Cowboys Get Big Lift From Carter

In his second start of the exhibition season, rookie Quincy Carter looked like the player the Dallas Cowboys hoped he would be when they took him in the second round of the NFL draft.

After an awful first start, Carter had an impressive performance rushing and passing as the Cowboys beat the Oakland Raiders, 21-6, Monday night before 88,309 fans at Mexico City’s Azteca stadium, ending their nine-game preseason losing streak.

The Cowboys, who had lost 17 of their last 18 preseason games, looked like the hungry young team they were billed to be.

The Raiders, considered Super Bowl contenders, often looked confused as many of their starters played sparingly, and quarterback Rich Gannon did not play.

Carter, who completed five of 17 passes for 27 yards against New Orleans on Aug. 19, finished six of 11 for 99 yards, with no interceptions. He also scored on a darting 16-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

“I think Quincy Carter made some things happen out there tonight and whether he can keep doing so will help decide the future of this team,” Cowboy Coach Dave Campo said.

Carter refused to get too excited over his play.

“This is just step one. I take the good and the bad,” he said. “We have to go from here and keep improving.”

The Raiders--with most of their starters--dominated the first quarter with a grinding attack. Quarterback Bobby Hoying completed seven consecutive passes and ate up more than eight minutes on a 71-yard drive.

But the drive died at the Dallas nine with a penalty and the Raiders settled for a field goal.

The Cowboys, especially Carter, came alive in the second quarter after starting safety George Teague picked off a pass by Hoying at the 35.

Four plays later, Carter faked a handoff, then scrambled left, dodging tacklers on his touchdown run. On Dallas’ next drive, Carter took the Cowboys 80 yards in four minutes, passing 25 yards to Damon Hodge and then, under heavy pressure, hitting Jason Tucker at the Raider four for a 28-yard gain.

Troy Hambrick ran in for a touchdown on the next play.

The Raiders wasted two opportunities for touchdowns.

With 34 seconds left in the second quarter, Hoying fired a 24-yard pass to Marcus Knight in the end zone. Knight bounced up celebrating, but officials ruled he lost the ball due to safety Sean Key’s hit--not the turf.

Sebastian Janikowski then missed a 39-yard field goal.

As time ran down in the fourth quarter, quarterback Marques Tuiasosopo found tight end Andrew Glover in the end zone, but safety Key again showed up, hammering him in mid-air and the ball popped loose.

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Negotiators gathered late Monday in Dallas to try to avert the use of replacement officials for at least the last week of NFL exhibitions, with the two sides differing on how close they were to a resolution.

“You ought to be able to hammer it out pretty quickly,” said Tom Condon, the lead negotiator for the officials.

Commissioner Paul Tagliabue, on the other hand, said the officials’ position “until now has been pretty unyielding.”

Since Tagliabue took over as commissioner in 1989, there have been no strikes or lockouts of either officials or players. The labor contract with players now extends through 2007.

The NFL has been adamant that it will not start the regular season without a deal with officials to replace the one that expired last March. Replacement officials already are signed and could begin working exhibition games as early as Thursday.

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Jon Kitna got the quarterback job that no one keeps for long.

The Cincinnati Bengals picked Kitna as their starter, beating out Scott Mitchell and Akili Smith.

“In my opinion, you could have flipped a coin,” said Akili Smith, knocked out of the competition by a sore shoulder.

Most likely, all three will play at some point this season.

“We’re not going to start a pat lineup,” Coach Dick LeBeau said. “As in the past, if we think we can help our football team in a situation I’m looking at in the game, I will not hesitate to substitute.”

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Jessie Tuggle is pondering whether to retire or play for a team other than Atlanta, with whom he has spent his entire 14-year career.

On Sunday, coach Dan Reeves told Tuggle, the NFL’s leading active tackler, that the Falcons want him to retire so they won’t be forced to release him.

“Jessie understands where we’re coming from,” Reeves said. “He wants to end his career as a Falcon, and we’re going to try to honor that as best we can and try to work out the details.”

The 36-year-old middle linebacker was not interested in speculating on his future when contacted at his home. He cleaned out his locker and had his name plate removed from his cubicle on Sunday.

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All-Pro cornerback Samari Rolle threatened to leave the Tennessee Titans’ training camp in a contract dispute.

Rolle, who has led the team in interceptions the past two seasons, reported to training camp without a long-term contract.

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The San Francisco 49ers released one-time starting defensive lineman Junior Bryant after he failed yet another physical in an attempt to return from a serious neck injury.

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Giant cornerback Jason Sehorn had his sore right knee flushed to reduce swelling, and should be able to play in their season opener at Denver on Sept. 10.

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Cleveland’s Dennis Northcutt finally got back on the practice field after recovering from a broken right collarbone.

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Shane Matthews learned Monday he will be the starting quarterback for the Chicago Bears on Sept. 9, when they open the season against the Super Bowl-champion Baltimore Ravens.

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Green Bay’s Dorsey Levens returned to practice wearing a cast on his broken left hand, but Ahman Green had to cut short his workout when he felt too much pain in his strained groin.

Antonio Freeman, who said Eric Brown’s helmet-to-jaw hit has left him with the worst of the three concussions he’s had over the last two seasons, said he will miss the preseason finale at Oakland on Friday night, but will be ready to go for the season opener in two weeks.

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Linebacker Marty Moore was released by the Cleveland Browns after starting a career-high nine games last season.