Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is more optimistic than Tony Robbins, but Jones
stretched the bounds of credibility when he stated recently that his team
will improve from 5-11 to 10-6 this season. Many think a fall from 5-11 to
0-16 is more likely after the Cowboys, mired in salary-cap quicksand, lost Troy Aikman, Erik Williams, Leon Lett and several other household names
during the offseason. With $23 million in dead cap money on the books, Jones
could do little but stand and watch as his team disintegrated.
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CAMP AT A GLANCE
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| Tony Banks will begin the season as the Cowboys' starting quarterback. |
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Location:Midwestern State, Wichita Falls, Texas
Rookies report: July 21
Veterans report: July 21
Preseason schedule:
Aug. 4: at Oakland
Aug. 11: Denver
Aug. 18: at New Orleans
Aug. 27: Oakland (Mexico City)
Aug. 30: Jacksonville
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Jones' best hope is that wide receivers Joey Galloway and Raghib Ismail, who had their seasons cut short by knee injuries last year, return in full
health and give the Cowboys a deep threat to complement 32-year-old halfback
Emmitt Smith, who must feel like The Lone Ranger these days. Of course, that
assumes that Jones has a quarterback who can get Galloway and Ismail the ball.
Man in the spotlight
The passing attack ranked 28th in the NFL last year
with Aikman. Without him, it might drop out of the ratings altogether. Tony Banks, signed to a one-year, $500,000 contract, is the starter even though he
lost starting jobs with the Rams in 1999 and the Ravens in 2000. Banks has a
strong arm and good touch on the deep ball, which fits in well with coach
Dave Campo's offensive plan, but he's hopelessly inconsistent and has been
plagued by turnovers.
Key position battle
Ryan McNeil's departure in free agency and the
retirement of Phillippi Sparks left the Cowboys so desperate at cornerback
that they moved Izell Reese, a competent free safety, to the outside. Reese
has never played cornerback in the NFL but, then again, neither have the
other candidates at the position. Indeed, the team's cornerbacks have five
career starts among them. Two of last year's three cornerback draft picks --
Dwayne Goodrich and Kareem Larrimore -- haven't shown the maturity needed in
the NFL. Goodrich hasn't grasped the complexities of the position and
Larrimore has a suspect work ethic. The third second-year corner, Mario
Edwards, will probably start, ready or not. Goodrich, Larrimore, Reese and
holdover Duane Hawthorne will fight for the other spot.
Biggest adjustment
The Cowboys allowed an NFL-record three 200-yard
rushers and finished last in the league in rushing defense. Now the heart of
the run defense is gone, with tackles Lett, Chad Hennings and Alonzo Spellman moving on. This year's tackle rotation will include Brandon Noble, Michael Myers and Dimitrius Underwood, all of whom are undersized in an era when
offensive linemen are huge. They're not big enough to keep blockers off the
small linebackers, so the Cowboys will compensate with more shifting and
movement up front. Third-round tackle Willie Blade could also see the field
if he overcomes a shoulder injury.
Rookie report
The Cowboys, without a first-round pick due to last year's
trade for Galloway, took talented but raw Quincy Carter on the second round
and consider him their quarterback of the future. Most scouts had him rated
much lower than that. Another second-rounder, Tony Dixon, will be groomed at
safety. Fourth-round pick Markus Steele could supplant Darren Hambrick at
linebacker if Campo is still mad at Hambrick for bypassing off-season
workouts in a contract dispute.
Dallas' complete offseason moves
