Wednesday, November 25, 1998

Gathered no Moss: Irvin accepts blame for Cowboys passing on rookie star

By Randy Galloway

Knight Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Watching the NFL draft on TV in April, Michael Irvin knew even before the pick came up that the Cowboys would gather no Moss. He also knew why.

"Me," said Irvin yesterday at Valley Ranch. "With everything I'd been involved in, we couldn't draft Randy Moss. Because of me, Jerry (Jones) had to go out on a limb over character issues."

So Irvin immediately picked up the phone that day in April and called Moss. "I apologized to Randy because I knew he really wanted to be in Dallas," continued Irvin. "I told him all my stuff is what had prevented that.

"Randy told me he was fine with going to Minnesota - he thought he had still ended up in a good place. As it turned out, he did. But he wanted to be here."

Thursday, Moss will be here. With the Vikings, of course. It is tough to argue against the current theory that Moss is the best player on the best team in the NFC.

But despite Moss' sensational rookie season, Jerry Jones, as the owner, says he has nary a regret that the Cowboys passed up Moss in the draft.

Chan Gailey, as the head coach, strongly seconds the Jones' motion. "We had other needs, more pressing needs. We did what we should have done (drafting defensive end Greg Ellis)," Gailey said on a radio show Monday night.

But to have seen the Cowboys' sudden offensive growth under Gailey, and then to imagine a weapon such as Moss also being involved, well ...

"It would have been great for Randy to be here," said Irvin, despite having seen his offensive role already diminished with the emergence of Billy Davis and Ernie Mills (now injured) as alternative receivers.

Irvin added: "I think Randy would have loved Dallas. I admit I do wonder if Dallas would have loved Randy because of the reputation he would have had coming in here. But that goes back to me again, and what I've put the team through."

Irvin then laughed, and brought up the controversy Jerry Rice stirred up in San Francisco this week. "If that had been me," he said, " ''SportsCenter" would have had its lead item. My picture would have been splashed all over the place to lead off the show."

Reportedly, Rice was so miffed over his lack of offensive involvement in Sunday's win over New Orleans that he threatened after the game to retire. Rice immediately backed off the next day after being roasted by the Bay Area media for being selfish.

Irvin, of course, saw his reception streak ended at 117 games 10 days ago in Tempe, Ariz. But he handled that shutout in a professional manner.

Irvin's off-the-field antics have been a team wrecker in the past. His personal lifestyle helped end a dynasty era in Dallas.

But when it comes to football, just football, he continues to be among a handful of stand-up players who serve as team leaders.

"I know what I've done," he said. "No one has to remind me. Everyone does anyway, of course."

But tomorrow, here comes Moss into Texas Stadium, obviously intent on making the Cowboys pay for their draft-day look the other way. Plus, the Vikings are thinking Super Bowl with their 10-1 record.

This is also where Irvin began to show a bowed back yesterday.

"A lot of the guys in here -1/4Rthe locker room-1/4S are taking exception to this game being called a critical test for us," said Irvin. "And that includes me.

"What the heck, every week is a test. This will be a test. But this game won't be a gauge of our team, and there's a difference between a test and a gauge.

"What are the Minnesota Vikings going to tell me about winning a Super Bowl, huh? I've won three. How many have they won?

"If we beat them, we still aren't a Super Bowl team. Remember, we lost to Chicago. But if they beat us, that doesn't make them a Super Bowl team, either. Let's see where everybody is in January."

The 8-3 Cowboys have a variety of health concerns for tomorrow's game, although Irvin said, "That can't and won't be used as an excuse."

On the positive side, however, the Dallas offense has quickly picked up steam over the last two games. And in the locker room this week, Dallas players have been openly challenging the Minnesota defense "to try and stop us."

"I like to hear that stuff," said Irvin, smiling. "With Chan, we are coming back. And our offense is still a long way from being where we will be. There is a lot of football left. People had better remember that."

But for Randy Moss, there's also the urgency tomorrow for the Cowboys to remember a draft-day decision.

(Randy Galloway is a sports columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Write to him at: Fort Worth Star-Telegram, P.O. Box 1870, Fort Worth, Texas, 76101.)

(c) 1998, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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