Fortunately, Coleman was not picked up.
Meanwhile, Washington has taken a timeout as they look ahead.
They want to stop the clock.
Otherwise, the Cowboys would have run as much time as they could have off the clock.
And the skins still have two timeouts, plus the free one at the two-minute warning,
and they're going to get the ball back.
2.34 remaining in the half.
Tomorrow night, a tropical island is the setting for a med school
like one you've never seen before.
2.34 left in the half.
Saxon will kick.
And Brian Mitchell stands back at his ten-yard line to accept it.
As you can see, the crowd fanning themselves here.
Very still inside Texas Stadium.
No air circulation.
Because of the roof configuration.
Saxon angles it, and that is a beauty.
Perfect.
Do you believe the one-yard line?
Just perfect.
54 yards.
Well, Brian Mitchell, the return man, is told not to handle the ball inside the ten-yard line.
He made the proper decision in not handling the football,
and who's to know that this type of a bounce would happen?
That is just plain old perfect.
And that ball just does what it wants to do sometimes,
and that time it decided to do Mike Saxon and the Cowboys a favor.
So inside the one-yard line now for the Washington Redskins.
2.26 remaining in the half.
Hobbs and Sanders come in, as we'll take a look at.
And guys, here's where Dallas, having burned up some of their timeouts earlier,
hurts them because they would want to stop the clock.
Rippon throws, and that's hit him.
Lucky it wasn't picked off by Jones off the hands of Gary Clark,
and Robert Jones was there, but could not come up with the interception.
Now there's a break for Dallas in several ways.
One, no yardage on first down, but secondarily it stops the clock.
Now with 2.21 remaining, the Cowboys have one timeout, is that correct?
They have one timeout, and it will also stop, of course, at the two-minute warning,
which could work at this point in either team's favor on the pins.
Second and ten.
Biner after the eight-yard line.
It's going to be third and three, James Washington.
This is one of those calls where you've got to look at yourself and you go,
what do we do here?
We call timeout?
No, I think you let it go to the two-minute warning with only having one.
We've already had one punt block, so at least you feel a little more comfortable
getting away from your one-yard line where you can at least kick
from some sort of a spread if you have to kick.
A lot of pressure on the Washington Redskins to get a first down
and keep the ball away from Dallas.
Two minutes to go in the first half.
Al Michaels, Frank Gifford, Dan Dierdorf on opening night of our 23rd season.
Nine-seven, the Cowboys in front, third down and three upcoming for Washington
at the Redskins' eight-yard line.
Jimmy Jones makes the tackle and the Dallas Cowboys at this point
will spend their final timeout.
They're one-on-one on the clock with 151, and when they get the ball back,
they do not have any timeout, but they should get it back pretty close
to midfield.
So in reality it was the Redskins taking up a timeout.
That really ultimately it's now backfired on them.
And again, remember, Kelly Goodfirm, as Burn has already had one block.
things as a game goes along don't seem so big at the time but remember when Dallas threw some
you know some improper planning had to use two timeouts when they didn't need them at all there
was no strategical purpose for them using those timeouts and now look how desperately they'd love
to have them back probably the only thing the Cowboys did wrong in the first maybe 22 23 minutes
of the game was having to take those timeouts and now almost certainly they will have the ball inside
Redskins territory with any kind of a return
and the no timeouts takes away some of your options well they all getting the ball back
to Mike Saxon who pinned the Redskins at the one and now Goodburn's gonna have to put him out of
the end zone low pretty short kick but again it takes a big Washington bounce and Martz didn't
come up to handle it and that cost Dallas a good 20 yards again well Goodburn had to hurry that
punt again he was under enormous pressure to get that one off so instead of about a 35 yarder that's
a 59 yarder and there's a case where Dallas having only one return man backfires on them
because it was not a good kick it was angled off to the right and Martin didn't get over there to
field it that's where if you have two deep you can go ahead and fair catch the ball and and really
handle a bad kick this time with only Kelvin Martin deep it works against the Dallas Cowboys
and cost them a big chunky yarder Isaac Cole who again came bursting through he was the man who
blocked Goodburn's kick leading to a safety in the first quarter now Dallas without a timeout from
the 33 yard line finally gets run down as a flag down at the 46 yard line as the clock stops with
1.28 we'll get the call from hand tack and we'll also tell you about the big sports news of the
day in case you have not heard and that is the resignation of the baseball commissioner Faye
Vincent holding for coming up against Washington of course last week the vote of no confidence 18
to 9 one abstention Vincent originally said he would fight it he would not resign thought about
it over the weekend at Cape Cod where he is right now and basically said a fight based solely on
principles does not justify the disruption so Faye Vincent reluctantly steps down today as the
commissioner of baseball
and he feels in effect that resignation is better than litigation the holding call against the Red
Skins was declined first down for the Cowboys now and a leaping catch is made it's a 43 yard line by Michael Irvin
and more importantly Al out of bounds stops the clock first down Dallas he got position on Mayhew
inside him and that's a 13 yard gain to the 43 of the Redskins again Mayhew had to
to give Michael Irvin a lot more than he wanted to Michael Irvin again a deep threat
goes up protects the ball from Mayhew comes down with the first down stops the clock I don't want
to be guilty of hyping this game but we have seen more good football in the first half of a preseason
opener than maybe we had a right to expect a lot of exceptional plays a lot of great catches 121 to go
in the hand Aikman throws wide open is Irvin and that's another first down at the 26 yard line
that time Darryl Green laying way off Michael Irvin good five six yards away from Irvin
keep in mind he has riddled the Washington defense last November he has a lot of respect
but the move on Darryl Green made it look like he was going to take it deep Green bought it
and it's another first down also out of bounds stopping the clock with the amount of yardage
they've covered if Kelvin Martin handles that punt they've already scored a touchdown
Cowboys up by 216 to go in the half first and 10 at the 26 yard line here come the Redskins and
Aikman gets hit as he throws as Wilbur Marshall came through on the right side along with Charles
man to disrupt the play second down well there's a mismatch that's Wilbur Marshall working against
Emmett Smith Smith was forced to stay in and block and and that's a that's a kind of a matchup that
the Redskins will will win every time Wilbur Marshall against an lineman is a good one look
at the bottom there Emmett Smith just is no way he ended up with Hilly what looks appear to be a
very good block on Marshall but Marshall got in and hit Aikman for the first time in Sudan had a
little push up front and Aikman couldn't step up second and 10 at the 26 yard line
a free play and it's incomplete Tim Johnson was the guy who jumped didn't you think you heard a
whistle I thought I did no flag I thought I heard a whistle blow
so good but he heard a whistle blow getting old just ringing in our ears
some of the players certainly look like it your explanation may be accurate sir down and 10 at the
26 yard line 107 remaining in the first half again Dallas without a timeout 3rd and 10 locked in for Harper
3rd and 10 locked in for Harper touchdown
Darryl Green the victim and Harper may have got away with a little bit of pushing off
looks like he took a page out of Michael Urban's playbook he was hand fighting Darryl Green inside
the 10 yard line and I agree with you Frank a lot of pushing in contact
well you match your best up you leave in man for man and hope for the best because Darryl Green
over the years has been one of the great ones of man for man and this time he was
beaten by Harper well I think we're going to see a classic push off while with the right hand of
Alvin Harper he appeared to give green a pretty good shove let's take a look at Alvin Harper
working against Darryl Green the contact to watch for is going to be inside the 10 yard line
now Harper's just working to the outside Green gives him the outside now there's the right arm
of Harper and there's a shove gain separation that you know the way I look at it I think that's
offensive interference but it's also well disguised and it goes on all the time I I'm not sure that's
enough that you take anything away from Alvin Harper and what he did make it look like you're
struggling and just that little bit of an arm I can assure you if you're trying to cover a man
there's enough to slow you down and look at Darryl Green he's almost pushed over backwards I think
Darryl Green was confident he was going to draw a flag the advantage of being a big receiver Alvin
Harper at 6-3 Darryl Green at 5-8 with Harper and Urban big men on the outside for the Dallas Cowboys
and it is a real advantage that they're not afraid to capitalize upon meanwhile Emmett Smith with a
nice blitz pickup on that last play to enable Aikman to have the time to lost it perfectly
Dallas up by nine with 102 left in the half and the kick from Elliott comes into the hands of Brian
Mitchell and Brian Mitchell after starting at the nine yard line brings it back to the 41
yard line and he's tackled by the kicker Elliott the rookie remember how concerned we were about
the Cowboys having no time out well they got into the end zone with a minute left over now
the Redskins have two timeouts remaining and they can threaten six plays in 35 seconds
not bad not bad and you don't need us to tell you that that man and this team possess one of
the great long ball games in the NFL 53 seconds and 59 yards hardly intermodal well the skins
still have those two timeouts left at the 41 yard line the strange game it is Art Monk in motion
Art Monk on an end around has some blocking and Monk is written out of bounds at the 49 by Isaac
Cole that's a gain of eight and very cleverly Art Monk saves one of the two remaining timeouts
steps out of bounds after the pickup of about 8 47 seconds remaining now in the half hardly a
surprise that Art Monk makes a smart play hardly only 13 years of them they're pretty close to
field goal range when you've got a guy like Chip Lowemiller who had a hole of fame night here
in the monday nighter a year ago that pass is incomplete it is third down and two in
tension for Irvin oh good read too on the part of Mark Rippon Bill Bates had his eye set on
the interception Rippon saw Bates coming in to make the move and he just rolled it into the carpet
third and two at the 49 yard line Redskins have not converted a third down tonight
0 to 4
three man rush and Rippon not even close the coverage was there intended for Ricky
Sanders in his fourth down
so Mark Rippon has