NFL Playoff Notebook -- Rice Gets Burned In Trash-Talk War

IRVING, Texas - Kevin Smith said he simply wanted to shake Jerry Rice's hand, wish him good luck and play the game.

Nice thought, but Rice wanted none of it. In fact, what Rice did yesterday was direct an obscene gesture at the Dallas cornerback.

"It surprised me a whole lot," Smith said after the Cowboys' 38-21 NFC championship game victory.

Before the game, the 49ers didn't shake hands with any Cowboys, other than retired QB Roger Staubach.

It was clear after the Rice-Smith exchange that there was going to be a lot of animosity. On the 49ers' first drive, Rice even threw a punch at Smith, drawing a personal foul.

"Anything goes within the rules," Smith said. "Trash talking is within the rules. Throwing a punch is not."

The punch was so unlike Rice's usual calm demeanor. So why do it?

"There was a little bit of talking going on, and I decided to try and dish some out myself - and I got the flag," Rice said. "I felt they showed us no respect at all. . . . It got under my skin a little bit."

Said Smith: "I felt right there that he was out of his game."

Shoving matches broke out in the game, as some 49ers were offended by the guaranteed-win prediction of Dallas Coach Jimmy Johnson.

"I hate them, I hate everything about them," 49er guard Ralph Tamm said. "I hate them talking all that stuff in the newspaper. We don't play that kind of football."

The Cowboys drew incentive from 49er back Ricky Watters.

"Ricky talked a lot, and we wanted to shut that up," Dallas defensive tackle Tony Casillas said. "Sometimes, it's better not to say anything if you can't back it up."

MONTANA TAKES `VICIOUS' BLOW

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The sound is what stuck with Jeff Wright.

"I never heard anyone's head hit the ground that hard," the Buffalo tackle said. "It was a nasty wonk."

Joe Montana's head would agree.

The Kansas City quarterback went down and out on the third play of the second half when Wright, Phil Hansen and Bruce Smith caught him in a triple-decker sandwich.

Montana had released a 17-yard pass to Keith Cash when the Buffalo trio slammed him with the force of its combined 818 pounds.

"Bruce and Phil hit him low," Wright said, "and I hit him high. It whipped his head."

Montana's head bounced off the turf; then he grasped his helmet with both hands.

"I asked him if he was OK," Smith said, "but he couldn't hear me. He was just moaning."

Montana was eventually helped to the sidelines, where he remained with a mild concussion.

"Everything went white for a couple seconds," he said. "There was really a sharp pain in my head."

The blow sickened even Wright.

"It was vicious," he said. "There was a loud oomph! It was gross."

There was no chance he'd return. "In his mental condition," Coach Marty Schottenheimer said, "he couldn't help us out. Not this time."