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Sunday, August 31, 1997

Cowboys, Steelers: Will questions get answered Sunday?

By ALAN ROBINSON / AP Sports Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- So much talent, so much tradition. Still, so many questions -- and, until Sunday, so few definitive answers.

The Dallas Cowboys and the Pittsburgh Steelers, three-time Super Bowl opponents, meet in an intriguing opener that matches two marquee franchises who experienced offseasons of transition and turmoil.

"It's the Steelers. It's the Cowboys," Steelers All-Pro running back Jerome Bettis said. "Whew! Isn't that enough?"

Oh, there's lots more.

The Steelers trashed their roster, saying goodbye to Rod Woodson, Chad Brown, Willie Williams and Andre Hastings among 10 significant departures. The Cowboys did some trashing of their own, damaging their dormitory on the final night of training camp. A few weeks before, Barry Switzer -- the coach! -- was stopped in an aiport for carrying a loaded handgun in his luggage.

No wonder the Dallas Cowboys' middle name seems to be controversy.

"Those things have nothing to do with the way we perceive them," Bettis said. "When we line up against those guys, those problems seem to go away pretty fast."

Actually, the Steelers' problems may only be starting.

The Steelers changed quarterbacks for the third time in three years after being beaten badly in the playoffs by New England, handing over the offense to the man called Slash, big-play expert Kordell Stewart, and benching Mike Tomczak. Stewart can run: his 80-yard TD burst against Carolina in December is an NFL record for a quarterback.

But can he throw well enough, and can receivers Charles Johnson and Yancey Thigpen stay healthy enough, to keep defenses from ganging up on Bettis, who rushed for 1,431 yards last season?

"The anxiety is the biggest thing he (Stewart) has to deal with, the buildup and hype," Steelers coach Bill Cowher said. "The first incompletion, how will he respond? The first sack, how will he respond? I think he'll be fine."

The Steelers' questions extend well beyond those raised by Cowher, and they make the Pittsburgh-Dallas Super Bowl matchup of 20 months ago seem like so much ancient history.

Can rookie cornerback Chad Scott handle two receivers as skilled and dangerous as Michael Irvin and Anthony Miller in his first NFL start? Will Donnell Woolford make Rod Woodson just a distant memory? Can Greg Lloyd, unlike Woodson a year ago, be an All-Pro again after sitting out nearly a full season with a serious knee injury?

Count the Cowboys among the curious.

Switzer has all but tipped off the game plan, suggesting Dallas will try to immobilize Stewart by applying so much pressure he won't have time to take off running. The Cowboys clearly fear Stewart as a runner more than a thrower.

"He's a guy that's so dangerous that you don't want to put him in a situation where's he got to run the football," Switzer said. "He can win a ballgame just on his ability to run, just like Steve Young does. But he's going to be playing a position before he's never played at this level. ... I think we'll all find out what he can be and what his potential is."

Of course, Switzer has a lot to find about in his own locker room. With significant money tied up in long-term contracts for stars Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith, the Cowboys couldn't go on one of their customary spending binges to fill in some noticeable holes.

As a result, the team that failed to go to the NFC championship game for the first time since 1991 is left with a patchwork defensive line " Leon Lett will miss three months for a substance abuse violation " and three rookies (Antonio Anderson, Dexter Coakley and Omar Stoutmire) manning key roles.

Then there's the Deion watch. Cornerback Deion Sanders missed all of training camp to play baseball, but plans to play Sunday despite a bulging disc that has kept him off the diamond since mid-August.

If he's not healthy enough to hit sliders, can the Neon one possibly hit Steelers?

Offensively, the Cowboys figure to improve significantly from a year ago, when they were held to one touchdown in seven games. Miller will prevent teams from doubling repeatedly on Irvin, as long as Smith enjoys his usual 1,000-yard season. But that's no given.

Smith ran for 171 yards the last time the Cowboys played a season opener in Pittsburgh, a 26-9 victory in Switzer's debut in 1994. But, at 30, he is coming off his worst Cowboys season, averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry.

Smith needed ankle surgery in January to remove bone chips.

Aikman also said the Cowboys' offensive problems were partially the result of being disorganized and unfocused at times, a situation he took personally.

"I want to win another Super Bowl," he said. "I don't want to think my best years are behind me. I still think we can compete for another Super Bowl."