Dallas week stirs memories in former Eagles coach Dick Vermeil

PHILADELPHIA — The temperature will be in the mid-60’s when the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys kick off their critical NFC East game Sunday (4:25 p.m., FOX-TV, WIP-94.1-FM) at Lincoln Financial Field.

It’s a far cry from Jan. 11, 1981, when the Eagles hosted the Cowboys in the NFC title game at Veterans Stadium with a windchill of minus-2 degrees. It may feel like minus-2 in the stands because there is no love lost between the Eagles and Cowboys no matter the setting. As always, the implications are huge.

“And I like it like that because at the end of the day our goal is to beat the best and play the best,” veteran Brandon Graham said. “If we’re calling ourselves the best, we’ve got to show up in that game.”

The Eagles sport a league-best record of 7-1 and are 3-0 in the NFC East. The Cowboys are 5-2 overall, 3-0 in the division.

Rewind a few decades ago and Dick Vermeil, probably the most beloved Eagles head coach, was preparing for what would be an epic conference title game in the frigid cold of the Vet. Speaking with Merrill Reese on WBCB Radio’s Pro Football Report, Vermeil said he felt a vibe the week of that 1981 title game that was totally different from anything he’d experienced before.

“They had been an intense group, a very focused group,” Vermeil recalled. “They really liked playing together. They loved each other. And they had worked tough to get to this position. All week long I just had this gut feeling that there’s no way anybody’s going to beat this football team.”

The Eagles’ locker room in those days wasn’t exactly a palace. But that day, there was a glow.

“I’ve never been in a pre-game locker room like that on that day,” Vermeil said. “(The late) George Allen was a color analyst working in TV, and he was in the locker room with us. We come out for the introductions and George is standing there and he signals me to come over. He said ‘Coach, I’ve never been in a locker room like that. There’s no way Dallas can beat this football team.’

“Emotionally you could feel the focus. You could feel the intensity from just how they were breathing. They weren’t snorting through their noses or anything. They weren’t blowing smoke. But they were so deeply focused on what they had to do.”

Wilbert Montgomery thundered 46 yards for a score early in the game, and Ron Jaworski and the Eagles never looked back in an epic 20-7 triumph over Tony Dorsett, Tom Landry and the Cowboys.

Current head coach Nick Sirianni, who has the best winning percentage in franchise history (.714, 30-12 record), will pull out all the stops to motivate his team for the Cowboys.

The Eagles (7-1) are more talented at the skill positions and on the lines. Punt returner Britain Covey ranks second in the league. Kicker Jake Elliott is about as good as they get.

But the Eagles are minus-3 in turnover ratio, the Cowboys plus-6.

The Cowboys have playmakers spread throughout the defense, starting with Micah Parsons. They feature a dynamic kick returner in KaVontae Turpin and a stellar kicker in rookie Brandon Aubrey.

Then there are the quarterbacks. Jalen Hurts is 1-2 against the Cowboys and 0-1 versus Prescott, who is 8-3 against the Eagles.

While stats aren’t the be-all, consider some eccentric numbers from Inside Edge, which defines late and close games as a one possession game (8 points or less) with less than 5 minutes remaining or a two-possession game (16 points or less) for the other 10 minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys have gone three-and-out on zero percent of drives in late and close games this season, tops in the NFL. The Eagles have forced three-and-outs on 5 percent of opposing drives in close and late situations this season, second worst in the league. They’ve left Sirianni pulling hair out of his head down the homestretch.

The Cowboys have scored on 50 percent of their drives in late and close games, second in the league. The Eagles have allowed scores on 41 percent of opposing drives in close and late situations, fifth worst in the NFL. Those tendencies could keep it interesting.

Additionally, the Cowboys have the third-best passer rating on third down at 112.2, while the Birds have allowed a passer rating of 98.2 on third down, fourth worst in the NFL.

Sirianni, you should know, is an animated head coach cut from the cloth of Vermeil, who was 3-11 lifetime versus the Cowboys. Sirianni is just 1-3 versus the Cowboys.

Back in the day, Vermeil got a little advice from the late Landry, of all people, the coaching icon and innovator. Sirianni might want to heed it.

“One time, about 1977, pre-game warmup in Dallas and he signals me to come over to him,” Vermeil recalled. “I read his book, and he was very respectful. And I’m just feeling higher than a kite. And he says, ‘Coach you’re doing a really good job. But you’ve got to learn to relax. This is a hard business to stay in a long time with your temperament.’ And I never forgot that.”

It’s early for Sirianni to think about that as he prepares to take on veteran Mike McCarthy. But it’s never too late.