Tuesday, September 17, 1996

Low intensity sets off Barry Switzer
By Ed Werder
The Dallas Morning News
(Sept. 17, 1996)

IRVING, Texas (KRT) - Sometimes cursing and occasionally pounding his fist for emphasis, Cowboys coach Barry Switzer scolded his players in their team meeting Monday for performing with fleeting intensity in a stunning loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

"If you played hard, then you have nothing to worry about," offensive lineman Nate Newton said. "If you didn't, then you'd better check yourself."

Switzer described himself as frustrated by the lackluster performance the Cowboys became the first Dallas team to surrender an 18-point lead in a home defeat. The Cowboys transformed a comfortable advantage into a 25-24 loss.

That happened as the shaky Dallas offense managed one field goal in the last 36:23. Meanwhile, the Colts scored 24 in the same stretch at least partly because of a shoddy defensive performance in which Dallas missed 17 tackles.

"The poorest tackling exhibition I've seen since I've been here," Switzer said. "If we had tackled, we would have won the football game.

"I think in the third quarter, we didn't play worth a damn. Then in the fourth quarter, we played like we thought we might be losing the ballgame, so they decided to play like hell, and they did."

The ramifications of the defeat could be devastating. The Cowboys, (1-2) confront a daunting challenge as they must sweep successive road games with the Buffalo Bills and Philadelphia Eagles to compile a winning record during Michael Irvin's five-game drug suspension.

"I think we have to look at it like a two-game season," safety Darren Woodson said.

Only once have the Cowboys overcome two defeats at this point in a season to reach the Super Bowl. That happened in 1993, when Emmitt Smith's contract dispute sidelined him for the first two weeks of the regular season.

"It still bothers this football team to lose, and it should," quarterback Troy Aikman said. "These are going to be tough games to win, but I think we can win them if we play the way we're capable of playing."

But the Cowboys seem to seldom approach that performance level. The Cowboys have been wildly inconsistent, scoring 45 points in the first halves of games and a meager nine in the final two quarters.

During their comeback, the Colts concentrated their attack on the diminished speed of a Cowboys linebacker corps that has replaced Dixon Edwards and Robert Jones with Broderick Thomas and Fred Strickland. Indianapolis quarterback Jim Harbaugh completed 12 passes to his running backs and tight ends for 171 yards and two touchdowns.

Meanwhile, the Dallas offense has lacked both the threat of a downfield passing game and a consistently productive running attack.

Smith has been tackled at the line of scrimmage or for a loss 14 times while his rushing average has plunged to 3.7 yards per attempt from his career average of 4.5 yards.

"It takes more than a wide receiver, running back and quarterback to make plays," Newton said. "Sometimes the offensive linemen have to make plays. We're starting to get into pounding shape now. When we get there, you'll see a better Troy Aikman and a better Emmitt Smith."

(c) 1996, Dallas Morning News. Distributed by Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services.

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