Friday, July 26, 1996
Texas Two-Step: Deion replaces Irvin...but
who replaces him?
By DAVE GOLDBERG
AP Football Writer
(July 26, 1996)
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - With the Dallas Cowboys, there's always
a superstar lurking. So Deion Sanders will replace Michael Irvin
at wide receiver for the first five games.
But who replaces Deion?
Irvin's loss for almost one-third of the season weakens the Cowboys
at two positions, wide receiver and cornerback. Sure, they still
have Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, but Irvin hasn't missed a
game since the start of the 1991 season.
Sanders has been brilliant as a spot receiver - of his 13 career
receptions, four have been for touchdowns. But he's never played
the position on a regular basis, and even an athlete as extraordinary
as he is can't necessarily become a full-time pass catcher in
one preseason.
Moreover, Sanders leaves a secondary already hurt by the defection
of Larry Brown, the Super Bowl MVP who left as a free agent for
Oakland, and by the Achilles tendon tear from which Kevin Smith
is still recuperating.
So second-year player Alundis Brice will be one cornerback. But
if Smith doesn't make it back for opening day, that means Sanders
will have to move back.
No wonder Barry Switzer was ecstatic earlier this week when told
Smith's rehabilitation was ahead of schedule.
"I haven't felt this good since we won the Super Bowl,"
he said.
The NFL announced the five-game suspension Wednesday night, providing
some relief to a team that had been preoccupied during the first
week of training camp by speculation over the ruling.
"It's closure," owner Jerry Jones said.
Added Larry Lacewell, the team's personnel director: "We
were surprised to a certain degree because we had heard it might
be eight games so I guess five just fell right into the slot."
The suspension is strictly for the five opening games. Irvin
is free to report to camp any time - although he has given no
indication when that might be - and is eligible for exhibition
games.
Irvin is home in Miami with his family, and Jones spoke to him
Wednesday night.
"He is clearly resolved to get this behind him," Jones
said. "He talked about his future and what he needs to do
to get ready for his first game. He said he is ready to take
his medicine."
The suspension comes eight days after Irvin pleaded no contest
to felony cocaine possession charges for which he was fined $10,000,
placed on probation for four years and sentenced to 800 hours
of community service.
The NFL might have let him off more easily if he weren't Michael
Irvin, superstar. Bam Morris, cut by the Steelers after pleading
guilty to felony marijuana possession, was suspended a week ago
for four games, the most common first-time suspension under the
NFL's drug policy.
"You serve as a highly visible symbol of the Dallas Cowboys
and the NFL," commissioner Paul Tagliabue wrote to Irvin.
"As such, you are an unusually prominent example for good
and for bad for young people.
"While that visibility affords you substantial benefits,
financial and otherwise, it significantly increases and magnifies
the negative and detrimental impact of your misconduct on the
league, its teams, its players and its fans."
It also leaves the Cowboys short of receivers for the first five
games - at Chicago, at home to the New York Giants and Indianapolis
and at Buffalo and Philadelphia.
This is the cast minus Irvin:
* Sanders, whose shift to receiver leaves a hole at cornerback.
* Kevin Williams, who played well late last year and has looked
good in camp. But he has benefited in the past from double coverage
on Irvin and still has only 71 receptions and four receiving
touchdowns in three seasons. Irvin had 10 TD catches among his
career-high 111 receptions last year.
* tight end Jay Novacek, who hasn't practiced yet because of
a neck injury although second-year player Eric Bjornson seems
to be coming on as his backup.
* Stepfret Williams, a third-round draft choice who probably
isn't ready yet.
That leaves one sleeper, the recycled Herschel Walker, whose
age, 34, now matches his jersey number. He's looked excellent
as Daryl Johnston's backup at fullback and does one thing better
than Johnston - catch.
But he's not Irvin. Nobody is east of Jerry Rice.
All content copyright 1996, AP, The Abilene
Reporter-News and Reporter OnLine
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