IRVING, Tex. – Don’t say Ron Dayne never did anything for Big Blue.
He might not have while he was in a Giants’ uniform, but now that he’s out of one, he’s definitely done his old team a huge favor. Dayne’s 55-yard run early in overtime yesterday propelled the Broncos to a 24-21 Thanksgiving Day victory over the Cowboys.
It also handed the Giants sole possession of the NFC East lead, at least for the moment. The Giants (7-3) have an arduous task ahead in Seattle against the Seahawks (8-2) on Sunday.
Surely, the last thing Dayne is thinking about is the welfare of the team that let him leave as a free agent after last season.
“Coach (Mike) Shanahan believed in me; he gave me an opportunity to play,” Dayne said afterward. “Every time he gives me an opportunity, I’m going to do my best to help the team win and show Coach that I wasn’t a bust.
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Yet Dayne – who was playing only because Tatum Bell was out with a chest injury – acknowledged that yesterday probably was the highlight of his six-year pro career.
On the second play of overtime, from the Denver 39, Dayne took a handoff and burst through the left side of the line. Dallas’ defense was loaded up to stop the run, so once Dayne blew through, he raced alone down the left sideline.
Cornerback Terence Newman finally caught him at the 6, but the game essentially was over. After a Denver timeout, Jason Elam entered and kicked the 24-yard winner.
Seeking to win its third game in 11 days, Dallas (7-4) – which next plays Dec. 4 at the Giants – had its chances. Kicker Billy Cundiff missed a 34-yarder that would’ve broken a 21-21 tie midway through the fourth, and with 1:57 left, Terry Glenn dropped a flanker screen pass on a third-and-1 at the Denver 48.
Bill Parcells, however, was relatively upbeat after the defeat. “I told Mike I think his team has a chance to really do things, and I really do think we do too,” the Tuna said. “We have to regroup a little bit, and I told the players it’s not going to be without a bump in the road here or there.
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No need to tell Dayne that. Since being selected 11th in the 2000 draft out of Wisconsin – eight spots ahead of Shaun Alexander – and having a fairly productive rookie season, the former Heisman winner’s pro career has gone south.
Year by year, Dayne’s yards and carries dwindled after 2000, when he had 770 rushing yards as half of the “Thunder and Lightning” tandem with Tiki Barber. By last season, Tom Coughlin had little use for Dayne, handing him the ball just 52 times.
Shanahan signed him, however, and was impressed with how Dayne got into shape. “I knew that I could play,” he said. “It’s just being able to get in the right situation and getting the right opportunity.
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Dayne hasn’t gotten many chances this season, with Bell and Mike Anderson ahead of him on the depth chart, but he capitalized on this one. Dayne rushed for 98 yards on just seven carries and scored a touchdown on a 16-yard run, his first TD of the season.
“He can be any team’s first string,” Broncos linebacker Al Wilson said.
Well, not any team.
T-DAY TRIPLEHEADER? There soon may be a third Thanksgiving game. The NFL is considering adding one, a league spokesman confirmed, as part of the new Thursday night TV package it is negotiating. Thanksgiving currently is the sole province of the Cowboys and the Lions; the third game would rotate among other teams.
Graphic: DO-RON-RON Ron Dayne, a bust with Giants, finally helps Big Blue yesterday with 55-yard run in overtime to set up decisive field goal in Broncos’ 24-21 win over Cowboys. Dallas’ loss leaves Giants alone in first place in NFC East. Here’s a look at Dayne’s performance yesterday, compared to last season with the Giants.
Yesterday Category Last Year
1 Games 14
7 Carries 52
98 Yards 179
14.
0 Avg. 3.
4
1 TD 1
55 Long Run 13
