Dallas on offense.
Every time the Dallas Cowboys get inside your 20 yard line, they score. That sounds pretty good, except they rarely make it there. In the first four weeks of the season they have had just 5 possessions inside the 20, giving them the fewest possessions inside the 20 of all the NFC teams. The results have been two touchdowns and three field goals. It's no wonder they have scored only 57 points to date. The Cowboys don't catch a break going up against the Giants defense which is ranked 2nd in the league, and next week they face John Fox and the Panthers, whose defense is ranked 1st.

Giants on offense.
Unlike the Dallas offense which has it's problems getting to the 20 yard line, the Giants arrive there and maybe surprised with themselves for having accomplished that task, don't seem to know what to do next as far as actually getting the ball into the endzone. The Giants have just three offensive touchdowns in four games, and a total of only 55 points on the year, even less than the 57 the Cowboys have. Last week they self-destructed with "The Play".
With only 14 seconds on the clock and at their own 32 yard line, they decided to make something happen, and so Fassel called a pass play to pick up some quick yardage. What they made happen was to let the Cardinals intercept the ball for their first touchdown of the game and waltz into the locker room with a 7-7 tie to close out the half.
Of course Fassel didn't like the particular pass play that offensive coordinator Sean Payton picked, and has since said, "I will never in my life ever take a chance to try to be aggressive again."
Sean Payton put in the position of suddenly having to pick a play instead of having Kerry Collins take the expected knee to end the half, tried a play that would produce the needed yardage in 14 seconds and stop the clock. Kerry Collins perhaps the most surprised, activated the offense, and thinking Tiki Barber was clear at the sideline threw it his way, only to see it intercepted for a touchdown return. The Giants and Kerry Collins, haunted by that play, never recovered and lost to the Cards, 21-7.

The results of 'The Play'.
The only good coming from this is that the coaching staff has taken a good hard look at themselves. To think all Fassel wanted was for them to "be careful and get the ball down the field". Left unsaid was that the offense was supposed to do this all in 14 seconds from their 32 yard line.
Some teams would be torn apart from this, tossing blame around here and there, but not this team. The villain turns out to be 'execution'. Just to be on the safe side though, Jim Fassel vows not to be that aggressive again. Sean Payton won't call a play like that in similar circumstances, and Kerry Collins and the offense will not execute so poorly from now on. The problem being 'execution', Sean Payton has cut the game playbook down to a much more manageable size somewhere around 120 to 140 plays instead of the usual 180 to 200 plays. This leaves the offense with plenty of time to practice and be sharp with almost each and every one.
See everyone a happy ending for all. Just catch this next game against Dallas.

Watch that arm.
Quarterback Quincy Carter lead the Cowboys to a 13-10 comeback victory against the Rams last Sunday. He threw for 204 yards, making it his third straight 200-yard passing game. This is a big deal for the Cowboys since the last time it happened was in November 1998 by Troy Aikman. Carter looked impressive in the fourth quarter last week, and the Cowboys are hoping he can continue to grow in the quarterback spot. Dallas has a good overall record against the Giants with a 48-29-2 series advantage. The teams have split their last eight meetings, but Dallas has won 9 of the last 11 at home.

Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'.
That would be Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smitt of course. The Energizer people would do well to strap a set of rabbit ears on Emmitt and send him off on a commercial tour. He's 33, playing in his 13th year, and has 11 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Emmitt is the career leader in touchdowns rushing, and second in overall touchdowns only to Jerry Rice. Playing in the NFC East, Giant fans have grown to know and respect Emmitt Smith over the years, even though it hurts to see some of those great performances coming against you.
The memory of Emmitt Smith playing with a separated shoulder and still being effective, rushing 32 times for 168 yards and adding 10 catches for 61 yards against the Giants, will long be with us. The Cowboys came away with the the NFC East tittle in that hard fought 16-13 overtime battle in 1994, a game which somehow doesn't seem as distant as it really is.
Emmitt Smith passed Hall-of-Famer Walter Payton for the most career rushing attempts in a game two weeks ago in Philadelphia. He finished that game having carried the ball 3,844 times, after rushing 11 times against the Eagles. Enjoy watching Emmitt play, because the time is approaching when he will be done with all this, and he will be missed by fans on both sides of the ball.

This season.
So far after four games, Emmitt Smith has 236 yards on 59 attempts, and is noted for his bigger burst out plays of 30 yards, 22 yards, 22 yards, and 19 yards. Last week he had 58 yards on 13 carries.
The Giants defense still has plenty of respect for Emmitt Smith and his 16,423 yards, just 304 yards from breaking Walter Payton's all-time rushing record. "He still has his quicks, he still has his moves, he still has his burst," DE Kenny Holmes said. "You have to treat him as the old Emmitt. I am."

Notes.
The Cowboys will honor Ring of Honor wide receiver Bob Hayes on Sunday at Texas Stadium with a special video tribute and moment of silence before the game. Hayes, who passed away Sept. 19, has club records for career yards-per-catch average (20.0) and career punt return average (11.1). The former world record holder in the 100 meters became world renown after winning 2 Olympic gold medals, the 100 meters and the 4x100 relay, in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

Next Game
Oct 13, Atlanta at Giants 1:00 PM.

Last Week's review, game 4 - Cards 21 - Giants 7