Canton, Ohio ? Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice could be excused if they turned their eyes away from the field. Maybe there was a rerun of “Dancing with the Stars” to catch.

The NFL offensive icons who entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame the previous day could not have been comfortable with the action at Fawcett Stadium on Sunday night, when Dallas beat Cincinnati, 16-7, to open the preseason.

The offenses generally sputtered all night, and there were eight sacks in a sloppy affair. Clearly, none of the aura of the NFL’s career leaders in rushing and receiving rubbed off.

Nobody could be impressed by the slew of penalties, 16 overall, 12 by Cincinnati for 90 yards. Then again, it was the preseason opener.

“The best thing about it,” Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said, “is you see what you did and what you need to improve on.”