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Bad start, great finish for Troy Aikman

By Clarence E. Hill Jr.

Knight-Ridder Newspapers

(KRT)

IRVING, Texas - Yes, the Eagles should have won. It would have been a chip-shot field goal, the kind that kicker Chris Boniol routinely makes. However, Eagles holder Tommy Hutton dropped the ball.

Just blame it in the comeback gods at Texas Stadium.

Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman, dogged for much his career because he hasn't been a rally magician equal to Cowboys legend Roger Staubach, earned a dubious comeback victory for himself and the Cowboys when Hutton's bobbled hold on the final play protected a 21-20 victory for the Cowboys.

Not only did the improbable blooper save the game for the Cowboys but it preserved Aikman's heroics in fourth quarter when he rebounded from a horrible first half to put the Cowboys in position to win.

Aikman, who completed just 4 of 16 passes for 42 yards in the first half, was 13-of-20 passing for 163 yards and one touchdown in the final two quarters.

He was especially effective on the final two drives of the game when the Cowboys rallied for a field goal and a touchdown to gain the victory.

The capper came when the normally robotic Aikman turned Staubach-like, rolling out left to avoid the rush before lofting the ball in the end zone, where receiver Anthony Miller hauled it in.

The "Hail Mary" play this wasn't. But it would have to do for the Cowboys and Aikman.

"I was going to run it," Aikman said. "I didn't get to get a whole lot on it. It was a better catch than it was a throw."

The throw and the catch, with a little help from Hutton, helped erase what was seemingly a Monday Nightmare for Aikman.

Often called a robo-quarterback because of his technical expertise, Aikman appeared to be just that in the first half when he was flustered by a variety of blitz packages and blanket coverage on favorite target Michael Irvin and began to offer up one of his worst performances as a pro.

The numbers in the first quarter were downright awful, as Aikman was 1-of-8 passing for just 12 yards. He looked rigid and immobile in the face of the Eagles rush. The Eagles also victimized him for two sacks on blitzes by cornerback Bobby Taylor. He fumbled on both - the second of which turned into a 37-yard return for a touchdown by Eagles linebacker William Thomas.

In Aikman's defense, he didn't get much help from his teammates. Irvin was taken out of the game by great defense early and leg cramps late. There were drops by Miller and tight end Eric Bjornson. And Aikman was forced to count on inexperienced backups Stepfret Williams and Billy Davis, not to mention an offensively rusty Deion Sanders.

What also was certain was that Aikman played very un-Aikman-like. He missed passes and did not look comfortable in the pocket.

But in the end, all the mattered was the win.

"We've got to play better than we played, but the name of the game is winning," Aikman said. "But we realize to get where we want to be, we must improve."

(c) 1997, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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