Jackie Smith gets ready for Sineasy' homecoming By Michael Henze "The. Cowboys have been great to me." Missourian sportswriter Someone else who has been great to Smith down through the years is the St. When the defending Super Bowl Louis fans and Sunday when he is in- champion Dallas Cowboys come into St troduced, Smith should be greeted by a Louis Sunday to take on the Cardinals thunderous ovation. at 1 p.m., they'll have a "new kid" at "It would really be nice if they kK ,. SSH&, BHaaaaBHaiH tight end. cheered me," Smith said. "It sure 6-fo- He has the look of a good one. At ot-4 would break the ice." 230 0-- and pounds, he can run like a The winless Cardinals, who at 6 own bull and block like a tiger. the worst record in the league, would -- And he's got a little bit of experience, like to break some ice of their own MdAk Jb aLaBflHS&IBBBBBBBBBBBBlBaBBaaBBBBBfl too. He holds the St. Louis Cardinal Sunday and record their first win of the aHuLY B SaHilaaLaaaaaaaaaaaHBE record for career pass receptions and season. fleaaR tsSSS' Hafl!aBBBBiHH " total yards, in addition to having caught "The mistakes we are making are SBBBSsi .jLBSlL aSaBBBBBraaBaaBBBBBH more passes than any other tight end in obvious to everyone . . . to the coaching HflKs "" '"V" laaaMaaaflaaaaaaHaaamaaaHaOHaaaK the history of the National Football staff, to the fans and to the players," St. League. Louis Coach Bud Wilkinson said. . That "kid" is none other than Jackie Smith. "We look at the films on Monday Smith, who played for the Cardinals morning from the previous day's .game for 16 years, has mixed emotions about and we're reminded of how close we are playing against the team he starred for to winning. Mistakes and more mistakes. I don't have an explanation Jackie Smith for so long: "I really don't know how Coming home, sort of I'm going to feel Sunday. Now I feel for it" kind of uneasy . . . I've got a funny But despite the difference in the two feeling in my stomach." teams records (Dallas is 4-- 2), the game When asked how the Cowboys would "Being a Dallas Cowboy is hard to get may be closer than a lot of people think. go about stopping Gray, Landry used to," he added. "In recent years the Cowboys have responded, "Don't ask me, we haven't Smith, who retired at the end of last brought out the best in the Cardinals, so stopped him yet" season when J.V. Cain blossomed into a we can't surprise them," he added. quality tight end, never had the op- Dallas Coach Tom Landry says he portunity to play in the Super Bowl doubts that the Cowboys will be flat when he was with St. Louis. So when the against the Cards. Cowboys, who were down to one tight "If we have a problem getting ready end, called, he jumped at the chance. for St Louis, then we've got a problem "The Cowboys would have been the with our team," he said. only football team in I could have "We're noUolayrag jjagainsf the one-sh- ot played for," he said. "This is a 0-- Cardinals, a team with an 6 record; deal; if I get the (Super Bowl) ring, I we're playing against the level of the do, if don't, there's no next year." 6-- I Washington Redskins, a team with a 0 When Cain went down during the record," Landry added. preseason with an achilles tendon in- "As long as we are two games behind jury, there was speculation that the. the Redskins, that's the team we're Cards would coax Smith out of 'playing against" retirement. Mel Gray, who has caught touchdown But after a physical, the Cardinals passes in nine consecutive games felt that he was unfit to play because of against the Cowboys, will be the Car- a neck problem. dinals' principal weapon on Sunday. "I would have played for the Car- dinals, but I had my conditions; I thought they knew them, but we really didn't get that far because they told me I couldn't play because of my neck," Smith said. "Physically, I don't feel any different than I did the past three orfour years," he said. " I don't think I could be a starting tight end and last through the season, though," he added. The Cowboys use Smith whenever they line up in a double tight end for- mation and to spell regular tight end Billy Joe Dupree. "I like the spot duty," Smith said.