FOR USE AS DESIRED

            NFL-PRE-4        8/21/01

 

COWBOYS TAKE ON RAIDERS IN MEXICO CITY AMERICAN BOWL;

BRONCOS & STEELERS DEBUT NEW STADIUMS

 

A history-making stadium, two new ones, and the NFL’s only shared one will top the NFL agenda this week as the teams move into their third full week of preseason games.

 

At the forefront will be Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, site of an American Bowl game this Monday night (ABC-TV, 8:00 PM ET) between the Vaqueros de Dallas and the Raiders de Oakland, otherwise known as the Dallas Cowboys and Oakland Raiders.

 

“When it comes to football outside the borders of the United States, it is hard to find more enthusiastic fans than those in Mexico,” says NFL Commissioner PAUL TAGLIABUE.

 

In four previous American Bowls in Mexico City, fans have been enthusiastic to the tune of averaging 102,644 in attendance per game, including the largest crowd for an NFL contest ever – 112,376 fans for a Dallas-Houston American Bowl in 1994 in Azteca Stadium.  In fact, three of the four largest NFL crowds have come in Mexico City (106,424 in 1998, Dallas-New England; and 104,629 in 1997, Denver-Miami).

 

Fans at the American Bowl and watching on TV will see the top touchdown scorers in the history of Monday night football – Oakland wide receiver JERRY RICE (32 touchdowns) and Dallas running back EMMITT SMITH (24).

 

Both players lead on MNF in their respective position categories, too.  Rice has 211 receptions on Monday nights, and Smith 2,327 rushing yards.

 

The top Monday night TD scorers:

 

MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL CAREER TD SCORERS

 

 

Fans will also get a look at the Cowboys’ new starting quarterback QUINCY CARTER, one of the team’s second-round draft choices this year from Georgia.  “It’s always been a dream of mine to be a starting quarterback in the NFL,” says Carter.  “Then when you add the Dallas

Cowboys to it, it’s just a dream come true for me.”

 

It will be the second time the teams have played each other this preseason, an unusual

occurrence.  On August 4, the Raiders defeated the Cowboys in Oakland, 21-14.  Only once in the past five years have NFL clubs played each other twice in a preseason -- in

1998, when the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks split.  It is also the 15th out of the past 16 preseasons that Dallas and Oakland have met.

 

Meanwhile, back in the states, two more new stadiums will debut this week, two of 26 NFL stadiums from 1992-2004 that have been or will be built or renovated.

 

On Saturday in Pittsburgh, 65,000-seat Heinz Field will host its first NFL game when the hometown Steelers welcome the Detroit Lions. 

 

With its open south end offering a spectacular view of the downtown Pittsburgh skyline, Heinz Field will please Steelers loyalists with the closeness of its playing field to the stands.  The grass field is only 60 feet away from the first row of the seats.  “Players can definitely reach out and touch the fans,” says construction coordinator HEIDI EDWARDS.

 

In Denver on Saturday, INVESCO Field at Mile High is introduced when the Broncos host the New Orleans Saints.  Everything will be spanking new, except for…“Bucky.”  The 27-foot tall, 1,600-pound bucking white fiberglass horse that symbolized the Broncos for 26 years at the team’s former home, Mile High Stadium, has been installed in its rightful place at the new stadium.

 

“Bucky has symbolized the Rocky Mountain west for many years,” says MATT SUGAR of Denver’s Metropolitan Football Stadium District.  “He’ll be an important part of the new stadium.”

 

Also on Saturday, the only stadium shared by two NFL teams – Giants Stadium – will be rocking as its two tenants, the New York Giants and Jets, once again meet in their annual preseason “bragging rights” game. 

 

Between them last year, the teams won 14 of 22 games in the stadium between pre-, regular and postseason for a .636 winning percentage.  With a win, the “visiting” Jets can even the all-time preseason series begun in 1969 at 16-16-1.

 

“You always want to be the top dog in your own city,” says Giants tackle LOMAS BROWN.

 

Other highlight games this week:

 

·        MC NABB VS. MC NAIR (Thursday, CBS-TV, 8:00 PM ET):  When the Philadelphia Eagles visit the Tennessee Titans, two of the NFL’s most exciting young quarterbacks, with similar styles, will face each other.  Both the Eagles’ DONOVAN MC NABB and Titans’ STEVE MC NAIR have strong arms mixed with swift feet, and add a dangerous running dimension to their team’s offense.  McNabb was Philadelphia’s leading rusher last year (629 yards), and McNair Tennessee’s No. 2 rusher (403).

 

·        MANNING VS. CULPEPPER (Friday, FOX, 8:00 PM ET):  Another matchup of potent young QBs – PEYTON MANNING of the visiting Indianapolis Colts against DAUNTE CULPEPPER of the Minnesota Vikings.  Potent?  They tied for the NFL TD pass leadership in 2000 with 33 apiece.

MONDAY,  AUGUST 27

AMERICAN BOWL – MEXICO CITY, MEXICO

OAKLAND RAIDERS VS. DALLAS COWBOYS

 

SERIES

	RAIDERS	COWBOYS
LEADER	4-3
STREAKS		2 of past 3
COACHES VS. OPP.	Gruden: 0-0	Campo: 0-0
LAST GAME	9/27/98: Raiders 13 at Cowboys 12.  Oakland WR James Jett catches a deflected pass & turns it into a 75-yard TD while Raiders RB Napoleon Kaufman rushes for 116 yards.
AM. BOWL RECORD	1-2	1-7
TV	ABC (8:00 PM ET): Al Michaels, Dan Fouts & Dennis Miller; Eric Dickerson & Melissa Stark (Field reporters).

 

STARTERS ’00 STATS

QBs	Gannon: 284-473-3,430-28-11-92.4 (3C)	Carter (R): 20-42-242-2-2-60.4 (Preseason)
RBs	Wheatley: 232-1,046-4.5-9	Smith: 294-1,203-4.1-9
WRs	Brown: 76-1,128-14.8-11	Harris (TE): 39-306-7.8-5
OFFENSE	361.0 (3C)	279.7
TAKE/GIVE	+17 (T3L)	-14
DEFENSE	328.1	333.1
SACKS	Armstrong (Mia): 16.5 (1C)	Ekuban: 6.5
INTs	Allen, Thomas: 6	Sparks: 5
PUNTING	Lechler: 45.9 (2L)	Knorr: 42.8
KICKING	Janikowski: 112 (46/46 PAT; 22/32 FG)	Seder: 108 (27/27 PAT; 25/33 FG)

 

NOTES

FIFTH AMERICAN BOWL GAME IN MEXICO CITY......Three of 4 largest crowds in NFL history come at Azteca Stadium...... RAIDERS:  Make fourth American Bowl appearance – first in Mexico City......QB RICH GANNON is 20-12 in two seasons as club’s starter.  He tied for second in AFC in ’00 with 28 TD passes (ELVIS GRBAC) & topped AFC QBs with 529 rushing yards......Offseason additions include 2000 AFC sack leader DE TRACE ARMSTRONG (Miami, 16.5), RB CHARLIE GARNER (S.F.) & all-time NFL TD scorer (187) WR JERRY RICE (S.F.)......Oakland had NFL’s top ground game last season (154.4 yards per) & AFC-most 23 TD runs……WR TIM BROWN (1,128 yards in 2000) is tied with Minnesota’s CRIS CARTER for top active streak & second-best all-time string with 8 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons (Rice, 11 from 1986-96).  Brown also has five 1,000s after age 30 – tying with Rice for best such total in NFL history...... Raiders ranked second in AFC with 29.9 points per game avg. (Denver)……Club had fewest giveaways (20) in conference in ’00……COWBOYS:  Play in NFL-record 9th American Bowl (3rd in Mexico City)......Rookie QB QUINCY CARTER is team’s likely starter.  Had career record of 20-9 as starter in college……RB EMMITT SMITH ranks third all-time with 15,166 rushing yards & needs 104 yards to pass BARRY SANDERS into second all-time (15,269).  With 1,561, passes all-time leader WALTER PAYTON (16,726).  Ranks first in history with 145 rushing TDs, second all-time behind Rice with 156 total TDs.  Has 17,973 combined yards & needs 27 to become sixth player all-time with 18,000.  Needs 196 combined yards to move past HERSCHEL WALKER (18,168) into fifth place all-time……G LARRY ALLEN bench-pressed 700 pounds in offseason……Starting WRs RAGHIB ISMAIL (knee) & JOEY GALLOWAY (knee) return from injury-shortened seasons in 2000……LB DARREN HAMBRICK led club with 154 tackles last season……K TIM SEDER’s 108 points were third-most ever by Cowboys’ rookie.   

 

AMERICAN FOOTBALL CONFERENCE	INTERCONFERENCE	NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 23	THURSDAY, AUGUST 23	SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
Kansas City at Jacksonville, 7:30	Carolina at Baltimore, 7:30	Arizona at Chicago, 7:00
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25	Philadelphia at Tennessee, 7:00 (CBS)
Buffalo at Cincinnati, 7:30	FRIDAY, AUGUST 24
	Cleveland at Washington, 8:00
	Indianapolis at Minnesota, 7:00 (FOX)
	SATURDAY, AUGUST 25
	Detroit at Pittsburgh, 1:00
	Miami at Green Bay, 7:00
	New England at Tampa Bay, 7:30
	New Orleans at Denver, 7:00
	N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants, 8:00
	St. Louis at San Diego, 7:00
	Seattle at San Francisco, 6:00
	MONDAY, AUGUST 27
	Dallas vs. Oakland, American Bowl in Mexico City, Mexico, 7:00 (ABC)