Drew Pearson became an All-Pro receiver in the 1970s because he was fearless going over the middle.
Now, the former Cowboys great wants his team to test Robert Griffin III's fear factor. Even if it means getting hit with a personal foul.
"We need to let him know that it's not going to be that easy, or we're not going to lay down for them and we're not intimidated by them," Pearson told Dallas radio station KESN this week. "The way you do that is you go out on that field and you knock him around. Even if it costs you a 15-yard penalty."
Pearson added that the Cowboys should only risk getting flagged "if it's not a critical situation or anything."
Pearson made his tough-talking comments, as also reported in The Dallas Morning News, after noting that RGIII likely gained a lot of confidence after defeating the Cowboys, 38-31, on Thanksgiving.
"Sometimes you have to deliver that kind of blow and that kind of message to let him know it's going to be like this all day and not a walk in the park," Pearson said. "We need to establish this with RGIII and the Redskins as well."
Pearson was involved in some of the most heated Cowboys-Redskins battles when the rivalry was red-hot in the 1970s and early 1980s. It's no surprise that talking about Sunday's winner-take-all, NFC East showdown has Pearson's blood boiling.
"I'm so fired up," Pearson said. "This is the way it used to be back in the day. Most of the time, we were playing for the NFC title. It never really came down to where we played a game like this, where if you win you're in [the playoffs]."
Some of that fire is starting to return to the rivalry as both franchises have returned to playoff contention in December. Earlier this week, linebacker Brady Poppinga said the Cowboys should inflict pain on Griffin every time he runs the option, to send a similar message to what Pearson is promoting.
"These guys have to Google this or go back in time to understand the importance of this rivalry," Pearson said. "The reason it was so intense back in the day was because it was always us or the Redskins vying for that NFC East title."
Follow Keith Whitmire on Twitter: @Keith_Whitmire
