Deion Has Dallas’ ‘D’ Strutting Cowboys’ Defense Provides Mauling Of Eagles In 30-11 Win
Lombardi, meet Prime Time.
Deion Sanders is already thinking about how he wants to celebrate a touchdown next week in the NFC championship game against the Green Bay Packers.
He not only wants to perform his end zone dance, he wants to put it to music.
“Choreograph it,” he said. “Get the place going.”
Why not? It’s playoff time, which means it’s … don’t say it.
Let Sanders say it after he emerged from a season-long funk to lead the Dallas Cowboys to a 30-11 victory Sunday over the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC divisional playoffs.
“Right now, this is my nickname,” said the man known as “Prime Time.” “The big guys come out in big games. This is where we earn our money. If your big players don’t come out now, you go home.”
He smiled. “Just ask ‘Frisco.”
Or his teammates, who appeared to be enjoying themselves for the first time since their last Super Bowl championship as they watched Sanders score his first touchdown as a Cowboy, sneak an interception, catch a 13-yard pass, and return two punts for more than 10 yards per return.
Sanders’ heroics were directly involved in 20 of the Cowboys’ 30 points.
His excitement, despite 26-degree temperatures, was more contagious than a chill.
The lately sullen and defensive Cowboys were waving towels, pointing fingers, and gang-tackling teammates after big tackles.
It helped that they took a 17-3 halftime lead, knocked Eagle quarterback Rodney Peete out of the game in the process, and weren’t threatened.
“It’s been a while since we’ve had this much fun,” Cowboy guard Nate Newton said.
Next up, the Packers, who upset the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday but haven’t had a dancer since Paul Hornung, and only then after dark, back when Vince Lombardi was the Green Bay coach.
“Who knows, maybe the San Francisco game unleashed a monster,” Cowboy safety Darren Woodson said.
But maybe Sunday’s game here did the same thing. Even Cowboy Coach Barry Switzer was vindicated for blowing an earlier game against the Eagles this year. Sort of.
Remember when he unwisely tried and failed to convert a fourth down not once, but twice, in the fourth quarter of an eventual 20-17 Eagle victory? A decision that nearly caused him to be fired on the spot?
Early in the third quarter Sunday, Switzer was faced with fourth and goal from the Eagle 1-yard line. This time, kicker Chris Boniol jogged out and holed a chip shot to increase the Cowboy lead to 20-3.
A lesson learned, right? Except moments before Boniol’s appearance, cameras caught Switzer gesturing and shouting, “Go for it, go for it.”
There were no postgame explanations for this seeming disparity, only laughing curses and feigned threats.
When asked if this fourth-and-one decision reminded him of the previous Eagle game, Switzer said, “There’s a big difference, because we kicked their … this time. Last time, if we had done that, it wouldn’t have even come down to a fourth and one.”
He smiled at a radio reporter who again asked about the fourth-down call and said, “Let’s bury that (question) … “
So went the only controversy of a team that played as if somebody finally unlocked the handcuffs.
Sanders showed up, long-ignored Kevin Williams caught 124 yards’ worth of passes, maligned linebacker Darrin Smith had a team-leading seven tackles, and long-forgotten defensive end Tony Tolbert had two sacks.
The struggling Cowboy run defense, which could be the key against the Packers, held Pro Bowl runner Ricky Watters to 39 yards.
Peete, who exited with a concussion at the end of the first quarter, and backup Randall Cunningham combined to complete 14 of 31 throws for 189 yards.
An Eagle offense that gained 452 yards and scored five touchdowns in its first playoff game last week against the Detroit Lions totaled 227 yards with one score.
For the Cowboys, it could have been simple playoff aggressiveness. Or it could have been relief over the fact that they can advance to the Super Bowl without facing the nemesis 49ers.
The players admitted it was probably both.
“I remember telling Michael Irvin last week that one of us (Cowboys or 49ers) was going to slip,” said Sanders, who helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl last year before defecting to Dallas. “I prayed to God that it wouldn’t be us.”
And now, says Sanders, the truth about his importance should be clear.
“The team I played on last year is at home,” he said. “And the team I played on this year is still here.”
He laughed.
“I sort of predicted it with the 49ers,” he said. “I remember a guy a couple of months ago in a press conference saying they were in denial over their problems. I wonder who that guy was?”
It was hard to argue with him on a day when his tender hamstrings had finally healed enough for the Cowboys to allow him to return punts full time and play offense at least half the time. Cowboys 30, Eagles 11
Philadelphia 0 3 0 8 - 11
Dallas 3 14 6 7 - 30
First quarter
Dal-FG Boniol 24, 8:47.
Second quarter
Phi-FG Anderson 26, :03.
Dal-Sanders 21 run (Boniol kick), 4:35.
Dal-E.Smith 1 run (Boniol kick), 11:18.
Third quarter
Dal-FG Boniol 18, 5:53.
Dal-FG Boniol 51, 12:16.
Fourth quarter
Dal-Irvin 9 pass from Aikman (Boniol kick), 9:17.
Phi-Cunningham 4 run (R.Johnson pass from Cunningham), 12:24.
A-64,371.
Phi Dal First downs 13 21 Rushes-yards 22-74 38-153 Passing 153 244 Punt Returns 2-8 2-21 Kickoff Returns 7-63 2-45 Interceptions Ret. 1-34 1-12 Comp-Att-Int 14-31-1 17-24-1 Sacked-Yards Lost 5-36 1-9 Punts 8-41 4-42 Fumbles-Lost 1-0 0-0 Penalties-Yards 3-21 7-89 Time of Possession 24:14 35:46
Individual statistics
RUSHING - Philadelphia, Watters 13-39, Cunningham 3-19, Garner 5-13, Peete 1-3. Dallas, E.Smith 21-99, S.Williams 10-30, Sanders 1-21, Aikman 1-3, Johnston 3-2, Wilson 2-(minus 2).
PASSING - Philadelphia, Peete 3-5-0-28, Cunningham 11-26-1-161. Dallas, Aikman 17-24-1-253.
RECEIVING - Philadelphia, Ca.Williams 5-56, Watters 4-45, Carpenter 2-43, Barnett 2-28, C.Jones 1-17. Dallas, K.Williams 6-124, Johnston 3-40, E.Smith 3-40, Novacek 3-27, Sanders 1-13, Irvin 1-9.
MISSED FIELD GOALS - None.