Friday, August 30, 1996

Cowboys Hardly Destructible This Time
By DENNE H. FREEMAN
AP Sports Writer
(August 30, 1996)


IRVING, Texas (AP) - Helmet in hand, Troy Aikman dropped to his knees on the new, bright green artificial turf in Texas Stadium.

Nearby, Emmitt Smith was writhing in pain, his left leg a victim of 340-pound teammate Erik Williams, who had fallen on it in a tangle of bodies at the end of a running play against the Denver Broncos.

For five minutes Aikman didn't move as Smith was being treated. He knew the 1996 season hung in the balance.

Of all the bad things that happened this summer to the Super Bowl champions - free agent defections, the Michael Irvin sex and drug scandal and suspension, Shante Carver's suspension, and the loss of two starting offensive linemen - this could have been the killer blow.

Finally, slowly, Smith got to his feet and walked to the sidelines.

"It was a big relief," Aikman said. "Everybody knows what Emmitt means to this team. That was a scary moment. It was exciting to see him walk away from there."

The Cowboys have played and won without Aikman. But they've played miserably when Smith, a four-time NFL rushing champion, was out of the lineup. Dallas has won three of the last four Super Bowls by being a running team first and a passing team second.

Smith, who suffered a strained knee ligament and sprained an ankle, was expected to be ready for the Sept. 2 regular-season opener against the Chicago Bears.

The world champions walk a very thin line these days. Without depth because of free agency, a few injuries can bring the Cowboys' talent level even with the rest of the NFL.

"This is the thinnest we've ever been," says Dallas coach Barry Switzer. "We have very little depth."

What depth the Cowboys do have is there because of the return of three prodigal sons who are willing to play for the NFL's version of the minimum wage, $275,000 and all the free Pepsi they can drink in the pop machines at Valley Ranch.

Herschel Walker, Tony Casillas, and Kelvin Martin have come back in the hopes of winning a Super Bowl ring and getting playoff bonuses.

"It really helps having those guys," Switzer said. "Herschel can play tailback, fullback, wide receiver, and tight end and help out on the special teams. Tony gives us much-needed depth in the defensive line and Kelvin has been one of the best third-down receivers in the NFL."

"Los Tres Caballeros" lighten the sting somewhat of all the defections, injuries and moral misjudgments hounding owner Jerry Jones' creation.

Dallas lost Super Bowl MVP Larry Brown, Robert Jones, Dixon Edwards and Russell Maryland from the defense to higher bidders.

Irvin will miss the first five games because of his sex and drug scandal suspension, and defensive end Shante Carver will miss six games because he violated the NFL's substance abuse program.
Injuries did you say? Pass the Ben Gay.

Besides Smith, tight end Jay Novacek and defensive end Charles Haley have bad backs and cornerback Kevin Smith, offensive linemen Erik Williams and Ray Donaldson and linebacker Godfrey Myles are coming off injuries.

Tight end Kendall Watkins, a devastating blocker, and defensive lineman Darren Benson are gone for the year with knee injuries. Offensive linemen Mark Tuinei and George Hegamin have knee ligament sprains.

Strong safety Roger Harper, who played for Atlanta last year, broke an arm in the Cowboys' Blue-White scrimmage in July.

There are new Cowboys on defense working with coordinator Dave Campo, including former Green Bay linebacker Fred Strickland, former Minnesota linebacker Broderick Thomas, and former Packers defensive back George Teague.

The Cowboys defense was 16th in the NFL last year, but the team still won a Super Bowl. It will have to get better this season.

It could be better this year even if Deion Sanders plays wide receiver some of the time.

The return of Kevin Smith at cornerback after rupturing an Achilles heel rupture in the first game of 1995 is a key. He's played well in the preseason and it will free up Sanders to play more offense.
How much offense will Sanders play? Switzer says as much as he can stand.

"Deion is going to substitute himself and we'll never know how many plays he will play," Switzer said. "He will manage his own number of snaps."

It will be much the same with Haley, whose back problems come and go like a weak signal from a border radio station.

"Charles will let us know when he can be in there," Switzer said.

This is going to be a year where the Dallas defense must step to the front while the Irvin-less offense finds itself.

"Without Irvin and Novacek I may not be completing 65 percent of my passes early in the season," Aikman said. "We may not be quite as methodical with our drives as we've been in the past. We may have to make a few more big plays to compensate for some of the things we're going to be missing."

It sounds like the 1996 Cowboys are going to be very human.

Cowboys Chatroom.....Dallas Cowboys.....Back to Reporter OnLine