COMMENTARY : IRVIN IS A DISTRACTION COWBOYS MUST FOCUS ON TIME WITHOUT HIM.

Byline: Randy Galloway Dallas Morning News

Michael Irvin, the private citizen, hasn't done much right lately. Michael Irvin, the football player, continued that trend this week.

Bad timing.

As if the Cowboys don't have enough problems and distractions, the circus has rolled into Austin. Say hello, everybody, to Bozo.

Not since Judge Manny dictated probation terms has anyone laid down the law to Irvin. Once that was over, Michael has been given the pat-on-the-butt treatment by NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue, by Jerry Jones and, as would be expected, by his teammates.

How many times has this been heard:

``All we want is what's best for Michael''?

Oh, yeah. Well, what about what's best for the Cowboys?

Instead, Irvin was allowed to wander into Austin when he was good and ready, creating a media feeding frenzy that shoves the real training camp objective to the back of the practice field.

Trying to be prepared to open the regular season and play the first five games without Irvin's ample contribution is the summer's No. 1 objective. He doesn't help that by now becoming the No. 1 distraction on the St. Ed's campus.

In another nine days, the Cowboys will be back at Valley Ranch, meaning a much more controlled environment to finish up training camp. But the spotlight is not nearly as big in north Irving, because a couple of thousand spectators won't be watching from the sideline. And you know about Michael and his spotlight. He's got to have it.

But somebody needs to pull the Austin plug on Irvin.

So, he finally has arrived. So what.

Michael is simply not important at the moment and won't be until mid-October. His ego will balk at such a notion, but he's a player who should be treated no differently in practice than such receivers as Oronde Gadsden, Jason Shelley, Billy Davis, etc. Meaning Irvin will be catching balls thrown by Jason Garrett.

The bulk of the practice-field reps have to go to receivers who will be expected to make plays in the first five games, starting with Kevin Williams and continuing with Deion Sanders and rookie Stepfret Williams. It will be interesting to see if Barry Switzer, who is still the head coach, keeps Irvin in his proper place between now and Sept. 2.

Then once the season opens, Irvin will have no football home for five weeks. He's barred from having any contact with the team while serving his suspension. Irvin will have to watch the action on TV from the comfort of a nearby Residence Inn.

No Michael obviously will become a tough hurdle to overcome in those five games. This is a team that was built to win with its offense. One consolation thus far is how Kevin Williams seems to have grasped the urgency of the situation and with his work ethic repeatedly has drawn the praise of Troy Aikman. Until December of last season, Williams was best known for busting routes and drawing the sideline ire of Aikman.

But Kevin still is not Michael, and, speaking of bad timing...

Irvin removed himself from the Cowboys' immediate regular-season future at the same time Jay Novacek's aching back left his availability in doubt. Offensive success without Irvin is one thing, but if Novacek is added to the absentee list, that's a 1-2 aerial punch that won't be replaced, period. The difference is Novacek has a valid excuse, while Irvin is void of same.

And no matter what groveling words you hear coming from Austin about Irvin, he has no reason for being there, except to feed his own ego.

Ever since Tagliabue went light on Irvin with only a five-game suspension, the intrigue began to build. How the Cowboys perform without Irvin is being viewed by the rest of the NFL as an indication of whether this team eventually will be Super Bowl-ready again. Much of that depends on Kevin Williams, on Deion holding up physically as both a receiver and a cornerback, and possibly on the progress of Stepfret Williams. Beyond that, of course, there is a multitude of other health questions to consider on offense and defense.

None of this involves Irvin for now. He took himself out of the picture with his own stupidity. It would have been better for the Cowboys if he had stayed out until mid-October.

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1) Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin tu rns upfield after catching a pass at a Wednesday's practice.

(2) Michael Irvin (88), Emmitt Smith (22) and Broderick Thomas joke around at the start of practice.

Associated Press