Irvin Ready to Produce

The smile is back and so is the swagger. Michael Irvin is out of his funk and determined to enjoy this season, even if it could be his last as a Dallas Cowboy.

Irvin is willing to look past the trade talk that went nowhere and he’s ignoring team owner Jerry Jones’ refusal to extend his contract beyond this season.

He’s also not concerned that Chan Gailey’s offense gets him the ball less, or that the second-year coach wants him on the sidelines more.

Nope. Irvin just wants to play football.

“I think if I play the game and enjoy the game like I’ve always done, things will take care of themselves,” Irvin said. “When you win, everybody gets rewarded.

“It’s when you lose and fall short of your goals that issues come about and situations happen.”

The last five months have been filled with situations, the kind that led to speculation that Irvin’s days in Dallas were done.

The friction began with Jones reportedly trying to trade Irvin before the April draft. Irvin’s agent later said his client was willing to be dealt.

In between, Irvin skipped two months of voluntary workouts. He then missed the first workout of a mandatory minicamp because he was meeting with Jones.

Many saw Jones’ refusal to extend Irvin’s contract as a sign that the wide receiver’s future in Dallas is in doubt. Traditionally, the owner has rewarded his stars with extra years and dollars on their contracts.

But Irvin said he’s always been the exception to that rule.

“I’ve been in a free-agent year before. I was in one before I signed my last contract and the one before that,” he said. “So I don’t feel bad about playing this one out.”

Jones also says there’s still plenty of time to strike a deal.

“My feeling is that Michael will be a part of the Cowboys for years to come,” the owner said.

Irvin reported to camp on time and full of laughter, his summer of discontent seemingly behind him.

“I don’t feel disrespected whatsoever,” he said. “I’m fine, man, I’m really, really fine.”

Irvin strutted around camp during rookie workouts wearing T-shirts that covered half his chest and ultra-tight shorts. Conditioning was obviously not a problem for this 33-year-old.

When full-squad workouts began, Irvin turned showy again, making several dazzling catches. One grab was so impressive that Kevin Mathis, the cornerback beaten on the play, shook Irvin’s hand. The next day, Irvin predicted he’d beat Kevin Smith for two touchdowns--and did.

“He can be very, very productive this year,” Gailey said. “That’s what we’re looking for.”

Irvin is the last player on Dallas’ roster who dates to the Tom Landry era. In many ways, he has mirrored the team’s success or failure over the last 11 years.

When the Cowboys were winning Super Bowls in the early 1990s, the flashy receiver was a major factor. When Dallas’ image was soiled, Irvin’s 1996 no-contest plea to a cocaine possession charge was at the heart of the scandal.

Now the Cowboys are viewed as an aging team of has-beens still trying to recapture their glory days. The same can be said of “The Playmaker,” a nickname hardly befitting someone who scored one touchdown last year.

Irvin did lead the team with 74 receptions, but he wasn’t the same threat. He also ended his streak of 117 games with a catch.

Part of the problem was Gailey’s offense, which emphasizes spreading the ball to as many as five receivers. So even if No. 88 was the No. 1 option, quarterback Troy Aikman had several other targets.

Gailey tried helping Irvin avoid double coverage by lining him up in the slot, but that move backfired because Irvin had trouble adjusting to the role. Instead of using his strength to get open as he’d always done on the outside, Irvin had to emphasize finesse and precise route-running.

“When I look at tape of last year, it looks like I was a rookie,” said Irvin, who owns 20 team receiving records and is among the NFL’s all-time top 10 for catches (740) and yards (11,737).

“I thought I knew the offense, but looking back, I didn’t. I spent a lot of time thinking more about what I should be running than how I was going to beat my man. A lot of times it caught up to me.”

Irvin returns to the outside this season as Raghib “Rocket” Ismail was signed specifically to take over the slot. The addition and improvement of other receivers also should take the load off Irvin, while a better offensive line should give Aikman more time to find him.

Gailey also plans to rest Irvin early in the season to try avoiding another late-season meltdown. Last year, Irvin had 12 catches for 189 yards in four December games, then four catches for 32 yards in a first-round playoff loss.

“Michael has always been one of the hardest workers on our football team, and you reach an age where sometimes working that hard becomes a little bit counterproductive,” Aikman said. “I think the coaches realize he’s not going to pull himself back, so they have to do it for him.”

Irvin, not known to sit patiently when he could be on the field, is trying to put the best possible spin on the situation.

“I’m making $3 million and they want to throw me the ball less,” he said. “That means I’m getting paid my money for less work. How am I going to be upset?”

Irvin seems willing to at least try accepting the changes coming his way, under one condition. They’d better work.

“If they want to go the route they think is best, I’m fine with that,” Irvin said. “As long as it’s the best route to go.”