Coaches renew rivalry as Cowboys, Redskins meet on national TV
For the true believers, it is the battle of good vs. evil, a matchup in which there are no shades of gray, a time when you are either friend or foe with no middle ground.
"It's Monday night, and it's the Dallas Cowboys," said Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. "I don't think you have to say much more than that."
It is not necessary to say much more, but a bit more could be said.
Yes, this is one of the classic NFL rivalries, heightened this year by Gibbs' return to face an old nemesis, Bill Parcells, now the coach of the Cowboys.
When Parcells was the coach of the New York Giants, he was one of the rare few who held the upper hand on the Gibbs-coached Redskins to the tune of 11-6 in games between the two teams.
And while this is a storied NFL rivalry, tonight it is more a battle between uniforms than heartfelt animosity. These are not the Redskins and Cowboys of yesteryear, when both teams were filled with players who had spent their careers in the uniform of just one team.
Tonight, 20 Redskins players and seven coaches and 16 Dallas players and will take part in their first Cowboys-Redskins game.The heat of the rivalry has grown a bit tepid. The Cowboys have won 12 of the past 13 games between the teams.
Tonight, both teams enter the game with a 1-1 record. Both want a victory to build some early-season momentum. Both rely on high-energy defenses and strong special teams.
On offense, the Cowboys have been carried through their first two games on the arm of 41-year-old quarterback Vinny Testaverde. In two games this season, Testaverde has attempted 85 passes, which accounts for 62 percent of the Cowboys' plays from scrimmage. Testaverde has completed 52 passes for 677 yards and two touchdowns. He also has thrown three interceptions.
"I would hope that at some point of the season we don't have to be quite as reliant on him as we have been," Parcells said.
The Cowboys have yet to get their running game untracked. While they are averaging 4 yards per carry, that figure includes a 33-yard run by linebacker Dexter Coakley on a fake punt.
Eddie George, who signed with the Cowboys after being released by the Tennessee Titans, leads the Cowboys in rushing with 87 yards on 26 carries.
In his prime, George had those kinds of numbers in the first half of some games.
Testaverde was released by the New York Jets during the offseason and almost immediately headed for Dallas. Testaverde earned Parcells' trust when both were with the Jets and combined to lead the team to a 12-4 record and the AFC championship game in 1998.
"I have confidence in the player," Parcells said. "It's based on my history with him. I know him. I like him personally. We have a good communication base. He's not sensitive.
"That's good, that's important."
Parcells has been known to release some gale-force wrath at quarterbacks whose performances have displeased him.
The Redskins have a quarterback problem of their own. While Mark Brunell will start, he will not be 100 percent. He strained his left hamstring last week against the New York Giants, left the game and could not return.
The Redskins also have injury problems. Star linebacker LaVar Arrington is out with a knee injury. Starting defensive end Phillip Daniels is out with a strained groin.
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