Cowboys and Bengals fail to convince in opening clash

CANTON, OHIO // With Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice in the house, an offensive show seemed in order. But neither the Dallas Cowboys nor the Cincinnati Bengals got the message. Smith and Rice, the offensive greats, who entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame a day earlier, could not have been pleased with the low-scoring result of the first exhibition game of the season, a 16-7 victory for the Cowboys.

The offenses spluttered all night and there were eight sacks in a sloppy affair. Clearly, none of the aura of the NFL's career leaders in rushing and receiving rubbed off. At least some of this year's Hall of Fame inductees - the ones who played defence - could appreciate the lack of scoring and the takeaways. Dallas picked off three passes and recovered a fumble; Cincinnati also recovered a fumble.

"I thought we were fundamentally sound and the effort was great," Keith Brooking, the Dallas linebacker, said. "Those are the two main ingredients you look for in the pre-season." Nobody could be impressed by the slew of penalties, 16 overall, 12 against Cincinnati for 90 yards. "The best thing about it," Wade Phillips, the Cowboys coach, said, "is you see what you did and what you need to improve on."

The Cowboys hope this is the opening step towards becoming the first team to play in a Super Bowl in its home stadium. That goal would take months before it can be achieved, of course, and for the moment, they were more excited about being on hand as Smith, a former Cowboys running back, entered the Hall of Fame. Tony Romo, the Cowboys quarterback, said: "Just being here makes for some great memories."

* Associated Press