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Tuesday, October 29, 1996

Cowboys focus on catching Redskins; Miami win keeps title hopes alive

By Jean-Jacques Taylor / The Dallas Morning News (Oct. 29, 1996)

IRVING (KRT) - A week ago, some players groused in the Cowboys' locker room after a win over Atlanta. They questioned strategy and themselves after slipping past the winless Falcons in the final minutes.

After all, Dallas had been reduced to shamelessly celebrating a victory over a team they were favored to beat by more than two touchdowns.

They were a team without the swagger and confidence that has been their trademark while winning Super Bowls in three of the past four seasons.

A 29-10 rout of Miami on Sunday seemed to rejuvenate America's Team.

At times, the Cowboys can be a difficult group to motivate. But challenge their pride or put them in a must-win situation and they continue to prove that they remain among the NFL's elite.

Dallas took a 1-3 record to Philadelphia on Monday night four weeks ago and rallied from a 10-0 deficit to beat the Eagles, 23-19.

Sunday's victory was just as important.

The difference between 5-3 and 4-4 is more than one game. It is the difference between trying to make the playoffs as a wild-card team and knowing a chance to win a divisional title and secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs still exists.

The Cowboys knew they had to beat Miami, so they did.

In the process, they sent a league-wide reminder that they are an elite team.

"We're not out to make statements," said receiver Michael Irvin. "We just want to get better. Statements are for teams that haven't done what we have done over and over again.

"We're the defending world champions - I don't want that to sound cocky because that's bad - but that's the reality of the situation."

Still, the Cowboys reside in third place in the NFC East, a division they have won four consecutive times. They trail second-place Philadelphia by a game and first-place Washington by two games.

Here's a look at what the Cowboys must do to win their record fifth consecutive divisional title.

-- Sweep Washington

Norv Turner, who spent three seasons as the Cowboys' offensive coordinator, knows how to beat the Cowboys. Now, in his third year as the Redskins coach, he has the players to do it.

Turner uses a ball-control offenound running back Terry Allen to keep the Cowboys' offense off the field. Turner has Allen run mainly between the tackles because he knows it's hard to consistently run outside against the Cowboys' defense.

The Redskins (7-1) are off to their best start since 1991, when they won their first 11 games and finished with a Super Bowl title.

And last year, the Redskins became the first NFC East team to sweep the Cowboys since Philadelphia and the New York Giants did so in 1990.

They did it with a punishing running game that wore the Cowboys down and shortened the game.

Terry Allen rushed 30 times for 121 yards and a touchdown in a 27-23 win in Washington. He gained 98 yards on 25 carries and scored two touchdowns in a 24-17 win in Dallas.

But the addition of linebackers Fred Strickland and Broderick Thomas has improved the Cowboys' run defense, as has the emergence of defensive tackle Leon Lett as one of the game's premier players.

The Cowboys need a sweep to make up the two-game deficit they face and to prevent them from relying on other teams for help.

In the '90s, only one NFC team has gone to the Super Bowl without having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs: the 1992 Cowboys.

"We still control our own destiny," quarterback Troy Aikman said. "We're backed into a corner and we don't have a lot of air, but I'm not uncomfortable in our position."

-- Run the ball

The Cowboys' have won an unprecedented three Super Bowls in the past four seasons with a running game that spent three quarters pounding teams into submission before taking their hearts in the fourth quarter.

But that hasn't happened this season. Until it does, the Cowboys' offense will languish near the bottom of the league.

In the past four years, Dallas has finished among the top five in rushing. Twice, the Cowboys have finished second. Yet they enter the second half of 1996 season ranked 25th in the NFL in rushing.

The reasons are varied.

Running back Emmitt Smith has been hampered by a variety of ailments, including a sprained knee, since training camp. Every starter in the offensive line except left guard Nate Newton has been hampered by injuries, and those players are just now getting healthy and into sync.

The Cowboys' inability to consistently run the ball is reflected in their first downs and time of possession this season.

Last season, the Cowboys led the NFL in first downs (364) and ranked sixth in time of possession (31:15). Dallas entered Sunday's game tied for 22nd in first downs (117) and 23rd in time of possession (28:31).

"The more snaps we have, the better we'll move the ball," said offensive line coach Hudson Houck, "but we aren't keeping drives alive by converting third downs."

-- Get Haley back

Charles Haley's sore back forced him to miss four of the Cowboys' first eight games. They know he will be on a week-to-week basis for most of the season, but he remains the Cowboys' most feared defensive player at one of the most important positions.

The left defensive end is an important spot because he can apply pressure to the quarterback's blind side.

Haley has been one of the best. He ranks second all-time in post-season sacks with 11 and has 97.5 in his career.

Hurvin McCormack did an admirable job replacing Haley, while Shante Carver served a six-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Carver will get most of the play at end while McCormack shifts inside to defensive tackle, where he is most effective.

Haley forces teams to double-cover him, which gives defensive linemen Leon Lett, Chad Hennings and Tony Tolbert more room to maneuver

More important, he gives the Cowboys an emotional lift. They feed off his presence.

"We need Charles Haley back to make the Super Bowl run," said Pro Bowl strong safety Darren Woodson.

-- Stay healthy

The salary cap and free agency have robbed the Cowboys of the depth that was their trademark in their first two Super Bowl victories.

While the Cowboys are stocked with Pro Bowl players, they have few replacement parts.

Novacek might not return this season and Haley has missed four games with a sore back. There is no proven backup for the offensive line.

When left tackle Mark Tuinei aggravated his sprained right knee, the Cowboys were forced to play George Hegamin at that spot. It was the first time he had ever played the position in an NFL game.

They can't afford any significant injuries to their star performers.

"This team when healthy is capable of winning eight, nine or 10 games in a row," said vice president Stephen Jones. "Health is really the single-most important thing at any point in the season. We've been fortunate not to have a lot of injuries in the past."

-- Produce more big plays

The Cowboys have been a big-play offense for most of the '90s.

The Cowboys, though, had few big plays in their first five games as Irvin served his five-game NFL suspension and Smith battled a variety of ailments.

Without the big plays - gains of 20 yards or more - the Cowboys' offense sputtered.

Irvin's return and Smith's improving health have given the Cowboys' offense a spark they missed in the first five weeks. It's no coincidence two of their three highest point totals this season have come in the past two games.

In Dallas' first five games, the Cowboys had nine gains of 20 or more yards, which directly led to three touchdowns and two field goals.

In the past three games with Irvin, Dallas has eight big plays, leading to five touchdowns and two field goals.

The Cowboys' 1-3 start was largely a product of an ineffective offense. Their defense has been ranked near the top of the NFL all season.

If their offense becomes the high-powered, big-play machine it has been for most of this decade, the Cowboys will reign again.

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