Cowboys Are Caught Off Guard by Eagles

By opening the season with an onside kick, Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid sent a message: Expect the unexpected from the Eagles.

Using repeated blitzes to knock out Troy Aikman and an endless dose of Duce Staley, the Eagles showed all the signs of an up-and-coming team in a stunningly easy 41-14 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

“He’s not holding anything back,” said Staley, who ran for 201 yards and a touchdown. “He takes chances as a coach--that’s what you want as a player.”

While Staley and quarterback Donovan McNabb provided a 1-2 punch on offense, the Eagles’ defense had five sacks against a Dallas line that allowed the second-fewest in the NFL last season. The Eagles also returned an interception for a touchdown.

But for all the offensive and defensive success, it was Reid’s roll of the dice on special teams that set the tone.

The Cowboys were expecting a deep opening kickoff, but David Akers popped it up for an onside kick that Dameane Douglas caught at the 42.

Staley, the Eagles’ first 200-yard runner since Steve Van Buren in 1949, then gained 45 of the next 58 yards. The drive was capped by McNabb’s one-yard touchdown pass play to wide-open Jeff Thomason--and the rout was on.

“I came up with it a month ago,” Reid said of the onside kick. “We saw some things in their front where we thought it could work.”

The Cowboys gave up 306 rushing yards--the most in team history--and suffered their worst opening-game loss since falling 28-0 against New Orleans in 1989. The Cowboys also allowed a 200-yard runner for the first time since ’84.

The embarrassing debut for Cowboy Coach Dave Campo and his new offense was made worse by Aikman’s ninth concussion. He was taken to a hospital for observation, then released.

Also hurt was Dallas’ new $42-million receiver, Joey Galloway, who was carted off the field because of a sprained knee in the game’s final minutes. Earlier in the quarter, he had a four-yard touchdown reception.

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Flying Start

Duce Staley gained 201 yards Sunday in a 41-14 season-opening victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the second-most yards rushing in a regular-season game in Philadelphia Eagle history:

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Yds Player (Date, Opponent) 205 Steve Van Buren (Nov. 27, 1949 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers) 201 Duce Staley (Sept. 3, 2000 vs. Dallas Browns) 197 Wilbert Montgomery (Nov. 4, 1979 vs. Cleveland Browns) 190 Swede Hanson (Nov. 6, 1934 vs. Cincinnati Reds) 186 Timmy Brown (Nov. 7, 1965 vs. Cleveland Browns)

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