Cowboys Aren’t Paranoid, This Is Just What They Need

DALLAS — Frank Sinatra’s “I Did It My Way” will dramatically underscore Fox-TV’s final Super Bowl XXXI tribute in moving pictures, and as the camera focuses on the victorious Dallas Cowboys, burly Erik Williams will join Barry Switzer in lifting Michael Irvin atop their shoulders so Irvin can hold his Super Bowl MVP trophy that much higher for all to see.

The Cowboys are going to Disneyland, and signs will have to be posted to warn all decent folk.

This was the week that was at Valley Ranch--the week that will put the Cowboys on top of the world again, a stirring controversy there to remind the bad ‘boys that it’s “us against them.” While the guilt or innocence of Williams and Irvin, who have not been charged in the latest controversy, will be decided at a later date, all that matters now within the star-studded locker room is that the Cowboys have bonded together to avoid “distractions.”

The Dallas Police Department, the 23-year-old woman who accused Williams of sexually assaulting her while Irvin held her at gunpoint and the media have all written Coach Switzer’s pregame speech for him this week:

“Men, they’re all out there to get you, to tear you down, to pull you apart. You can only count on each other. No one respects you. No one is giving you guys any chance. After all this, no one expects you guys to overcome all the distractions. No one. But this is your chance to hang in there together and stick it to ‘em all.”

Far more effective than some no-name Carolina player guaranteeing victory this week and it making the Cowboy bulletin board, the furor surrounding Williams and Irvin has also reminded each player how fragile he stands alone.

“Now is the time when we have to stick together,” said Tony Casillas, Cowboy defensive lineman.

At the players’ request, Switzer closed the locker room to the media for the remainder of the season. Players who wished to leave the complex without having to say “no comment” had their cars brought to a back entrance by security personnel.

Switzer, in trying to keep the spotlight off his troubled players, went so far as to announce that he would only “talk about football” in his news conference, which raised the eyebrows of some who wondered if he was up to the task.

“Michael had an excellent practice,” Switzer said, and does anything else really matter?

The Carolina Panthers don’t have a chance--the defending Super Bowl champions know immediate redemption can be found with most fans on the football field come Sunday.

And if Irvin comes up big against the Panthers, well then, all will be well in Dallas this week. As Rachelle Smith, an exotic dancer, testified at Irvin’s cocaine possession trial last summer, “[Irvin] said I should not be afraid of the district attorney’s office. I should be afraid of him because he’s more powerful.”

Because he scores touchdowns.

The Cowboys are out of control. Success has made them feel invincible, and after all that has gone wrong, they might be successful again.

When someone asked if the large number of problems that seem to have happened primarily with America’s Team was related to its leadership, Switzer said, “I’m 60 years old and I’ve raised three children that I’m so proud of. They’re all extremely intelligent. They don’t drink. They don’t smoke, and they’ve never done drugs.

“I’ve had more impact on those three than anyone I’ve been associated with, so if people want to think I’m part of the overall problem that people think starts at the top and comes down they’re full of . . . . Everyone is responsible for their own behavior and decisions, and it ain’t going to be whether your mama or daddy or coach had any influence.”

By week’s end, the Cowboys were convinced they had been persecuted, and not only the two players in question. The protective cocoon that players are traditionally afforded became more pronounced, and the normal level of paranoia that accompanies life around an NFL franchise--such as closed practices, uptight support personnel and off-limits areas--allowed the team to draw closer yet.

“This team has handled adversity well through the whole year,” tackle Mark Tuinei said. “That’s why we’ve had so much success. This team is accustomed to adversity.

“I talked to Erik and Michael about this just for my own satisfaction. Erik is part of the offensive line family, and I was curious. I won’t say what he said. I just feel for those guys.”

The Cowboys have already excelled at overcoming bad headlines and have somewhat set the league standard. They have dealt with seven drug suspensions in the last two years, Irvin’s obscene greeting to America on TV after a playoff victory, suggestions of racism leveled at Troy Aikman by a departing assistant coach, Charles Haley’s volatile personality, Switzer’s less-than-credible reputation as a coach and owner Jerry Jones’ skirmishes with the NFL.

“I really don’t think these things bother our football team,” Switzer said. “All they do is get ready to play and play the next opponent and play them damn well. It’s just another day around the block with these guys.”

Nothing fazes them, as evidenced by guard Nate Newton’s response to the Dallas Morning News last summer after the revelation that players had pooled their money to rent a house for sex parties:

“We’ve got a little place where we’re running some whores in and out, trying to be responsible, and we’re criticized for that too.”

Most teams find it difficult to maintain their edge, especially after the kind of success the Cowboys have enjoyed with three Super Bowl victories in the last four years. But maybe the Cowboys’ problems present the kind of challenges competitive athletes require to win again and again.

After going 2-3 without Irvin, because of his drug suspension, the Cowboys have faced a series of must wins: at Philadelphia, at San Francisco, Green Bay at home on a Monday night and Washington on Thanksgiving Day. They excelled in each. They destroyed Minnesota in their playoff opener, and might have found it difficult to muster much sincere angst against a second-year Carolina team had it not been for this week’s media siege at Valley Ranch.

“We’re focused now on what we have to do this week, and that’s win the game,” Casillas said. “And we’ll let you guys do all the circus acts and National Enquirer-type stuff. We’re not going to be distracted.”

“Just asking,” a reporter said, “but what would it take to distract this team?”

“That’s a good question,” Casillas said, and he seemed genuinely stumped.

TROY JUNIOR

Carolina quarterback Kerry Collins has a color photo of himself and Aikman--his hero--that he displays in the foyer of his home.

The photo was taken a few months before the start of Collins’ rookie season when both were attending the 1995 major league baseball All-Star game in Arlington, Texas. “Some of the things I do and the attitudes I take, I’ll be quite honest with you, I say, ‘How would Troy handle this situation?’ ” Collins said. “Every time I hear him in an interview, I listen to it because I want to hear how he handles things, how he approaches things.

“He’s the guy, more than any other, who’s my role model. He’s what I want to become. With all the Super Bowls and all the stardom, there’s a real big part of me that wants to have all of that.”

Collins, who gunned down the 49ers in the Panthers’ biggest game of the year, said playing against the Cowboys “will be the biggest thrill of my career.”

“They’re like superstars. They’re like super-human almost. It’s not Emmitt Smith, it’s Emmitt. It’s not Troy Aikman, it’s Troy. It’s the Playmaker--Michael Irvin. When I personally think of the NFL and what’s the team, it’s the Cowboys.”

GOOD GUYS, BAD GUYS

The Panthers will wear white uniforms Sunday, the Cowboys black . . . ah, blue.

In Charlotte this week, much was made of the different approach the Panthers and Cowboys take in regard to team discipline.

When starting Panther center Curtis Whitley returned from a four-game suspension for alcohol abuse, he was sent to the bench, where he remains. When Irvin returned from his cocaine possession suspension, he started.

When Haley, who has been known to march to his own drummer, had a sore back while still playing for the Cowboys earlier this season, he went only to the meetings that he wanted to attend and received no reprimand from Switzer.

This week Panther Coach Dom Capers suspended defensive end Shawn King for the remainder of the season for being late to a few team meetings and missing a scheduled weightlifting session.

“I thought everyone was pretty clear on what the team rules were,” veteran defensive end Gerald Williams said. “It’s unfortunate one individual took it upon himself to not adhere to the team rules. You have to suffer the consequences, like you do in life, when you don’t abide by the rules.

“When I heard about it, I was upset because Shawn didn’t put the team first. He chose the wrong time. Of course, there is no good time, but this is the worst time his suspension could have come.”

TIDBITS

--Panther cornerback Toi Cook on the difference between Carolina owner Jerry Richardson and Cowboy owner Jerry Jones: “I don’t know Jerry Jones, and I’m not saying he doesn’t have morals. But I just think Jerry Richardson is striving to put together a team you could take home to Mom.”

--Miami Coach Jimmy Johnson on whether he might add quarterback Bernie Kosar to his staff as a coach: “I don’t think Bernie would want to work at a coach’s salary or work the hours. I think Bernie would like to coach, at his leisure. I think he’d be outstanding, if he’d work the hours.”

--Detroit has gained permission to interview Philadelphia defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas for Wayne Fontes’ head coaching position.

--The Giants continue interviewing candidates to replace Dan Reeves, but Arizona offensive coordinator Jim Fassel is still the favorite. Reeves is the leading contender in Atlanta.

--Ty Detmer’s eight interceptions in his last four starts mean he will have to compete again with Rodney Peete, who suffered a knee injury early on, for the starting job again in Philadelphia.

“I’m not going to name a No. 1 going into next year,” Eagle Coach Ray Rhodes said. “We have to make every position as competitive as possible. Rodney will have a chance to compete with Ty if he’s healthy.” The Eagles might also make a play for Seattle quarterback Rick Mirer in the off-season.