The NFL offensive icons who entered the Pro Football Hall of
Fame on Saturday couldn’t have been comfortable with the action at Fawcett
Stadium on Sunday night, when Dallas beat Cincinnati 16-7 to open the
preseason.
But the Dallas defense sure came through for the team’s
former star running back.
“Having Emmitt inducted into the Hall of Fame is special,”
All-Pro linebacker DeMarcus Ware said. “For us now playing for the Cowboys, it
does make it extra special.”
The Cowboys hope this is the opening step, small as it was,
toward becoming the first team to play in a Super Bowl in its home stadium.
That goal will take months before it can be achieved, of course, and the most
memorable moment this weekend for them will remain Smith’s entry into the Hall
of Fame.
“Just being here makes for some great memories,” Tony Romo said.
Another instant memory: Chad Ochocinco’s footwear.
The Bengals receiver wore gold shoes for his few plays. Was
that a tribute to Smith, Rice and the other members of the Class of 2010?
“That’s exactly what it was, how did you know?” he said.
“That’s exactly why I did it.”
Asked about possibly being fined by the league for
sidestepping the dress code, he threw up his hands in disdain and moved on to
other questions.
“Chad has so many different-colored shoes, he is like a
woman,” Terrell Owens chimed in.
The offenses generally sputtered all night and there were
eight sacks in a sloppy affair. Clearly, none of the aura of the NFL’s career
leaders in rushing and receiving rubbed off.
At least some of Saturday’s other inductees — the ones who
played defense, Dick LeBeau, John Randle and Rickey Jackson — could appreciate
the lack of scoring and the takeaways. Dallas picked off three passes and
recovered a fumble; Cincinnati also recovered a fumble.
“I thought we were fundamentally sound and the effort was
great,” linebacker Keith Brooking said. “Those are the two main ingredients you
look for in the preseason.”
Nobody could be impressed by the slew of penalties, 16
overall, 12 by Cincinnati for 90 yards. Then again, it was the preseason
opener.
“The best thing about it,” Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said,
“is you see what you did and what you need to improve on.”
Most of the regulars worked short shifts. At least the
Cowboys’ starters looked sharp during their minimal stints.
Romo led them to the Cincinnati 2 with a steady opening
drive before they stalled and David Buehler kicked a 20-yard field goal. Romo
was 5 for 10 for 59 yards.
“You just have to continue to work on the things we’ve been
doing through the offseason and in training camp,” Romo said. “You’re never
sure until you get into a game-like mode, and some of the new stuff, it was
nice to see it work out really well. It’s a start. We have to build off of it,
but we still have a ways to go, and we’re on the way.”
Dallas certainly needs better protection for its
quarterbacks after Cincinnati had five sacks, including two by linebacker
Michael Johnson.
The Bengals made plenty of offseason news with the additions
of Owens and Pacman Jones, who wasn’t signed by any teams last year because of
his previous off-field issues and missed the season. Neither former Cowboys
player had much impact, although Owens caught two passes for 18 yards and was
thrown to four times by Carson Palmer .
“It’s the start of the 2010 season and I am facing my former
team in the Hall of Fame game. That’s a good start,” Owens said. “But this game
was a learning experience and a stepping stone for all of us. There would have
been a lot more interest and a lot more intensity if this had been a
regular-season game against them.”
Buehler added field goals of 34 yards in the second quarter
and 23 yards in the third. The last kick was set up when linebacker Brandon
Williams returned an interception of Jordan Palmer — Carson’s younger brother
and Cincinnati’s third-string quarterback — 36 yards to the Bengals 9-yard
line.
Dallas capped the one-sided victory when Brandon Sharpe picked
off Jordan Palmer’s fourth-quarter pass and dived untouched into the end zone
for a 6-yard score.
