PRO FOOTBALL / DAILY REPORT : Cowboys Wary of Rhodes and Eagles

He has five Super Bowl rings and he may have the Dallas Cowboys’ number. Ray Rhodes, the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year, has become worrisome and unsettling for the Dallas Cowboys heading into today’s playoff game (9:30 a.m., Channel 11) against the Philadelphia Eagles at Irving, Texas.

Rhodes earned his Super Bowl rings as an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers several times at the expense of the Cowboys. As a head coach, he earned the Cowboys’ respect with a 20-17 victory Dec. 10 in which he found a way to stop Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith.

“We were outwilled the last time we played Philadelphia,” Dallas guard Nate Newton said. “That doesn’t happen to us very many times.”

“This is not about getting to the dance, but dancing after you get there,” Rhodes said.

The teams split their two regular-season games, with Dallas beating Philadelphia, 34-12, in a Monday night game.

“Ray Rhodes has done an absolutely A-plus job,” Dallas owner Jerry Jones said. “He has the Eagles competing at a level that nobody predicted.”

Defensive back Larry Brown said, “We can’t afford to take them lightly any more. The pressure is on us to prove we can play like the Cowboys of old. Rhodes has done just a great job. He has the Eagles playing like a team.”