NFL team previews — NFC East
Aug. 22, 2000
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Cowboys RB
Emmitt Smith
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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.
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
& 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.
Top of page
| Quarterbacks |
Grade B+ |
| 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. Top of page |
| Running backs |
Grade B+ |
| 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. Top of page |
| Receivers |
Grade B+ |
| 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. Top of page |
| Offensive linemen |
Grade A |
| 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. Top of page |
| Defensive linemen |
Grade B |
| 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. Top of page |
| Linebackers |
Grade C+ |
| 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. Top of page |
| Defensive backs |
Grade C- |
| 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. Top
of page |
| Special teams |
Grade C- |
| 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. Top of page |
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