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Aikman, Redskins' coach defend Zampese against blitz

By Brad Townsend

The Dallas Morning News

(KRT)

DALLAS - The Cowboys are nowhere close to the offensive team they used to be. Naturally, inquiring fans want to know why. Naturally, much of their griping is aimed at offensive coordinator Ernie Zampese.

Norv Turner and Troy Aikman have heard all the Zampese-bashing they can stand. Turner, the Redskins' head coach and former Cowboys offensive coordinator, lauded Zampese's "innovative" play-calling this season. He also predicted Zampese will correct Dallas' inability to score touchdowns.

Aikman, the Cowboys' ninth-year quarterback, wondered Wednesday why some fans seem more opinionated than ever.

"As educated as everyone here is about football, there's no one who knows more than the coaches and the players we have in this locker room," Aikman said. "Someone sitting at home watching the broadcast on television isn't going to help us with some idea that he has.

"There's no one who wants to win more than we do, no one wants to be more successful than we do, and yet everyone outside this organization seems to have the answer to our problems. It baffles me. I don't call up American Airlines and tell them how to fix their planes. I don't know anything about it. Give it a rest."

Turner, whose Redskins play host to the Cowboys on Monday night, hardly is objective when it comes to Zampese. He talked appreciatively Wednesday of how much Zampese taught him between 1987 and 1990 when Zampese was the Los Angeles Rams' offensive coordinator and Turner their receivers' coach.

"It's easy after a loss to come back, question yourself, question the players, or start throwing plays out of the playbook," Turner said. "In reality, this is a game of percentages. Everything is not going to work well all the time. He (Zampese) has a great feel for that."

"I know they've been frustrated inside the 20," Turner said. "Those things tend to go in cycles. Ernie's going to figure out a way to get that corrected ... Sometimes it's not the play but who's doing it and how they're doing it."

Aikman said the day he starts listening to fan suggestions about play-calling will be the day he is sitting in a Lazyboy, watching games on TV.

"When you agree to do these call-in shows, you subject yourself to punishment if you don't play well," Aikman said. "I'm a big boy, and I can handle it."

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