Wednesday, December 23, 1998

Cowboys still looking to ignite offensive flame

Scripps Howard News Service

By MIKE BALDWIN

The Daily Oklahoman

IRVING, Texas -- Wide receiver Michael Irvin held his fingers one inch apart to emphasize his belief the Dallas Cowboys' offense is on the verge of ending a late-season slump.

"When you say it's that close it sounds ludicrous," Irvin said. "But it is that close."

The play Irvin was describing was the one where quarterback Troy Aikman's arm was hit by Philadelphia defensive end Jon Harris in the Cowboys' 13-9 win Sunday. Fans see the end result, an interception. Coach Chan Gailey sees Irvin open behind the secondary.

"It's a little thing here and there, that when you watch the film you can say, 'If this had happened, and this had happened, it's a totally different outcome of the ball game with the way your offense played,' " Gailey said. "If it was something major, I wouldn't sit here with very much confidence. But it's not. It's the little things. We were doing them six games ago."

That's what the Cowboys are banking on, that an offense that averaged 390.6 yards and 30.0 points in five November games can put up similar numbers in January.

"We've played very well in times past, so if we've done it before we can do it again," Gailey said. "All it takes is putting together two or three or four games, and all of a sudden you've made it to the top. It's not a 16- game deal anymore. Once you get to the playoffs, all you've got to do is put together a string of four like we had in the middle of the season."

Recent outings suggest it will be difficult to match the November bonanza. When you're averaging 11.0 points and 225.7 yards over your past three games, those statistics suggest Dallas is nothing more than playoff fodder.

"Are we where we want to be? No," Gailey said. "But, hey, greatness has never been achieved without challenges in life. This is certainly a great challenge for us. If we can go pull something like this off, they'll say it's one of the greatest of all time. I like the sound of that."

The offensive slump makes it more difficult for Gailey and his staff to determine how much starters should play against Washington on Sunday night. The regular-season finale has no impact on the playoffs. Dallas, 9-6, will be the No. 3 seed regardless of the outcome.

Do you bench running back Emmitt Smith, knowing Chris Warren re-aggravated his groin injury, something that could sideline Warren several weeks. What about Troy Aikman, your franchise quarterback?

"Obviously, you want to play those guys," Gailey said. "Not playing at all for two weeks isn't the right approach. Which ones play? Maybe some of the veteran guys can get away with not playing. ... You're very careful how you approach a game like this. I've been in a bunch of them like this, and I've done it all different ways."

A decision won't be made until mid-week. But it sounds as if Gailey may play the starters in the first half. Tight end David LaFleur, who has been sidelined the past two games by a sprained knee, is expected to see limited playing time, and Gailey is "99 percent sure" cornerback Deion Sanders will not play.

Besides winning 10 games, there is a small reward for beating the Redskins. Gailey said he's excited the Cowboys can become the first NFC East team to go 8-0 within the division.

"The biggest thing is to get a mind-set to go into the playoffs," Gailey said. "If it's one little thing here, and one little thing there that makes a difference in your offense, you can show your players on film, 'See this, hey, we can do this.' All of a sudden you turn it around. It's an amazing thing how that can happen in a short period of time."

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service.)