "Everybody sees him on game day, and that's when he's at his best. He certainly gets fired up."

Fired up? That's one way of putting it.

"Some people think I'm too intense, I'm this or that," Rhodes said. "The most important thing for me is that my players understand me. If they understand me, and know what I'm about, that's the most important thing."

Rhodes, 45, is unique. Unlike many of his peers, he abhors answering questions from the media.

"Dealing with you guys is a chore in and of itself," Rhodes said. "The coaching part is the fun part, what I enjoy doing, being around the players. I'm not in it to be an entertainer. I'm a coach. I enjoy the football aspect. Some guys like the spotlight. That's not the most important thing to me."

To Rhodes, the most important thing - the only thing - is winning. It's the very reason Rhodes reacted defensively to Dallas coach Barry Switzer's comment after the Cowboys' 30-11 playoff victory in 1995. "This one didn't come down to any fourth-and-one," Switzer said. "We just kicked their butts."

Rhodes kept a copy of the quote in his desk and vowed revenge. When pressed for details, Rhodes claimed it dates back to his days growing up in Mexia, a small community in south Texas.

"All the fanfare and accolades I can do without," Rhodes said. "It's not about being a black man or being egotistical. I have been winning my whole life. It hurts, it hurts badly when I lose. I dread that feeling after a loss. It burns me up inside. Failure is not an option.

"If you kick my butt, you kick my butt. But the next time I see you, I'm going to get you."

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)