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By George! Vikings should win a high-scoring game on Monday night
Posted: Saturday November 06, 1999 11:59 PM
Who knows which Cowboys team will show up Monday night? Will it be the one that only generated 20 points against the Giants and Eagles combined? Or will it be the Cowboys who scored 62 points in the last two weeks? Chan Gailey knows the best thing his offense can do is keep the Vikings offense off the field. I see the Cowboys giving Emmitt Smith the ball upwards of 30 times (last year he carried the ball just 18 times for 44 yards against Minnesota). The Vikings are also concerned about how well former linebacker -- now fullback -- Robert Thomas can block. Look for the 6-1, 260 pound NFL Europe alum to take on middle linebacker Ed McDaniel. McDaniel has a team-high 60 tackles but he's spotting Thomas 30 pounds. This should be a good, physical battle to watch. Meanwhile, Troy Aikman took a shot to the head last week but has been cleared to play. Without Michael Irvin, the Vikings will take a lot more chances blitzing to get to Aikman. Minnesota is looking a lot more like the '98 version since the talented Jeff George replaced Randall Cunningham. George has his critics but as one secondary coach said to me this week, "Give Jeff all the weapons the Vikings have, have him come off the bench with very little pressure on him and he will be very dangerous for the rest of the '99 season." I asked one general manager if he would sign George to a long-term deal if he were to have a great season this year. He told me, "I sure would want to but I'd resist the temptation." Then he added, "Jeff should stay right in Minnesota and play a version of football that closely resembles basketball." When Minnesota has the ball expect Deion Sanders to match up with Randy Moss and Kevin Smith to cover Cris Carter. Dallas has as good a chance as any team with these two matchups, but where the Vikings can get you is with Jake Reed. One defensive coordinator I spoke with said Reed has been getting single coverage all year and George is better than Cunningham at recognizing it and getting the ball to him. Also, watch for George to audible to Leroy Hoard on the draw when Dallas has only six men in the box. Hoard had a 53-yard run against Denver last week, and scored two touchdowns against Dallas last year. The Vikings will score a bunch of points Monday night, and I expect Reed and Hoard to do some damage. The Cowboys will have to open it up to stay with Minnesota, but I like the Vikings in a high-scoring game. Pat Kirwan, who spent 12 years in the NFL as a coach, scout and personnel administrator, is an NFL analyst for CNN/SI. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
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