Some final thoughts on campSome final thoughts on campAUSTIN - Wrapping another quick trip to Dallas Cowboys' training camp
with a few things left over in the notebook.
The Michael Irvin situation was the topic of a lot of conversation, but
so was Deion Sanders and his role on the Dallas offense.
Deion is the premier cornerback in the NFL, but he's trying to become the
first two-way starter in the NFL since Roy Green of the St. Louis Cardinals
did it more than 10 years ago.
And after a few days of seeing Deion in training camp, I'm here to tell
you that he can do it. And what's more, he'll have to since Irvin has been
suspended for the first five games of the season.
Deion has the speed to beat people deep, the size to catch the quick slants
and maybe the best set of hands on the team.
And don't be fooled by all the glitter and flash because this man works
to get better. After last Friday afternoon's practice - when the temperature
was a sweltering 105 degrees - Deion was out on the practice field by himself
running 100s.
And he was doing them running straight ahead and backpedaling.
Don't think for a second that this guy won't do what it takes to be a big-time
wide receiver in the NFL.
"It's obvious that he has tremendous talent," Dallas quarterback
Troy Aikman said of Sanders. "He's arguably the best defensive back
in football, but now he has to make a transition.
"You have to have a willingness to go over the middle and get hit and
catch the football," he said. "And it will take time for us to
dvelop a rapport. It takes a lot of repitition and a lot of playing together
to get there."
But don't bet against Deion.
Emmitt Smith spoke about the Irvin situation when he was asked what the
Cowboys needed to do to improve their image around the nation.
"There's no way to help our image but by being a productive citizen,"
he said. "The damage has already been done. The only way to help now
is to not mess up."
Defensive back Kevin Smith, still recovering from surgery to repair a partially
ruptured right Achilles tendon, said much the same thing.
"We've gotten the message," he said. "Anybody that goes out
and screws up now, you can just say he's stupid. People are looking at us,
and it's not because they're watching us to see if we can win that fourth
Super Bowl. They're watching us to see if we mess up."
Herschel Walker has already won over the fans in Austin - if he ever
lost them - by spending at least 30 minutes after every practice signing
autographs. Emmitt Smith has joined the practice, as have several other
players.
Deion has signed after every practice, and Aikman usually gets in a cart
and goes to the east end of the practice field - on the opposite end of
"Autograph Alley" - and signs while fans wait in an orderly single-file
line.
And finally, the chic pick around the NFL this season is San Francisco
over Dallas in the NFC Championship Game and a sixth world championship
for the 49ers.
Most of the reasoning for the pick is that Bill Walsh is back to run the
offense and that Steve Young has something to prove after a subpar year
for him.
But hold on, because this team still has some big holes. They start at running
back where the club is still trying to fill the hole left when Ricky Watters
left for Philadelpha. Fullback William Floyd won't be back any time soon
after the devastating knee injury he suffered last year, and the club lost
its best cornerback - Eric Davis - to free agency.
Not even the Genius, as Walsh has been tabbed, can fill those holes.
What about Green Bay, you ask? Until the Packers prove they can beat the
Cowboys in the regular season, they won't do it when it counts in the playoffs.
The Cowboys know they can beat Green Bay in a big game; the Packers are
still trying to figure out how to stop Emmitt.
Yes, the Cowboys have holes, and Irvin's absence will hurt them, but they
have enough weapons to overcome the loss. The burden will be on Emmitt Smith
and the offensive line to carry the team without Irvin, a load those big
men can surely handle.
The defense will probably be better than last year's unit, and if Irvin
is ready to play by early-to-mid-November, watch out.
This club is as good as the one that won the Super Bowl last year.
So the pick here is that Dallas beats the 49ers to win the NFC title, then
beats a rejuvenated Buffalo team in Super Bowl XXXI in New Orleans.