» DALLAS OPENS PRESEASON WITH WIN IN HOF GAME
CANTON, Ohio — Now that the Dallas Cowboys have taken care of business in the Hall of Fame game, they’re going to hang around for a couple of days.
Why not? The boss is about to get a gold jacket.
With no stars and few starters on the field Thursday night, the Cowboys edged the Arizona Cardinals 20-18. The idea, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said, was to get the young players lots of action, win the game, then get ready for owner Jerry Jones’ induction on Saturday night.
So the team will be off Friday, practice in Cleveland on Saturday, then tour the hall before the evening ceremonies.
“This is a great experience not only for Jerry and the Jones family,” Garrett said, “but for the entire Dallas Cowboys family. We all take ownership in his induction.”
Garrett saw lots of value in playing an extra exhibition game.
“As a player you learn so much more in game situations than in any other environment,” he said. “There’s nothing like putting on a uniform and going on a real football field and playing versus an opponent.”
Rookie Sam Irwin-Hill, unlikely to beat out Dallas veteran Dan Bailey for the placekicking job, made field goals of 23 and 43 yards, the latter providing the winning points in the fourth quarter.
The opening half featured a handful of big plays, with Arizona’s third-string quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, consistently finding open receivers down the middle.
“There were a couple specific plays by the defense on those first couple of drives,” Garrett said. “Blown assignments on a big third-down conversion, and it wasn’t physical enough. It wasn’t aggressive enough.”
Dallas’ Kellen Moore, who missed last season with an ankle injury, had some success passing down the sidelines, but his second-quarter interception by Brandon Williams in the end zone ruined a drive.
With the likes of Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, David Johnson, Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu sitting it out, Arizona could be pleased with the work of backup running backs Kerwynn Williams and Andre Ellington, who both scored on short runs.
“It was great to see the offense move the ball and get touchdowns on those first two drives,” Fitzgerald said. “Oline, running game, passing the ball, that was impressive and I’m happy for every one of those guys.”
And with Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Jason Witten, Sean Lee and their strong offensive line pretty much inactive, the Cowboys could point to veteran RB Alfred Morris and receivers Brice Butler and Rico Gathers.