Wednesday, September 11, 1996

You know, Kevin Smith was right last July
By LANCE FLEMING
Abilene Reporter-News
(Sept. 11, 1996)

Kevin Smith caught a few looks of wide-eyed amazement back in July when he said this year's Dallas Cowboys' defense would be better than any of the previous Super Bowl-winning defenses.

How, the experts wondered, after losing the likes of Super Bowl XXX MVP Larry Brown, defensive tackle Russell Maryland and linebackers Robert Jones and Dixon Edwards, could the Cowboys possibly be better?

Well, so far it turns out Smith was right.

After two games the Cowboy defense has allowed just 15 points, and recorded a shutout in Sunday's 27-0 win over New York. Dallas, after being ranked 16th in the league in total defense last year, is at No. 3 after the first two weeks of the season.

"I think our defensive scheme is better," Dallas head coach Barry Switzer said. "We spent a lot of time with the defensive staff over the summer to correct what was giving us problems last season.
Our scheme really works well with Kevin Smith and Deion Sanders out there."

One of the things the Cowboys had to bolster was their run defense.

Dallas gave up more than 100 yards rushing in a game in nine of 19 games last year, and more than 130 yards in six games, including 244 to the New York Giants in the season's 15th game.

So the Cowboys decided to let Jones and Edwards walk via free agency, and they brought in Fred Strickland and Broderick Thomas to replace them. Strickland, from Green Bay, is a physical presence at middle linebacker, while Thomas, from Minnesota, gives the Cowboys an outside pass rush that Edwards never provided.

"I've been saying all off-season that we have a better defense than last year," Sanders said. "Because of the acquisitions we made, we're definitely better."

The Cowboys also picked up defensive tackle Tony Casillas just before training camp started, and he has provided the Cowboys with a solid rotation at the key run-stopping position. Starters Chad Hennings and Leon Lett have played well with Casillas playing as the third tackle.

Those three have played the run well enough to allow an average of 77 yards rushing through the first two games.

"The front four has made my job easy," Strickland said. "They don't allow the ball carrier to the get into the linebackers or secondary with a head of steam."

And when that happens, the Cowboys are able to turn ends Charles Haley and Tony Tolbert and linebackers Thomas and Darrin Smith loose to rush - and sack - the quarterback, just as they did three times Sunday against the New York Giants.

When those pass rushers can get to the quarterback, good things usually happen for the Cowboys. On the first play Sunday, New York quarterback Dave Brown - under a rush - forced a pass into the flat that was picked off by Smith. The Cowboys didn't score, but it set the tone for the day.

Later in the game, Haley sacked Brown and stripped him of the ball and Tolbert pounced on the fumble to put the Cowboys in scoring position.

"When the defense makes plays, it sets the offense up for good things," Dallas safety Darren Woodson said. "Last week (in a 22-6 loss to Chicago) nobody made the big plays. That's the difference."

It's also the difference in a defense that in 1995 did just enough to win and a defense in 1996 that might make up for any offensive shortcoming the club might endure this season.

"Defensively, we feel that we can set the tone and make some big plays to help our offense," Smith said. "No matter what offense we play against, if we can take the wide receivers out of the game and the line can stall the running game and create third-and-long situations, we're going to win."

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