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Thursday, August 31
Onus falls on Cowboys offense

Pro Football Weekly

Just two seasons ago, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thought he had hired a head coach who would breathe new life into an offense that had become stale. That coach was Chan Gailey, and he is now gone -- fired by Jones after two seasons in which the Cowboys failed to reach their potential.

The Cowboys need to get the tight end back involved in their offense. When Troy Aikman is at his best, he not only had Michael Irvin and Emmitt Smith at his disposal. Jay Novacek was his security blanket.
Now Eric Bjornsen is gone to New England. The Cowboys originally drafted David LaFleur hoping he could become a suitable replacement for Novacek. In the offseason they signed Jackie Harris.
Aikman needs a relationship with his tight end again. I like the Cowboys' defense, despite having some concerns about their cornerbacks. But overall the tight end must become an integral part of their offense.

This year Jones hired a new head coach from within -- former defensive coordinator Dave Campo -- and then looked out of house for a new offensive coordinator. Jack Reilly, formerly with the Patriots, was hired to revitalize Dallas' offensive attack. He will be in charge of seeing to it that Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Co. run an offense that is similar to what the Cowboys were running during their Super Bowl seasons of just a few years ago.

On defense, the team has some serious concerns in the secondary, where two new starters will be taking over at cornerback after Deion Sanders was released and Kevin Smith retired. Because Dallas could be especially shaky in this department for the first time in a number of years, the Cowboys' offense could be under even more pressure to score to keep up with opponents.

Offense
Quarterbacks: Aikman had his worst year in close to a decade in '99. At age 33 and with an offense he feels comfortable in, he must show he still has it. In the past, Aikman has been a strong-armed, deadly accurate passer who was best when everything was by the numbers. Last season he was not as sharp throwing and was not comfortable with the people he was throwing to. Randall Cunningham was brought in to back up Aikman.
Grade: B+

Running backs: Smith appeared to be fading until the last couple of years. Last year he was in the best shape of his career and responded by rushing for 1,397 yards. Smith showed more explosiveness and power than he had in years and also looked a little quicker. Chris Warren would often give Smith rests or come in on sure passing downs. At fullback, converted-LB Robert Thomas looks like a keeper.
Grade: B+


	Joey Galloway represents Dallas' shift to a faster receiving corps.

Receivers: The Cowboys rave about huge TE David LaFleur's blocking and gleefully point out that their supposed first-round disappointment caught a team-high seven TD passes in '99. Jackie Harris could be a very valuable addition to this offense. He blocks a lot better than he gets credit for and is a much better all-around pass catcher than LaFleur. At wide receiver, the key addition is Galloway, who could be the best speed receiver in football. But Galloway's forte is going deep or working the sidelines, whereas Aikman loved to throw slants over the middle to the fearless Michael Irvin (now retired). Galloway will stretch the defense in a way Irvin never could and is a more dangerous runner after the catch. Raghib Ismail exploded last season to lead the Cowboys with 80 catches, and he did not drop that many balls. Before the '99 season, the Cowboys gave Seattle a 2000 third-rounder for big, speedy James McKnight, who looked like a future star in '97 but then tailed off in '98. Unfortunately, McKnight blew out his left knee early in training camp and never could show what he could do. The Cowboys like their depth beyond the top three wideouts.
Grade: B+

Offensive linemen: This is definitely an area of strength. Flozell Adams has the potential to be a very good left tackle. Next to Adams is Larry Allen, the best guard in football. Allen is big, athletic and extremely powerful. ORT Erik Williams is back in camp after a holdout. He is coming off his best season in years. With Williams back at tackle, second-year pro Solomon Page can shift back inside to right guard. At center, Mark Stepnoski provides a stabilizing influence on the line and gives Aikman a great deal of confidence. The only concern could be about the depth at this position.
Grade: A

Defense
Defensive linemen: The strength of the line is at tackle, where the Cowboys are pleased with their rotation of Alonzo Spellman, Chad Hennings and Leon Lett. Spellman was very impressive last season on the interior, as was Hennings. Lett, on the other hand, wasn't spectacular, but he appears to be in better shape and had a very impressive training camp. Because DRE Greg Ellis is coming off a fractured leg, there are some doubts over what he will bring to the line. That means that second-year pro Ebenezer Ekuban really needs to step up. Ekuban showed some ability as an outside speed rusher late last season.
Grade: D.

Linebackers: The Cowboys are gambling that undersized but instinctive sophomore Dat Nguyen can replace Randall Godfrey in the middle. But they also hedged their bets by trading for ex-Saint Chris Bordano, a supertough middle 'backer who runs 4.7 but lacks lateral and reverse mobility. They also signed former Oilers starting MLB Barron Wortham, but he had his knee scoped and may not be available right away. WLB Dexter Coakley, who picked off four passes in '99, went to the Pro Bowl and may be the fastest linebacker in football. Opponents must scheme for him so that he can use his rare speed and not have to take on blockers very often. The strong-side linebacker has not been determined, and may not be determined until days before the opener. Darren Hambrick has been battling free-agent signee Joe Bowden.
Grade: C+

Defensive backs: Ryan McNeil was signed to start on one corner after the team released Sanders due to salary-cap concerns. McNeil certainly is not as tlaented as Sanders, but he is a very capable coverage guy. After Kevin Smith left camp to contemplate retirement, fourth-round pick Kareem Larrimore emerged as the other starter. Larrimore was the second of three cornerbacks the Cowboys drafted, with Dwayne Goodrich being tabbed in the second round and Mario Edwards being selected in the sixth. The safety position is considered very solid with Darren Woodson starting at strong safety and George Teague starting at free safety.
Grade: C-

Special teams
This area had always been a huge Cowboys positive, with Joe Avezzano running the show and Steve Hoffman finding free-agent, minimum-wage kickers and developing them into stars. That is, until last season, when Richie Cunningham missed a few chip shots and was just 3-of-9 on field-goal tries of between 40 and 49 yards before being cut. P Toby Gowin had his best season but then signed with the Saints. This year it appears as if rookie Tim Seder has won the PK job. However, don't count out the Cowboys signing a veteran like Eddie Murray or Chris Jacke if Seder struggles. As for Gowin's replacement, Hoffman has chosen to go with rookie Micah Knorr. Kick coverage was also far from its usual standards last season. Jason Tucker did some good things returning kickoffs. Larrimore is also very good as a kickoff returner, and RB-WR Michael Wiley from Ohio State can return both kickoffs and punts.
Grade: C-

Material from Pro Football Weekly.
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