PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : NFC TITLE GAME

Emmitt Smith of the Cowboys said he should not have tried to play the second half and overtime of the final regular-season game against the New York Giants with a separated shoulder.

Smith said he expected to be close to full strength Sunday in the NFC championship game against the San Francisco 49ers at Irving, Tex.

Asked if he had learned anything about his injury since that season finale, Smith said: “I haven’t learned anything, except that I was foolish to continue to play (against the Giants). But if they want me to carry the ball 30 times Sunday, I’ll be ready. It will take a broken leg to keep me out of there.”

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(Jimmy) Johnson said that preferential treatment is given to the eight Cowboys who are former members of the University of Miami football team, where Johnson used to coach.

“Just last Tuesday, in our two-minute drill where I’m the referee, Michael Irvin made a catch on the boundary behind the end zone,” Johnson said. “I gave it to him.

“I said, ‘That’s the least I can do because he played for me at UM.’ The players all understand this.”

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Nate Newton of the Cowboys, when comparing the two weekend title games, said: “Everybody is trying to build up Buffalo and Kansas City, but everybody really knows that the NFC championship game is the hottest game in the NFL. It has been for the last several years.”

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When asked if he wanted to make history with the Cowboys, who have enough talent to win several consecutive Super Bowls, Johnson said: “When I’m long gone, maybe somebody will punch me and say, ‘You were part of history.’ I hope somebody punches me from somewhere.”

When asked if that meant he hopes to spend eternity with Buddy Ryan, Houston’s defensive coordinator, Johnson said: “Buddy is probably going to be in the other place.”

Amid laughter, Johnson paused and added: “It’s up to you to figure out which of us is going where.”