* In addition to finding the whole Talley affair uproarious, the Cowboys were encouraged that, in the heat of the action, not one Bill came to the linebacker’s defense. As he sat bloodied and humiliated on the Roxbury floor, teammates failed to gather around Talley. “No chance that happens with us,” says Kevin Smith. “Absolutely no chance. We looked out for each other.”
Making their third straight Super Bowl appearance (and still without a win), Buffalo was a solid, talent-laden ball club that committed a lot of mistakes and, according to Johnson, played tissue-soft football. In an early-week meeting with his players, Johnson implored the Cowboys to smack Kelly around—even when there was no reason to do so. “Make sure he knows you’re there,” Johnson said. “Touch his uniform, tap his helmet, step on his foot—make him feel us. Make him scared.” The coach assured his team that the Bills, fearful of dropping yet another Super Bowl, would inevitably unravel. “Capitalize on mistakes,” he said, “and we can’t lose.”
