PRO FOOTBALL DAILY REPORT : ‘No Question’ That Haley Will Play

Dallas Cowboy defensive end Charles Haley, bothered by back problems and a recent case of flu, said he will start Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“There is no question I am going to play,” Haley said. “The man has told me I will start. Now how long I will be able to go depends on conditioning.”

Haley, who has practiced only once since undergoing an operation Dec. 6 to repair a disk in his back, needed an IV to get better Monday.

“At first I thought someone was trying to tell me not to play in this game,” Haley said. “But I guess it was one of those things--I was trying to come back so hard my body was telling me to slow down when I came down with the cold. I didn’t slow down, so when it got me, it got me good.

“The back feels great and it is not a concern. The thing is, I don’t want to win a fifth ring sitting on the bench.”

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Arizona Cardinal owner Bill Bidwill said he would like to have a look at Hollywood Park’s stadium plans. Bidwill said he has talked with R.D. Hubbard, Hollywood Park’s chief operating officer, and he pointed out that Hubbard has a stake in a race track in Phoenix, Turf Paradise, suggesting there has been discussion about building a stadium there.

Bidwill wants a new stadium and has indicated the Cardinals might have to move out of Arizona to get it. He said he has no intention of selling his team, although interested buyers from Los Angeles continue to make offers.

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Jerry Jones, owner of the Cowboys, said the expansion of Texas Stadium--from 64,000 seats to 104,000--will keep the team winning.

“We want to be the largest domed, air-conditioned venue in the United States,” Jones said. “We know that the Dallas-Fort Worth area has the interest in the Cowboys to support that kind of attendance.

“One of the things I always would like to do is keep the incentive out in front of us to be winners. As often as we’re criticized for pushing a lot out onto the table, if you think about it, that makes you work real hard. I think our project at Texas Stadium will do that.”

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The Cowboys have 26 players and three coaches who have never experienced playing in a Super Bowl.

Safety Scott Case, who played 11 years for Atlanta before signing as a free agent with the Cowboys this season, will be making his first appearance in the Super Bowl.

“He was sitting there crying after the NFC championship game,” said Alundis Brice, a rookie defensive back for the Cowboys. “You look at a person like Scott, it took him so long to get here; the veterans remind us every day how lucky we are to be here.”