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Tuesday, November 18, 1997

Troy Aikman: Drive was nothing special

By Josie Karp

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Troy Aikman practically guffawed when he heard the question, which turned out to be enough of a response in itself.

No, the quarterback went on to explain, the Cowboys' 17-14 victory against the Washington Redskins on Sunday - and the 97-yard game-tying drive he engineered in the last six minutes - was not a game he will look back on and ponder fondly when he retires.

"It was a nice win, don't get me wrong," Aikman said. "But I don't think that will be a game that I reflect back on and think that was a milestone in my career."

Aikman's response is a good place to start, however, when trying to figure out exactly what the drive and the game do mean as the Cowboys prepare to visit the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

For the third week in a row, players are saying the Cowboys are in a must-win situation. Just maybe, coach Barry Switzer said on Monday, what the Cowboys accomplished at the end of Sunday's game will help in the future.

"The last five minutes of the game we played every phase of the game as well as you can play it and we had to win it," Switzer said. "I think you probably gain more from that than winning something by a couple touchdowns. Because I think we're going to be challenged down the stretch here to try to win some of them probably in the same way."

For the offense as a whole, the drive was a much-needed confidence booster.

"A lot of people talk about the test of character and the test of a champion. That drive definitely brought out the character of this ballclub, the innermost competitive edge of this ballclub," running back Emmitt Smith said. "It made us stay focused on the things that we've been trying to do all year long and that was to make plays when they really counted."

For the players who used to make such extraordinary plays look routine, it was a reminder of who they are.

"You've been making plays like that all your life and it becomes like second nature," Smith said. "You expect it of yourself and you expect it of your peers when they get out on the football field."

For the younger players who never experienced such a comeback in a crucial game, it was a first taste of something they would like to repeat.

"We had a lot of young players in the huddle at the time - (tight end) David LaFleur, (tackle) Tony Hutson, (tackle) George Hegamin and (center) Clay Shiver," Aikman said. "There were some guys in there who maybe haven't got to experience that and know what it felt like to come from behind and win a game like that."

For the team, it meant two consecutive victories for only the second time this season.

"It was important to show some kind of consistency in our performance level for a two-week period," Smith said. "But we have a tough challenge ahead of us. Green Bay is not no chopped liver."

And in the long run?

"It remains to be seen. We have a lot more games ahead of us," Smith said. "We've just got to take one day at a time and see where we're at at the end of the season. That's what really matters."

(c) 1997, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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