MONDAY NIGHT NOTES

FOR USE AS DESIRED

 

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION,

NFL-68              9/23/04

 

CONTACT: MICHAEL SIGNORA, 212 450 2076

 

RIVETING RIVALRY RENEWED

AS COWBOYS & REDSKINS CLASH MONDAY NIGHT 

The Dallas Cowboys against the Washington Redskins.  As NFL rivalries go, it’s one of the hottest. 

“The one is big,” says Redskins head coach JOE GIBBS.  “It’s Monday Night Football.  It’s Dallas.  I don’t think there is much more to say.”

When the two teams meet on ABC’s NFL Monday Night Football this week, it will be Gibbs’ first Monday night game since a 20-3 loss to the Saints in New Orleans on November 23, 1992.  Standing on the opposite sideline will be his old NFC East rival from the 1980s and ’90s, BILL PARCELLS.

“This is a big game for both teams,” says Parcells.  “And it happens to be on the road for us, on Monday night.” 

The two coaching legends – Parcells ranks 11th in NFL history with 160 career wins while Gibbs’ 141 wins are 14th-best

-- met 16 times when Parcells coached the New York Giants from 1983-90 and Gibbs was in his first term in Washington from 1981-92.  Parcells’ Giants won 10 of the 16 meetings, including the last six in a row.

Both men have ample championship experience.  Gibbs led the Redskins to three Super Bowl victories while Parcells guided the Giants to two.

The Cowboys and Redskins have met 12 times on Monday night, splitting the series.  A look at the most frequent MNF matchups, all great rivalries in their own right:

Teams

MNF Games

Series Record

Margin of Victory

Denver Broncos vs. Oakland Raiders

14

 

Denver, 7-6-1

11.1

 

Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins

12

 

Tied, 6-6

9.1

 

Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins

10

 

Tied, 5-5

10.9

 

Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings

9

 

Minnesota, 5-4

8.2

 

Many tied

8

 

 

 

The series between the longtime NFC East rivals dates back to 1960, with the Cowboys holding a 52-32-2 advantage.  It has included some outstanding performances – including on Monday night.

A look at the single-game bests in Dallas-Washington Monday Night Football history in various categories:

Category

Total

Player

Team

Date

Result

Passing Yards

320

 

Joe Theismann

Washington

9/5/83

Dallas, 31-30

Passing TDs

3

 

Danny White

Dallas

9/5/83

Dallas, 31-30

 

3

 

Troy Aikman

Dallas

9/9/91

Washington, 33-31 

 

3

 

Mark Rypien

Washington

9/6/93

Washington, 35-16

Rushing Yards

151

 

Tony Dorsett

Dallas

9/5/83

Dallas, 31-30

Receptions

10

 

Alvin Garrett

Washington

9/5/83

Dallas, 31-30

Receiving Yards

140

 

Alvin Harper

Dallas

9/6/93

Washington, 35-16

Touchdowns

2

 

Many Tied

 

 

 

Sacks

2.0

 

Steve Martin

Washington

10/19/87

Washington 13-7

Interceptions

2

 

Tommy Haynes

Dallas

10/19/87

Washington 13-7

MONDAY NIGHT MUSINGS – DALLAS COWBOYS AT WASHINGTON REDSKINS

A TASTE FOR JOURNALISM

  • Redskins S MATT BOWEN and LB MIKE BARROW each have a flair for writing.

Bowen graduated from Iowa with a degree in journalism.  He has contributed stories to several publications including the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Washington Times and Pro Football Weekly. One of his most recent columns in the Washington Times debated which league has a better opening day, Major League Baseball or the NFL?:

“There is something great about the integrity and pageantry of an NFL opener.  Now don't get me wrong, I love baseball.  I've been a Chicago Cubs fan since I can remember…and I've been to my share of opening days at Wrigley Field.  But it's just one game out of 162.  In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't even matter if you win on opening day in baseball.  

“In pro football, though, Sundays count — every one of them.  Lose the opener and you have only 15 more chances to get it right.  You won't ever hear, "We'll get 'em tomorrow" in an NFL locker room.  The best thing about the NFL — it starts all over again the next Sunday.  The games never lose their luster.  They never get rained out, and you never run out of pitchers.  It’s unique.”

While Bowen is well on his way towards a career in journalism, Barrow’s quest is just beginning.  Last season, while with the New York Giants, he enrolled at NYU to earn credits towards his college degree.  Barrow focused his efforts on the ethics of journalism and how it relates to his life in the NFL as a born-again Christian.

INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY

  • Cowboys G MATT LEHR played the role of Grim Reaper in a Dallas high school program entitled “Fatal Choices, Shattered Dreams” that features mock DWI accidents and encourages adolescents to think about the consequences of drinking and driving before it is too late.

NICKNAMES GALORE

  • Redskins CB FRED SMOOT is a man of many words, and a man with several nicknames.  At Mississippi State, Smoot’s teammates called him “Talker” because of his infamous verbal battles with opponents.  In fact, Bulldog fans enjoyed his banter so much they created a website called “Smootsmack.com” to share their personal favorites.  In the NFL, Smoot has been deemed “Show Time,” a title he happily associates with his childhood hero DEION SANDERS (“Prime Time”).
  • Meanwhile, Redskins assistant head coach JOE BUGEL has renamed his beloved “Hogs,” the Redskins offensive line of the ’80s.

"We have to let 'The Hogs' go,” said Bugel.  “I love them -- they're my brothers.  But now it's the 'Dirtbags.'  You have to give the line a little bit of a nickname.  We're like mushrooms because we're down in the dark corner of the field practicing by ourselves and nobody loves us."

  • Dallas head coach BILL PARCELLS, A.K.A “The Tuna,” is also fond of giving his players nicknames.

            Parcells affectionately calls T FLOZELL ADAMS “Flozilla,” while 6-5, 285-pound DE KENYON                     COLEMAN         received the nickname “The Strong Dog.”

 TE JASON WITTEN is called “Pretty Boy” because he was knocked down by a linebacker once in practice (he accidentally knocked Parcells down the next day).  The coach calls LB AL SINGLETON “The Milkman” because “he always delivers.”

 Finally, Parcells nicknamed eight-year veteran LB DEXTER COAKLEY “The Mascot,” because he thinks “everyone loves a mascot and they never get cut.”

 -- MNF --