Monday, November 23, 1998

Kevin Smith's star picks up more Neon every week

By Tim Cowlishaw

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Two weeks in a row now, Kevin Smith has been the hero.

Well, sort of.

Two weeks straight, he makes the play on the opponent's final pass, and the Cowboys hang on to win. If he extends that streak to three, it may go down as the greatest Thanksgiving comeback since Clint Longley put his imprint on Cowboys history 24 years ago.

Imagine that. Kevin Smith, the key to the Cowboys' hopes against 10-1 Minnesota on Thanksgiving Day. Kevin Smith, toasted by receivers and roasted by media on a routine basis this season, could be the star. That's what he was a week ago in Arizona when he kept Rob Moore from catching a game-tying pass as time ran out.

Did he interfere with Moore? Hey, it wasn't called, so it was the right play.

On Sunday, it came down to Smith again, though not in quite so dramatic a setting. The underachievers from Seattle were still in the game at 30-22 and needed to convert a fourth-and-3 at the Dallas 45. Warren Moon went to Joey Galloway, who had beaten Smith for a 44-yard touchdown in the first half. This time it was a quick slant.

This time Smith got his right hand in on Galloway and swatted the pass away with 2:31 on the clock. The Seahawks never got the ball back.

"That was the play of the game," safety Darren Woodson said. "This guy plays against the best receiver every week. He's had a tough year with a lot of criticism from the media, but I don't know any corner in the league who can stand up to what he has to face."

The heat on Smith may have been turned down off the field he even ended his 22-game streak with no interceptions when he picked off a Moon pass Sunday but he's leaping back into the flames Thursday. And who knows whether Deion Sanders will play the entire game, half a game or just offer divine inspiration from the sideline?

Questionable with a sprained big toe on his left foot for Sunday's game, Sanders started, but limped to the sideline when Galloway caught a quick sideline pass on him in the second quarter. The Cowboys' medical staff admitted no clue as to whether Sanders would give it a go against Minnesota.

If not, that leaves the Vikings' magical rookie, Randy Moss, along with veteran stars Cris Carter and Jake Reed, to go against some combination of Smith, Charlie Williams and perhaps Kenny Wheaton.

On paper, turkeys have a better chance for survival this week than that Dallas trio.

Moss tuned up for this one by catching eight balls for 153 yards Sunday as the Vikings basically told Green Bay to try the wild-card route.

"I don't like the word test, I think every game is a test," coordinator Dave Campo said. "I think this will be a tremendous challenge for us."

Campo doesn't know whether he can count on Sanders but sees some benefit in the fact Sanders was in for just 15 plays Sunday. He also believes the secondary is more equipped to play without Sanders now than it was a week ago when Jake Plummer threw for 314 second-half yards, most of them with Sanders on the side.

He's probably right. The Cowboys practiced without Deion this past week and considered him a bonus when he started. That's why you didn't see Sanders following Galloway all around the field in the first two quarters. He wasn't in the game plan.

But it's also why a Sanders-less secondary held its own against Moon after being pummeled by Plummer. In the final two quarters with Sanders out, Moon completed 10 of 19 passes for 116 yards. In other words, nothing special.

"Obviously, we're not as good a football team without Deion because he may be one of the greatest players ever to play the game," Campo said. "But you better give Charlie Williams a lot of credit for what he did today.

"And I'm very pleased with Kevin Smith. I say that over and over and over again. I've seen Galloway run by a lot of people, but on the last play (for Seattle), Kevin made a great play."

Smith didn't hang around to talk about his game-saving break-up or his first interception in 14 months or his starring role in the Cowboys' fourth consecutive victory.

He made a quick locker-room escape, perhaps to check on Deion's big toe or to study the highlight-reel catches Moss made against Green Bay.

Maybe he just wanted to lay low for a few hours. He's going to be back in the national spotlight Thursday afternoon.

For the Cowboys, that's not necessarily a bad thing.

(c) 1998, The Dallas Morning News.

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