Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro
Date: Wed, 20 Jan 1993 21:49:01 -0500 
From: "Michael D. Goettsche" <mg5c+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Dallas/Buffalo

What's going on with most of these posters?  I've noticed a trend toward
the same BS being said about the upcoming Super Bowl as was said about
the NFC Championship. So, first and foremost, Dallas is not going to
crumble and fold underneath the Super Bowl hype.  They said that Dallas
would crumble against Philly, and then they said Dallas would fold
against SF.  It seems to me that Dallas turned in two of the best games
a team has played this year -- against two tough opponents they were
clearly superior.  The SF game was close, but just given the fact that
they were able to drive at will against the Niners, and then limit the
Niners to yards, not points, is significant.  Once more, the Cowboys are
too talented to allow the hype to affect them.  I have yet to see Emmitt
Smith have a poor game in the last 2-3 years, and I sincerely doubt that
Aikman, one of the coolest quarterbacks around under pressure, will play
so poorly that Dallas' other weapons cannot save them.

That said, one person wrote earlier regarding matchups, giving just
about all matchups to the Bills.  Here goes:

QB -  Edge to Buffalo?  Jim Kelly has been too erratic the past two
years to really know what type of game he will have.  If he's on, Dallas
will have some problems, BUT they won't be in trouble.  Aikman has not
had a bad game since the first Philadelphia loss in week 4 of the season
-- he has not turned the ball over and directed the offense with great
poise.  When Aikman is on, he is every much if not more than the equal
of Kelly.  Edge to Dallas (slight).

RB - Edge to Buffalo?  Not!  Emmitt Smith is the best RB in the game
now, without a doubt.  Thurman Thomas is a close second.  The other
poster mentions that the Bills have Kenneth Davis, but I don't see this
as a factor -- one or the other of them play, and they both play so
similar styles of games that they can be treated as one RB.  Buffalo
would have the edge if Smith were the type of running back that wears
down as the game goes on, but if you've seen any Cowboys games this
year, you'd know that Emmitt Smith only gets stronger as the game goes
on.  Edge to Dallas.

WR -  Edge to Dallas!!!!  Is there a doubt after last weeks game in SF? 
Buffalo has slightly better DBs than SF, but they still face the problem
of being out-sized by Irvin and Harper.  Right now, Irvin, Harper, and
Martin are the most dangerous wide receivers in the league.  Reed and
Lofton are very good, and Beebe can hold his own, but they are not in
the same class as the Cowboy trio RIGHT NOW. (Don't reply that Lofton is
one of the best ever because I know that -- but right now he isn't
better than the Cowboy's #2 man, Harper.)

TE - Edge to Dallas!  Novacek is the best TE in the game, no questions
asked.  Metzelaars and McKeller are fine, but they are no match for
Novacek.

FB - Again, edge to Dallas!  Darryl Johnston can do it all - he is one
of the top three FB's in the league, IMO, and I believe other people
would realize this if Dallas used him in their scheme more.  If you saw
the NFC Championship game, you would see his value.

OL - Even.  Buffalo has an outstanding OL, naming several players to the
Pro Bowl over the last few seasons.  Dallas' OL RIGHT NOW is just as
good, having 2 PB players, and in many people's opinions another couple.
 Dallas' OL dominates opposing DLs in the second half through their
size, whereas Buffalo plays an even keel game throughout.

DEFENSE

Dallas -  There's a reason they are number one - their DB coverage is
outstanding and their tackling is impeccable.  They rarely miss tackles,
thus preventing opposing wide receivers from breaking open short passes
for long gains.  Since this is one of the keys to the Buffalo passing
attack is the run after the reception, I don't foresee Buffalo gaining
much through the air.  Dallas' DL is one of the best in the game - they
generate a lot of pressure on the opposing QB and are also quite
excellent at stopping the run. Dallas' team speed on defense is
everything.  Their linebacker corps is solid.  Their one weak spot which
has proven to be exploited is the zone between the LBs and the DBs -- I
feel SF could have won the game if they exploited this more.  Instead,
Dallas proved susceptible to the short dump pass to the RBs, which makes
them extremely susceptible to Thurman Thomas out of the backfield.  If
Buffalo is going to remain competitive, they must make their mark in the
first quarter (score at least two touchdowns), because Dallas' defense
has proved to be very stingy after the first quarter.  They make
defensive adjustments that grind the opposing offenses down to very
short drives.  Dallas' strength, going into this game, will be their
nickel defense.  If they can get Buffalo into second and long, the Bills
will be out of the game by the middle of the third quarter.  Conversely,
if Buffalo can avoid 3rd and >3 situations, it will be competitive.

Buffalo - They have a slightly better defense than the Niners, but only
slightly.  I really don't foresee Dallas having any problems with it. 
The key once again will be the offensive line - they must open up holes
for Smith.  Bruce Smith will be the x-factor - he has had an
inconsistant year - at times he has looked unstoppable, at other times,
he has looked very ordinary.  If he can get into situations where he is
double teamed, things will look very good for the Bills.  I think a lot
also depends on the play of Bennett and Conlan -- Dallas really hasn't
faced outstanding LBs with the exception of the Eagles.  If Buffalo can
stop Smith with their front seven, Dallas' offense will rely on Aikman
getting the ball to Novacek, Irvin, and Harper.  There is no way on
earth that Buffalo will be able to stop these three if the ball is
thrown somewhat well to them, thus for Buffalo to stand a chance to win,
they must pressure Aikman into throwing bad passes.  Once more, they
must stop both Smith and Aikman to win. (Limit Smith to <80 yards,
Aikman to <200 yards and 2-4 INTs.

Dallas' task is much simpler in this game -- they merely need to get one
facet of their offense in gear to win.  Their defense will limit the
Bills to about 350 yards total offense, with about 14-17 points.  
I believe the final score will be Cowboys 27, Bills 17.

DA FLAV