The Nfl

Defeated by Success

The mood in the Cowboy locker room following Dallas's stunning 24-17 loss to the Redskins on Sunday was sullen and withdrawn, almost lifeless. About the only raised voice belonged to coach Barry Switzer, who told his players, "You all better take a deep, deep breath. And you better ask yourselves, every one of you: Am I giving everything I've got to help this team win?"

The Cowboys are not a happy team. One offensive lineman questioned the play-calling that gave Dallas plow horse Emmitt Smith only 21 carries, two below his average, on a day when quarterback Troy Aikman was bothered by a strained right calf, a bruised left calf and a bruised right knee. "Unbelievable. We don't do what we do best—run," the lineman said, shaking his head in disgust. Several other Cowboys noted that there seemed to be no sense of urgency inside Texas Stadium before the game, even though Washington had shocked Dallas 27-23 at RFK Stadium on Oct. 1 and home field advantage through the playoffs is at stake.

"We're a victim of our own success," said Aikman afterward. "Now don't make me sound like I'm whining. I'm not. But there's a feeling around this team that wears on you and beats you down. It's like nothing but the Super Bowl matters. Regular-season wins don't matter, but regular-season losses are the end of the world. The way we've played the last few years, we've created a level of expectation that's very hard to live up to."

The point: If there's no real enjoyment in winning a December game against a 3-9 team, why get fired up for it? Moreover, if a top team plays without fire, it's not a top team. This is why the Cowboys need a Jimmy Johnson-type week of practice, with a coach lighting a fire under them. But Switzer is not a smash-mouth practice guy, nor is he the type of coach to admit that the grumbling linemen are right. It may not be pretty, but giving the ball to Smith—a lot—gives Dallas its best chance of winning a third Super Bowl in the 1990s.

With the Eagles, the Giants and the Cardinals left on its schedule, Dallas still stands a good shot at securing the home field advantage through the playoffs. "We're still 10-3 and in control of our own destiny," Aikman said, trying to sound hopeful about December.

Move Over, Browns

Maryland hasn't had an NFL team for 11 years. Now, in the span of 28 days, it may have secured two franchises. Jack Kent Cooke announced plans on Monday to build, in time for the 1997 season, a 78,600-seat, open-air, grass-field stadium in Prince George's County for his team, which would still be known as the Washington Redskins. The news followed a Nov. 6 announcement by Browns owner Art Modell that his team would be relocating from Cleveland to Baltimore next season.

Both deals still need NFL approval, and Modell must overcome legal obstacles raised in Ohio before Maryland can become a two-team state. Cooke's move, which would take his team only five miles from its current home, RFK Stadium, is expected to receive less resistance from the league. The question is whether the Baltimore-Washington area is rabid enough to support two NFL teams. The new stadiums, which would be only 40 miles apart, together would have 300 luxury boxes, 23,000 club seats and 122,000 other seats. "I'm not worried about that," Cooke said on Monday. "Combined, this area is the fourth-largest market in the country, and we have 48,000 people on our season-ticket mailing list."

Cooke will foot the $180 million bill to build the stadium, while the state will provide $73 million and the county $5 million for infrastructure costs.