Dallas at Miami: Sideshow Disguised as Football Game?

The NFL schedule says it’s a football game, Dallas at Miami, 1 p.m. today.

The world knows better.

It’s really a sideshow disguised as football: Jerry Jones and Barry Switzer vs. Jimmy Johnson at 160 feet, the width of the field in Miami that will separate the two sides.

The principals say the right thing, that the game is the issue. The Cowboys and Dolphins are both 4-3 and in the middle of competitive races in the NFC and AFC East.

“Our feelings make no difference how this game comes out,” says Jones, who hired Johnson in 1989 and broke up with him in 1994 after an alleged snub by the coach during a party at Disney World.

“My relationship with the owner and the coach has nothing to do with this ballgame,” says Johnson, who took over the Dolphins this season when Don Shula stepped down after 33 years and an NFL-record 347 wins.

Believe that if you will.

But when Johnson was hired last January, one of the first things he noted was the schedule that called for the Dolphins and Cowboys to meet this season. It was something of a surprise, in fact, that the game wasn’t scheduled for the opening Monday night.

Now both coaches have a chance to downplay the rivalry and play up the game.

Even the voluble Jones, who normally speaks his mind on everything, declined at his weekly talkathon to inflate the dispute. Same for his players.

“I don’t miss Jimmy. He’s not my wife,” guard Nate Newton says. “He was my coach. I don’t get into that male bonding.”

But Johnson clearly has a lot invested, enough so that he will start Dan Marino at quarterback even though Marino still has some pain from the ankle he broke a month ago. The Dolphins, 3-0 with Marino, were 1-3 without him.

“It’s more emotional. It’s more than just one ballgame,” Johnson concedes.

Some of the Cowboys look at it as a perverse sort of revenge against a coach who worked them a lot harder than Switzer does.

“I liked Jimmy and I liked his style and what he did for the program,” Newton says. “But I’d be less of a man if I didn’t want to go out and whup him. I’m still hurting from some of those training camps he put us through. Some days I wake up when I’m sore and say, ‘Damn, Jimmy, thanks.’ ”

*

In other games today, Carolina is at Philadelphia, Indianapolis at Washington, Jacksonville at Cincinnati, the New York Giants at Detroit, Pittsburgh at Atlanta, St. Louis at Baltimore, San Francisco at Houston, Tampa Bay at Green Bay, Kansas City at Denver, the New York Jets at Arizona, San Diego at Seattle, and Buffalo at New England.

Chicago is at Minnesota on Monday night.

New Orleans and Oakland are off.

* Kansas City (5-2) at Denver (6-1)

This game is less spectacular than Dallas-Miami, but it’s just as important. The winner will control the AFC West.

The Chiefs won the first meeting 17-14 at Arrowhead and have won six of the last eight from Denver. A victory here and they’d have the tiebreaker over the Broncos; a loss and they trail by two games.

Denver’s rebuilt defense fell apart last week when Baltimore went to the no-huddle offense. That won’t happen this week, because Marty Schottenheimer is a no-gimmicks coach.

But is it a sign the improved Denver defense is leaking?

“Every team has at least one of those games a year when it seems like you can’t stop Aurora High School,” says defensive tackle Michael Dean Perry. “That was that day for us.”

* San Francico (5-2) at Houston (5-2)

Road games rarely faze the 49ers, whose best effort this season may have been the Monday night loss two weeks ago in Green Bay, a far more difficult environment than the Astrodome.

Both Steve Young (groin pull) and Elvis Grbac (bruised shoulder) remain hurt. Young will probably start. If he doesn’t, it would have to be third-string QB Jeff Brohm.

Houston’s 23-13 home win over Pittsburgh last week drew 50,000 people, more than the first two home games combined. It made the Oilers legitimate challengers to the Steelers in the AFC Central.

* Carolina (5-2) at Philadelphia (5-2)

The winner gets a tiebreaker that could be the deciding factor in a playoff berth. The Panthers, the most successful expansion team ever at 12-11 overall, are just 3-8 on the road.

The touchdowns could be produced by the defense. Ty Detmer had four TD passes for the Eagles against Miami last week in his second career start, but Dom Capers’ defenses are designed to confuse inexperienced quarterbacks.

* Indianapolis (5-2) at Washington (6-1)

The first of a tough six-game stretch for the Redskins, who have beaten only one team with a winning record. Norv Turner gave his team time off this week in preparation for a schedule that also includes Buffalo, Philadelphia, Dallas and San Francisco in the next six weeks.

“We have a run of games coming up now in which it’s going to get very intense,” Turner says. “We’ve been listening to people saying that we haven’t played good teams. We’re past that now.”

The Colts’ 27-9 loss to New England was one of those turnover-filled games that every team has occasionally. But Marshall Faulk’s toe remains sore and they’re down to just Clif Groce at fullback.

* Buffalo (5-2) at New England (4-3)

The Bills win, but not impressively. That was the case in the first meeting with the Patriots, 17-10 at Rich Stadium. New England’s win in Indianapolis propelled it into the race and is a momentum-builder.

“When you win, you get a little more hope and more trouble sleeping,” coach Bill Parcells says. “You’re already thinking about the next one.”

* Jacksonville (3-5) at Cincinnati (1-6)

Just what the Jaguars don’t need after losing in St. Louis despite outgaining the Rams 538-204 and controlling the ball for 42 minutes. Now they get a team fresh from a coaching change, which almost always means it will be ready. In this case the new coach is Bruce Coslet, who was Dave Shula’s offensive coordinator before Shula was fired.

“We won’t fix it all this week,” Coslet says. “What we miss, we’ll pick up the next week, then the next, the next, the next.”

* New York Jets (0-8) at Arizona (3-4)

This is the Jets’ last game against a team that currently has a losing record. Last week’s 25-22 loss to Buffalo was typical--the Jets scored a touchdown with 1:43 left after an 80-yard drive, then allowed the Bills to drive for the winning field goal.

The Cardinals have won three of their last four since Kent Graham replaced Boomer Esiason at quarterback. Their victims, however, were New Orleans, St. Louis and Tampa Bay.

* Pittsburgh (5-2) at Atlanta (0-7)

The Steelers’ flaws showed a bit in the loss at Houston. The Oilers shut down Jerome Bettis and forced Pittsburgh to rely on QB Mike Tomczak, who’s still a better backup than a starter.

But they’re catching the Falcons at a good time, since a letdown is likely after a near-win in Dallas. Atlanta, which officially released Jeff George this week, plays well in spots, but is just bad enough to lose.

* Chicago (2-5) at Minnesota (5-2)

The Bears have never really recovered from the letdown after they beat Dallas on the opening Monday night. Two weeks later, they lost 20-14 at home to the Vikings, one of five losses in six games since then.

Like Chicago, Minnesota is coming off a needed bye. After starting 4-0, the Vikings have lost two of three, and the losses were to the Bucs and Giants. Warren Moon looked his 40 years in both games.

* Tampa Bay (1-6) at Green Bay (6-1)

The Packers won 34-3 in Tampa on opening day and the Bucs returned to form last week with a 13-9 loss to Arizona.

Green Bay’s bye came at the right time. The Packers were battered in their win over San Francisco, particularly at wide receiver, where Robert Brooks is gone for the season. An oddity: Anthony Morgan, a Green Bay starter last year who was cut before the season so Don Beebe could be kept, turned down an offer to return.

* New York Giants (2-5) at Detroit (4-3)

If this were at the Meadowlands, the Lions might be in trouble. The young Giants can be difficult at times, and Wayne Fontes’ teams don’t like to play outdoors. But it’s in Pontiac, where Detroit’s offense is at its best.

The Giants might open up more, like they did last week, when they cut a 28-0 Washington lead to 28-21. An omen: three weeks ago, the Lions took a 28-0 lead over Atlanta and held on to win 28-24.

* San Diego (4-3) at Seattle (2-5)

The Chargers may be in freefall, particularly with Stan Humphries’ shoulder injury keeping him out of this game. Worse yet is the offensive line, where Courtney Hall’s absence Monday night turned Oakland’s Chester McGlockton into a Hall of Famer.

John Friesz remains at quarterback for the Seahawks, whose injuries are concentrated at linebacker. At one point in their 34-16 loss in Kansas City, they had only two healthy enough to play.

* St. Louis (2-5) at Baltimore (2-5)

Maybe this game should be played in Cleveland, where both teams had their roots.

In 1946, the Cleveland Rams moved to Los Angeles. A year ago they moved to St. Louis.

As for the Ravens, the franchise was founded as the Browns in the All-American Conference the year the Rams left Cleveland. The rest is better left unsaid.