GAME PREVIEW: DALLAS VS. NEW ENGLAND

By: Rafael Vela

COWBOYS, PATRIOTS SQUARE OFF IN "TURMOIL BOWL"

The Cowboys face yet another "must win" game when the New England Patriots come calling Sunday afternoon. A victory would clinch the NFC East for Dallas and keep the Cowboys slim hopes for a post-season bye alive. A loss would make the Dallas finale in Washington a battle for the division crown.

The Cowboys have drawn a dangerous team. The Patriots have emerged as the leader in the AFC West. They have won seven of their last eight to pull past Buffalo in the standings.

Dallas may be facing the Pats at just the right time; reports surfaced this week that New England head coach Bill Parcells has inquired about coaching the New York Jets next year. Parcells has battled with owner Robert Kraft over the makeup of the team's front office for years. The dispute may finally be reaching a head.

The Cowboys would gladly concede the title of Team Turmoil after the Leon Lett fiasco. the team has more important things to worry about at this point.

WHEN NEW ENGLAND HAS THE BALL

The Cowboys were long time foes of Parcells when he coached the Giants. He has earned the reputation of running a wide open offense for Drew Bledsoe, but this is an exaggeration.

Parcells favors the ground based, ball-control attack he used with the Giants. For much of this season, he had the personnel to pull it off.

The Patriots like to open in the pro-set and run with Curtis Martin. They prefer to run to their left, where Pro Bowl tackle Pat Armstrong and former Giants guard William Roberts reside. The matchups here appear to be in New Englands favor, as backup Tony Casillas will make his second start in place of the suspended Leon Lett.

If New England can get control of this half of the line, they will bring 245 lb. tight end Ben Coates over to that side and hammer until they are stopped. They will then run play action passes to Coates over the middle. When defenses crowd the line, Parcells will call for screens and delays to Martin, who is deadly in the open field.

The power running game was a reason why the Patriots are first in the NFL in red zone efficiency. New England's running attack suffered a huge blow when fullback Sam Gash was lost to a season ending knee injury against the Jets last week.

Gash was the Patriots version of Daryl Johnston, a devastaing blocker with good hands who was valuable in the passing game. In his absence, the Patriots will be forced to use former Dolphin and Eagle Keith Byars as Martin's escourt. Byars has been effective as a second tight end because of his good hands, but it has been several years since he blocked extensively.

Parcells stated earlier in the week that he was unsure if Byars could play a full game at fullback. As a result, rookie Mario Grier will also get time in the backfield. Regardless who he plays, the Patriots inside running game will suffer. This is welcome news to the Dallas tackle rotation, which is still trying to adjust after a shaky game against the Cardinals.

This short game can keep a defense off balance if it is executed well. Martin was devastating on short passes when the Patriots destroyed Dallas in the pre-season.

To counter the Patriots' power, Dallas will probably bring SS Darren Woodson up to the line. He offers an eighth defender against the run. Woodson is also accomplished in pass coverage, so he can run with Coates on play action.

Coates is to Bledsoe what Jay Novacek used to be for Troy Aikman; he is THE target on crucial plays. Bledsoe has a fleet group of receivers at his disposal, but he still builds his attack from short patterns to longer ones. Denver locked on to Coates early in their game a month ago. The tight coverage led to an early Bledsoe interception, helping the Broncos blow open the game in the first quarter. Dallas will probably use a similar strategy.

Dallas Defense

Key: 30-George Teague, 28-Darren Woodson, 59-Darrin Smith, 55-Fred Stickland, 21-Deion Sanders, 96-Shante Carver, 75-Tony Casillas, 95-Chad Hennings, 92-Tony Tolbert, 56-Randall Godfrey, 26-Kevin Smith

                  30
                  o
                                           28
                                           o
                 59           55
                 o            o

   21        96     75       95      92   56         26
   o         o      o        o       o     o          o
___________________________________________________________
   o         o     o     o     o     o     o
   82        78    76    66    61    68    87
                         o                            o
                         11                           88

                 o                o
                 41               28

New England Offense

Key: 82-Vincent Brisby, 78-Bruce Armstrong, 76-William Roberts, 66-Jeff Dellenbach, 61-Bob Kratch, 68-Max Lane, 87-Ben Coates, 88-Terry Glenn, 11-Drew Bledsoe, 41-Keith Byars, 28-Curtis Martin

The tight coverage on backs and the tight end will put much pressure on cornerbacks Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith, who will face Pats receivers Terry Glenn and Vincent Brisby in single coverage much of the time.

The key is containing Glenn. The rookie from Ohio St. has recovered from an injury plagued pre-season to log a significant number of catches and yards.

Second receiver Brisby and third down receiver Shawn Jefferson are both fast but slight. They had the reputation of being lightweights, who could be intimidated by hard hits. Glenn is also a sleek 185, but he is much better at running the crucial routes over the middle. Look for Deion Sanders to handle Glenn much of the time. When Glenn is in coverage with Kevin Smith, the corner may get some safety help.

Smith has been a target the last few weeks, but has held up well. Glenn is one of the faster receivers he will face, so he may get more assistance than usual.

The short passing threat does not diminish when the Patriots are in third down situations. David Meggett followed Parcells to New England and has continued to hurt defenses out of the backfield. He will present a challenge for Dave Campo. The Cowboys have used Jim Schwantz as their third down linebacker in their third down defense lately. Both the Redskins and Cardinals got several first downs by isolating Brian Mitchell and Larry Centers on the slower Schwantz. If New England gets a similar matchup, Meggett could make some significant gains.

Dallas fans should remember one Parcells tendency: he loves to go for it on fourth and short. Parcells will risk this play more than any coach in the NFL.

WHEN DALLAS HAS THE BALL

The Patriots defense looks imbalanced. It is ranked among the league leaders in rushing defense, but is a poor 29th in passing defense, after spending much of season in last place.

A big reason for the good rushing totals is that most teams don't bother establishing the rush. They come out firing against a Patriots secondary that has rookie Lawyer Milloy at strong safety and second year pro Ty Law at one corner position.

The secondary was hung out to dry earlier in the season, as the Patriots had trouble getting a pass rush established. The Pats three game winning streak has coincided with an improvement in the New England rush. The Patriots do not blitz all that much, relying on Willie McGinest to give them a push from the right side. Linebacker Chris Slade is also an accomplished rusher and will come on a blitz from time to time. Dallas must be aware of Slade when he lines up next to McGinest. He allows the Pats to overload a side much as Buffalo does with Bruce Smith and Bryce Paup.

Parcell's long time defensive coordinator Bill Belichek is back after a short tenure as the Browns head coach. Belichek likes to play lots of two deep zones, keeping the action in front of him.

This is the same scheme that the Giants used so effectively against the Cowboys a few weeks ago. New York double teamed Michael Irvin and dared Dallas to beat them throwing to Tyji Armstrong and Deion Sanders.

The good news for Dallas is that Eric Bjornson says he feels better than he has in weeks. If he is anywhere close to 100 percent, the Cowboys will again have a weapon who can attack the middle of a zone. Outside, Kevin Williams has regained his job as the full time second receiver. While Williams has not been spectacular, he has gained in prominence with every game, and gives Dallas a steady third alternative.

New England Defense

Key: 32-Willie Clay, 36-Lawyer Milloy, 53-Chris Slade, 52-Ted Johnson, 24-Ty Law, 21-Ricky Reynolds, 55-Willie McGinest, 75-Pio Sagapolutele, 97-Mark Wheeler, 98-Troy Barnett, 95-Dwayne Sabb

 
              32                        36        
              o                         o          


                53       52
                o        o
   24                                                21
   o         55     75         97    98    95        o
             o      o          o     o     o
_________________________________________________________________
   o         o     o     o     o     o     o
   85        71    61    53    73    79    86
                         o                           o
                         8                           88
                o
                48

                         o 
                         22

Dallas Offense:

Key: 85-Kevin Williams, 71-Mark Tuinei, 61-Nate Newton, 53-Ray Donaldson, 73-Larry Allen, 79-Erik Williams, 86-Eric Bjornson, 8-Troy Aikman, 48-Daryl Johnston, 22-Emmitt Smith

The Patriots high rushing ranking does not mean that the Patriots are invincible up front. Denver proved this a month ago when they sent Terrell Davis at the right side of the Patriots' line. Jimmy Johnson proved this twice this year, as Dolphin back Karim Abdul-Jabbar had two big days against the Patriots front.

Look for Dallas to use a similar strategy when the run. The Cowboys have a definite size mismatch on their left side, where McGinest gives up around 60 pounds to Mark Tuinei. They also should get a push on the right side, where Larry Allen will match up against the smallish, but gritty tackle Mark Wheeler.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Parcells is a gambler, and will take chances on special teams. He has already tried to throw passes off punts and will fake kicks. Dallas must be ready for this type of play.

Dallas must also do a good job of covering punts, since Dave Meggett is still a dangerous returner.

Dallas had great success in the middle of the season returning kicks, but Herschel Walker has been held in check of late. The Cowboys will need him to get some better returns and set up field position.

Kelvin Martin, meanwhile, has been on the verge of returning a kick for a score for several weeks now. The Cowboys return teams have been decent, but always seem to miss the breakout return by one block. This would be an opportune time for Martin to break free.

PREDICTION

The Patriots' schedule was considered the weakest prior to the season, and New England has taken advantage. Their recent winning streak was built beating the Colts, Jets and Chargers. The last game against a high profile opponent came against the Broncos.

The Patriots flamed out quickly. They committed turnovers and let Terrell Davis hit them for three touchdowns. Parcells tried a fake punt midway through the first quarter and put his team in a hole they never escaped.

This game will be a test of their maturity. The key for Dallas is to slow down Martin. If he can be contained -- and that will be much easier with Sam Gash gone -- it will be Bledsoe against the Dallas secondary. The odds favor Dallas. Bledsoe can get hot and scorch a defense, but he still will throw interceptions.

When Dallas has the ball, they must throw to Bjornson early and often. This will make life easier for Michael Irvin. If Dallas can get a lead, the offense will have a chance to roll. If Dallas falls behind, the Pats will stay in their deep zone. The result will be more agonizing drives like the ones seen against the Giants. This could make Chris Boniol a busy man again.

The Patriots won a tough road game against the Chargers two weeks ago, but Dallas is not the Chargers. The Dallas offensive line pass protects better and the Cowboys are capable of rushing the ball when the put their minds to it, something San Diego could not do.

The Cowboys are also fighting for their playoff lives. That should be the difference in this game.

DALLAS 23, NEW ENGLAND 20