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Cowboys cruise past Steelers, 37-7

By JOSIE KARP

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

PITTSBURGH - Michael Irvin looked like a kid shivering in the cold. The Cowboys receiver jerked his body violently forward, then back and repeated the whole unorthodox movement again.

If it looked like the Cowboys receiver was out of practice when it came to celebrating in the end zone during Sunday's 37-7 opening-game rout of the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium, let one thing be understood.

He was. All of the Cowboys were.

And that is the biggest change, after one game, in the Cowboys offense' from a year ago. When the Cowboys won a year ago, it was usually because of their defense and field-goal kicker.

On Sunday, first-year kicker Richie Cunningham hit three field goals. And the defense held the Steelers to 174 total yards. But the offense played like its Super Bowl counterparts from years past.

"We scored some points, which is the big thing, however you score them," offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese said. "As long as you get them scored, that's the important thing."

A year ago, the Cowboys scored more than 30 points only once. In their first game, they topped their single-game high from last season and twice scored 17 points in a quarter, more points than they scored in any one quarter a year ago.

The Cowboys' offensive explosion hearkened back to their Super Bowl form of years past in every way but one. Last year's problems with the running game persisted.

But the passing game is back, in particular the rapport between quarterback Troy Aikman and Irvin, who caught seven passes for 153 yards and two touchdowns.

Aikman threw two other touchdown passes - one to wide receiver Anthony Miller and one to fullback Daryl Johnston - en route to 19 completions for 295 yards. It was his first four-touchdown regular-season game since 1989 and only the third time in his career he has thrown four touchdown passes in a game. A year ago, he had only 12 touchdown passes.

"We want to maintain balance, but if we're not able to run the football effectively at different times during the season, unlike a year ago we feel like we can come out and still have some success throwing the ball," Aikman said. "I think that was evident today."

The evidence came during the second quarter when the Cowboys scored on every possession for a 17-0 halftime lead.

Both of Miller's two receptions came within four plays of each other in the first two minutes of the second quarter. Aikman missed hooking up with Miller early in the game when the Steelers used a safety in combination with a cornerback on Irvin. That left Miller in single coverage, but his timing was off.

Three of Aikman's first 10 passes went to Miller, all incomplete. On the fourth, the pair finally hooked up, with Aikman hitting Miller over the middle for a 31-yard gain on third-and-10.

Two plays later, Aikman again connected with Miller, this time in the end zone for a 7-0 lead.

On the Cowboys' next possession Aikman, hit Irvin with a 42-yard touchdown pass. On the following drive, with less than two minutes to go in the half, Aikman found Irvin for a 55-yard reception that eventually led to a 52-yard field goal by Cunningham, giving the Cowboys a 17-0 lead.

The Cowboys defense, meanwhile, dominated from the start, confusing Pittsburgh quarterback Kordell Stewart, who was making his first NFL start.

"Kordell Stewart was introduced to the NFL today," Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher said.

About the only area of concern amid the Cowboys' celebration was the running game, which never did get untracked. It didn't matter once the Cowboys got ahead 17-0.

"Once we started scoring some points we really got them wondering whether we were going to try to run it or throw it," Zampese said. "Once you get the lead, whether you're having any success running or not, you still have that capability."

Emmitt Smith gained just 69 yards on 26 carries, a 2.7-yard average and a full yard less than his average per carry last season, his career worst.

"Our offense is 50-50 (run-pass) and when one gets shut down we feel like we got shut down a little bit," offensive tackle Mark Tuinei said. "We definitely have to go back and look at it and see what went wrong."

In a search for what went wrong, the Cowboys players and coaches will have a lot less tape to go through after Sunday's game than they did after last year's season opener, a baffling 22-6 loss to the Chicago Bears.

"It's important how you play that first game because it sets the tone," said Irvin, who watched last year's opener on television in Dallas while serving a five-game suspension. "It sends you home feeling good about your football team or it sends you home saying, 'Oh, my god, it's going to be a long season.' This game sends us home feeling good about our football team."