By Dave Sell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 5, 1998; Page C11

The Dallas Cowboys could see it on film last week and they could see it on the faces of the Washington Redskins yesterday: No confidence.

Being 0-4, and now 0-5 after the Cowboys beat them 31-10, there is every reason to think the Redskins lack confidence. But the Cowboys saw it as a vicious circle. Without confidence, the Redskins press and do things they shouldn't or can't do, which creates mistakes and opportunities for opponents. That, in turn, leads to more losses and less confidence.

"I don't know if they have confidence in themselves," said Dallas's Deion Sanders, who has rarely been in that situation. Sanders had an interception that set up the Cowboys' first touchdown, and a punt return for a touchdown that was negated by a penalty.

"They have some tremendous players," Sanders said. "If they look in the mirror – as we had to last year, individually – and step up their games individually, then consequently, as a team, they can step up their game."

The Cowboys' collective soul seaching followed their 6-10 finish in 1997. The Redskins expected no such agony in 1998.

The Redskins did expect to greatly improve their run defense, having acquired tackles Dana Stubblefield and Dan Wilkinson while agreeing to contracts that could be worth $57.4 million if they remain on the roster for the length of their deals. After yesterday, even that seems in question as the Cowboys' 224 yards rushing played a huge part in their victory.

"What I see is a man who is pressing," Cowboys left guard Nate Newton said of Stubblefield. "He made a lot of money early, with a big bonus [$8 million] and he's pressing. Once he relaxes and gets into the system, things will get going for him and will open up for him, but I hope not against us.

"It's the same with 'Big Daddy' [Wilkinson]. Let the game come to them. Let the game flow to [Stubblefield] because he used to do that with the 49ers. If you sign a new contract, everybody is looking at you as the savior. You're this, you're that. But you're not. You're a key part of a machine."

The sum of the parts of the machine allowed Dallas running backs Emmitt Smith to gain 120 yards on 28 carries and his backup Chris Warren (from Robinson High School in Burke) to gain 104 yards on 14 carries.

"Our inside running today was as good as it's been, the best it's been," Dallas Coach Chan Gailey said.

Newton, right tackle Erik Williams and left tackle Larry Allen have all been to the Pro Bowl. That talent allows them to cover for younger players or replacements, whereas the Redskins' offensive line has neither the talent nor the experience.

Dallas right guard Everett McIver, one of the Cowboys' free agent acquisitions in the offseason, sprained his right knee in the first quarter and was replaced by former Maryland Terrapin Mike Kiselak, who left College Park after the 1989 season, bounced through a couple of NFL training camps then landed regular work in the Canadian Football League before coming to Dallas. Kiselak played more yesterday than he had in the first four games combined.

"They've got some big men in the middle, which is supposed to be their power," Kiselak said of the Redskins. "Their strength is supposed to be their two DTs and their cornerbacks. We just went right at them, running at them all day. It was a pride thing. It was aggression."

Newton is proud enough to think the Cowboys can line up and run on most teams. But he saw an opponent yesterday that was thinking too much.

"They are not reacting," said Newton, who was cut by Joe Gibbs and the Redskins as a rookie free agent in 1983. "They are trying to do the defense and be perfect."