Steelers To Play Cowboys

	PITTSBURGH (AP) -- If the Pittsburgh Steelers hoped the Dallas
Cowboys were caving under the immense pressure of being favored to
win an unprecedented third consecutive Super Bowl, the joke's been
on them.
	Pressure, thy name isn't Cowboys.
	In a conference call with Pittsburgh reporters, coach Barry
Switzer said jokingly the Cowboys were so talented, ``I can't screw
this bunch up.''
	If nothing else, the loose, relaxed Cowboys are making the
Steelers envious before Sunday's season opener in Three Rivers
Stadium, where Dallas never has won.
	The Steelers see the Cowboys' two Texas-sized Super Bowl rings,
so loaded with diamonds, they want one of their own.
	They see how the Cowboys are thriving under pressure, even
without former coach Jimmy Johnson and a plethora of departed
veterans, and they wonder if they could be so composed, so
self-confident, so under control.
	``They're confident and they've got a right to be ... they're
the defending champions,'' All-Pro cornerback Rod Woodson said.
``They're good, but we think we're good, too.''
	The Steelers will find out Sunday if they're on the same level
as the NFL's best team, or if they're still a step or two behind.
It's only one game of 16, but it might be the biggest of all those
games for Pittsburgh.
	``I don't believe in all of that stuff ... of one game making a
season,'' Woodson said. ``If we beat Dallas, I don't think the
other 26 teams in the league are going to start fearing us. It
doesn't make sense. It's only one game.''
	But what a game. The Steelers haven't received so many requests
for media credentials since they last hosted an AFC championship
game, and even the players are being besieged by ticket requests.
	``This is the one place I can hide from the people looking for
tickets,'' one Steeler said in the locker room.
	More than anything, both teams are looking for answers.
	Switzer, out of football for five years, still must prove he
belongs in the NFL as a coach. The Cowboys' defense must prove it
is deep and talented enough to withstand some key free agent
defections, notably that of linebacker Ken Norton. The inconsistent
Steelers must prove they can sustain a high level of play over an
entire season, not just a game here or there.
	``It's going to be a challenge,'' Steelers coach Bill Cowher
said. ``We have to be patient and recognize this is a good team and
you can't stop them. You cannot give them the big play.''
	The Steelers are hopeful they can neutralize big-play specialist
Michael Irvin with Woodson, so talented he was voted onto the NFL's
All-Time team. But when they're not in man-to-man coverage,
second-year cornerback Deon Figures, making his first opening-day
start, will be isolated against the equally talented Alvin Harper.
	And the Cowboys are always only one Emmitt Smith run away from
ripping open a game. They didn't have Smith in their backfield the
other three times they played and lost in Three Rivers, in 1977,
1979 and 1988.
	``The guy you've got to stop is No. 22,'' Cowher said.
	This isn't the easiest possible opener for Dallas, or for
Switzer.
	``What's the difference between this game and my first game at
Oklahoma?'' Switzer said. ``I knew then we were playing a team we
were capable of scoring 40 points against.
	``Are you asking me whether I'd rather play Cincinnati or
Pittsburgh? I'd rather play Iowa State.''