AUSTIN (KRT) - Distractions are just another revenue source for the Dallas
Cowboys. On the surface, Michael Irvin's five-game suspension is only one
more conversation piece that seems to steel the resolve of the world champions.
"What do y'all want from Mike?" asked defiant guard Nate Newton.
"You done took his livelihood away. He ain't got no endorsements. You
took his star status. Tell us so we can start making arrangements to where
we've got to shackle him down in some dungeon or something."
The "Irvin question" has irked Newton. The Oakland Raiders were
in town this week to practice with the Cowboys. The Raiders now feature
Super Bowl MVP cornerback Larry Brown and 1991 No. 1 draft choice Russell
Maryland, two starters the Cowboys couldn't pay to keep.
"We have the potential to be better on defense," said quarterback
Troy Aikman, sounding oblivious to the loss of four starters.
The so-called distractions are so numerous that Irvin's tawdry off-season
must wait in line. Irvin is the fifth member of last year's Super Bowl roster
who has either served or is facing suspension since November, joining Leon
Lett (marijuana), Clayton Holmes (cocaine), Cory Fleming (unknown) and Shante
Carver (alcohol).
"There seems to always be something discussed outside of football,
so this team really doesn't get caught up in that," Aikman said.
Consider the start of Cowboy-Raider workouts: There are two football fields
end-to-end and bleachers filled with fans stretch 200 yards on both sides.
The fence is decorated with advertising banners. A "Kid's Zone"
sponsored by Pepsi, Ocean Spray, Frito-Lay and others feature Cowboys cheerleaders.
Novelty and concession tents lend to the carnival atmosphere. Owner Jerry
Jones has sold practice.
In a corner, a 10-foot inflatable GMC utility "official vehicle of
training camp" sits only feet from the end zone where players work.
Hundreds of "special guest" fans stand inside the fence, five
yards from the sideline.
Lined along the field are golf carts, close to 50 of them, transportation
for players who must run a gauntlet of screaming fans seeking autographs.
Soon after the Cowboys and Raiders assemble for calisthenics on the adjacent
fields, a golf cart roars down the sideline driven by Deion Sanders.
This is no ordinary golf cart. It is a $30,000 custom, black, miniature
Mercedes look-alike, with No. 21 on the grill, a high convertible top stretched
from its tinted windshield. Music is blaring from its stereo system, the
thundering bass beat drowning out the calisthenics count but not the cheers
from the crowd.
A license plate reads: "Full Time." It is hot, but he has refrained
from turning on the cooling spray mist. After all, he is nursing a hamstring
injury and is not practicing.
Instead, Sanders heads for the Raider defensive backs, where coach Willie
Brown is offering tips in one-on-one patterns against the Cowboys. Sanders
raps with Larry Brown, offers pointers, helps out. The Raiders seem receptive.
As a receiver now as well as cornerback, Sanders has a unique perspective.
In a tower sits Jones, overseeing all.
Irvin, eligible to practice before his suspension takes effect, is not here.
Tight end Jay Novacek is out with a bothersome back injury. Tackle Erik
Williams isn't practicing much. Neither is pass rusher Charles Haley or
cornerback Kevin Smith.
Besides starter Kevin Williams, Aikman's targets are named Kendricke Bullard,
Jason Shelley, Edward Hervey, Oronde Gadsden, Eric Bjornson, Billy Davis
and Stepfret Williams.
Yet the Cowboys look good. Receivers get open and balls are delivered on
time, in stride, on the hands, every time.
The common denominator is Aikman, as accurate a passer as ever played.
"That's the reason we come here to work," said Raiders boss Al
Davis. "We get to work against Aikman. He's the best. He forces you
to play pass coverage as good as you're going to have to play it. They have
to worry about who's playing receiver, but as long as they have him, they
have an edge."
One of Aikman's targets is familiar - Herschel Walker, signed from the Giants
to bring his NFL career full circle. When traded to the Minnesota Vikings
in 1989, Walker brought the draft choices that helped the Cowboys win three
of the last four Super Bowls.
"But Jerry never gave me a ring," Walker said. "I'm coming
back to try to win one."
Aikman and Jones both express concern about the negative image surrounding
the Cowboys. Both acknowledge the seriousness of Irvin's case and both recognize
the magnifying glass of the 1996 media. And both suggest perspective is
needed.
Jones said the Irvin case, a no-contest plea on drug charges, "pales
in comparison" with other incidents on other teams and other sports.
From a legal standpoint, it is "not even in the top 10 in the history
of the Cowboys," Jones said.
"You've made us drunks and jerks," said Newton, who has been arrested
for driving while intoxicated. "Everybody disrespects us and tries
to harass us."
"I know whatever our image was, it's not as good now," Aikman
said.
But through it all, confidence remains.
"The reason this team has been so successful is because it's made up
of quality people," Aikman said. "People out there laugh when
they read that, but it's true.
"I think we have potential to be a better football team than what we
were a year ago."
(c) 1996, Chicago Tribune. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information
Services.