Ravens, Cowboys to bid farewell to Texas Stadium

IRVING, Texas - The Dallas Cowboys sure would like to close Texas Stadium the way they opened it in 1971.

Not just by winning the last game.

By winning the Super Bowl, too.

The Cowboys began playing under the hole in the roof in October 1971 and won their first championship at the end of that season. Four more Super Bowl titles and 37 seasons later, Dallas will play its 313th and final game there Saturday night, taking on the only team that's never visited, the Baltimore Ravens.

"I know the fans will be excited, I know the players are excited," quarterback Tony Romo said. "We'd like to send it out on the right note."

The Cowboys (9-5) also need a win to get closer to the playoffs. There are even three scenarios in which Dallas could lock up a wild card this weekend, but all require a victory over the Ravens, who are among three 9-5 teams fighting for the AFC's lone remaining wild card.

While players and coaches will be focused on what's at stake, the farewell act of this pro sports landmark will be the theme of the evening for everyone else.

In fact, the game is merely the opening act for Saturday night's farewell show.

Soon after players head to the locker rooms, a postgame ceremony will commence featuring some of the guys who turned the Cowboys into "America's Team" and evoked the notion the roof was left open so God could watch his team play.

Although the exact guest list is being kept secret, expect Roger Staubach, Bob Lilly, Tony Dorsett, Randy White, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin to be among the headliners. Probably Deion Sanders, too, since he'll be analyzing the game for the NFL Network. (Programming note for Cowboys lovers - or haters - who get the NFL Network: Cowboys-oriented programming will run from 6 a.m. ET all the way to kickoff.)

During the postgame ceremony, roughly 100 former Cowboys players and coaches who spent at least five years at Texas Stadium will make one last stroll across the midfield star. Current players are expected to take part, too. It's only logical that the team's world-famous cheerleaders also will be involved.

It's worth noting that George Teague was with the Cowboys for exactly five seasons, so he and Terrell Owens could once again meet at the star - like they did in 2000, when T.O., then playing for San Francisco, celebrated 2 touchdowns on the logo and Teague made him pay for the second one.

During breaks in the Ravens game, the Cowboys will reveal the five most memorable moments at Texas Stadium based on an online vote by fans. Clint Longley's Thanksgiving 1974 performance against the Washington Redskins has to be among them; will Teague "defending the star" make it, too?

The Cowboys are 213-99 at home, counting the playoffs, since moving from the Cotton Bowl into this state-of-the-art building in the suburb of Irving in October 1971. Most of the $35 million cost was paid for through seat option bonds, a first of its kind concept that's evolved into seat licenses. The building also featured 176 luxury suites, more - and fancier - than any stadium up to that point.

Next season, Dallas is moving into another sports Taj Mahal, a $1.1 billion, 100,000-seat stadium. Just this week, builders installed the support for the video boards; billed as the biggest high-def screens ever made, they're high above each sideline and stretch between the 20-yard-lines.

As nice as the new place in Arlington will be, Texas Stadium will retain special memories, from the Super Bowl teams to Smith passing Walter Payton for the NFL's career rushing lead in 2002. Millions of Americans who aren't Cowboys fans, maybe not even football fans, can't remember a Thanksgiving that didn't include a game from Texas Stadium as part of their family gathering.

"It's kind of neat to sit back and think about and reflect on some of the things you were able to watch, how many big games, or how many great players have been in a situation in there," Romo said. "It makes you proud of the organization."

As for the game itself, Dallas comes in on a 4-1 roll since Romo returned from a broken pinkie on his passing hand. The only loss was in the final minutes of a tight game in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers bashed Romo pretty good that day and the New York Giants nearly finished him off Sunday night. He went down wincing with a back injury late in the first quarter and probably will still be feeling it when Ray Lewis and the hard-hitting Ravens take the field. Fans ache just thinking about that.

"He has a lot of playmakers on his side of the ball, so (we can't) let him sit back there and pick and choose," Lewis said. "People that have had success against him have really made him not sit back there comfortable."

Dallas' collection of playmakers seemingly got along just fine this week, unlike their turmoil-filled week leading up to the Giants game. T.O. acknowledged that a win makes all the difference, an indication that tempers could flare again with a loss.

Baltimore is coming off a late, tough loss in Pittsburgh that was even tougher to overcome because of a controversial ruling on the Steelers' winning touchdown. As much as the Ravens insist that play is behind them, they're going to need a strong showing against the Cowboys to prove it.

That won't be easy. Dallas' defense is playing on par with Pittsburgh's and Baltimore's.

The Cowboys lead the league in sacks, with DeMarcus Ware four away from setting the NFL single-season record. The unit has held teams without a touchdown three times this season, and the Ravens offense is coming off a touchdown-less game of its own.

"Our line has done a great job all year of stopping anybody's pressure," said Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco, who averages a sack every 15 attempts. "I'm going to trust that they are going to do another great job this week."

If the Ravens win, they'll join the Oakland-Los Angeles Raiders as the only teams never to have lost at Texas Stadium. The men in silver and black went 3-0.